Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.
Not as good as some other Sedaris books I've read. This one dealt mstly with his childhood and was, as always, highly autobiographical. A nice snapshot of a highly dysfunctional American family. My favorite parts dealt with his younger brother.
Recommended if you want to get to know Sedaris better, but not recommended to be the first one.
"Full House" by Janet Evanovich. Urgh. Frankly, a disappointment. On the back she says she wants to give her readers another series like the Plum Series, but it is nowhere near as good as the Plum series. It is a straight-up romance novel and, in fact, it is even rather weak for a romance novel. Not recommended- especially if you are a Plum fan!
"Two Years in the Forbidden City" by Princess Der Ling.
True story of Princess Der Ling's 2 years as "lady in waiting" to China's Empress Dowager in the early 1900's. Der Ling is the empress's personal servant and describes life as a member of the Chinese royalty.
Just the lunches alone were enough for me - for the empress's lunch, some 40 different items were prepared, 10 different pork dishes, 10 duck, 10 chicken, rice and other items of which the Empress would choose the few she would eat that particular day. The remains were then given to the servants.
I was impressed with the number of Chinese festivals and holidays and the CULTURE and especially the HISTORY associated with each.
Another thing that struck me was the number of people required when the empress moved from one part of the palace grounds to another - one person just to carry her stool in case she should tire, another to carry a mirror, etc. Also, the number of "coolies" required when the empress would "ride". I guess not much different from the entourages used today for celebrities.
Der Ling would have continued her work in the palace for her entire life except that her father became ill and died (requiring 100 days of mourning), then UGH married an American and lost her "job".
"A Painted House" by John Grisham. This is a break from most of Grisham's books in that it has nothing at all to do with the legal system or lawyers. It is about a summer on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the 1950s, written through the eyes of a 7 year old boy.
Ken didn't like this book at all because he thought it was pointless. There is not a real clear plot and thus no real conclusion either. It reminded me of a much weaker versison of "To Kill a Mockingbird". A young kid who encounters discrimination and stereotypes in a small, rural town and attempts to make sense of it all. Except in this case it is Mexicans and hill people who are the brunt of the discrimination and there is no culminating trial that brings it all together. I really like "To Kill a Mockingbird" but don't recommend this book.
On to Pudd'nhead Wilson, which finally came today.
"Cut" by Patricia McCormick. This book is about a girl who is institutionalized because of self-mutilation, but then she stops speaking when she is sent to the mental hospital. The book follows her progress from silence to recovery in the institution.
I had expected this book to be rather morbid and depressing, but it really isn't. There are some sad parts, but also some parts that are humorous and uplifting. It is McCormick's first novel; quite short and the writing is not spectacular. Generally, not recommended.
I really liked A Painted House as a slice of Americana, story of a family, metamorphasis of the country from rural to urban, etc.
It's been a couple of years since I read it but I enjoyed it.
Joy - I sent my copy of Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book home with Mom - but you might like it. It was written by a lady in waiting in Japan in the year 1000 (or so) and describes a lot of her life in detail. I'll have Mom pass it to you and you can send it on to Melissa.
"Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord" by Jean Plaidy. Another Jean Plaidy, but I actually liked this one. It is about the rule of Charles II of England and three of his mistresses. The main character, Nell Gwyn, one of the mistresses, is witty and good-natured, so that the book does not have the heavy and depressing feel that the other books by Plaidy have had. Plus, she's still alive and happy at the end!
However, the writing is a bit immature and the character development weak. Plaidy keeps reminding us that King Charles is good-natured and easy-going but doesn't show us many other facets of his character. Not recommended. This is my last Plaidy for a while- it was the last one on my shelf.
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. My interest in this story started after my mother took me to see the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" at the Clemens Center many years ago. I loved the musical, still do, and so decided to read the story. Alas, over 10 years later I finally read the story and find that it is quite different from the musical.
The story is told by Utterson, Dr. Jekyll's lawyer, and starts with his concern over Dr. Jekyll's will, which gives everything to this unknown man, Mr Hyde, if Jekyll "disappears". Utterson then decides to find out who Mr. Hyde is and what hold he has over Dr. Jekyll. The majority of the story is from Utterson's viewpoint. As a reader, we do not get to find out Jekyll's side of the story until the last chapter, when Utterson reads Jekyll's account of the experiment after Jekyll kills himself.
Differences from the musical (besides the obvious lack of songs...): Dr. Jekyll is less "good" in the book than he is portrayed in the musical, in the book his research is based on his urge to be able to have his pleasures without guilt while in the musical it is to help his father, in the book there is no Emma Carew or prostitute (can't think of her name in the musical)- in fact there are no female characters in the book other than maids and housekeepers, there is only one murder in the book (7 in the musical), etc., etc. Oh, and in the book Jekyll is over 50 years old while in the musical version he is much younger.
The story is very well written and very interesting, but I like the musical version better. I like the love story in the musical and I like that the dichotomy between good and evil is more extreme in the musical. My favorite song in the musical is "Good and Evil" sung by the prostitute.
Finally, on a bit of a side note, several years ago I was flipping though the television channels and came across a televised version of the musical and guess who played Jekyll/Hyde? David Hasselhoff (yes, of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame). He actually did a REALLY good job. I couldn't believe it. I have to admit that I was picturing Hasselhoff as Jekyll when I read the story. Rather disturbing...
Okay, Melissa. I also want to read Jekyll and Hyde. I have not ever seen the musical (didn't even know there was one). So would you recommend the book?
Okay, I also had to comment on a Westlake book I am reading now "Watch Your Back!". This line cracks me up.
A guy is describing his retirement in Florida as "When you're very young or very old, you get to eat whenever the hell you feel like it, which, when you're very old, is just a little bit earlier every day. Six o'clock, five forty-five... I figure, the day you sit down to supper at 4:00, that's God saying Hello."
Yes, I would recommend reading Jekyll and Hyde. It is short, interesting, and well-written.
I just read "This Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate" by Laura Jensen Walker, and I swear that she listened in on the conversations (arguments?) that Ken and I have had when working on home improvement projects! It is, obviously, a book meant to be funny rather than really helpful. She writes about her own experiences doing home improvement projects with her husband and similar experiences of her friends. Definitely recommended to anyone who has done a home remodeling or even a small project with their significant other, especially if there were differences of opinions involved!
"News from the Edge: The Monster of Minnesota" by Mark Sumner.
A couple of weeks ago, two books showed up in the $1 room of Bargain Books: Vampires of Vermont and The Monster of Minnesota. I'm not sure what inspired me to buy them, other than possibly the quote "If the "Cat Who..." books coud mee "The X-Files", "News from the Edge" would be the result." It intrigued me, especially since I like both the Cat Who... books and X-Files.
I haven't read the one about Vampires yet, but this one was actually a fun read. Not great literature, of course, but fun. It is about a journalist at a tabloid magazine who goes to Minnesota to investigate a "monster" there that murdered several people. She doesn't believe it is a monster, but she wants a good story out of it anyway. SHe meets up with the kid sister of one of the victims, a cryptozoologist who works as an English professor at the community college in town, a fishing guide, and a Barbie look-alike tree-hugging group representative. Together they try to solve the mystery of the monster. It is vaguely reminiscent of a Plum novel with lots of dead people, crazy situations, and quirky characters. Angie, do you want me to send it to you for a quick read or would you rather pass on this one?
"The Plot Thickens" presented by Mary Higgins Clark.
This is a book of short mystery stories, the sales of which fund a literacy campaign. Mary Higgins Clark came up with the idea and assembled the writers that took part, thus it is "presented by" her. The only guidelines for the writers were that they had to include a thick fog, a thick steak, and a thick book in the story. It is really interesting all the different ways the writers did this.
It includes stories by Mary Higgins Clark, Nelson DeMille, Janet Evanovich, and Donald Westlake- just to name a few. It is a great way to pass time, with some really different stories. My favorite was "Last Peep" by Evanovich (a Stephanie Plum story), but I really liked several others, including the story by Donald Westlake. I'll send it on to you, Angie, and then maybe you can send it to Joy. I think you'll both enjoy it as much as I did. Highly recommended.
No offense Melissa, but I think we should have a "Melissa's other books" and Angie and I can have our "other books". Yours will fill umpteen times faster than ours.
Oh, I see, you're tired of reading MY reviews of other books and want to relegate my poor books to a solitary posting of their own.
What can I say? I'm a fast reader (no, I don't use sparknotes!) and I like reading so I do a lot of it. I'll open a new post for my book reviews. I guess it is no worse than people who have their own blogs that no-one else reads. I'll just be tossing out my bits of wisdom :-) to an empty internet universe.
"Watch Your Back" by Donald Westlake. Dortmunder and gang save the OJ Bar and Grill from a mobster gang in New Jersey and rob a millionaire's apartment while the owner is hiding from ex-wives (plural!) at a Caribbean island. Of course a dreadful turn of events during the robbery but the gang fares well. The seemingly unrelated "small stories" all come together at the end.
"Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. It has taken me almost a year to read this book. It is an easy book to pick up and put down and pick back up again. This is Twain's travelogue across Europe and the "HolyLand". I enjoyed the European part of his journey immensely and would have loved to travel with Mark Twain. I think he got tired of the tourist life though as he travelled thru Israel. Lots and lots of description with bland commentary. Either that or there was just TOO much to tell and so Twain tried to fit it all in. I think he could have spent 1000 pages just on what they saw in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, etc. etc. etc. That part of the book took me a while to get through. All and all an interesting look at what travel was like in the late 1800's, mostly by donkey and constantly hounded by the poor for money.
Beginning is recommended,not so much towards the end.
Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich - I read this out of order, I guess, since Metro Girl comes first, but it was still good. Not as full of craziness as the Plum series but still very enteraining with good chuckle out loud moments. I just started Metro Girl and am enjoying it as well.
Highly recommended for Evanovich fans. Thanks for sending it to me, M! I will be following this series as well!
Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich. I LoVED this book. I read it in less than a day - with lots of laughing out loud. Harold asked me if the book came with sound effects at one point (Where Felicia shot Slick and Gimpy) because I was laughing so hard. I liked it better than Motor Mouth, maybe because I already knew the characters and what to expect from them. The one thing I didn't like was how they always seemed to have clean clothes to change into, and new cell phones mysteriously appeared when theirs had been soaked. Also, it suggested that Maria had been raped - multiple times, but then she was basically fine? WTH? I thought that was a little unrealistic. I liked that the characters didn't turn into super sleuths, they made mistakes, and the woman is mechanically inclined while the men are not so much.
Overall, very good, I highly recommend the Barnaby series to anyone who likes a good, quick and highly amusing read. I really hope Evanovich continues them!
According to http://www.evanovich.com/qa/ask , she is thinking of doing the next Barnaby book as a graphic novel. Not sure I like that or not. The only graphic novels I've read are Maus and Maus II - which were good, but not a format I enjoy as much as regular prose. I'm told this is because I have a very active "mind's eye" in that when I read words, I don't see them, rather I "see" the action they depict. I can kind of reread a book by watching it like a movie in my head. Graphic novels take all the fun out of it for me because the pictures are provided, and my mind's eye gets a little bored.
