75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2012 Completed)
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Alecia's 2012 Challenge
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How do you listed to audio books? I don't drive long enough distances in my car, and when I read, it's the old-timey way with a real book, not a kindle. But I'll try this book, via reading...sounds very worthy.
Alecia wrote: "How do you listed to audio books? I don't drive long enough distances in my car, and when I read, it's the old-timey way with a real book, not a kindle. But I'll try this book, via reading...sound..."I don't drive much either on a daily basis but I listen as I walk my dogs, cook dinner, household chores, fold laundry, etc. I used to get them from the library and downloaded the discs into iTunes, then synced it to my iPod. But I recently joined Audible and love it. I listen on either my iPod or iPhone.
lol on "old-timey way"....I hope real books are never seen as old-fashioned! I still read 'real' books but I do love my Kindle :-)
I hope you enjoy Little Princes as much as I did!
Book # 52 A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming 4/5 starsI like the way Charles Cumming writes. Although spy novels are not my "go-to" genre for reading, he does a really good job, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. He combines intelligent writing, good characterizations and plotting, and inserts enough suspense to make it a really good read. I even liked the ending, which is not a given, even in a book I enjoyed.
The book starts out with seemingly random murders of an elderly French couple vacationing in Egypt, a kidnapping of a young French accountant, and a disappearance of the new female chief of M16, Amelia Levene.
Thomas Kell, having been tossed out of the Service, is brought back to try and find Amelia Levene. This is his chance to redeem himself, and the trail he follows to achieve this redemption makes for a very good story.
Book # 53 The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin 1/5 starsI did not choose to finish this 426 page book, but since I put in 142 pages, I think I gave it a goood try. I could not connect with the detached type of prose, and found myself sloughing through it, wanting to connect with the characters, but feeling nothing. I do see that a lot of people loved it, so it might be worth a try for some readers.
Book # 54 The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker 4/5 starsI really enjoyed this book. It is a coming-of-age-story that is by turns poignant, unsettling, wise and very moving. It is narrated by 12 year old Julia, who lives in a California suburb with her family. They, and the rest of the world, discover that the rotation of the earth has begun to slow. This "slowing" causes days and nights to grow ever longer, and lives, both human and animal, are threatened and thrown into disarray. It manages to combine a setting in a not too distant future with the seemingly real lives of people struggling to carry on in a very altered world.
Book # 55 Dropped Names by Frank Langella 3/5 starsThis is a very light, entertaining book that you can pick up and put down at will. It is a collection of very short selections/chapters describing his impressions of or incidents that occured between him (Frank Langella) and famous people in his life. These people are all deceased now (with the exception of Bunny Mellon, who was still alive when this was published, but who gave her permission). The death of his subjects allows Mr. Langella a certain lattitude with his opinions, and some of them are quite strong and "juicy". This makes for an entertaining, amusing, gossipy read. His writing is good, so the experience is a pleasant one.
Book # 56 Mortality by Christopher Hitchens 4/5 starsWhat happens to an atheist who finds out he has a terminal illness? In Christopher Hitchen's case, his position as an outspoken defender of atheism makes this a very interesting and sad/scary question. When he found out and made public that he had esophogeal cancer, many groups of people commented and even bet on whether he would fold and accept God, or keep to his original path.
That question only adds poignancy to an already devestating premise; a man writing about his own death. And because he is such an excellent writer, these short essays on Hitchen's journey from finding he had the cancer to hospital stays and all that goes with the process of "fighting cancer" (a phrase he particularly disliked) have a special resonance. It's an honor to share in a person's musings when he is so close to death. Ending of life will claim us all and is the ultimate mystery. This book has no answers, but is a human confrontation of mortality without solace of religion.
Book # 57 Defending Jacob by William Landay 3.5/5 starsI would give this book 3.5 stars. I thought it would be 4 stars as I found it to be real page-turner while reading it. But it was the ending that dragged it down for me.
I found it to be very reminiscent of Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent. The manner in which Andy Barber, father of accused murderer Jacob, narrates this story is sensitive and knowing (just like the narrator in Turow's book). We like our narrator, and want everything to turn out OK. I really did enjoy reading this book, and perhaps others would like or accept how it is resolved.
