Man, it's been awhile!!
I did not set a quantitative goal for 2018. My sole reading goal is to read as many books on my own bookshelves as I can. I've had some books for at least a decade, just sitting on my bookshelves, waiting to be read. I need to remedy this problem immediately!
This leads me to my first completed book of 2018 Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. I've owned this book for a very long time (it's stamped from the library I used to work at from 2000-2002! I finally read it, and really enjoyed it. Kabuo Miyamoto is accused of murder on a Pacific Northwest island after the end of WWII. The charge brings up issues of race and patriotism in the microcosm of the tiny island. Opinions about the Japanese in general run strong, but no one knows how to handle the local Japanese who forcibly left the island for concentration camps and then returned, or those of Japanese descent who fought in the US military against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater.
Simplicity Parenting by Lisa Ross: Few parenting books actually have a lot of useful, actionable advice in them, but this one sure did. Ross explains the relationship between anxiety and stress in children with clutter and parental induced stress in the home. The only thing I didn't agree with her on was the assertion that kids can have too many books. Otherwise a really great read and a good reminder that Stuff doesn't mean happiness and a cluttered house usually equates to a cluttered mind.
My Mother's Secret: A novel based on a true Holocaust story by J.L. Witterick: I'm a sucker for WWII European books, and this one did not disappoint. Helena and Franciszka are a mother/daughter duo who take in Jews, and in one case, an American soldier, to hide them from the Nazis. Both women are kind, ordinary people who do something extraordinary because they felt it was the right thing to do. This book is short and a very easy read.
Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton: The only Crichton books I read are those pertaining to dinosaurs, and this one is no exception. The book follows the story of competing professors from the East who attempt to dig up dinosaur bones in the Plains amid Indian wars. The perspective of life in paleontology in the late 19th century is interesting, as well as the public's perception of the West and the relationship between elite society and science.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nine George: Of the first five books I read for the year, this one was my least favorite. Monsieur Perdu is a lonely man who still regrets aspects of his only big love interest , twenty years prior. He owns a bookstore on a floating barge on the Seine and prescribes books to others as a form of therapy. He teams up with a few other friends in the midst of their own soul-searches, and go on an adventure through the canals of France. I had a hard time getting into it, and found a lot of the book not relatable and unrealistic. The vivid descriptions of France though were lovely.
So there are my first 5 of the year. I've finished quite a few more already this year and I'll be back to update soon!
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Friday, July 10, 2015
20/50 2015 reads.
Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick. I found Chadwick when I worked in a library my first job out of high school. Her books were an instant hit with me, and since I don't read them often, they are constant, reliable good reads that I always enjoy. From goodreads:
Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.
Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.
This doesn't really do it justice, as its very...short, and Chadwick is known for her lengthy and detailed descriptions and most of her books span the lifetime of most of her characters. Matilda "officially" becomes queen based on English inheritance laws after her father King Henry dies in the 12th century. Although many are loyal to their first female leader, many are not, and Matilda spends her life trying to re-obtain her crown, first for herself, and then for her sons.
The Dinner by Herman Koch. From goodreads...
A summer's evening in Amsterdam and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant. Between mouthfuls of food and over the delicate scraping of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of politeness - the banality of work, the triviality of holidays. But the empty words hide a terrible conflict and, with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened... Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. Together, the boys have committed a horrifying act, caught on camera, and their grainy images have been beamed into living rooms across the nation; despite a police manhunt, the boys remain unidentified - by everyone except their parents. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children and, as civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.
This book was good, I think, although not because of a stellar plot line. The organization of the book, coinciding with the menu course they are concurrently eating, is fun and different, and it has an unreliable narrator, which isn't revealed until the end. I think the writing is a bit choppy, but that could be due to a poor translation, as I believe it was written originally in Dutch.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Description from goodreads...
First published in 1899, this beautiful, brief novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation. This sensuous book tells of a woman's abandonment of her family, her seduction, and her awakening to desires and passions that threaten to consume her. Originally entitled A Solitary Soul, this portrait of twenty-eight-year-old Edna Pontellier is a landmark in American fiction, rooted firmly in the romantic tradition of Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson. Here, a woman engaged in self-discovery turns away from convention and society and toward the primal, from convention and society, and toward the primal, irresistibly attracted to nature and the senses. The Awakening, Kate Chopin's last novel, has been praised by Edmund Wilson as "beautifully written." And Willa Cather described its style as "exquisite," "sensitive," and "iridescent."
I picked this off my classics list and enjoyed it, in parts. Kind of a parlor book; people of any age, in any time period, will fall out of love with their spouse and into love with someone new.
Girl on the train by Paula Hawkins
This might be my favorite of the 5...unreliable narrators, at least as a reader it seems its hard to know who to trust, multiple viewpoints, spotty memory recollections, and taking people watching a bit too far. It's set in England, and is well written, a fast read, and really interesting. From goodreads...
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.
My sister nailed me her copy with a note to "read immediately."
At water's edge by Sarah Gruen.
I heard about this book from a book club I was supposed to attend but couldn't because of work. I read the book anyway and loved it. I was excited to read it for two reasons; Sarah Gruen also wrote Water for Elephants which I loved, & the locale in the book is Loch Ness, which I have a soft spot for. I thought Maddie was a bit of whiny brat at first, but comes into her own in a Scottish inn after she realizes her husband is a good-for-nothing cad. It's a less obvious and predictable, and more real journey of self-discovery. From goodreads...