I'm glad you liked Metro Girl and Motor Mouth. I don't want the next one to be a graphic novel either. Mostly because I don't like illustrations either- I prefer what's in my head (probably why I never like the movies as well, either). But it will probably also be pretty short if it is a graphic novel and I like good books to be longer. Conversely, I like bad books to be shorter!
"The Twenty-One Balloons" by William Pene du Bois. A very imaginative children's book; the cover indicates it is for the 10-14 age bracket. The story of a RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER who takes off in a balloon fully planning to live the balloon life as long as possible. Although a few days after lift off, a sea gull pokes a hole in the balloon and he arrives at the island of Krakatoa. The remainder of the book is meeting the inhabitants of the island, living the island life, and then making a hasty departure when the island volcano blows its top. Very imaginative.
My favorite part is the author's logic supporting balloon travel, especially as a form of transportation to and from school. Reason #1 - The wind will be calm and you'll never get to school. Reason #2 - The wind will blow in the wrong direction and you'll never get to school. Reason #3 - You might decide to play hookey and nobody will bother you in a balloon.
I wish I would have read this as a child and I wish Eli and I would have read it a few years ago. It would have been one of "our" favorites. It is hard to get Eli to read "children's" books now. But I'll give it a shot.
Getting Mother's Body by Susan-Lori Parks. I listened to this book on cd, read by the author, on my drive home last week, and loved it. I don't retain as much detail when listening to something as when reading it, but this was so well read and presented that I feel like I read it myself.
The first thing to say is that there are a lot of characters. The second thing to say is that each chapter is told by a different character. A lot of the main ones repeat, and some characters only narate 1 chapter - but it gives a lot of insight into many of the characters in a short amount of time. The third thing to say is that there's a lot of phonetic spelling (I assume) that might make the dialogue hard to read.
It's one of those books that leaves a lot unsaid, has a great social commentary and flawed characters. I really enjoyed following pregnant, unwed 16 yr old Billy on her path between two men (one undertake and one coffin salesman), hampered (and helped) along the way by her churchless preacher uncle, one-legged aunt, dead mother and her mother's lesbian lover.
Cat Stories by James Herriot. I was at the school library on the next to last day of school picking out books for "summer reading" and ran across this little book and thought "Oh, I can read that tonight" and so I did. It is a little book of "cat stories", surprise? Herriot likes cats too and actually thought he would learn all about cats in vet school but alas, did not. Apparently, "cat" is a relatively new subject to study at vet school. Any way, the book has about a dozen stories about different cats and their owners that Herriot met on his vet rounds. It was a nice little book about cats and helped me pass some time.
There is also another nice little book called "Dog Stories". I didn't get that but I think I'll go back to read it.
"Nigger" by Richard Gregory. One of my summer reads from the library. I am trying to break out of my comfort zone and read books I ordinarily would not pick. I don't often venture into the "biography" section so this time I did. THis actually was Richard Gregory's autobiography.
I had NEVER heard of Richard Gregory and after reading this book, I should have. Richard Gregory was a projects kid from St. Louis who became a famous track star who eventually became a stand up comedian. He was very famous, on the Jack Paar show, appeared with Sammy Davis, Jr. etc. BUT, he also became part of the Civil Rights Act and marched on Washington with Martin Luther King. The book tells the story of the first 30 years of Gregory's life, until he was just getting involved with the Civil Rights movement. So now I am intrigued to Google him and find out more.
Good book, easy to read, and I learned a lot. Bring on more biography.
I've read "Cat Stories" and "Dog Stories" and enjoyed them both. Herriot has such an accessible writing style and manages to mix enough humorous stories with the heartbreaking ones to make a nicely balanced book.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I am half way through this book and in love with it, let's hope it continues. This is a book of letters written to and from Juliet Ashton, an author, contemplating her next book. The story is about the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during World War II. Very humorous and very touching.
M- I don't want to taint your reading pleasure, so I tried to keep my comments reserved. Plum Spooky was way better. We'll discuss when you're done.
Baby, Would I Lie? by Donald Westlake. First off, I can't beleive I finished two books in one day! I hardly ever read more than one book at a time.
This was an ok book - worth the $1 I paid for it, but not nearly as good as Hot Rock. It centers around an aging, famous country singer and his IRS/alleged rape and murder troubles. Add 2 legitimate reporters, a scheming best friend, a slew of lawyers and a crapload of phonies working for tabloids and you've got it made.
The most humorous parts for me were the lyrics to the main character's songs. There's one that describes his ideal woman as someone who "turns into pizza at three o'clock" - whatever the hell that means. No laugh out loud moments.
Lots of small bit characters and names to remember. The chapters kind of jumped around a little and sometimes I had a hard time remembering who was who. By halfway through I was pretty sure I had figured the "mystery" out - and I was right.
Don't bother with this one unless you're on a mission to read all of Westlake's.
"Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society" - finished this book in 2 days. At first, I didn't think I would like it, since it all a collection of letters. But then when I could read it for free from the library, I thought I'd give it a shot. And I loved it! All the letters are to or from Juliet, an author, who is writing to her publisher about her next book when she recieves a letter from a fellow from Guernsey who had one of her books, hence the rest of the story as she discovers more and more about the island of Guernsey and the occupation by Germany during WW II. I REALLY enjoyed this book.
Much recommended (one level down from HIGHLY recommended). Or a 4-star book (out of 5).
"Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen. Eli talked me into this one too and since I had a 4 HOUR DELAY on my flight to Oregon, I filled in one hour of it with this book.
It is about a 12-year-old who gets a used riding lawn mower as a birthday present from his grandmother. So the kid starts a lawn mowing business and then runs into a neighbor who helps him "build the business" by using Mexican immigrants to do the work. Money earned is then invested into the stock market and at the end of the summer, the kid has earned over $100,000!
The chapter titles are entertaining .... such as "Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Production Expansion" and "Labor Acquisition and Its Effect on Capital Growth" and on and on. The grandmother is a hoot.
An excellent read for a 12-13 year old kid with a humorous introduction to economics.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, the 2nd book in my "Explore Biography This Sunmmer" series.
This is Maya's autobiography of her life growing up in Stamps, Arkansas. Each chapter is its own episode of her life. Her grandmother has a HUGE role in her life until she is shipped off to live with her mother and father (2 different times). The parents live their life of fun and basically take care of their children when it is convenient for them. The big event in the book is when Maya is raped at age 8.
A favorite chapter of mine is when Maya first drives trying to figure out the clutch, brake and gas pedals. She is put in this position trying to get her drunk father home.
I really enjoy Maya Angelou's writing style. She is the master of the simile.
Since Angie already posted, sort-of, on this book, I thought I would comment here. I see what you mean by lame, Angie. There was only one laugh-out-loud moment for me in the entire book (Lula stuck in the Porsche). Ranger was a teaser and nothing more and there was not enough Grandma Mazur. I still enjoyed it, of course, but it didn't have the same spark as some of the others.
Only recommended if you are reading the whole series.
BTW: I haven't read Plum Spooky yet. Somehow I forgot to order it. I am getting on Amazon now!
Dortmunder is "blackmailed" by a retired cop now turned private detective to steal a solid gold chess set. Unfortunately the chess set is in a private vault inside a bank accessible only by a selected few. Dortmunder has to figure out a way to get the chess set out for "viewing" by the public, that's when the heist takes place and this is the funniest part of the book. Unfortunately, the chess set is stolen from them so once again their work is bungled.
It is an enjoyable book, some places a bit too much description. But still a good read.
Okay, so it's a book about quilters and so I thought I would like it since I like quilting but I HATED this book. Too simplistic, everything about quilting is explained (like I don't already know how to bind a quilt) and the story was so - so. I could predict exactly what was going to happen at page 10......
The story is about a couple who move to another town. The wife follows the husband to one of his landscaping jobs, gets hired to clean and tidy up the old lady's estate before she sells it. The old lady is a marvelous quilter. The wife learns to quilt. The old estate becomes a "quilter's retreat". Done.
Uh-oh. My mom really liked the Quilter books and is sending them to me to read later this month. I hope I like them or else that will make for some awkward conversations.
After reading "Eye of the Needle" and enjoying it, I was inspired to try some more of Follett's books. So I tried this one. Wow, it's a LONG book, 970 pages, about the building of a cathedral in England during the 1100's. Lots and lots of characters intertwined with lots of power struggle between church and state.
The book is divided into 6 parts with a different picture of the cathedral at each part - which I really enjoyed. I could go back thru the book again and tell you what happened by the picture. Towards the end, I thought Follett was trying to include every bit of research, some things seemed a bit mundane to the story.
Overall, a good read. If you can read 970 pages of a book and not get lost in it or put it down out of boredom, I would have to classify it as a good book.
I know you've been reading (Eat, Pray, Love, for example), why aren't you posting? I look forward to seeing what you're reading and getting good suggestions from it!
Since M has cracked the whip, I'll say that lately I have been reading mostly poetry in my down time, since I splurged and bought a few more volumes in preparation for Nat'l Poetry Month 2011.
However, here are the books I've read recently:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Though I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction, Liz recapped her year of travels in such a touching and humorous way that I FLEW through this book. Her descriptions of depression/despair/loneliness were adequate without being suffocating. I triumphed with her triumphs. The way she described falling in love with Italian is the same way I felt when I was learning Spanish. Though I'm not on a search for god myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the Pray section of the book. And Love - oh my goodness, the entire section is so quote worthy and funny! It gives me the travel itch! Highly recommended.
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich As much as I love the Plum series, I'm getting a little fed up with the theme in the last few. Stephanie and Morelli break up. Ranger, Ranger, Ranger tease all through the book, Morelli's back on the last page. Gah.
It's enough to make a Babe girl want to shoot someone in the foot. Or eat a doughnut. Or some extra crispy chicken. No Tastycakes mentioned in this book...
My favorite part in this one was the cows, and Mooner. I do love Mooner.
Book 13 is where she started to lose me; it seemed liked the "pip" was gone from the plots. Plum Spooky revived it a little, but the in-series ones have run their natural course. I'll stick with it to the end, but am hoping that 17 wraps up the series and that Stephanie finally makes a choice. ANY choice. (team Babe!)
900 pages of schizophrenia; a story of identical twins Thomas and Dominick. Dominick is the “sane” one and Thomas the crazy one. Thomas hears voices. So the tale begins with Thomas cutting off his hand according to the Bible “if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee” and so Thomas does.
The rest of the story is Dominick’s struggle to understand his brother and himself. Dominick is angry really at the constant care that his brother requires and fearful that the schizophrenia will overtake him too. Dominick eventually sees a therapist to sort out his thoughts and ultimately reads his grandfather’s journal to discover his past. The grandfather imigrates from Italy and frankly has the “best part”. Some of his Italian translations, sayings, mottos, etc. are hysterical. A few are: “Call his bluff, call his bluff, what this mean, call his bluff? GD English language,” and “The tongue has no bones but can break a man’s back” and “Cook squash any way you like, but it’s still squash”.
My only beef is how everything gets so tidily wrapped up at the end …. And they all live happily ever after.
"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. M, you must read this book. It is fantastic.
I first heard about this watching Oprah since this will be made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.