But (view spoiler)
Mod
Andrea, If I commuted, I think I would also use the audio. And I have listened for a long car ride to FL. For now, I'm still stuck on actual reading (not Kindles, books). But, who knows? Things change...while exercising is an interesting idea.
My problem with audio is I don't think I'd be able to focus on it if I were doing other things, and if I'm not doing other things than I might as well sit and actually read. I'm not a good multitasker.
Book # 58 Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures 1/5 starsI couldn't finish this one, although I got through more than half the book. I found the writing distant, cold,and somewhat stilted. I did not feel anything about the characters, nor did I care what happened to them. I read that this was based on the life of the actress Jennifer Jones, but that knowledge did little to cause me to complete the novel.
Charleen wrote: "My problem with audio is I don't think I'd be able to focus on it if I were doing other things, and if I'm not doing other things than I might as well sit and actually read. I'm not a good multitas..."Charleen,
I feel the same way. Besides, I love the act of reading itself. I kind of like to make up the "voices" in the book in my head, rather than hear them spoken by someone else.
Book # 59 Ghosts of Manhattan by Douglas Brunt 3/5 stars
I thought this was a nicely written story narrated very well by the book's protagonist, Nick Farmer. Nick is a thirty-five year old bond trader at Bear Stearns circa 2005. Of course, the reader knows the financial melt-down is soon to occur. The extravagances, drug and sex-addled "work-related" nightlife, and even the huge seven figure salary are starting to wear thin on Nick. His marriage is in trouble and so, apparently, is his soul.
Book # 60 Getaway by Lisa Brackmann 1/5 starsI struggled to finish this one and I don't even know why I did. There was no tension in this book, and the author's writing style seemed to be one of ending most of her sentences as questions. I'm guessing her intention was to indicate the protagonist, Michelle's, panic and uncertainty in her situation. But the effect it had on me was just annoyance and tedium. Michelle is vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,after the death of her husband, and finds herself caught up in a murky mess with lots of potential bad guys and girls. And for a woman supposedly in one life-threatening situation after another, she sure does drink a lot.
Book # 61 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 2/5 starsGilliam Flynn writes very well and that is the only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the feelings I got while reading Sharp Objects were ones of revulsion and dread. Truly, I think this is more of a horror tale than any other type. Evil and sickness permeate the main characters, Camille Preaker and her family. Camille is a "cutter", and she has carved words all over her body. Her mother, Adora, was a cold and unloving mother, and the death of Camille's sister when she was younger was a turning poing in all their lives. Camille has returned to her home town as a reporter to cover the murder of two preteen girls. She is drawn in by the demons of her past, and the horrific story unfolds from this premise. I really did not enjoy the thoughts and actions of the characters, and was not sorry to finish this book.
Alecia wrote: "Book # 61 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 2/5 starsGilliam Flynn writes very well and that is the only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the feelings I got while reading Sharp ..."
I've had this on my bookshelf for several years and thought about moving it up the tbr list after Gone Girl was such a hit. Now I'm not so sure I should bother!
JanB wrote: "Alecia wrote: "Book # 61 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 2/5 starsGilliam Flynn writes very well and that is the only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the feelings I got while..."
Well, you see what I thought. I don't know your tolerance level for this kind of "sick" (for want of any other word) theme. Not for me, anyhow!
Alecia wrote: "JanB wrote: "Alecia wrote: "Book # 61 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 2/5 starsGilliam Flynn writes very well and that is the only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the feeling..."
Not high and this explains why my daughter started to read it right after I bought it and put it down after only a few chapters. But I'm curious....
Well, you already own the boook, so why not try it? There have certainly been books with evil, gruesome, "sick" themes that I have liked (ex. The Devil All the Time). But this one, not so much. I'll be interested to hear what you think.
Alecia wrote: "Well, you already own the boook, so why not try it? There have certainly been books with evil, gruesome, "sick" themes that I have liked (ex. The Devil All the Time). But this one, not so much. I'l..."I'll move it up the tbr list and let you know if I can stomach it.
Book # 62 Never Tell by Alafair Burke 2/5 starsI thought it started out OK, but then had too many streams of disjointed storylines running through it. Although some of the characterizations were pretty good, I struggled to finish it and found it a tedious read overall.