In her stunning new novel, Gruen returns to the kind of storytelling she excelled at in Water for Elephants: a historical timeframe in an unusual setting with a moving love story. Think Scottish Downton Abbey.
After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.
Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.
Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.
This doesn't really do it justice, as its very...short, and Chadwick is known for her lengthy and detailed descriptions and most of her books span the lifetime of most of her characters. Matilda "officially" becomes queen based on English inheritance laws after her father King Henry dies in the 12th century. Although many are loyal to their first female leader, many are not, and Matilda spends her life trying to re-obtain her crown, first for herself, and then for her sons.
The Dinner by Herman Koch. From goodreads...
A summer's evening in Amsterdam and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant. Between mouthfuls of food and over the delicate scraping of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of politeness - the banality of work, the triviality of holidays. But the empty words hide a terrible conflict and, with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened... Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. Together, the boys have committed a horrifying act, caught on camera, and their grainy images have been beamed into living rooms across the nation; despite a police manhunt, the boys remain unidentified - by everyone except their parents. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children and, as civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.
This book was good, I think, although not because of a stellar plot line. The organization of the book, coinciding with the menu course they are concurrently eating, is fun and different, and it has an unreliable narrator, which isn't revealed until the end. I think the writing is a bit choppy, but that could be due to a poor translation, as I believe it was written originally in Dutch.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Description from goodreads...
First published in 1899, this beautiful, brief novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation. This sensuous book tells of a woman's abandonment of her family, her seduction, and her awakening to desires and passions that threaten to consume her. Originally entitled A Solitary Soul, this portrait of twenty-eight-year-old Edna Pontellier is a landmark in American fiction, rooted firmly in the romantic tradition of Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson. Here, a woman engaged in self-discovery turns away from convention and society and toward the primal, from convention and society, and toward the primal, irresistibly attracted to nature and the senses. The Awakening, Kate Chopin's last novel, has been praised by Edmund Wilson as "beautifully written." And Willa Cather described its style as "exquisite," "sensitive," and "iridescent."
I picked this off my classics list and enjoyed it, in parts. Kind of a parlor book; people of any age, in any time period, will fall out of love with their spouse and into love with someone new.
Girl on the train by Paula Hawkins
This might be my favorite of the 5...unreliable narrators, at least as a reader it seems its hard to know who to trust, multiple viewpoints, spotty memory recollections, and taking people watching a bit too far. It's set in England, and is well written, a fast read, and really interesting. From goodreads...
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
A compulsively readable, emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller that draws comparisons to Gone Girl, The Silent Wife, or Before I Go to Sleep, this is an electrifying debut embraced by readers across markets and categories.
My sister nailed me her copy with a note to "read immediately."
At water's edge by Sarah Gruen.
I heard about this book from a book club I was supposed to attend but couldn't because of work. I read the book anyway and loved it. I was excited to read it for two reasons; Sarah Gruen also wrote Water for Elephants which I loved, & the locale in the book is Loch Ness, which I have a soft spot for. I thought Maddie was a bit of whiny brat at first, but comes into her own in a Scottish inn after she realizes her husband is a good-for-nothing cad. It's a less obvious and predictable, and more real journey of self-discovery. From goodreads...
In her stunning new novel, Gruen returns to the kind of storytelling she excelled at in Water for Elephants: a historical timeframe in an unusual setting with a moving love story. Think Scottish Downton Abbey.
After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
recent reads (January 2015)!
I embarked on a more popular reading pile of books over the last couple of weeks, Gillian Flynn specifically.
Dark Places & Sharp Objects: I liked these books, although I say that tentatively. All of the Criminal Minds episodes I've seen didn't quite prepare me for the disturbing elements of these books. I applaud Flynn for finding her niche. In Dark Places, I was pretty comfortable with the material until the last few chapters. Crystal and Deondra freaked me on many levels and I can't even imagine the therapy that Libby would need to go through to recover from that. Good for her though, for being a homebody who escaped her comfort zone to save her brother. Although cash exchanges were involved, I think some compassion still exists within Libby. Sharp Objects was a better book, I think, although Camille doesn't seem functional enough to exist in society. I think this was actually the more disturbing book, it was just spread out a little more throughout the book, not just piled on at the end. Granted, the end wasn't full of ponies and rainbows, but was a little more predictable and therefore more settling. What I liked about both books was their emphasis that most people are killed, hurt, raped, etc., by people they know. The concept of Stranger Danger is only realistic to a small few.
If I Stay: I admit, I jumped on the bandwagon with this one, although I do have a secret penchant for YA books. It was moving and sweet I thought it too short, even for a YA book. The crash happens very early on and when the book ends, it really just ends. Turn the page and its done. Otherwise I liked how realistic the characters were, especially the teen romance loosing its footing once high school ends.