Liz takes a year off to divulge herself after her divorce looking for: food for the body, peace for her soul, and balance and so travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia (specifically Bali), spending 4 months in each. She eats and eats and eats in Italy gaining 23 pounds and learns to speak Italian. I really thought I wouldn't like the Pray part but I really really liked it. There are so many good quotes there. Finally she goes to Bali (not to find love) but balance. Instead finds love, this section also filled with tons of great quotes. It is a very enjoyable read.
I initially got this from the library and will go buy my own copy. LOVED IT!
At some point this Spring I read Push, by Sapphire. This, of course, is the book that was made into the Oscar winning movie: Precious. The first thing I learned from this book is that book titles are not copy-written, but movie titles are. Hence, the discrepancy in the two.
The book is short (I read it in one sitting - about 90 minutes or so) but highly disturbing. Basically take Charis from The Robber Bride but make her black, illiterate, mother of 2 by age 16 and plunk her down into NYC. This is in no way a feel-good story; the bulk of the book is depressing, but the last 1/8th or so I found highly disturbing. The end of the book gives no real resolution to the characters, so I think we are meant to assume that they continue on in a state of "social abandonment" ad infinitum. To fully grasp the story, however, I would suggest making a note of the authors of the English assignments in the back of the book first, and read them as you meet each character in the book. It will give you a lot of insight into their lives as you read, as opposed to reading them all at the end.
The writing itself is excellent, giving a near perfect voice to Precious. At times hard to follow, but even then it is true to the confusion that she is feeling, and thus only enhances the imagery.
Recommended if you're into depressing cross-cultural books like me.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham This is a book that I've had forever and never opened. Since I rearranged my bookshelves and now have a shelf dedicated to unread books, I've guilted myself into trying to empty the shelf. This book is short - took me just 2 lunch hours to read - and sparked the Tim Allen movie Christmas with the Kranks.
The Kranks, empty nesters since their only daughter has joined the Peace Corps after earning her master's degree, decide to skip every aspect of Christmas altogether and take a cruise instead. Humorous situations ensue, tensions mount among the neighbors who want to win the best decorated street award, etc.
I love Grisham's writing style - he has a knack for giving me a great scene in my mind's eye - but I wasn't a fan of this book. There's a turning point about halfway through, and I was so disgusted with the two main characters (mainly the wife) that I didn't even want to finish it. It did partially redeem itself in the end, and I can see how it would make a good slapstick holiday movie. On the whole, too Desperate Housewives/suburbia for my liking.
One great quotation, Wife to Husband: "Love at first sight." "That's impossible." "Maybe you're right. It took me three years to see your potential."
Between Fanny and Little Britches, I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it is just as Melissa said. I really liked the story. I didn't realize that it is a mystery. Short book and I can see how it has stood the test of time. Well written.
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
My friend Jenn suggested this book; she's a dog lover, I am not. We both loved this story.
Dawn, twice divorced and recently dumped, copes with her trainwreck of a love life, "life coach" sister, absentee dad and self-centered mother by talking to her dog, Chuck. One day, Chuck starts talking back to her. The first thing he says: "Come on! You must have at least suspected there was someone else. Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" lol! Soon she realizes she can communicate with all dogs - but who is really talking, and who's instincts should she be following?
A boarder collie named Regis comments on the herding classes his mom (Kathy Li) has signed him up for: "I spent the first two years of my life wondering when the sheep were going to show up? And finally they do show up and there are only three of them. And you know what? They are so fucking stupid. Why am I supposed to care where they go? Seriously. Why would anyone care?"
Here's a quote for Joy: As we stood over the paint chip display at Home Depot, scrutinizing color cards, he put on his reading glasses. "Morning Moss. Sea Foam. Ocean Mist," he said. "That must have been a hell of a committee meeting the day they decided they needed new 'fun' ways to say 'gray green.' "
My only beef with the book is that there are parts where Dawn starts talking to the reader about writing the novel - thus breaking the story bubble. They're annoying but aren't frequent or long-winded.
Do you have this book Ang? I would like to read it. AND since you've mentioned Water for Chocolate several times lately, I am RE-reading and loving it all over again.
OMG - Pillars of the Earth (that I just read last fall) is now a MOVIE premiering on Starz July 23rd. Okay - who get Starz? I don't and I need to see this!!!!
Washington Post writer Jackie Spinner recounts the 9+ months she spent in Iraq during 2004/2005 (Abu Ghraib, Battle of Fallujah, Iraq's first post-war election). 1st person narative follows the author on her first foreign assignment from her initial packing in Maryland through her return to the US nearly a year later. Also includes notes by her twin sister at the end of every chapter.
This is another book I recvd courtesy of one of M's care packages. Though not one that I would have picked on my own, I found the subject matter of this book very interesting. I can't say that I cared for the writing style, persay (too many sentences beginning with "So") but I liked reading about Iraq from a woman's perspective. I appreciated that she detailed her personal failures and successes, and how brutally honestly she described the emotions that her experiences caused.
M, what do you think really happened to Luma?
This isn't a "feel good" book, but if you're interested in journalism or foreign relations/Iraq, I recommend it. It was also interesting to compare this book with Eat, Pray, Love - two "travel" books with very different motivations, but with women who both struggled with depression and to some extent, culture shock.
I'm not sure what I think happened to Luma. I remember that while I was reading it I had several different theories about it- including a rape gone wrong, her seeing something important and thus getting snuffed, that she wasn't really dead. That was one of the things that irked me about this book- that we never find out what happened. I guess that is an issue with non-fiction. :-) I'm glad you got some enjoyment out of it.
Another book courtesy of M, thanks! Overall I didn't like the book. There was so much attention paid to describing modes of dress, furniture and landscape that I often had to force myself not to skip entire pages at a time. I did like that every character was given a resolution at the end, even if most of them were death. Berthe's fate was so sad, but probably accurate for the time. (Perhaps she ended up working in Shirley's textile mill?)
I have a hard time accepting that the book caused such a scandal because of Emma's affairs. There were, literally, no sexy times in the book, unless you count the carriage trip around the city i which the most provocative thing said was "Go on!" They all ended badly and it is clear that the author was not glorifying adultery in any way. What then, caused such an outrage? My theory: Monsieur Homais's (the apothecary) view on religion, which went largely unanswered in the book aside from Emma's feeble attempts at religion. An excerpt from one of Homais's soliloquies in Part 2, Chapter 1:
"I have religion, my own religion, and I even have more religion than all of them, with their mummery and hocus-pocus. I adore God! I believe in the Supreme Being, in a Creator, whatever He is, it doesn't matter to me, who has placed us here below to fulfill our duties as citizens and as fathers; but I don't need to go to church to kiss silver plates and empty my pockets to fatten a lot of humbugs who are better fed than we are! For one can honor Him just as well in the woods, in a field, or even by contemplating the vault of the heavens, as the ancients did. ... So I don't admit any old codger of a God who walks in his garden with a cane in his hand, lodges his friends in the bellies of whales, dies with a groan and comes to life at the end of three days: absurdities in themselves and, furthermore, completely opposed to all physical laws; which proves, by the way, that the priests have always been sunk in a mire of ignorance in which they force the populace to wallow with them."
Now that, my dears, is scandalous.
Not recommended unless you're reading allllll the classics. In that case, it is better than Moby Dick, but nowhere near Fanny Hill. =)
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt, book 1 of 6 in the "Andy Carpenter" series.
Andy Carpenter, New Jersey defense attorney and avid dog lover, uses his sarcastic tongue and sharp mind to investigate his father's mysterious legacy - both legal and financial. Add in a long-shot retrial for a death-row inmate, estranged wife, irritated new girlfriend, lovable golden retriever and a crack lawyer who gave up his practice to run a laundromat and you have the makings for a great book in a genre I am going to call "humorous legal thriller." It's kind of like John Grisham meets Stephanie Plum.
The book itself is not overly funny, or legal, or edge-of-your seat thriller: it's a great combination of all three. The wise cracks kept me grinning, the legal mumbo jumbo was explained in just the right amount of detail (enough to understand it, not too much to make it a snooze-fest) and the mystery had just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It also had some clues that I was able to figure out way before the characters, which of course makes me feel like a smart and attentive reader. Looks like Andy, his secretary, his girlfriend and the dog will be recurring characters throughout the series, along with some minor characters like Andy's police contact and maybe some of the DAs/judges. While I really liked the book, the writing style felt just a little underdeveloped, which I expect will improve in the next books, as it did with Evanovich.
I've already downloaded and started book 2, First Degree.
Here are some fun bits, to give you a taste of the humor: "I head home, where I find Nicole preparing dinner. This is in itself a rare event; Nicole can make three types of food, the best of which is a tuna fish sandwich. ... she's trying to "change," which means I'm going to get stuck eating some really terrible spaghetti."
At a department store: "The first thing I notice about the place are the mannequins, dressed in flimsy, sexy bras and panties. They are incredibly shapely; if I were a woman concerned about my figure I would throw out all the diet books and find out what they feed those mannequins."
About his father-in-law: "He is throwing a fund-raiser for a local congressional candidate that I wouldn't vote for if he were running against Muammar Qaddafi."
Highly recommended if you enjoy books in series with repeating characters.
Defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes on a tough new case when his private investigator/girlfriend Laurie is charged with the brutal murder of her old police-department boss. Former client Willie, Judge Hacket, law-dromat owner Kevin, crossword-loving secretary Edna, police contact Pete, ornery newspaper reporter Vince and golden retriever Tara all reappear in Rosenfelt's sophomore novel. All characters also come back for book # 3, Bury the Jury, which I am reading now.
I enjoyed this book, though the mystery wasn't as complex as the first - I figured it out just a few chapters before the "big reveal" at the end. It's nice to see the characters all developing in their own rite. Rosenfelt's humor shines through and he even gives some closure to a few elements from book 1.
Bury the Jury by David Rosenfelt
Book 3 in the Andy Carpenter series. While I haven't finished this book yet, I have to say that I'm beginning to be slightly annoyed by those little snippets series authors include to "catch up" a new reader. In my opinion after 2 books, informed readers will know it is a series and start with #1. No need to recap the first few books, we're all on board already.
In this book, ornery newspaper reporter Vince hires Andy to represent the paper because a serial killer has chosen to communicate with police through a new reporter that Vince has hired. Vince brings Andy in because he suspects something more sinister will happen, and gosh, he’s right. Turns out this new reporter has a dead wife (murdered) and is *gasp* Vince's illegitimate son! I suspect this book will also deal with some sort of elaborate cover-up/framing that Andy will discover during the upcoming trial. While I don’t mind this plotline, it will make 3 in a row, and I’m actually hoping that one of Andy’s clients will turn out to be guilty sometime soon. I’ll give book 4 a shot, but if it has the same basic Law & Order plot, I’ll probably call it quits on this series.
What I do like about the series is that time marches on. Andy an Laurie get more involved, Tara starts to slow down as she ages, Willie’s character improves, etc..
OK, I take back the unflattering things that I said about this book in the post above. It moved away from the standard plot and held my interest all the way to the end. I enjoyed the sub-plots that advanced the repeating characters' lives, especially Willie's. He's getting to be a favorite of mine.
Looks like there is a "Lula" type character now that will return in the next volume, I can't wait as I'm sure she'll provide some comic moments.
