I read this play because I'm going to be seeing it in the theater later this summer and I wanted to know what to expect. I hope it is better as a play than as a book.
My first problem was that the names were all Russian and I found it difficult to keep them straight. This was further compounded by the fact that Chekhov introduced them into the action by their last name, but the other characters referred to them by their first and middle names.
My second problem was that people were in love with other people who were not their spouses. This was quite difficult for me to keep straight as well.
Anyway, like a typical Russian play/book it ended on a depressing note with nothing resolved. So, not recommended.
I like Hillerman because he takes the typical cop/crime novel and gives it a twist by introducing the Native American element. It just makes it that much more interesting.
With that said, this is a typical Leaphorn/Chee novel. Leaphorn and Chee are investigating a missing teenager, a murdered teacher, and a murdered Koshare dancer. Are they connected? Only Chee/Leaphorn will find out. Both are simultaneously also pursuing love interests. Good plot, good characters. Recommended.
Now on to Catch-22, which I notice is VERY long. Not Moby Dick long, but a solid 460 pages with small text and full covered pages. This book might take me a while!
Yes, I know we all read this in school, but I haven't read it since then. I actually picked it up for my mother, who has an urge to reread it and thought I would reread it quick before I send it to her.
I forgot how fun this book is! It has a cute plot, great conversations between animals, and a good vocabulary for children. I won't recommend it since we've all already read it, but I'll mention how nice it was to revisit it and encourage you to do the same!
A couple of weeks ago I had read "Marley and Me" by John Grogan and enjoyed it. Last night I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie. This happens to be one of only a few cases when I actually like the movie better than the book. At times the book seemed to drag on and, frankly, I didn't really like John Grogan from the book. The movie covers all the major events very well and leaves out the monotonous parts. In addition, the John Grogan played by Owen Wilson is a very likeable character. And yes, I did cry at the end. I recommend the movie over the book.
I really liked this book. I was afraid that it would be an "Edith Wharton" book but it ended up being a "Jane Austen" book instead! It is about a young woman who goes to Italy and meets a young man from a different class, or at least who is perceived to be of a different class by her chaperone. She returns home to England, becomes engaged to another man, and then meets the man from Italy again. I won't say any more as I don't want to ruin it.
The story is interesting from the beginning, with no slowing in the middle. At the end I couldn't put it down! It is basically a romance, but at the same time it is a social commentary about the biases and prejudices of English society and true nobility of spirit and feeling.
Highly recommended! I have the movie coming via Netflix tomorrow. I hope they do a good job with it. Now I can't wait to read "Howard's End" and "Passage to India".
I thought the BBC did a great job adapting the book to a movie. I watched the classic version which was made 20 or so years ago; there is another version that just came out a couple of years ago. It had good actresses playing the two primary parts (Helena Bonham Carter as the lead, and Maggie Smith as Miss Charlotte) and a good supporting cast as well.
Now, there is a scene in the book where the three male lead characters are frolicking naked in and around a pond. Ah, the good ole' BBC. They played the scene exactly as it was written. For about 2-3 minutes they showed three naked men running and splashing in and around a pond, including a full frontal shot of them running around the pond- buck naked. I won't say any more. :-)
So, to sum up, for the most part I like the book better, but the movie is definitely worth seeing! :-)
This is a typical Clancy novel, along the lines of "Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games". In fact, it has several of the same characters from "Hunt for Red October".
In short, it is about a highly placed traitor in the Soviet military who is discovered, by accident, by the KGB at the same time that very sensitive arms reduction negotations are in progress. The CIA has to get the traitor out quietly before the negotiations are disrupted. At the same time, the novel follows the build-up of "Star Wars" (laser based missile defense) systems in both countries and the espionage and counter-espionage going on in both programs.
What is nice about the book is that it details the technology being used in the missile defense systems (mirrors and lasers) enough to make it believable but not so much that the reader becomes bored.
The problem I had with the book is that it follows so many different characters- the military traitor, political figures in the Soviet Union, political figures in the US, negotiators, scientists in both programs, and even an Afghan fighter who is fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan- that it is hard to keep track of who is who. Sometimes the book will flash to one character for less than a page and then will not return to that character again for about 20 pages. It is a bit confusing, especially through the first 100 pages and prevents the reader from really getting to know many of the characters.