Dark Places & Sharp Objects: I liked these books, although I say that tentatively. All of the Criminal Minds episodes I've seen didn't quite prepare me for the disturbing elements of these books. I applaud Flynn for finding her niche. In Dark Places, I was pretty comfortable with the material until the last few chapters. Crystal and Deondra freaked me on many levels and I can't even imagine the therapy that Libby would need to go through to recover from that. Good for her though, for being a homebody who escaped her comfort zone to save her brother. Although cash exchanges were involved, I think some compassion still exists within Libby. Sharp Objects was a better book, I think, although Camille doesn't seem functional enough to exist in society. I think this was actually the more disturbing book, it was just spread out a little more throughout the book, not just piled on at the end. Granted, the end wasn't full of ponies and rainbows, but was a little more predictable and therefore more settling. What I liked about both books was their emphasis that most people are killed, hurt, raped, etc., by people they know. The concept of Stranger Danger is only realistic to a small few.
If I Stay: I admit, I jumped on the bandwagon with this one, although I do have a secret penchant for YA books. It was moving and sweet I thought it too short, even for a YA book. The crash happens very early on and when the book ends, it really just ends. Turn the page and its done. Otherwise I liked how realistic the characters were, especially the teen romance loosing its footing once high school ends.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
recent reads; December 2014
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield.
I received this book as a gift after talking endlessly about my love of The Thirteenth Tale by the same author. That book, which I read years ago, has stayed with me and I still call it one of my favorites. I was a bit nervous starting to read this potential rival to a book that will probably remain permanently on my favorites list. However, not only did Bellman & Black not leave an impression on me, I'm still debating whether or not I'm even going to keep my beautiful hardback copy. The book tracks William Bellman from careless adolescent through to his death. Along the way, he establishes himself as a prominent businessman after discovering inventive new ways to dye wool. First he loses his mother suddenly, as notices a mysterious man in black at the funeral. Eventually he also loses his wife and all but one chil to a very contagious fever (smallpox? TB?) and the man, "Mr. Black," reappears again. Bellman has a single discussion with this man, and completely misinterprets the significance of Mr. Black is his life. Because of this, he leaves his successful factory, and starting a new venture as the owner of a very successful department store selling only funerary supplies, clothes, coffins, etc. The book is more atmospheric than plot-driven and didn't have quite the same panache as her previous book.
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold.
Everyone knows Alice Sebold from The Lovely Bones, and to a lesser extent, Lucky. I read both at the height of their respective heydays whilst in college and then forget about Sebold. I found The Almost Moon at a used book store and bought it immediately. Unfortunately this didn't live up to her other two. Helen Knightly is tired of taking care of her agoraphobic mother, and in a fit of panic, kills her mother by smothering her with a pillow. The book really chronicles details in Helen's life, her turbulent childhood, father's suicide, life with her mother, her divorce, her two children, that all merge together to lead Helen to her moment of killing. The book doesn't conclude well, it just sort of ends and left me with an unsatisfactory feeling. Despite all her life challenges, none of it justified her killing her mother with a pillow.
Current reads: Room with a view This is on my classics list and I'm loving it!
Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore. I heard about this book from a friend's FB post. I liked the beginning, but now I'm in the mid-book lull and its really slowed down. It's gotten a bit fantastical so I'm a bit eh about it, but still hopeful it's going to veer off course and surprise me.
I received this book as a gift after talking endlessly about my love of The Thirteenth Tale by the same author. That book, which I read years ago, has stayed with me and I still call it one of my favorites. I was a bit nervous starting to read this potential rival to a book that will probably remain permanently on my favorites list. However, not only did Bellman & Black not leave an impression on me, I'm still debating whether or not I'm even going to keep my beautiful hardback copy. The book tracks William Bellman from careless adolescent through to his death. Along the way, he establishes himself as a prominent businessman after discovering inventive new ways to dye wool. First he loses his mother suddenly, as notices a mysterious man in black at the funeral. Eventually he also loses his wife and all but one chil to a very contagious fever (smallpox? TB?) and the man, "Mr. Black," reappears again. Bellman has a single discussion with this man, and completely misinterprets the significance of Mr. Black is his life. Because of this, he leaves his successful factory, and starting a new venture as the owner of a very successful department store selling only funerary supplies, clothes, coffins, etc. The book is more atmospheric than plot-driven and didn't have quite the same panache as her previous book.
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold.
Everyone knows Alice Sebold from The Lovely Bones, and to a lesser extent, Lucky. I read both at the height of their respective heydays whilst in college and then forget about Sebold. I found The Almost Moon at a used book store and bought it immediately. Unfortunately this didn't live up to her other two. Helen Knightly is tired of taking care of her agoraphobic mother, and in a fit of panic, kills her mother by smothering her with a pillow. The book really chronicles details in Helen's life, her turbulent childhood, father's suicide, life with her mother, her divorce, her two children, that all merge together to lead Helen to her moment of killing. The book doesn't conclude well, it just sort of ends and left me with an unsatisfactory feeling. Despite all her life challenges, none of it justified her killing her mother with a pillow.
Current reads: Room with a view This is on my classics list and I'm loving it!
Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore. I heard about this book from a friend's FB post. I liked the beginning, but now I'm in the mid-book lull and its really slowed down. It's gotten a bit fantastical so I'm a bit eh about it, but still hopeful it's going to veer off course and surprise me.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Jane Austen Marriage Manual by Kim Izzo
Jane Austen Marriage Manual might make Jane Austen roll over in her grave.
I received this book as a gift, but I liked the idea of it and eagerly started reading it. It started off well enough; Kate is a freelance magazine writer, approaching forty, single, and living at home. In a very short time span, she loses her job, the family home, and her beloved grandmother. A lifelong Austen fan, Kate decides to make some cash writing an article about how Austen's marriage advice is still applicable in modern society. The story drastically shifts when Kate decides to actually live it, and starts pursuing rich men to marry.