Here's a brief snippet: "I'm finally able to ascertain that 'damn long' takes them back to high school. They actually dated their junior year and shared many of the same friends. 'What you been doing?' Willie asks as I cringe. 'Hooking,' says Sondra, and Willie nods, as if she had just said 'Marketing.' "
I'm not buying the 4th book until after Native Son, or I'll never get to it before it's due back to the library.
This sequel to Chocolat follows Vianne (now Yanne) and Anouk (now Annie) as they struggle to profit from their new chocolate shop in Paris. Anouk is 12-13 and Vianne has a second daughter, Rosette, who is nearly 4. She also has a new boyfriend, Thierry and takes on an employee/tennant, Zozie around whom most of the book centers.
While Vianne wasn't the main character in this book, I found Zozie to be a suitable replacement. I liked that Anouk had more of a role, and indeed, a voice in this book. As with every book that is told from multiple perspectives, it was difficult to work out who was talking during the first 5 or 10 chapters. Naration swings between Vianne, Zozie and Anouk, however this time there were no fancy fonts to help you determine the switch.
All in all I really enjoyed it. While Chocolat left me wanting a little more, Girl With No Shadow gave a good feeling of closure to all of the characters, with the possible exception of Rosette. I do wonder how she will manage to get on as she ages. Maybe there could be a three-quel?
I thought I would comment on your posting since A just read this too and did a good summary of the plot.
I thought the naration was pretty closely balanced between Zozie, Vianne, and Anouk, but I did find it difficult to tell who was speaking/thinking in the first 5-10 chapters but also occasionally later chapters as well. I would have liked some narration by Rosette because she got to see much of what was happening but would have had a unique take on it all, I'm sure.
I really enjoyed the book and the hints of magic that permeated throughout, but I'm only lukewarm about the ending. It seemed to go a lot more extreme than the rest of the book. Where I can believe in little bits of magic, that seemed pretty unbelievable.
I hope there is another book that continues the story line as I would like to see how Rosette develops and if there is any lasting damage to the relationship between Anouk and Vianne.
The Five People You Meetin Heaven by Mitch Albom I'm a bit behind the times just reading this book now, but J forced it into my hands last week. It's a really sweet story, and not what I was expecting at all. Of course I just bawled through the last chapter(s). His entire 5th person really got to me. I like that the book doesn't preach religion at you (which is what I was expecting given how popular it was) but has a good strong the-world-is-all-connected theme.
After I was telling Harold how sad and sweet it was, he read it too, and pronounced it "ok, but I don't see what's so sad about it." To which I responded "but SHE brought him to heaven! And he wanted to see his wife old and sick! And the war, and and and" but he just didn't get it. Men. I think it's because he identified more with the man, and I more with the child.
Overall a very quick read and generally recommended.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier I'm only about halfway through this book now (another "suggestion" from J) and I am having a love-hate relationship with it. I'm very intrigued in the plot, but the writing takes forever to get anywhere! I can sympathize with Mrs. de Winter's social inneptitude and discomfort in her new surroundings, but at the same time I want to shake her and scream "IT'S YOUR HOUSE, WOMAN UP AND TAKE CHARGE ALREADY!" Although Mrs Danvers gives me the creeps, I've yet to see any hard indication that she is "one of the most infamous female villains ever written." So, I can only assume that the action will be picking up pretty soon.
The story of Delores Price from age 7 to mid-30’s. Lots of calamities occur in Dolores’s young life that cause her to “hide” by eating, getting up to 240 pounds by the end of high school. She escapes her small town by going to college but skips most of her classes and drops out in her first year, and attempts suicide. Finally lands in a psychiatric hospital to get her life back in order. She loses weight, moves to Vermont, falls in love, gets married, then divorced only to spiral back down again. Some very funny parts as she makes “light” of her weight.
Her elderly (70s) landlords in Vermont are absolutely hysterical. On their first meeting with Delores, they tell her “We are compatible in every way; we enjoy sexual intercourse nightly”.
This book is exactly what I love in a novel: international and depressing. If you like books about other countries where your favorite characters live miserable lives and then die, this book is for you. This was my first Zola, and I plan to read more.
Germinal is #13 in Zola's "Les Rougon-Macquart" series which follows an extended family through all levels of French society. (The much discussed NANA is #9) It relates the story of a small coal-mining village in France immediately following the revolution. The workers fight to survive and after many hardships form a loose union and organize a strike. The writing style is descriptive without being too judgmental (though feminists will find some disturbing scenes) and creates a good bond between reader and character. The mines are described adequately but not in agonizing detail, and the characters, though there were MANY, were well developed. Zola really captured the small town dynamic. I didn't like that there were two actual murders (as opposed to deaths from cave ins and starvation) that were not "dealt with," but when you kill off 30 to 40 people, you're bound to skim over 1 or 2 of them...
Recommended to those interested in classic literature, otherwise, skip it.
The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale
A lengthy novel about a monkey (chimp) selected as a "science experiment" to learn language and does! The book is told from the chimp's (Bruno's) point of view. It is very well done and I had to keep reminding myself this is fiction. Lots of interesting sex - so I'm sure A would like it.
Bruno learns language, the experiment runs out of funding and so Bruno goes to live with Lydia, one of the lab people. Bruno falls in love with Lydia, Lydia is sick, Bruno impregnates Lydia, Lydia eventually dies of cancer.
The chapters are denoted by Roman numerals - 50 chapters in all. At the end, very touching, Bruno writes, that the first chapter began with I, about himself. The last chapter, L for Lydia. Awwww.....
Benedict Arnold Slept Here: Jack Douglas' Honeymoon Mountain Inn by Jack Douglas
I picked this book up at a used book store Mom and I visited a few weeks ago. I bought it because I opened it to a random page and read the following fairly amusing and accurate description: "Putting a quarter in the Granby Lakes Laundromat washing machine was like playing a slot machine in Las Vegas. You know you have a chance to win, but you also know you could lose a lot of quarters before you do."
It follows the life of the Douglas family as the move from Connecticut to Maine, where they buy a large B&B type home with attached motel, get unceasingly harassed by the locals, shafted on every business deal possible and otherwise just have a miserable time of it. Douglas was a famous comedy writer so the book is peppered with one-liners and absurd situations (one man, "Filthy Phil" buys a dead, rotting cow to adorn the lawn of wherever he happens to be living, which of course at some point turns out to be their motel).
It seems like it would be a funny book but it really wasn't. I got sick of how gullible the Douglas family was; also annoying was their inability to really stand up for themselves.
There was a funny bit where the locals were putting up false advertisements in hopes of getting the hotel shut down: "The sign I remember best and which caused a mile-long traffic jam to our door read 'HONEYMOON MOUNTAIN WHOREHOUSE. TONIGHT'S SPECIAL: BLOW-JOB 50¢ - WITH COOL WHIP 75¢'
I am also curious about the offhand way Joy posts "Bruno impregnates Lydia". Not to be a prude, but this sounds a little kinky to me. Joy, please explain further.
I tell ya there is ALL kinds of sex in the Bruno book - so the sex between a human and a chimp is ... actually expected.
And Bruno refers to his chimp father as "Rotpeter", who will "do" anything ... and does..... Shall I describe the chimp/frog sexual encounter? It IS an interesting book.
This book is another that I picked up at the used book store; it is the sequel to Women of the Silk (which I have not read, but Language was enjoyable just the same). Both books follow the life of Pei, a Chinese woman who was sold to a silk factory around the age of 7. In Women of the Silk, she joins "the silk sisterhood," a cultural and economic union of silk workers who vow never to marry. They strike for better hours and wages, and her two best friends are killed. By this time Pei is in her late twenties, and takes a new silk worker, Ji Shen, under her wing. Japan invades China, Ji Shen's family is slaughtered, and both women flee to Hong Kong.
The Language of Threads begins as they disembark the ship their first day in Hong Kong. They strike a lasting friendship with Quan, their young rickshaw driver, and make their way to a boarding house run by another silk sister. From there, Pei begins her new life as a domestic servant, and Ji Shen enrolls in school. The book follows their next 30 years, with emphasis on how they survived the Japanese invasion and nearly 4-year occupation of Hong Kong.
Language follows the same timeline as Shanghai Girls, but Pei and Ji Shen are very, very different from May and Pearl. The story was well written and engaging (I read it in 2 days) but I think it would benefit from being a bit longer and 1st person from Pei's perspective (it is told in 3rd person). It's a good book, but lacks "meat."
J as to the Bruno book, M put me up to checking out some of the posts on non-required reading. Sex is a very open description of a variety of activities but if this book has any relation to reality, then I am assuming that "sex" is used here very loosely because certain things are physically impossible. (Last I knew that included pregnancy from human-ape copulation.) And also does the chimp seem to recognize that if he had sex wth a sick (hence incapacitated) woman it is considered rape by our species. Oddly chimps do rape other chimps at some times but it usually carries the same overtones of violence and dominance that it does in human terms. And considering the size difference between frogs and chimps -- physical limitations prevent average "sex" so one can assume it is some deviation of that and it also leaves me with the question of whether, in all this sex of all beings, if physical damage was written in because it can easily occur even between what seems relatively compatible beings. :) E
I'm writing my review here because A wrote her review of the same book here last summer. After A's review, I wasn't going to read it, being as how I don't like cross-cultural downers. However, another friend loaned me her copy of the book and told me I "have to read it". I put it off for about 2 months, but finally sat down and read it yesterday.
Like A, I basically read it in one sitting. While depressing, it is strangely mesmerizing. I think because, as A said, the writing gives such a great voice to Precious. I did find it rather hopeful toward the end. Afterall, instead of remaining in the miserable situation she started in, she tries to make a difference and at least has improved her self-image, if not her future prospects.
Little Mongo reminds me of Henrietta Lacks daughter in "Immortal Life". She too was labelled a retard and institutionalized. Lacks's daughter ended up dying in really horrible conditions in the institution. Ugh, I get sick just thinking about it.
On a lighter note, A, did you find yourself trying to fill in the blanks in Precious's writing like Ms. Rain? It was rather difficult!
Otherwise, A described it pretty well with a good suggestion about reading the stories in the back by other characters when you meet the characters.
I will recommend it. It is terribly depressing, yet a little hopeful and very well written.
Push is a great example of a book that you just love to hate. The plot and characters are just so sad that I will probably never read it again, but I have to give credit to Sapphire, because the writing is exquisite.
76 comments:
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.
Not as good as some other Sedaris books I've read. This one dealt mstly with his childhood and was, as always, highly autobiographical. A nice snapshot of a highly dysfunctional American family. My favorite parts dealt with his younger brother.
Recommended if you want to get to know Sedaris better, but not recommended to be the first one.
"Full House" by Janet Evanovich.
Urgh. Frankly, a disappointment. On the back she says she wants to give her readers another series like the Plum Series, but it is nowhere near as good as the Plum series. It is a straight-up romance novel and, in fact, it is even rather weak for a romance novel. Not recommended- especially if you are a Plum fan!
"Two Years in the Forbidden City" by Princess Der Ling.
True story of Princess Der Ling's 2 years as "lady in waiting" to China's Empress Dowager in the early 1900's. Der Ling is the empress's personal servant and describes life as a member of the Chinese royalty.
Just the lunches alone were enough for me - for the empress's lunch, some 40 different items were prepared, 10 different pork dishes, 10 duck, 10 chicken, rice and other items of which the Empress would choose the few she would eat that particular day. The remains were then given to the servants.