Even with this complaint, I recommend the book to political intrigue and espionage fans. But beward, it is about 500 pages long and moves quickly through most of it, so if you step away from it for long you might forget something important.
"How Angel Peterson Got His Name" by Gary Paulsen.
Eli has been begging me to read this book so I finally did while on vacation. It is VERY FUNNY! About a group of 13-year-olds and their "extreme sports" exploits during the 1950's. The part I liked was about shopping. The only places they had to shop were the grocery store, hardware store and the army surplus store. So they spent a lot of the time at the army surplus store. It's a wonderful read for today's kids to realize how much material stuff they have and how available it is. And good to see what kids in the "old days" did for entertainment.
I'm gonna kill the computer. I posted 2 times and both times the internet went down and so no post and then when I do finally post it is in the wrong place, ERGGGGG!!!!
I finished "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned", books 2 and 3 of the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. The former follows the life of Lestat through until 1984 while the latter picks up in 1984 and combines characters from Books 1 and 2 and new characters.
The reason I read them both back-to-back is because Ken has already read them and is anxious to rent the movie "Queen of the Damned" which covers both books. So, I had a limited time to read them if I didn't want the movie to ruin it for me!
The writing style of "Lestat" was better than "Queen" but I liked the plot of "Queen" better. The problem I had with "Queen" was that the first 200 pages is all snapshots of the lives of other vampires and mortals. Some of them die and are never seen again in the book, which leads me to ask, "what was the point?". Finally it all starts to come together in the last 250 pages and you see the purpose of some of the earlier snapshots. "Lestat" is much more stream-lined and chronological.
Interestingly, while both are more violent than "Interview", I had fewer nightmares. Go figure. Anyway, for vampire enthusiasts (in a literary sense, at least) they are both recommended.
Movie reviews: "Queen of the Damned" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".
Since these are connected to books I've read, I figured I would comment on the movies as well.
My biggest problem with both of these movies is that they REALLY deviated from the books. However, in both cases there was so much written material to cover that there was some necessity to cut out as much as possible and still follow the plot. I thought "Harry Potter" did better at this than "Queen".
"Queen" had to use material from both "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" in order to make sense as the books are very much tied together. Both of these books are long and involve complicated story plots and background information. What I found most distressing is that the movie left out the vampire queens goal of annihilating 9/10s of men on the world in order to ensure peace. In the books Lestat turns against her because he cannot stand the mass murder of humans. This shows both Lestat's humanity and the queen's obsession with control. I thought this was a really important part of the book, but they do not attempt to show this at all in the movie. I did think that they did a good job with most of the main characters, though the secondary characters were pretty pathetic.
Anyone who's read Harry Potter knows that there is so much going on in the later books that it must be a nightmare to adapt it to film. So, as seen in both "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Goblet of Fire", they are forced to leave a lot out in order to fit it into a feature length film. I've been really impressed in the past with how they've managed to leave out so much and yet keep the plot and feel of the books intact (in fact, I thought they did a better job with the end fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic in the film than in the book!) This movie really deviates from the book and yet... the same feel, same character development, and same core plot are there. It is really very amazing. For Harry Potter fans, I definitely recommend the movie- just don't read the book (or in my case, reread it for the hundreth time) right before watching the movie because then, if you're like me, you'll spend more time noticing the differences than actually enjoying the movie!
With this said, I did enjoy both movies, especially Harry Potter. In fact, I think this was the best Harry Potter movie so far and am really looking foward to "Deathly Hallows".
BTW: I see that the movie "Sherlock Holmes" is being released on Christmas Day. Judging from the previews- it will not be very much like the stories either!
Yes, I took a break from Shirley for some recreational reading. I don't count Shirley as recreational anymore since I have to force myself to read it.
I loved it! Oh, so funny! I almost rolled off the couch with laughter when ranger sees the Rangeman jeep full of monkeys. And farting fire! Oh my. Why can't they all be like this?
Highly recommended for anyone and everyone. Afterall, who doesn't like monkeys, retired Easter Bunnies, and men who fart fire?
"The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me. The movie was cute, so I thought I would read the book and the book is even better. It is written in a light, easy-to-read style that is usually very humorous and sometimes heartbreaking. The authors are poking fun at everyone involved in the "nanny" enterprise, but especially the parents that hire nannies. You can tell from the anecdotes that these women have had many years experience as nannies!