Her friends, Brandon and Marianne (Sense & Sensibility anyone?), purchase her a tiny plot of land in Scotland as part of a conservation project (what??), and thereby the plan unfolds to pass Kate off as a wealthy landowner of Scottish descent who was born and raised in New York. To start, she travels to Florida to pursue the wealthy polo set, and befriends Fawn, a recent divorcee. Together they meet some men, who are rich and single and therefore eligible for Kate to marry. She returns to NY, then flits off to Switzerland (thanks to wealthy Fawn), and finally to London. Along the way, she steals a wealthy investment banker, Scott, from his very young Slovenian girlfriend, and the two finally get engaged.
Despite Kate's insistence that she's a big Austen fan, (and carries around a dog-eared copy of Pride & Prejudice as proof), she fails to grasp the concept that Austen's heroine's may pursue a wealthy husband, but they marry for LOVE, not for money (Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Bingley, Colonel Brandon).
As Kate starts pursuing these men, she becomes a very dis-likable, self-absorbed, rather vile person who cares about no one other than herself. Even knowing her motivations for doing it, (get the family home back, pay back her mothers gambling debts, etc), it still doesn't excuse her behavior.
I won't read this again, and will probably donate my copy. I think Izzo needs to re-read her Austen!
I received this book as a gift, but I liked the idea of it and eagerly started reading it. It started off well enough; Kate is a freelance magazine writer, approaching forty, single, and living at home. In a very short time span, she loses her job, the family home, and her beloved grandmother. A lifelong Austen fan, Kate decides to make some cash writing an article about how Austen's marriage advice is still applicable in modern society. The story drastically shifts when Kate decides to actually live it, and starts pursuing rich men to marry.
Her friends, Brandon and Marianne (Sense & Sensibility anyone?), purchase her a tiny plot of land in Scotland as part of a conservation project (what??), and thereby the plan unfolds to pass Kate off as a wealthy landowner of Scottish descent who was born and raised in New York. To start, she travels to Florida to pursue the wealthy polo set, and befriends Fawn, a recent divorcee. Together they meet some men, who are rich and single and therefore eligible for Kate to marry. She returns to NY, then flits off to Switzerland (thanks to wealthy Fawn), and finally to London. Along the way, she steals a wealthy investment banker, Scott, from his very young Slovenian girlfriend, and the two finally get engaged.
Despite Kate's insistence that she's a big Austen fan, (and carries around a dog-eared copy of Pride & Prejudice as proof), she fails to grasp the concept that Austen's heroine's may pursue a wealthy husband, but they marry for LOVE, not for money (Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Bingley, Colonel Brandon).
As Kate starts pursuing these men, she becomes a very dis-likable, self-absorbed, rather vile person who cares about no one other than herself. Even knowing her motivations for doing it, (get the family home back, pay back her mothers gambling debts, etc), it still doesn't excuse her behavior.
I won't read this again, and will probably donate my copy. I think Izzo needs to re-read her Austen!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
We were liars by E. Lockhart
I read Gone Girl a while back and loved it. I knew really nothing about it and loved the suspense and intrigue of it; I couldn't put it down.
I found We were Liars on a book list titled something like "If you liked Gone Girl, you might like..." I downloaded on my Kindle and read it a few weeks later.
Since I was expecting the suspense! intrigue! mystery! I had high expectations of this book.
It didn't quite deliver. I read with so much anticipation of being shocked, that it diminished the actual shock value.
Cady (Cadence) is the oldest grandchild of a wealthy New England family that summers on the same idyllic beach island that they own. One summer, Cady wakes up on a beach with a head injury and no memory of what happened. Her besties, Gat, Mirren, and Johnny are vague and don't have contact with her for the next two years until Cady returns to the beach. Although her injuries cannot be medically explained, Cady is left with debilitating headaches, fails out of high school, drops sports, hobbies, and essentially falls off the life grid.
Eventually the mystery is explained. I didn't quite see it happening, so that was a welcome surprise, but I also didn't quite buy the story. It is a good book, worth the read and its a very quick read, I just should have read it with lesser expectations.
I found We were Liars on a book list titled something like "If you liked Gone Girl, you might like..." I downloaded on my Kindle and read it a few weeks later.
Since I was expecting the suspense! intrigue! mystery! I had high expectations of this book.
It didn't quite deliver. I read with so much anticipation of being shocked, that it diminished the actual shock value.
Cady (Cadence) is the oldest grandchild of a wealthy New England family that summers on the same idyllic beach island that they own. One summer, Cady wakes up on a beach with a head injury and no memory of what happened. Her besties, Gat, Mirren, and Johnny are vague and don't have contact with her for the next two years until Cady returns to the beach. Although her injuries cannot be medically explained, Cady is left with debilitating headaches, fails out of high school, drops sports, hobbies, and essentially falls off the life grid.
Eventually the mystery is explained. I didn't quite see it happening, so that was a welcome surprise, but I also didn't quite buy the story. It is a good book, worth the read and its a very quick read, I just should have read it with lesser expectations.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith.