I was impressed with the number of Chinese festivals and holidays and the CULTURE and especially the HISTORY associated with each.
Another thing that struck me was the number of people required when the empress moved from one part of the palace grounds to another - one person just to carry her stool in case she should tire, another to carry a mirror, etc. Also, the number of "coolies" required when the empress would "ride". I guess not much different from the entourages used today for celebrities.
Der Ling would have continued her work in the palace for her entire life except that her father became ill and died (requiring 100 days of mourning), then UGH married an American and lost her "job".
Recommended.
"A Painted House" by John Grisham. This is a break from most of Grisham's books in that it has nothing at all to do with the legal system or lawyers. It is about a summer on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the 1950s, written through the eyes of a 7 year old boy.
Ken didn't like this book at all because he thought it was pointless. There is not a real clear plot and thus no real conclusion either. It reminded me of a much weaker versison of "To Kill a Mockingbird". A young kid who encounters discrimination and stereotypes in a small, rural town and attempts to make sense of it all. Except in this case it is Mexicans and hill people who are the brunt of the discrimination and there is no culminating trial that brings it all together. I really like "To Kill a Mockingbird" but don't recommend this book.
On to Pudd'nhead Wilson, which finally came today.
"Cut" by Patricia McCormick. This book is about a girl who is institutionalized because of self-mutilation, but then she stops speaking when she is sent to the mental hospital. The book follows her progress from silence to recovery in the institution.
I had expected this book to be rather morbid and depressing, but it really isn't. There are some sad parts, but also some parts that are humorous and uplifting. It is McCormick's first novel; quite short and the writing is not spectacular. Generally, not recommended.
I really liked A Painted House as a slice of Americana, story of a family, metamorphasis of the country from rural to urban, etc.
It's been a couple of years since I read it but I enjoyed it.
Joy - I sent my copy of Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book home with Mom - but you might like it. It was written by a lady in waiting in Japan in the year 1000 (or so) and describes a lot of her life in detail. I'll have Mom pass it to you and you can send it on to Melissa.
"Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord" by Jean Plaidy. Another Jean Plaidy, but I actually liked this one. It is about the rule of Charles II of England and three of his mistresses. The main character, Nell Gwyn, one of the mistresses, is witty and good-natured, so that the book does not have the heavy and depressing feel that the other books by Plaidy have had. Plus, she's still alive and happy at the end!
However, the writing is a bit immature and the character development weak. Plaidy keeps reminding us that King Charles is good-natured and easy-going but doesn't show us many other facets of his character. Not recommended. This is my last Plaidy for a while- it was the last one on my shelf.
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. My interest in this story started after my mother took me to see the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" at the Clemens Center many years ago. I loved the musical, still do, and so decided to read the story. Alas, over 10 years later I finally read the story and find that it is quite different from the musical.
The story is told by Utterson, Dr. Jekyll's lawyer, and starts with his concern over Dr. Jekyll's will, which gives everything to this unknown man, Mr Hyde, if Jekyll "disappears". Utterson then decides to find out who Mr. Hyde is and what hold he has over Dr. Jekyll. The majority of the story is from Utterson's viewpoint. As a reader, we do not get to find out Jekyll's side of the story until the last chapter, when Utterson reads Jekyll's account of the experiment after Jekyll kills himself.
Differences from the musical (besides the obvious lack of songs...): Dr. Jekyll is less "good" in the book than he is portrayed in the musical, in the book his research is based on his urge to be able to have his pleasures without guilt while in the musical it is to help his father, in the book there is no Emma Carew or prostitute (can't think of her name in the musical)- in fact there are no female characters in the book other than maids and housekeepers, there is only one murder in the book (7 in the musical), etc., etc. Oh, and in the book Jekyll is over 50 years old while in the musical version he is much younger.
The story is very well written and very interesting, but I like the musical version better. I like the love story in the musical and I like that the dichotomy between good and evil is more extreme in the musical. My favorite song in the musical is "Good and Evil" sung by the prostitute.
Finally, on a bit of a side note, several years ago I was flipping though the television channels and came across a televised version of the musical and guess who played Jekyll/Hyde? David Hasselhoff (yes, of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame). He actually did a REALLY good job. I couldn't believe it. I have to admit that I was picturing Hasselhoff as Jekyll when I read the story. Rather disturbing...
Okay, Melissa. I also want to read Jekyll and Hyde. I have not ever seen the musical (didn't even know there was one). So would you recommend the book?
Okay, I also had to comment on a Westlake book I am reading now "Watch Your Back!". This line cracks me up.
A guy is describing his retirement in Florida as "When you're very young or very old, you get to eat whenever the hell you feel like it, which, when you're very old, is just a little bit earlier every day. Six o'clock, five forty-five... I figure, the day you sit down to supper at 4:00, that's God saying Hello."
Yes, I would recommend reading Jekyll and Hyde. It is short, interesting, and well-written.
I just read "This Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate" by Laura Jensen Walker, and I swear that she listened in on the conversations (arguments?) that Ken and I have had when working on home improvement projects! It is, obviously, a book meant to be funny rather than really helpful. She writes about her own experiences doing home improvement projects with her husband and similar experiences of her friends. Definitely recommended to anyone who has done a home remodeling or even a small project with their significant other, especially if there were differences of opinions involved!
"News from the Edge: The Monster of Minnesota" by Mark Sumner.
A couple of weeks ago, two books showed up in the $1 room of Bargain Books: Vampires of Vermont and The Monster of Minnesota. I'm not sure what inspired me to buy them, other than possibly the quote "If the "Cat Who..." books coud mee "The X-Files", "News from the Edge" would be the result." It intrigued me, especially since I like both the Cat Who... books and X-Files.
I haven't read the one about Vampires yet, but this one was actually a fun read. Not great literature, of course, but fun. It is about a journalist at a tabloid magazine who goes to Minnesota to investigate a "monster" there that murdered several people. She doesn't believe it is a monster, but she wants a good story out of it anyway. SHe meets up with the kid sister of one of the victims, a cryptozoologist who works as an English professor at the community college in town, a fishing guide, and a Barbie look-alike tree-hugging group representative. Together they try to solve the mystery of the monster. It is vaguely reminiscent of a Plum novel with lots of dead people, crazy situations, and quirky characters. Angie, do you want me to send it to you for a quick read or would you rather pass on this one?
"The Plot Thickens" presented by Mary Higgins Clark.
This is a book of short mystery stories, the sales of which fund a literacy campaign. Mary Higgins Clark came up with the idea and assembled the writers that took part, thus it is "presented by" her. The only guidelines for the writers were that they had to include a thick fog, a thick steak, and a thick book in the story. It is really interesting all the different ways the writers did this.
It includes stories by Mary Higgins Clark, Nelson DeMille, Janet Evanovich, and Donald Westlake- just to name a few. It is a great way to pass time, with some really different stories. My favorite was "Last Peep" by Evanovich (a Stephanie Plum story), but I really liked several others, including the story by Donald Westlake. I'll send it on to you, Angie, and then maybe you can send it to Joy. I think you'll both enjoy it as much as I did. Highly recommended.
No offense Melissa, but I think we should have a "Melissa's other books" and Angie and I can have our "other books". Yours will fill umpteen times faster than ours.
hahaha - Joy, I totally agree! I don't know how she reads so much, unless she's just using sparknotes...
Oh, I see, you're tired of reading MY reviews of other books and want to relegate my poor books to a solitary posting of their own.
What can I say? I'm a fast reader (no, I don't use sparknotes!) and I like reading so I do a lot of it. I'll open a new post for my book reviews. I guess it is no worse than people who have their own blogs that no-one else reads. I'll just be tossing out my bits of wisdom :-) to an empty internet universe.
"Watch Your Back" by Donald Westlake. Dortmunder and gang save the OJ Bar and Grill from a mobster gang in New Jersey and rob a millionaire's apartment while the owner is hiding from ex-wives (plural!) at a Caribbean island. Of course a dreadful turn of events during the robbery but the gang fares well. The seemingly unrelated "small stories" all come together at the end.
Recommended for Westlake fans.
"Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain. It has taken me almost a year to read this book. It is an easy book to pick up and put down and pick back up again. This is Twain's travelogue across Europe and the "HolyLand". I enjoyed the European part of his journey immensely and would have loved to travel with Mark Twain. I think he got tired of the tourist life though as he travelled thru Israel. Lots and lots of description with bland commentary. Either that or there was just TOO much to tell and so Twain tried to fit it all in. I think he could have spent 1000 pages just on what they saw in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, etc. etc. etc. That part of the book took me a while to get through. All and all an interesting look at what travel was like in the late 1800's, mostly by donkey and constantly hounded by the poor for money.
Beginning is recommended,not so much towards the end.
And I promise Melissa I'll read your blog.
Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich - I read this out of order, I guess, since Metro Girl comes first, but it was still good. Not as full of craziness as the Plum series but still very enteraining with good chuckle out loud moments. I just started Metro Girl and am enjoying it as well.
Highly recommended for Evanovich fans. Thanks for sending it to me, M! I will be following this series as well!
Finger Lickin Fifteen on sale June 23!
M - I will be reading your reviews too!
Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich.
I LoVED this book. I read it in less than a day - with lots of laughing out loud. Harold asked me if the book came with sound effects at one point (Where Felicia shot Slick and Gimpy) because I was laughing so hard. I liked it better than Motor Mouth, maybe because I already knew the characters and what to expect from them. The one thing I didn't like was how they always seemed to have clean clothes to change into, and new cell phones mysteriously appeared when theirs had been soaked. Also, it suggested that Maria had been raped - multiple times, but then she was basically fine? WTH? I thought that was a little unrealistic. I liked that the characters didn't turn into super sleuths, they made mistakes, and the woman is mechanically inclined while the men are not so much.
Overall, very good, I highly recommend the Barnaby series to anyone who likes a good, quick and highly amusing read. I really hope Evanovich continues them!
According to http://www.evanovich.com/qa/ask , she is thinking of doing the next Barnaby book as a graphic novel. Not sure I like that or not. The only graphic novels I've read are Maus and Maus II - which were good, but not a format I enjoy as much as regular prose. I'm told this is because I have a very active "mind's eye" in that when I read words, I don't see them, rather I "see" the action they depict. I can kind of reread a book by watching it like a movie in my head. Graphic novels take all the fun out of it for me because the pictures are provided, and my mind's eye gets a little bored.
I'm glad you liked Metro Girl and Motor Mouth. I don't want the next one to be a graphic novel either. Mostly because I don't like illustrations either- I prefer what's in my head (probably why I never like the movies as well, either). But it will probably also be pretty short if it is a graphic novel and I like good books to be longer. Conversely, I like bad books to be shorter!
"The Twenty-One Balloons" by William Pene du Bois. A very imaginative children's book; the cover indicates it is for the 10-14 age bracket. The story of a RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER who takes off in a balloon fully planning to live the balloon life as long as possible. Although a few days after lift off, a sea gull pokes a hole in the balloon and he arrives at the island of Krakatoa. The remainder of the book is meeting the inhabitants of the island, living the island life, and then making a hasty departure when the island volcano blows its top. Very imaginative.