This book is non-fiction, for a change. It is about a British journalist (Alice Thomson) who is following in her great- (or great-great-)grandmother's footsteps. Her great-grandmother Alice had married and moved to Australia in the 1870s. Her husband, Charles Todd, was in charge of stringing telegraph poles through the Outback of Australia. Alice Springs, Australia, is actually named after her. The book combines stories and photos from the original Alice's life with photos and stories from the author's trip along the route of the telegraph.
I had picked this book up in the $1 section of Bargain Books and thought it might be interesting (but also thought it would more likely be dull). It really is quite interesting to hear about the problems the original Alice had in Adelaide taking care of an extended family, the problems her husband had in getting telegraph poles through the Outback, and the problems the author has in traveling the same route.
Recommended for those interested in late 1800s Australia or a real-life adventure story.
"Non Campus Mentis" compiled by Anders Henricksson.
Hilarious. Anders Henriksson is a history professor who decided to compile some of his (college- all college) students funnier mistakes. It is amazing how ridiculous some of these are. I couldn't stop laughing.
My favorite (to give you an idea of what the book is like) is on p. 29: "Power belonged to a patriarchy empowering all genders except the female. Nuns, for example, were generally women. In the early part of the middle Ages female nuns were free to commit random acts of contrition and redemption. Later they were forcibly enclustered in harems."
Highly recommended for a short, very funny, interpretation of history through the eyes of college students.
"News from the Edge: Vampires of Vermont" by Mark Sumner.
I know, who knew there were vampires in Vermont? This book follows Savvy Skye (from Monsters of Minnesota) to Vermont to interview a vampire. She is bitten by her "source" and then he dies. As she begins to get paler and become sensitive to the sun, she is racing against time to find out how he died and how to save herself.
Like "Monsters of Minnesota" this is a quick, fun read. No spectacular writing or great social message, but a fun way to spend an afternoon. Recommended.
What a phenomenal book! This is another one of my $1 Bargain Books buys and I couldn't be happier. It is a non-fiction book about the experiences of one of the 9 Black students that integrated Little Rock's Central High School after Brown v. Board. Melba Pattillo (one of the girls who integrated) kept a diary during the year of integration and later reconstructed the year based on her diary, news clippings, and the memories of her family and friends.
The book is absolutely fascinating, a mix of what happened to her personally, what happened to the other 8 students, and of the escalating conflict between Eisenhower and Arkansas governor Faubus and between integrationists and segretationists. It is really well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't recommend this book highly enough!
"The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight: A Treasury of Modern Fairy Tales" Edited by Jack Zipes.
The premise behind this collection of fairy tales is that fairy tales should change to reflect the time period. Most of our fairy tales are from a feudal time period where women occupied very narrow roles and democracy was almost unheard of. Therefore, we should start paying more attention to modern fairy tales that emphasize things like feminism and democracy rather than kings and queens.
Thus, these fairy tales have princesses (yes, there are still princesses and princes in some of them) and girls that are outspoken, do great deeds, and even drive forklifts while the princes and boys are more likely to be gentle, peace-loving, and won by the girls rather than vice versa. All of this without losing the "magic" of the fairy tale genre.
I really enjoyed the change and recommend it to all readers, young and old. Especially for those who love fairy tales, even the classic ones.
A long time ago I had read "Random Winds" by Belva Plain and liked it well enough to give it space on my book shelf. However, after reading "Sight of the Stars", I wonder if I should reread "Random Winds" to see why I liked it.
"Sight of the Stars" supposedly follows three generations of a family from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. I say supposedly because it skips over large time periods and attempts to fill in the gaps with diaries and recollections of the main character. Basically, this leads to a rather disjointed story in which you don't really get to know any member of the family very well. Plus, there is no over-arching theme to the book other than this family. Not recommended.
I'm a fan of Margaret Atwood, but this is certainly not my favorite book. It is about an artist who goes to her father's cabin on a lake with friends. Ultimately, she is there to search for her father, who's missing, but her friends are just there to have fun.
There were many parts of it that I really liked and that are truthful in a way that only Atwood can. But much of the book just left me cold. Not recommended.
This is basically a modern story of a veterinarian along the lines of a James Herriot book. It chronicles the day in the life of Nick Trout as a veterinarian at an animal hospital in Massachusetts. It is built from a variety of experiences he has had over the years, ranging from the humorous to the heartbreaking.