I was introduced to the concept
(conspiracy theory) that William Shakespeare may not have have written
any or all (depending on the theory) of the works attributed to him in a
book called Interred with their bones. I LOVE the book, read
it a few years ago and still think about it. Ironically, the sequel was
God awful and I couldn’t even finish it. Many people, usually called
“Oxfordians” believe the actual author was the Earl of Oxford. Either
way, Chasing Shakespeares compounds upon this notion
that Shakespeare may not be the glover’s son from Stratford who was an
essential nobody, wrote the greatest things ever produced in the English
language, and then died.
Chasing Shakespeares follows Joe, his friend Mary Cat who leaves graduate school to pursue the convent, and Joe’s new friend Posy, a very wealthy Harvard student, who are all obsessed with Shakespeare. Joe was given free reign over the (fictional) Kellogg collection, which is a collection of Shakespearian things collected over a lifetime by a Shakespeare horder. In it, he finds a letter he thinks is authentic, leading credence to the theory that Shakespeare was actually Edward de Vere, a little known noble connected to the Earl of Oxford. Posy and Joe go to London to pursue leads and get the letter authenticated.
The ending was surprising; it was startlingly vague. I read the afterward in which the author stated she wanted the book to be less about finding out who Shakespeare was and more about pursuing the imagination of researchers. Joe and Posy are grad students, who imagine a different way of thinking and pursue their thoughts relentlessly. It worked for the book. My single legit complaint was that the author is female (Sarah Smith), and does not write men well. At all. Until it was specifically addressed, I thought Joe was female.
Otherwise, I’m always up for a good literary book about literary things.
Chasing Shakespeares follows Joe, his friend Mary Cat who leaves graduate school to pursue the convent, and Joe’s new friend Posy, a very wealthy Harvard student, who are all obsessed with Shakespeare. Joe was given free reign over the (fictional) Kellogg collection, which is a collection of Shakespearian things collected over a lifetime by a Shakespeare horder. In it, he finds a letter he thinks is authentic, leading credence to the theory that Shakespeare was actually Edward de Vere, a little known noble connected to the Earl of Oxford. Posy and Joe go to London to pursue leads and get the letter authenticated.
The ending was surprising; it was startlingly vague. I read the afterward in which the author stated she wanted the book to be less about finding out who Shakespeare was and more about pursuing the imagination of researchers. Joe and Posy are grad students, who imagine a different way of thinking and pursue their thoughts relentlessly. It worked for the book. My single legit complaint was that the author is female (Sarah Smith), and does not write men well. At all. Until it was specifically addressed, I thought Joe was female.
Otherwise, I’m always up for a good literary book about literary things.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See:
This book was really popular a few years ago, but the description on the back never seemed interesting to me so I never read it despite the hype. A few weeks ago Lovey and I were perusing a used book store and I saw it. Not only was it cheap, it was also 50% off. I read this book in 24 hours; the old adage of not judging a book by its cover definitely stands true with this book. Old world China is really interesting to me, despite the mess that modern China has become. Not women friendly and life was brutal, but the Chinese culture was so unique. I guess as the world's oldest continuous civilization, unique facets would emerge to keep it going.
This book follows the story of Lily and Snow Flower; two young Chinese girls living in separate small villages. They are linked by a matchmaker to become 'same olds,' which doesn't have a good translation, but its like life-long best friends that sign a contract as children. Lily moves up in the world, financially, through the arrange, but Lily also has perfect feet for binding that made her very marriageable. The book tracks the girls, who undergo the brutal feet-binding process, through girlhood, adolescence, and marriage in their small villages. Along the way, they learn the womanly arts in the women's only chamber upstairs; knitting, embroidering, cooking, gardening, the women's secret language, as undergo the heartbreak of marrying someone they've never met, leaving their natal families, learning to cope being at the bottom of the social ladder in their new homes, with their mothers-in-law being in charge and their sole purpose to produce sons.
As a reader, we learn about political instability, the consequences of opium addiction, cholera, feet-binding, family structure, expectations and roles of women, the importance of birth signs and Chinese festivals. It's a really interesting read. Lily is grounded, pragmatic, and naive; Snow Flower is exotic, intelligent, and a dreamer. They remain friends through all of it. At the end the author has an afterward that explains the existence of a women's secret language (the language reserved for men is, I'm assuming, either Mandarin or Cantonese, but women wrote letters, poems, and stories in nu shu), that was discovered during the Cultural Revolution. For thousands of years women utilized a language men couldn't read, although now its fallen by the wayside and is seldom used and rarely passed down to girls. Fascinating home women find ways to survive in cultures that value them only for their uterus.
This book was really popular a few years ago, but the description on the back never seemed interesting to me so I never read it despite the hype. A few weeks ago Lovey and I were perusing a used book store and I saw it. Not only was it cheap, it was also 50% off. I read this book in 24 hours; the old adage of not judging a book by its cover definitely stands true with this book. Old world China is really interesting to me, despite the mess that modern China has become. Not women friendly and life was brutal, but the Chinese culture was so unique. I guess as the world's oldest continuous civilization, unique facets would emerge to keep it going.
This book follows the story of Lily and Snow Flower; two young Chinese girls living in separate small villages. They are linked by a matchmaker to become 'same olds,' which doesn't have a good translation, but its like life-long best friends that sign a contract as children. Lily moves up in the world, financially, through the arrange, but Lily also has perfect feet for binding that made her very marriageable. The book tracks the girls, who undergo the brutal feet-binding process, through girlhood, adolescence, and marriage in their small villages. Along the way, they learn the womanly arts in the women's only chamber upstairs; knitting, embroidering, cooking, gardening, the women's secret language, as undergo the heartbreak of marrying someone they've never met, leaving their natal families, learning to cope being at the bottom of the social ladder in their new homes, with their mothers-in-law being in charge and their sole purpose to produce sons.