My favorite part is the author's logic supporting balloon travel, especially as a form of transportation to and from school.
Reason #1 - The wind will be calm and you'll never get to school.
Reason #2 - The wind will blow in the wrong direction and you'll never get to school.
Reason #3 - You might decide to play hookey and nobody will bother you in a balloon.
I wish I would have read this as a child and I wish Eli and I would have read it a few years ago. It would have been one of "our" favorites. It is hard to get Eli to read "children's" books now. But I'll give it a shot.
Highly recommended.
Getting Mother's Body by Susan-Lori Parks. I listened to this book on cd, read by the author, on my drive home last week, and loved it. I don't retain as much detail when listening to something as when reading it, but this was so well read and presented that I feel like I read it myself.
The first thing to say is that there are a lot of characters. The second thing to say is that each chapter is told by a different character. A lot of the main ones repeat, and some characters only narate 1 chapter - but it gives a lot of insight into many of the characters in a short amount of time. The third thing to say is that there's a lot of phonetic spelling (I assume) that might make the dialogue hard to read.
It's one of those books that leaves a lot unsaid, has a great social commentary and flawed characters. I really enjoyed following pregnant, unwed 16 yr old Billy on her path between two men (one undertake and one coffin salesman), hampered (and helped) along the way by her churchless preacher uncle, one-legged aunt, dead mother and her mother's lesbian lover.
Recommended.
Cat Stories by James Herriot. I was at the school library on the next to last day of school picking out books for "summer reading" and ran across this little book and thought "Oh, I can read that tonight" and so I did. It is a little book of "cat stories", surprise? Herriot likes cats too and actually thought he would learn all about cats in vet school but alas, did not. Apparently, "cat" is a relatively new subject to study at vet school. Any way, the book has about a dozen stories about different cats and their owners that Herriot met on his vet rounds. It was a nice little book about cats and helped me pass some time.
There is also another nice little book called "Dog Stories". I didn't get that but I think I'll go back to read it.
"Nigger" by Richard Gregory. One of my summer reads from the library. I am trying to break out of my comfort zone and read books I ordinarily would not pick. I don't often venture into the "biography" section so this time I did. THis actually was Richard Gregory's autobiography.
I had NEVER heard of Richard Gregory and after reading this book, I should have. Richard Gregory was a projects kid from St. Louis who became a famous track star who eventually became a stand up comedian. He was very famous, on the Jack Paar show, appeared with Sammy Davis, Jr. etc. BUT, he also became part of the Civil Rights Act and marched on Washington with Martin Luther King. The book tells the story of the first 30 years of Gregory's life, until he was just getting involved with the Civil Rights movement. So now I am intrigued to Google him and find out more.
Good book, easy to read, and I learned a lot. Bring on more biography.
I've read "Cat Stories" and "Dog Stories" and enjoyed them both. Herriot has such an accessible writing style and manages to mix enough humorous stories with the heartbreaking ones to make a nicely balanced book.
Finger Lickin Fifteen by Janet Evanovich.
Lame, lame, lame.
Oh no, it's really lame?!? And I've been so looking forward to it!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I am half way through this book and in love with it, let's hope it continues. This is a book of letters written to and from Juliet Ashton, an author, contemplating her next book. The story is about the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during World War II. Very humorous and very touching.
M-
I don't want to taint your reading pleasure, so I tried to keep my comments reserved. Plum Spooky was way better. We'll discuss when you're done.
Baby, Would I Lie? by Donald Westlake.
First off, I can't beleive I finished two books in one day! I hardly ever read more than one book at a time.
This was an ok book - worth the $1 I paid for it, but not nearly as good as Hot Rock. It centers around an aging, famous country singer and his IRS/alleged rape and murder troubles. Add 2 legitimate reporters, a scheming best friend, a slew of lawyers and a crapload of phonies working for tabloids and you've got it made.
The most humorous parts for me were the lyrics to the main character's songs. There's one that describes his ideal woman as someone who "turns into pizza at three o'clock" - whatever the hell that means. No laugh out loud moments.
Lots of small bit characters and names to remember. The chapters kind of jumped around a little and sometimes I had a hard time remembering who was who. By halfway through I was pretty sure I had figured the "mystery" out - and I was right.
Don't bother with this one unless you're on a mission to read all of Westlake's.
"Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society" - finished this book in 2 days. At first, I didn't think I would like it, since it all a collection of letters. But then when I could read it for free from the library, I thought I'd give it a shot. And I loved it! All the letters are to or from Juliet, an author, who is writing to her publisher about her next book when she recieves a letter from a fellow from Guernsey who had one of her books, hence the rest of the story as she discovers more and more about the island of Guernsey and the occupation by Germany during WW II. I REALLY enjoyed this book.
Much recommended (one level down from HIGHLY recommended). Or a 4-star book (out of 5).
"Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen. Eli talked me into this one too and since I had a 4 HOUR DELAY on my flight to Oregon, I filled in one hour of it with this book.
It is about a 12-year-old who gets a used riding lawn mower as a birthday present from his grandmother. So the kid starts a lawn mowing business and then runs into a neighbor who helps him "build the business" by using Mexican immigrants to do the work. Money earned is then invested into the stock market and at the end of the summer, the kid has earned over $100,000!
The chapter titles are entertaining .... such as "Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Production Expansion" and "Labor Acquisition and Its Effect on Capital Growth" and on and on. The grandmother is a hoot.
An excellent read for a 12-13 year old kid with a humorous introduction to economics.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, the 2nd book in my "Explore Biography This Sunmmer" series.
This is Maya's autobiography of her life growing up in Stamps, Arkansas. Each chapter is its own episode of her life. Her grandmother has a HUGE role in her life until she is shipped off to live with her mother and father (2 different times). The parents live their life of fun and basically take care of their children when it is convenient for them. The big event in the book is when Maya is raped at age 8.
A favorite chapter of mine is when Maya first drives trying to figure out the clutch, brake and gas pedals. She is put in this position trying to get her drunk father home.
I really enjoy Maya Angelou's writing style. She is the master of the simile.
Highly Recommended.
"Finger Lickin' Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich.
Since Angie already posted, sort-of, on this book, I thought I would comment here. I see what you mean by lame, Angie. There was only one laugh-out-loud moment for me in the entire book (Lula stuck in the Porsche). Ranger was a teaser and nothing more and there was not enough Grandma Mazur. I still enjoyed it, of course, but it didn't have the same spark as some of the others.
Only recommended if you are reading the whole series.
BTW: I haven't read Plum Spooky yet. Somehow I forgot to order it. I am getting on Amazon now!
What's So Funny by Donald Westlake.
Dortmunder is "blackmailed" by a retired cop now turned private detective to steal a solid gold chess set. Unfortunately the chess set is in a private vault inside a bank accessible only by a selected few. Dortmunder has to figure out a way to get the chess set out for "viewing" by the public, that's when the heist takes place and this is the funniest part of the book. Unfortunately, the chess set is stolen from them so once again their work is bungled.
It is an enjoyable book, some places a bit too much description. But still a good read.
Elm Creek Quilts Sampler by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Okay, so it's a book about quilters and so I thought I would like it since I like quilting but I HATED this book. Too simplistic, everything about quilting is explained (like I don't already know how to bind a quilt) and the story was so - so. I could predict exactly what was going to happen at page 10......
The story is about a couple who move to another town. The wife follows the husband to one of his landscaping jobs, gets hired to clean and tidy up the old lady's estate before she sells it. The old lady is a marvelous quilter. The wife learns to quilt. The old estate becomes a "quilter's retreat". Done.
Not recommended.
Uh-oh. My mom really liked the Quilter books and is sending them to me to read later this month. I hope I like them or else that will make for some awkward conversations.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
After reading "Eye of the Needle" and enjoying it, I was inspired to try some more of Follett's books. So I tried this one. Wow, it's a LONG book, 970 pages, about the building of a cathedral in England during the 1100's. Lots and lots of characters intertwined with lots of power struggle between church and state.
The book is divided into 6 parts with a different picture of the cathedral at each part - which I really enjoyed. I could go back thru the book again and tell you what happened by the picture. Towards the end, I thought Follett was trying to include every bit of research, some things seemed a bit mundane to the story.
Overall, a good read. If you can read 970 pages of a book and not get lost in it or put it down out of boredom, I would have to classify it as a good book.
I know you've been reading (Eat, Pray, Love, for example), why aren't you posting? I look forward to seeing what you're reading and getting good suggestions from it!
Since M has cracked the whip, I'll say that lately I have been reading mostly poetry in my down time, since I splurged and bought a few more volumes in preparation for Nat'l Poetry Month 2011.
However, here are the books I've read recently:
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Though I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction, Liz recapped her year of travels in such a touching and humorous way that I FLEW through this book. Her descriptions of depression/despair/loneliness were adequate without being suffocating. I triumphed with her triumphs. The way she described falling in love with Italian is the same way I felt when I was learning Spanish. Though I'm not on a search for god myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the Pray section of the book. And Love - oh my goodness, the entire section is so quote worthy and funny! It gives me the travel itch!
Highly recommended.
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
As much as I love the Plum series, I'm getting a little fed up with the theme in the last few. Stephanie and Morelli break up. Ranger, Ranger, Ranger tease all through the book, Morelli's back on the last page. Gah.
It's enough to make a Babe girl want to shoot someone in the foot. Or eat a doughnut. Or some extra crispy chicken. No Tastycakes mentioned in this book...
My favorite part in this one was the cows, and Mooner. I do love Mooner.
Book 13 is where she started to lose me; it seemed liked the "pip" was gone from the plots. Plum Spooky revived it a little, but the in-series ones have run their natural course. I'll stick with it to the end, but am hoping that 17 wraps up the series and that Stephanie finally makes a choice. ANY choice. (team Babe!)
“I know this much is true” by Wally Lamb.
900 pages of schizophrenia; a story of identical twins Thomas and Dominick. Dominick is the “sane” one and Thomas the crazy one. Thomas hears voices. So the tale begins with Thomas cutting off his hand according to the Bible “if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee” and so Thomas does.
The rest of the story is Dominick’s struggle to understand his brother and himself. Dominick is angry really at the constant care that his brother requires and fearful that the schizophrenia will overtake him too. Dominick eventually sees a therapist to sort out his thoughts and ultimately reads his grandfather’s journal to discover his past. The grandfather imigrates from Italy and frankly has the “best part”. Some of his Italian translations, sayings, mottos, etc. are hysterical. A few are: “Call his bluff, call his bluff, what this mean, call his bluff? GD English language,” and “The tongue has no bones but can break a man’s back” and “Cook squash any way you like, but it’s still squash”.
My only beef is how everything gets so tidily wrapped up at the end …. And they all live happily ever after.
Highly recommended.
Yes M has cracked the whip. Frankly I've been reading BIG LONG books (with the exception of Eat, Pray, Love and the smutty one).
"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. M, you must read this book. It is fantastic.
I first heard about this watching Oprah since this will be made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.
Liz takes a year off to divulge herself after her divorce looking for: food for the body, peace for her soul, and balance and so travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia (specifically Bali), spending 4 months in each. She eats and eats and eats in Italy gaining 23 pounds and learns to speak Italian. I really thought I wouldn't like the Pray part but I really really liked it. There are so many good quotes there. Finally she goes to Bali (not to find love) but balance. Instead finds love, this section also filled with tons of great quotes. It is a very enjoyable read.