While Dr. Trout is a bit chauvenistic, he does convey well the bond between owner and animal and the difficult choices that owners and their veterinarians must make in trauma situations and also in their day-to-day lives. If you like James Herriot then you would like this book.
This is a collection of four, short fantasy novels by Stephen King, Robert Silverberg, Orson Scott Card, and Raymond E. Feist. The introduction clarifies the difference between fantasy and science fiction (a distinction I did not know): fantasy deals with unprovable creatures and situations (witches, vampires, aliens, etc) while science fiction deals with conceivably scientifically possible scenarios (time travel, space ships, etc). This book focuses on fantasy.
Now, first of all, I'm not really a fan of fantasy in general. I do like some vampire tales (Ann Rice), some witch tales (Harry Potter), and some other specific fantasy books/shows (X-Files), but could care less about most fantasy. In this book, I really enjoyed one story, kinda liked one other and didn't care for the remaining two.
Specifically: the first story by Stephen King about zombies and vampires- ugh (but I have never liked a Stephen King novel yet); the second story by Silverberg was basically an alien murder mystery which I kinda liked; the third, by Orson Scott Card, I really enjoyed- it was an alternative North American history with some great characters and dialogue; and finally, the last by Raymond E. Feist was about a battle during a war on another planet- didn't care for it.
I might see about getting another O.S.C. book just to see if I really enjoy the books, but otherwise, this book is not recommended.
I think this is classified as a romantic thriller? I was looking for a quick, easy read for a rainy day yesterday and "Vanity Fair" by Thackeray just wasn't doing it for me.
So, this is what I asked for. It is about a male concert pianist, whose career is destroyed when his hand is injured in a fight. His friend's twin sister dies in mysterious circumstances and then his friend dies soon after, also under suspicious circumstances and he is left all of their money (thus is under suspicion of murder himself). He attempts to find out who killed them and stirs up a lot of trouble along the way-including the death of 2 more people. The romance part comes in with the female FBI agent who is sent, undercover, to investigate (because a politician, a political advisor to the president, and government contract is involved) and the sexual tension between them. The extent of the romance is a couple of passionate kisses and a marriage proposal- this is not the Harlequin type smutty romance that is all sex and no plot.
The writing wasn't spectacular and there was little character development; however, it did keep me guessing right up till the end and then the murderer was the one person I never suspected. It wraps it up neatly and ties all the loose ends. Not bad, really.
Not recommended, though. Unless, like me, you are looking for a quick easy read on a rainy day.
"The Miracle of St. Bruno's" by Phillipa Carr (aka Victoria Holt).
I was in the mood for a Gothic thriller- though this was really more historical fiction. It follows the intertwined lives of a baby found in the place of Baby Jesus in the manger scene of an Abbey on Christmas morning and a girl who is born next door to an ex-monk. It follows their lives through the upheaval of the changing laws under Henry VIII, Edward, and Bloody Mary- with the book ending during the early years of the reign of Elizabeth. It really focuses on the political turmoil during this time as seen by the two main characters.
It was much better than the other Phillipa Carr novels I've read recently, with a relatively happy ending to finish off all the suffering. :-)
Not recommended unless you are a fan of Victoria Holt, which I don't think either of you are.
"The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller.
What a beautiful love story. Seriously, I think I cried through the last 50 pages of the book and I am not a crier usually. While not a typically happy ending, it is an ending that fits the story.
The storyline is of a photographer who goes to Iowa to photograph the bridges of Madison County. While there he meets the wife of a farmer and mother of two children and they fall in love. Desperately, passionately, permanently in love. I won't say what else happens since I HIGHLY encourage you to find out for yourself. The book is quite short, less than 200 pages, and won't take long.
I plan on watching the movie this week. PLEASE let it be as good as the book...
I almost didn't rent this movie when I saw that it was directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. I'm not a fan of Eastwood, at all. HOWEVER, I have to say that I thought he did a really good job with this movie. It was directed simply, filmed at the actual sites referred to in the book, and kept very close to the book. Also, his portrayal of Robert Kincaid was very convincing. I fell in love with him and I detest Clint Eastwood! Meryl Streep also did an excellent job portraying Francesca, but then I expect that of her. :-)
The movie had the same effect on me as the book. It is just such a beautiful love story with such a heartbreaking ending. At one point when I was openly weeping (I watched it alone so that I wouldn't have that awkward feeling about crying over a movie with someone else who isn't), Shiloh (my dog) got so concerned that he came over and laid his head in my lap! Again, highly recommended.