As a reader, we learn about political instability, the consequences of opium addiction, cholera, feet-binding, family structure, expectations and roles of women, the importance of birth signs and Chinese festivals. It's a really interesting read. Lily is grounded, pragmatic, and naive; Snow Flower is exotic, intelligent, and a dreamer. They remain friends through all of it. At the end the author has an afterward that explains the existence of a women's secret language (the language reserved for men is, I'm assuming, either Mandarin or Cantonese, but women wrote letters, poems, and stories in nu shu), that was discovered during the Cultural Revolution. For thousands of years women utilized a language men couldn't read, although now its fallen by the wayside and is seldom used and rarely passed down to girls. Fascinating home women find ways to survive in cultures that value them only for their uterus.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
While perusing the Interwebs one day, I stumbled upon a list of books categorized by arbitrary levels of disturbing-ness. I was surprised to find this was a fan favorite. I remember V.C. Andrews having a big following in my high school, but I think I read maybe one of her books and I don't even remember the title. I had never even heard of Flowers in the Attic. Since I like to keep tabs on popular books so I'm not (too far) out of the loop, I downloaded this onto my Kindle Fire.
Flowers in the Attic starts with a typical suburban family; loving parents and four beautiful children the neighbors call Dresden Dolls. Their parents doted on their children and each other. Christopher and Cathy are the two oldest, followed by a long gap by twins Cody and Carrie. The Dollangangers reside in Pennsylvania, three females, three males, a hardworking father and seemingly devoted mother. Tragically, their father dies in a car accident on his birthday, leaving behind a devastated family with no means to pay the bills. Out of options, the remaining 5 Dollangangers head to their grandparent's estate in Virginia. The one caveat is that the four children must remain locked away in the attic while Mrs. Dollanganger returns to the good graces of her father and becomes the sole benefactress of his will.
The short stay in the attic turns very lengthy. The children are brought food each day by their very stern grandmother who establishes an odd set of very strict rules. Eventually, the children learn that their parents were actually related and her father disinherited her after the Dollangangers were married. Her father is unaware that four children were born from that union, much less that they are living in the attic.
3 years go by. Their mother becomes a stranger to them, eventually seldom coming to visit them, and finally remarries a man who is also living in the house and has no idea she has four kids living above them. Her father eventually dies, but she never rescues the children, and continues to mislead her children. Meanwhile, upstairs Cathy and Christopher begin an incestuous brother/sister relationship and one of the twins dies. Finally, finally, finally, they hatch a rescue plan and leave the estate.
I know this book was written for the young adult genre, but it had a lot of frustrating flaws.
1. The house they are living in seems so large it cannot be real unless it is some of kind of palace.
2. There's nothing really to indicate the mother would turn so drastically on her children.
3. Despite being locked up with each other for a long period of time, even as teenagers, I really doubt that two siblings would begin an incestuous relationship even with blossoming hormones.
4. Cathy and Christopher are really smart, disciplined people and it took them 3 years to finally realize their mother didn't care about them and they finally escaped? Leaving didn't necessarily mean they wouldn't see their mother again anyway.
The book was dark and disturbing, but also boring in parts. Being locked up in the attic is only so interesting. The most disturbing part of the book for me wasn't even the incest, it was the incident in which the grandmother thought Cathy was being a slut by flashing around her hair and tarred in her hair in her sleep after drugging her. That is a sadistic grandmother.
Flowers in the Attic starts with a typical suburban family; loving parents and four beautiful children the neighbors call Dresden Dolls. Their parents doted on their children and each other. Christopher and Cathy are the two oldest, followed by a long gap by twins Cody and Carrie. The Dollangangers reside in Pennsylvania, three females, three males, a hardworking father and seemingly devoted mother. Tragically, their father dies in a car accident on his birthday, leaving behind a devastated family with no means to pay the bills. Out of options, the remaining 5 Dollangangers head to their grandparent's estate in Virginia. The one caveat is that the four children must remain locked away in the attic while Mrs. Dollanganger returns to the good graces of her father and becomes the sole benefactress of his will.
The short stay in the attic turns very lengthy. The children are brought food each day by their very stern grandmother who establishes an odd set of very strict rules. Eventually, the children learn that their parents were actually related and her father disinherited her after the Dollangangers were married. Her father is unaware that four children were born from that union, much less that they are living in the attic.
3 years go by. Their mother becomes a stranger to them, eventually seldom coming to visit them, and finally remarries a man who is also living in the house and has no idea she has four kids living above them. Her father eventually dies, but she never rescues the children, and continues to mislead her children. Meanwhile, upstairs Cathy and Christopher begin an incestuous brother/sister relationship and one of the twins dies. Finally, finally, finally, they hatch a rescue plan and leave the estate.
I know this book was written for the young adult genre, but it had a lot of frustrating flaws.
1. The house they are living in seems so large it cannot be real unless it is some of kind of palace.
2. There's nothing really to indicate the mother would turn so drastically on her children.
3. Despite being locked up with each other for a long period of time, even as teenagers, I really doubt that two siblings would begin an incestuous relationship even with blossoming hormones.