I initially got this from the library and will go buy my own copy. LOVED IT!
Highly recommended.
"Eat, Pray, Love" has been added to my book list. I'm not sure about "I know this much is true"...
At some point this Spring I read Push, by Sapphire. This, of course, is the book that was made into the Oscar winning movie: Precious. The first thing I learned from this book is that book titles are not copy-written, but movie titles are. Hence, the discrepancy in the two.
The book is short (I read it in one sitting - about 90 minutes or so) but highly disturbing. Basically take Charis from The Robber Bride but make her black, illiterate, mother of 2 by age 16 and plunk her down into NYC.
This is in no way a feel-good story; the bulk of the book is depressing, but the last 1/8th or so I found highly disturbing. The end of the book gives no real resolution to the characters, so I think we are meant to assume that they continue on in a state of "social abandonment" ad infinitum. To fully grasp the story, however, I would suggest making a note of the authors of the English assignments in the back of the book first, and read them as you meet each character in the book. It will give you a lot of insight into their lives as you read, as opposed to reading them all at the end.
The writing itself is excellent, giving a near perfect voice to Precious. At times hard to follow, but even then it is true to the confusion that she is feeling, and thus only enhances the imagery.
Recommended if you're into depressing cross-cultural books like me.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
This is a book that I've had forever and never opened. Since I rearranged my bookshelves and now have a shelf dedicated to unread books, I've guilted myself into trying to empty the shelf. This book is short - took me just 2 lunch hours to read - and sparked the Tim Allen movie Christmas with the Kranks.
The Kranks, empty nesters since their only daughter has joined the Peace Corps after earning her master's degree, decide to skip every aspect of Christmas altogether and take a cruise instead. Humorous situations ensue, tensions mount among the neighbors who want to win the best decorated street award, etc.
I love Grisham's writing style - he has a knack for giving me a great scene in my mind's eye - but I wasn't a fan of this book. There's a turning point about halfway through, and I was so disgusted with the two main characters (mainly the wife) that I didn't even want to finish it. It did partially redeem itself in the end, and I can see how it would make a good slapstick holiday movie. On the whole, too Desperate Housewives/suburbia for my liking.
One great quotation, Wife to Husband:
"Love at first sight."
"That's impossible."
"Maybe you're right. It took me three years to see your potential."
Not recommended.
I read "Skipping Christmas" a few years ago and like you, A, I didn't like it either. Nice short story but bleh.....
Between Fanny and Little Britches, I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it is just as Melissa said. I really liked the story. I didn't realize that it is a mystery. Short book and I can see how it has stood the test of time. Well written.
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
My friend Jenn suggested this book; she's a dog lover, I am not. We both loved this story.
Dawn, twice divorced and recently dumped, copes with her trainwreck of a love life, "life coach" sister, absentee dad and self-centered mother by talking to her dog, Chuck. One day, Chuck starts talking back to her. The first thing he says: "Come on! You must have at least suspected there was someone else. Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" lol! Soon she realizes she can communicate with all dogs - but who is really talking, and who's instincts should she be following?
A boarder collie named Regis comments on the herding classes his mom (Kathy Li) has signed him up for:
"I spent the first two years of my life wondering when the sheep were going to show up? And finally they do show up and there are only three of them. And you know what? They are so fucking stupid. Why am I supposed to care where they go? Seriously. Why would anyone care?"
Here's a quote for Joy:
As we stood over the paint chip display at Home Depot, scrutinizing color cards, he put on his reading glasses. "Morning Moss. Sea Foam. Ocean Mist," he said. "That must have been a hell of a committee meeting the day they decided they needed new 'fun' ways to say 'gray green.' "
My only beef with the book is that there are parts where Dawn starts talking to the reader about writing the novel - thus breaking the story bubble. They're annoying but aren't frequent or long-winded.
A good summer read. Recommended.
Do you have this book Ang? I would like to read it. AND since you've mentioned Water for Chocolate several times lately, I am RE-reading and loving it all over again.
OMG - Pillars of the Earth (that I just read last fall) is now a MOVIE premiering on Starz July 23rd. Okay - who get Starz? I don't and I need to see this!!!!
http://www.starz.com/originals/ThePillarsOfTheEarth/PILLARSOFTHEEARTHTHE_110#
Sorry Joy, I don't have cable or satellite, so no Starz for me!
I don't think we get Starz either, but I'll check.
Tell Them I Didn't Cry by Jackie Spinner
Washington Post writer Jackie Spinner recounts the 9+ months she spent in Iraq during 2004/2005 (Abu Ghraib, Battle of Fallujah, Iraq's first post-war election). 1st person narative follows the author on her first foreign assignment from her initial packing in Maryland through her return to the US nearly a year later. Also includes notes by her twin sister at the end of every chapter.
This is another book I recvd courtesy of one of M's care packages. Though not one that I would have picked on my own, I found the subject matter of this book very interesting. I can't say that I cared for the writing style, persay (too many sentences beginning with "So") but I liked reading about Iraq from a woman's perspective. I appreciated that she detailed her personal failures and successes, and how brutally honestly she described the emotions that her experiences caused.
M, what do you think really happened to Luma?
This isn't a "feel good" book, but if you're interested in journalism or foreign relations/Iraq, I recommend it. It was also interesting to compare this book with Eat, Pray, Love - two "travel" books with very different motivations, but with women who both struggled with depression and to some extent, culture shock.
I'm not sure what I think happened to Luma. I remember that while I was reading it I had several different theories about it- including a rape gone wrong, her seeing something important and thus getting snuffed, that she wasn't really dead. That was one of the things that irked me about this book- that we never find out what happened. I guess that is an issue with non-fiction. :-) I'm glad you got some enjoyment out of it.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Another book courtesy of M, thanks!
Overall I didn't like the book. There was so much attention paid to describing modes of dress, furniture and landscape that I often had to force myself not to skip entire pages at a time. I did like that every character was given a resolution at the end, even if most of them were death. Berthe's fate was so sad, but probably accurate for the time. (Perhaps she ended up working in Shirley's textile mill?)
I have a hard time accepting that the book caused such a scandal because of Emma's affairs. There were, literally, no sexy times in the book, unless you count the carriage trip around the city i which the most provocative thing said was "Go on!" They all ended badly and it is clear that the author was not glorifying adultery in any way. What then, caused such an outrage? My theory: Monsieur Homais's (the apothecary) view on religion, which went largely unanswered in the book aside from Emma's feeble attempts at religion. An excerpt from one of Homais's soliloquies in Part 2, Chapter 1:
"I have religion, my own religion, and I even have more religion than all of them, with their mummery and hocus-pocus. I adore God! I believe in the Supreme Being, in a Creator, whatever He is, it doesn't matter to me, who has placed us here below to fulfill our duties as citizens and as fathers; but I don't need to go to church to kiss silver plates and empty my pockets to fatten a lot of humbugs who are better fed than we are! For one can honor Him just as well in the woods, in a field, or even by contemplating the vault of the heavens, as the ancients did. ... So I don't admit any old codger of a God who walks in his garden with a cane in his hand, lodges his friends in the bellies of whales, dies with a groan and comes to life at the end of three days: absurdities in themselves and, furthermore, completely opposed to all physical laws; which proves, by the way, that the priests have always been sunk in a mire of ignorance in which they force the populace to wallow with them."
Now that, my dears, is scandalous.
Not recommended unless you're reading allllll the classics. In that case, it is better than Moby Dick, but nowhere near Fanny Hill. =)
In my defense, I did tell you that I was sending you that book because I hated it and I wanted to what you thought of it. :-)
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt, book 1 of 6 in the "Andy Carpenter" series.
Andy Carpenter, New Jersey defense attorney and avid dog lover, uses his sarcastic tongue and sharp mind to investigate his father's mysterious legacy - both legal and financial. Add in a long-shot retrial for a death-row inmate, estranged wife, irritated new girlfriend, lovable golden retriever and a crack lawyer who gave up his practice to run a laundromat and you have the makings for a great book in a genre I am going to call "humorous legal thriller." It's kind of like John Grisham meets Stephanie Plum.
The book itself is not overly funny, or legal, or edge-of-your seat thriller: it's a great combination of all three. The wise cracks kept me grinning, the legal mumbo jumbo was explained in just the right amount of detail (enough to understand it, not too much to make it a snooze-fest) and the mystery had just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It also had some clues that I was able to figure out way before the characters, which of course makes me feel like a smart and attentive reader. Looks like Andy, his secretary, his girlfriend and the dog will be recurring characters throughout the series, along with some minor characters like Andy's police contact and maybe some of the DAs/judges. While I really liked the book, the writing style felt just a little underdeveloped, which I expect will improve in the next books, as it did with Evanovich.
I've already downloaded and started book 2, First Degree.
Here are some fun bits, to give you a taste of the humor:
"I head home, where I find Nicole preparing dinner. This is in itself a rare event; Nicole can make three types of food, the best of which is a tuna fish sandwich. ... she's trying to "change," which means I'm going to get stuck eating some really terrible spaghetti."
At a department store: "The first thing I notice about the place are the mannequins, dressed in flimsy, sexy bras and panties. They are incredibly shapely; if I were a woman concerned about my figure I would throw out all the diet books and find out what they feed those mannequins."
About his father-in-law: "He is throwing a fund-raiser for a local congressional candidate that I wouldn't vote for if he were running against Muammar Qaddafi."
Highly recommended if you enjoy books in series with repeating characters.
First Degree by David Rosenfelt
Defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes on a tough new case when his private investigator/girlfriend Laurie is charged with the brutal murder of her old police-department boss. Former client Willie, Judge Hacket, law-dromat owner Kevin, crossword-loving secretary Edna, police contact Pete, ornery newspaper reporter Vince and golden retriever Tara all reappear in Rosenfelt's sophomore novel. All characters also come back for book # 3, Bury the Jury, which I am reading now.
I enjoyed this book, though the mystery wasn't as complex as the first - I figured it out just a few chapters before the "big reveal" at the end. It's nice to see the characters all developing in their own rite. Rosenfelt's humor shines through and he even gives some closure to a few elements from book 1.
Bury the Jury by David Rosenfelt
Book 3 in the Andy Carpenter series. While I haven't finished this book yet, I have to say that I'm beginning to be slightly annoyed by those little snippets series authors include to "catch up" a new reader. In my opinion after 2 books, informed readers will know it is a series and start with #1. No need to recap the first few books, we're all on board already.
In this book, ornery newspaper reporter Vince hires Andy to represent the paper because a serial killer has chosen to communicate with police through a new reporter that Vince has hired. Vince brings Andy in because he suspects something more sinister will happen, and gosh, he’s right. Turns out this new reporter has a dead wife (murdered) and is *gasp* Vince's illegitimate son! I suspect this book will also deal with some sort of elaborate cover-up/framing that Andy will discover during the upcoming trial. While I don’t mind this plotline, it will make 3 in a row, and I’m actually hoping that one of Andy’s clients will turn out to be guilty sometime soon. I’ll give book 4 a shot, but if it has the same basic Law & Order plot, I’ll probably call it quits on this series.