Book # 63 Live By Night by Dennis Lehane 2/5 starsI thought the first half of this (overlong) book was quite good. The story is set during Prohibition, and tells of Joe Coughlin, son of a Boston police captain, who is following a life of crime. Joe ends up in prison, and some of the descriptions of his struggle to survive in there, and the depiction of his relationship with his father are quite good. But the second half of the book, which describes Joe's journey up the ladder of organized crime, became tedious, and dragged for me. I have enjoyed some of Dennis Lehane's other novels a great deal. But this novel was not one of them.
Book # 64 Black Fridays by Michael Sears 3/5 starsReading this book produced two trains of thought: one was that I really liked Michael Sears's writing, especially the parts with Jason Stafford and the relationship he has with his six year old autistic son. The second was that I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on in his plotting and the character's roles in the mystery part of the book. I am giving it three stars because the writing is engaging and truly poignant in the father-son relationship part of this book. The other part is interesting (the world of crooked high-finance), but was somewhat confusing to me.
Mod
Andrea, I think I started Dennis Lehane's novel that was a sort of prequel to Live By Night and didn't care for that one, either. Maybe I prefer Lehane's writing in the present time (as the two I mention are set in the past)? I'll be interested to know what you think of this one. As I said in the review, I liked the first 1/2 of the book.
Book #65 We the Animals by Justin Torres 3/5 starsThis is actually a novella, and a very short read. I've read similar tales before, mostly in memoir form, but the story of an abusive, tough childhood is told here through the youngest brother's voice. He is one of three brothers (the "animals" in the title), and they are being raised by a white mother and Puerto Rican father, who were both 14 and 16 years old respectively when they had the first brother. Things are tough with children raising children, and the solidarity and closeness of the brothers shield them from the abuse and poverty, at least for a while. I'm not sure about the ending, but some of the writing is quite evocative and beautiful at times.
Book # 66 Where We Belong by Emily Giffin 3/5 starsThis was a well-written story in the "chick-lit" genre. The chapters bounce back and forth between the point of view of Kirby, who was given up for adoption at birth, and Marian, the mother who got pregnant with Kirby and faced a very tough decision as a teenager. Kirby decides to track down her mother, Marian, when she turns 18. Marian is a high-powered TV producer/writer who lives in NYC. Marian has kept this part of her life a secret for all these years, and the unfolding of this secret to her boyfriend and friends changes her life. Although this was written very well and quite sensitively, I kept picturing it as something to be made into a Lifetime TV movie. But I found it to be a good, page-turning read.It explores how adoption affects both the adoptive family and the birth parents.
Book # 67 Magnificence by Lydia Millet 2/5 starsI previously read Ghost Lights, which I understand is part of a trilogy that Magnificence completes. I did not read the first book. I liked Ghost Lights, and in my review I mentioned wanting to read more from Lydia Millet. But this continuation of the story was not as good as the previous novel. I started off liking it, but about half-way through it, I began losing interest. When Susan Lindley inherits a large mansion with a vast collection of taxidermy, I appreciated how this could change the course of her life and become a vivid fascination for her. But I did not buy into the cast of characters who came to inhabit the house with her. And her motivations, and those of the other characters around her, became rather hazy and incomprehensible to me toward the end of the novel.
Book # 68 The Round House by Louise Erdrich 3.5/5 starsI would give this book 3.5 stars. I found it a little slow going in the beginning, and the only reason I stuck with it was because it had just won the National Book Award. I am glad I kept reading as I enjoyed it and the writing was very good. The story was also captivating, once I got into it, and I got into the rhythms of Erdrich's narrating style. Thirteen year old Joe's mother is brutally raped one day, and his world is turned upside-down. He and his family (his father is a tribal judge) live on a reservation in North Dakota. Joe witnesses the after-effects of the attack, viewing daily his mother's trauma and the results of it on the family. When his father's efforts to gain justice falter, Joe and his band of close friends take on the task.
Book # 69 This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff 3/5 starsI bought this memoir some years ago and finally picked it up to read. I remember all the superlative reviews it garnered, and hoped it would be a worthy read. I did like it, but in the very large field of memoirs of abused/horrible childhoods, this one is not as awful as some that have come after this was written. However, Tobias Wolff is a good writer, and his voice as an adolescent trying to survive a tumultuous childhood, is a true one. He is honest about his behavior, and tries to look deep into his younger self. His descriptions of his mother are also honest, but also show the deep love he had for her despite her sometimes questionable mothering skills.