4. Cathy and Christopher are really smart, disciplined people and it took them 3 years to finally realize their mother didn't care about them and they finally escaped? Leaving didn't necessarily mean they wouldn't see their mother again anyway.
The book was dark and disturbing, but also boring in parts. Being locked up in the attic is only so interesting. The most disturbing part of the book for me wasn't even the incest, it was the incident in which the grandmother thought Cathy was being a slut by flashing around her hair and tarred in her hair in her sleep after drugging her. That is a sadistic grandmother.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Blind Assassin is on The List, and I've been meaning to read it for awhile after my sister fell in love with it. I have read Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, which I sort of liked. I wasn't nearly as interested in distopian societies when I read it probably 5 years ago, so it did not hold my attention well.
Blind Assassin held my attention very well. The book cover is full of hype, which frustrates me to read since books really hold up to their stellar, one line reviews. Iris is the older sister of Laura, a beautiful, pragmatic child who Iris helps raise, along with their housekeeper Reenie, after the early death of their mother. Iris and Laura are the heiresses of a large button factory located near Toronto that reaches its pinnacle of glory post WW1. In the intervening years, the sisters are schooled at home by tutors, mostly oblivious to the social changes happening in Canada, and all over the world, post WW1.
Iris marries young after the factory burns down and leaves the family with little options. She has little feelings for her husband, or his controlling sister who takes over Iris' life, but she dutifully does her wifely duties, including having one daughter. After their father dies, Laura moves in with Iris and her husband and is not so silent about her observances of her sister's marriage.
The book is interwoven by another story, The Blind Assassin, which is told by two unknown lovers who meet in secret. The female forces the male to tell her a story, which becomes The Blind Assassin, a book published after the death of Laura.
I love the writing in this book. It's so intelligent, thought provoking, and engaging. The ending was beautiful; simple, and somewhat unexpected. I know little of Canada, especially the history of social life in the time period between the two world wars. That was interesting for me. The book fluctuates between Iris telling the story as an old woman to Laura and Iris as children in the mansion. Changes in time and perspective can get confusing and boring if not done well, but Atwood does it beautifully.
One of my favorite books I read in 2013.
Blind Assassin held my attention very well. The book cover is full of hype, which frustrates me to read since books really hold up to their stellar, one line reviews. Iris is the older sister of Laura, a beautiful, pragmatic child who Iris helps raise, along with their housekeeper Reenie, after the early death of their mother. Iris and Laura are the heiresses of a large button factory located near Toronto that reaches its pinnacle of glory post WW1. In the intervening years, the sisters are schooled at home by tutors, mostly oblivious to the social changes happening in Canada, and all over the world, post WW1.
Iris marries young after the factory burns down and leaves the family with little options. She has little feelings for her husband, or his controlling sister who takes over Iris' life, but she dutifully does her wifely duties, including having one daughter. After their father dies, Laura moves in with Iris and her husband and is not so silent about her observances of her sister's marriage.
The book is interwoven by another story, The Blind Assassin, which is told by two unknown lovers who meet in secret. The female forces the male to tell her a story, which becomes The Blind Assassin, a book published after the death of Laura.
I love the writing in this book. It's so intelligent, thought provoking, and engaging. The ending was beautiful; simple, and somewhat unexpected. I know little of Canada, especially the history of social life in the time period between the two world wars. That was interesting for me. The book fluctuates between Iris telling the story as an old woman to Laura and Iris as children in the mansion. Changes in time and perspective can get confusing and boring if not done well, but Atwood does it beautifully.
One of my favorite books I read in 2013.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
Any book that has ballet in it is a winner for me, and Russian Winter had a lot. Nina is a Soviet girl who tested successfully into the Bolshoi training school with her best friend Vera in Soviet Russia. Nina grows up to be a successful ballet dancer, using ballet as a distraction and total focus which keeps her mind away from politics and the increasing number of arrests by the government in which people simply disappear.
Flash forward to present day Boston, in which an aged Nina donates several pieces of expensive jewelry to an auction house to raise money for the Boston Ballet. In doing so, memories of Nina's time as a Bolshoi ballerina, her husband, her eventual defection, all flood back to her. Surprisingly, a matching piece of jewelry is donated by a Russian professor who was given the necklace by a family member.
In a period of betrayals, Nina doubts things she sees and experiences she has, which eventually makes her turn her back on everyone she knows and thinks she trusts. As an old woman, Nina reflects back on these feelings and finally learns the truth about her loved ones.
There's not much about this book that I didn't like. The characters were well-developed, Nina was likable, the ballet descriptions were accurate and exciting, the story flowed at a great pace. Soviet Russia is always interesting, even in a morbid, terrifying way. My one complaint was the ending was a bit vague. Well thought out, but perhaps not well executed. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Flash forward to present day Boston, in which an aged Nina donates several pieces of expensive jewelry to an auction house to raise money for the Boston Ballet. In doing so, memories of Nina's time as a Bolshoi ballerina, her husband, her eventual defection, all flood back to her. Surprisingly, a matching piece of jewelry is donated by a Russian professor who was given the necklace by a family member.
In a period of betrayals, Nina doubts things she sees and experiences she has, which eventually makes her turn her back on everyone she knows and thinks she trusts. As an old woman, Nina reflects back on these feelings and finally learns the truth about her loved ones.