What I do like about the series is that time marches on. Andy an Laurie get more involved, Tara starts to slow down as she ages, Willie’s character improves, etc..
Whoops. Book 3 is "bury the lead"
Bury the Lead by Davild Rosenfelt
OK, I take back the unflattering things that I said about this book in the post above. It moved away from the standard plot and held my interest all the way to the end. I enjoyed the sub-plots that advanced the repeating characters' lives, especially Willie's. He's getting to be a favorite of mine.
Looks like there is a "Lula" type character now that will return in the next volume, I can't wait as I'm sure she'll provide some comic moments.
Here's a brief snippet:
"I'm finally able to ascertain that 'damn long' takes them back to high school. They actually dated their junior year and shared many of the same friends.
'What you been doing?' Willie asks as I cringe.
'Hooking,' says Sondra, and Willie nods, as if she had just said 'Marketing.' "
I'm not buying the 4th book until after Native Son, or I'll never get to it before it's due back to the library.
So, overall I do still recommend the series.
The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris
This sequel to Chocolat follows Vianne (now Yanne) and Anouk (now Annie) as they struggle to profit from their new chocolate shop in Paris. Anouk is 12-13 and Vianne has a second daughter, Rosette, who is nearly 4. She also has a new boyfriend, Thierry and takes on an employee/tennant, Zozie around whom most of the book centers.
While Vianne wasn't the main character in this book, I found Zozie to be a suitable replacement. I liked that Anouk had more of a role, and indeed, a voice in this book. As with every book that is told from multiple perspectives, it was difficult to work out who was talking during the first 5 or 10 chapters. Naration swings between Vianne, Zozie and Anouk, however this time there were no fancy fonts to help you determine the switch.
All in all I really enjoyed it. While Chocolat left me wanting a little more, Girl With No Shadow gave a good feeling of closure to all of the characters, with the possible exception of Rosette. I do wonder how she will manage to get on as she ages. Maybe there could be a three-quel?
Recommended.
"The Girl With No Shadow" by Joanne Harris.
I thought I would comment on your posting since A just read this too and did a good summary of the plot.
I thought the naration was pretty closely balanced between Zozie, Vianne, and Anouk, but I did find it difficult to tell who was speaking/thinking in the first 5-10 chapters but also occasionally later chapters as well. I would have liked some narration by Rosette because she got to see much of what was happening but would have had a unique take on it all, I'm sure.
I really enjoyed the book and the hints of magic that permeated throughout, but I'm only lukewarm about the ending. It seemed to go a lot more extreme than the rest of the book. Where I can believe in little bits of magic, that seemed pretty unbelievable.
I hope there is another book that continues the story line as I would like to see how Rosette develops and if there is any lasting damage to the relationship between Anouk and Vianne.
The Five People You Meetin Heaven by Mitch Albom
I'm a bit behind the times just reading this book now, but J forced it into my hands last week. It's a really sweet story, and not what I was expecting at all. Of course I just bawled through the last chapter(s). His entire 5th person really got to me. I like that the book doesn't preach religion at you (which is what I was expecting given how popular it was) but has a good strong the-world-is-all-connected theme.
After I was telling Harold how sad and sweet it was, he read it too, and pronounced it "ok, but I don't see what's so sad about it." To which I responded "but SHE brought him to heaven! And he wanted to see his wife old and sick! And the war, and and and" but he just didn't get it. Men. I think it's because he identified more with the man, and I more with the child.
Overall a very quick read and generally recommended.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I'm only about halfway through this book now (another "suggestion" from J) and I am having a love-hate relationship with it. I'm very intrigued in the plot, but the writing takes forever to get anywhere! I can sympathize with Mrs. de Winter's social inneptitude and discomfort in her new surroundings, but at the same time I want to shake her and scream "IT'S YOUR HOUSE, WOMAN UP AND TAKE CHARGE ALREADY!" Although Mrs Danvers gives me the creeps, I've yet to see any hard indication that she is "one of the most infamous female villains ever written." So, I can only assume that the action will be picking up pretty soon.
More to come on this one.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
The story of Delores Price from age 7 to mid-30’s. Lots of calamities occur in Dolores’s young life that cause her to “hide” by eating, getting up to 240 pounds by the end of high school. She escapes her small town by going to college but skips most of her classes and drops out in her first year, and attempts suicide. Finally lands in a psychiatric hospital to get her life back in order. She loses weight, moves to Vermont, falls in love, gets married, then divorced only to spiral back down again. Some very funny parts as she makes “light” of her weight.
Her elderly (70s) landlords in Vermont are absolutely hysterical. On their first meeting with Delores, they tell her “We are compatible in every way; we enjoy sexual intercourse nightly”.
Recommended.
Germinal by Emile Zola
This book is exactly what I love in a novel: international and depressing. If you like books about other countries where your favorite characters live miserable lives and then die, this book is for you. This was my first Zola, and I plan to read more.
Germinal is #13 in Zola's "Les Rougon-Macquart" series which follows an extended family through all levels of French society. (The much discussed NANA is #9) It relates the story of a small coal-mining village in France immediately following the revolution. The workers fight to survive and after many hardships form a loose union and organize a strike. The writing style is descriptive without being too judgmental (though feminists will find some disturbing scenes) and creates a good bond between reader and character. The mines are described adequately but not in agonizing detail, and the characters, though there were MANY, were well developed. Zola really captured the small town dynamic. I didn't like that there were two actual murders (as opposed to deaths from cave ins and starvation) that were not "dealt with," but when you kill off 30 to 40 people, you're bound to skim over 1 or 2 of them...
Recommended to those interested in classic literature, otherwise, skip it.
The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale
A lengthy novel about a monkey (chimp) selected as a "science experiment" to learn language and does! The book is told from the chimp's (Bruno's) point of view. It is very well done and I had to keep reminding myself this is fiction. Lots of interesting sex - so I'm sure A would like it.
Bruno learns language, the experiment runs out of funding and so Bruno goes to live with Lydia, one of the lab people. Bruno falls in love with Lydia, Lydia is sick, Bruno impregnates Lydia, Lydia eventually dies of cancer.
The chapters are denoted by Roman numerals - 50 chapters in all. At the end, very touching, Bruno writes, that the first chapter began with I, about himself. The last chapter, L for Lydia. Awwww.....
Recommended.
"Bruno impregnates Lydia?" WTH?
Benedict Arnold Slept Here: Jack Douglas' Honeymoon Mountain Inn
by Jack Douglas
I picked this book up at a used book store Mom and I visited a few weeks ago. I bought it because I opened it to a random page and read the following fairly amusing and accurate description:
"Putting a quarter in the Granby Lakes Laundromat washing machine was like playing a slot machine in Las Vegas. You know you have a chance to win, but you also know you could lose a lot of quarters before you do."
It follows the life of the Douglas family as the move from Connecticut to Maine, where they buy a large B&B type home with attached motel, get unceasingly harassed by the locals, shafted on every business deal possible and otherwise just have a miserable time of it. Douglas was a famous comedy writer so the book is peppered with one-liners and absurd situations (one man, "Filthy Phil" buys a dead, rotting cow to adorn the lawn of wherever he happens to be living, which of course at some point turns out to be their motel).
It seems like it would be a funny book but it really wasn't. I got sick of how gullible the Douglas family was; also annoying was their inability to really stand up for themselves.
There was a funny bit where the locals were putting up false advertisements in hopes of getting the hotel shut down:
"The sign I remember best and which caused a mile-long traffic jam to our door read 'HONEYMOON MOUNTAIN WHOREHOUSE. TONIGHT'S SPECIAL: BLOW-JOB 50¢ - WITH COOL WHIP 75¢'
Not recommended.
I am also curious about the offhand way Joy posts "Bruno impregnates Lydia". Not to be a prude, but this sounds a little kinky to me. Joy, please explain further.
I tell ya there is ALL kinds of sex in the Bruno book - so the sex between a human and a chimp is ... actually expected.
And Bruno refers to his chimp father as "Rotpeter", who will "do" anything ... and does..... Shall I describe the chimp/frog sexual encounter? It IS an interesting book.
The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama
This book is another that I picked up at the used book store; it is the sequel to Women of the Silk (which I have not read, but Language was enjoyable just the same). Both books follow the life of Pei, a Chinese woman who was sold to a silk factory around the age of 7. In Women of the Silk, she joins "the silk sisterhood," a cultural and economic union of silk workers who vow never to marry. They strike for better hours and wages, and her two best friends are killed. By this time Pei is in her late twenties, and takes a new silk worker, Ji Shen, under her wing. Japan invades China, Ji Shen's family is slaughtered, and both women flee to Hong Kong.
The Language of Threads begins as they disembark the ship their first day in Hong Kong. They strike a lasting friendship with Quan, their young rickshaw driver, and make their way to a boarding house run by another silk sister. From there, Pei begins her new life as a domestic servant, and Ji Shen enrolls in school. The book follows their next 30 years, with emphasis on how they survived the Japanese invasion and nearly 4-year occupation of Hong Kong.
Language follows the same timeline as Shanghai Girls, but Pei and Ji Shen are very, very different from May and Pearl. The story was well written and engaging (I read it in 2 days) but I think it would benefit from being a bit longer and 1st person from Pei's perspective (it is told in 3rd person). It's a good book, but lacks "meat."
Recommended.
J as to the Bruno book, M put me up to checking out some of the posts on non-required reading. Sex is a very open description of a variety of activities but if this book has any relation to reality, then I am assuming that "sex" is used here very loosely because certain things are physically impossible. (Last I knew that included pregnancy from human-ape copulation.) And also does the chimp seem to recognize that if he had sex wth a sick (hence incapacitated) woman it is considered rape by our species. Oddly chimps do rape other chimps at some times but it usually carries the same overtones of violence and dominance that it does in human terms. And considering the size difference between frogs and chimps -- physical limitations prevent average "sex" so one can assume it is some deviation of that and it also leaves me with the question of whether, in all this sex of all beings, if physical damage was written in because it can easily occur even between what seems relatively compatible beings.
:)
E
Push, by Sapphire.
I'm writing my review here because A wrote her review of the same book here last summer. After A's review, I wasn't going to read it, being as how I don't like cross-cultural downers. However, another friend loaned me her copy of the book and told me I "have to read it". I put it off for about 2 months, but finally sat down and read it yesterday.
Like A, I basically read it in one sitting. While depressing, it is strangely mesmerizing. I think because, as A said, the writing gives such a great voice to Precious. I did find it rather hopeful toward the end. Afterall, instead of remaining in the miserable situation she started in, she tries to make a difference and at least has improved her self-image, if not her future prospects.
Little Mongo reminds me of Henrietta Lacks daughter in "Immortal Life". She too was labelled a retard and institutionalized. Lacks's daughter ended up dying in really horrible conditions in the institution. Ugh, I get sick just thinking about it.
On a lighter note, A, did you find yourself trying to fill in the blanks in Precious's writing like Ms. Rain? It was rather difficult!
Otherwise, A described it pretty well with a good suggestion about reading the stories in the back by other characters when you meet the characters.
I will recommend it. It is terribly depressing, yet a little hopeful and very well written.
Push is a great example of a book that you just love to hate. The plot and characters are just so sad that I will probably never read it again, but I have to give credit to Sapphire, because the writing is exquisite.
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