Book # 70 The Damsel by Richard Stark 2.5/5 starsI am a huge Richard Stark fan (aka Donald Westlake),and love all the Parker novels. This is my first Alan Grofield book, and I'd give it a 2.5/5 rating. I love the author, so there is always something in the writing that pleases me. But this one is a little thin on the plot, and it doesn't have the terse, masterful storyline found in the Parker novels. Grofield was a sometime accomplice to Parker in that series, and although Grofield's personality allows for more humor in the writing, nothing tops the Parker character.
Book # 71 The Blackbird by Richard Stark 3/5 starsAlan Grofield is a character who has more humor than the Parker character, but who still is capable of some violence. Unlike Dortmunder in the Donald Westlake books, Grofield is more than a bumbling criminal caught in capers that take very bad, humorous turns. But Grofield doesn't have the sharp, amoral attitude of Parker, a character who has absolutely no humor. In my opinion, the Parker novels by Richard Stark work much better, but The Blackbird is a fast-paced Grofield caper. Because of the times in which this was written, there are some alarming racial stereotypes. But all in all, it's a fun romp with Grofield forced into doing a heroic bit for his country.
Book # 72 A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell 3.5/5 starsThis book was written in 1977 and now I rememberr why I was such a Rendell fan back then. She is known as a master of the "psychological mystery" and this one represents her at her best. I have not been as fond of her recent work, but this book was a pleasure to read. Even though you know at the beginning that Eunice, the illiterate housekeeper, brutally slaughters the family she works for, Rendell goes backwards and paints a masterly portrait of Eunice and convincingly portrays motivation with excellent characterizations all around.
Alecia, I started reading a Rendell book a couple of years ago and had a hard time getting past the first couple of chapters. Maybe I need to try A Judgement in Stone!P.S. You're almost there for the challenge!
Kay wrote: "Alecia, I started reading a Rendell book a couple of years ago and had a hard time getting past the first couple of chapters. Maybe I need to try A Judgement in Stone!P.S. You're almost there for..."
Kay,
I have had a hard time with Ruth Rendell's books for the past several years. I used to be so excited when one came out, and now I am reluctant to read them. They seem to be so wordy, without ever getting anywhere. But in her early days, she wrote some good books. This one must have been one that I missed. And yes, I am struggling this year to finish the 75 books. Usually I read a lot more than 75. But this year there were a lot of books that I started and then put down beacause I just did not like them.
Book # 73 The Dame by Richard Stark 2/5 starsThis is a lightweight little novel starring Alan Grofield in his own limited series by Richard Stark. While the character is amusing, the plot is practically non-existant, a mere whodunit set in Puerto Rico. Of the Grofield series so far, The Blackbird is the best. But nothing tops the Parker series.
Book # 74 The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright 3/5 starsI liked this book, more in some parts than others. Enright's way (arbitrarily, to my mind) of skipping around timelines confused me at certain points. But her descriptions of the randomness and lightening bolt hits of incipient passion ring true. And I liked the part her lover's daughter plays in this story...it brings accountability to the married lovers' choices.
Book #75 Crusoe's Daughter by Jane Gardam 3/5 starsThis was a very pleasant read, and the prose is lovely, with some surprises (for me) in the writing. Motherless 6 year old Polly Flint is taken by her father to live with her two aunts around the turn of the 20th century. Her father dies soon after. She lives with her aunts and their housekeeper in a big yellow house, where she is, as we now say, home-schooled. Polly is an intelligent, curious girl, and through her eyes, her life and loves comprise this novel. Some of the action and scenes confused me a bit as to which character was which. The narrative takes us up to her old age, still living in the house, but with a vastly different life. Throughout the book, her love of the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe is a connecting motif,her "bible", almost a mantra in her life. This is an interesting, quirky book.
Mod
Yes, I finished, but only just....I was distracted a bit in 2012 and also I kept picking up books and not finishing them. So, on to 2013!!
I loved it so I say yes! Although hearing the author's voice and self-deprecating humor definitely added to my enjoyment. I still hear him when I think of the book. It's a wonderful story. What I really think is you should give audio books a try and this should be your first one :-) But either way, I say read it!