There's not much about this book that I didn't like. The characters were well-developed, Nina was likable, the ballet descriptions were accurate and exciting, the story flowed at a great pace. Soviet Russia is always interesting, even in a morbid, terrifying way. My one complaint was the ending was a bit vague. Well thought out, but perhaps not well executed. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
I haven't disappeared, it just seems that way! I started graduate school last fall and it has almost eliminated my entire time to read for pleasure! Seriously cramping my style, but sometimes life gets in the way.
I did dive into a book two nights ago as a way to unwind from a day of non-stop studying. My brain was too fried to continue, so I picked up Songs for the missing. What I miss most about reading is falling into a book and loosing all sense of reality. It's better than drugs. It happened with this book.
Kim was a regular teenager in a boring Ohio town who recently graduated high school. I remember those days well. On her way to work at a Conoco, Kim disappeared. The story is less about Kim and what happened to her, and more about her family and how they coped. I liked this family so much. The writing is awesome. I kept trying to force the book to turn in a direction I wanted it to go; towards more of a murder mystery story. It's really a family drama under the guise of a kidnapped teenager, which is so much better. I surrendered by own desires for the book and let it take me where it wanted to go.
The star of the book isn't Kim at all, its her younger sister Lindsey who spent her whole life in the shadow of her younger sister. As Kim slowly recedes from her life, Lindsey finds a new identity and a new strength in herself. She struggles with being the sister of the 'famous missing girl,' but handles it well. She makes a promise with herself that she will be perfect until they find Kim, and ends up excelling her whole way through high school.
Kim's parents hit a (predictable) rough patch after Kim is gone, but in the end their craziness prove one thing: they will both do anything for their daughter, regardless of time or cost. Aside from the tragedy this is a golden family.
After I finished the book, I stayed up late, laying in my bed in the dark and wondering about Kim and Lindsey. Stewart O'Nan really nailed the emotional plot line.
I did dive into a book two nights ago as a way to unwind from a day of non-stop studying. My brain was too fried to continue, so I picked up Songs for the missing. What I miss most about reading is falling into a book and loosing all sense of reality. It's better than drugs. It happened with this book.
Kim was a regular teenager in a boring Ohio town who recently graduated high school. I remember those days well. On her way to work at a Conoco, Kim disappeared. The story is less about Kim and what happened to her, and more about her family and how they coped. I liked this family so much. The writing is awesome. I kept trying to force the book to turn in a direction I wanted it to go; towards more of a murder mystery story. It's really a family drama under the guise of a kidnapped teenager, which is so much better. I surrendered by own desires for the book and let it take me where it wanted to go.
The star of the book isn't Kim at all, its her younger sister Lindsey who spent her whole life in the shadow of her younger sister. As Kim slowly recedes from her life, Lindsey finds a new identity and a new strength in herself. She struggles with being the sister of the 'famous missing girl,' but handles it well. She makes a promise with herself that she will be perfect until they find Kim, and ends up excelling her whole way through high school.
Kim's parents hit a (predictable) rough patch after Kim is gone, but in the end their craziness prove one thing: they will both do anything for their daughter, regardless of time or cost. Aside from the tragedy this is a golden family.
After I finished the book, I stayed up late, laying in my bed in the dark and wondering about Kim and Lindsey. Stewart O'Nan really nailed the emotional plot line.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wow, its been awhile...
Not sure where I've been. Buried under working, running, traveling, and moving I guess.
I still have been reading a bunch though. I think last month I polished off Deanna Raybourn's books and then read all of Kathy Reichs' books, which are my guilty pleasure.
For my book list, I'm (still) reading Anna Karenina and Hunchback of Notre Dame. I also started reading The Old Wives Tale by Arnold Bennett and am really enjoying it.
Earlier this month I read Off Balance, a non-fiction sports book written by Dominique Moceanu about her life as an elite gymnast.
In keeping tabs on popular fiction, I started reading the Fifty Shades of Gray trilogy. I'm halfway through the second book, and therefore consequently halfway through the trilogy, and still haven't formed a solid opinion one way or the other about how much I like it. Sometimes I get annoyed by the characters and I have to put my Kindle down. Then I feel like I need to know what's going to happen next, so I turn my Kindle back on and sink back into it. Way better then the mess that was Twilight, but not as awesome as the Hunger Games series.
I won't be gone for so long next time, I promise.
I still have been reading a bunch though. I think last month I polished off Deanna Raybourn's books and then read all of Kathy Reichs' books, which are my guilty pleasure.
For my book list, I'm (still) reading Anna Karenina and Hunchback of Notre Dame. I also started reading The Old Wives Tale by Arnold Bennett and am really enjoying it.
Earlier this month I read Off Balance, a non-fiction sports book written by Dominique Moceanu about her life as an elite gymnast.
In keeping tabs on popular fiction, I started reading the Fifty Shades of Gray trilogy. I'm halfway through the second book, and therefore consequently halfway through the trilogy, and still haven't formed a solid opinion one way or the other about how much I like it. Sometimes I get annoyed by the characters and I have to put my Kindle down. Then I feel like I need to know what's going to happen next, so I turn my Kindle back on and sink back into it. Way better then the mess that was Twilight, but not as awesome as the Hunger Games series.
I won't be gone for so long next time, I promise.
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