This is a revisit for me. Everyone knows L.M. Montgomery for Anne of Green Gables, but this book is my favorite of all of her books. It is about a 29 year old woman, considered an old maid by her family, who is dominated by her relatives. She finds out that she could die at any time from a heart condition and suddenly decides to live the rest of her life for herself. In my favorite chapter, she tells all her relatives what she has been thinking for years but never said. They don't know about her medical diagnosis and think she's just gone crazy. Then she moves in with a drunk carpenter to take care of his dying daughter and falls in love with the town outcast. What I like about this book is that it realy shows a woman coming into her own later in life (in her late 20s-early 30s). Plus, it has some pretty funny lines in it.
If you like Anne of Green Gables, you will like this book. Recommended.
It is about time. I've been reading this book for months, literally- since before Shanghai Girls. It is almost 900 pages long and though interesting, not all the chapters move very quickly.
General impressions- this is really a scathing critique of the time period. Thackeray points out all the hypocracies of society, though cushioning it in plenty of extra observations and digressions. He is by no means succinct. Though, credit to be given, at least there are no entirely extraneous chapters (MD).
Of the characters, Amelia Sedley Osbourne is supposed to be the epitome of womanhood while Becky Sharp Crawdon is the devious fortune hunter. Of course, as this might lead you to guess, Becky is definitely the more interesting of the two women. I found Amelia to be a dull, simpering imbecile for most of the book, with only a few breaks from this role. Becky, while morally questionable, was at least intelligent and had goals in life other than marrying a dandy and coddling a spoiled child. Thackeray does show some sympathy for Becky, commenting several times that society made her the way she was.
The men fare no better- either being brave and bad or good and stupid with little in between.
My biggest pet peeve: after 800 pages of discussing the lives of these people ad nauseum (sp?), Thackeray wraps it all up very quickly in the last few chapters. It makes me wonder- did he suddenly get sick of it? Did his readers demand a quick ending? What else could explain how quickly he summarized a tale that had already lasted so long? It was rather annoying, actually.
So, worth reading? Umm, maybe. It is nice to know what it is about and to say I've read it, but I really did not enjoy the reading of it very much.
Melissa, have to say I read Bridges of Madison County when it first came out and LOVED LOVED LOVED it and thus HAD to go visit the actual bridges and as I mentioned earlier, visiting the Roseman bridge was like a religious experience. Some day I'll tell you about the "souvenir" shop there, quite hilarious.
"Eaters of the Dead" or "Thirteenth Warrior" by Michael Crighton.
Hmm, this is an interesting book. Apparently, the idea of the book came from a dare to show that Beowolf was based on historical fact. Crighton couldn't prove it, so instead he decided to write a book about a first-hand account of the events of Beowolf by an outsider. It is based on an actual translation of a text by an Arab sent north on a diplomatic mission, but then Crighton fictionalizes the account to have this Arab meet up with Norsemen and fight Grendel with them. It is really hard to tell where the real text ends and the fictionalization begins.
While the book starts out rather slow, it is a quick read- short and easily followed. I think I would recommend it.
Joy, I do remember you writing about your trip to the Bridges now that you mention it. I think that is why I had the book on my "to read" list. I will have to find Roseman bridge the next time I'm in Iowa!
This was one of my grandmother's books that have been handed down through the family. It was published in 1943 and has apparently been a best-seller since, although I've never heard of it before. It is a collection of short stories from the author's childhood, most focusing on the role of her mother and the trials of the Norwegian immigrant family in San Francisco.
It is very easy reading and is actually aimed at a younger audience- around 10 and 12 year olds I think. However, it is worth reading as an adult and recommended.
This book was recommended to me by a friend. It is about a group of tourists from different countries on a small island in Greece who are brought together by a tragedy on the island. They begin talking to each other and the residents of the island and become friends. Each of them is running or hiding from someone/something and at some point are convinced to face up to whatever it is that they are afraid of.
It is well-written, for the most part, and an interesting story line. Only two real critiques: 1. it bounces from character to character throughout the whole book, which is rather annoying. 2. Some of the conversations are a little unnatural. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading it and recommend it.
This is a novel for teenagers rather than adults, but I still found it to be pretty good. It is about a 16 year-old girl with diabetes who has a theory that vampire myths developed from people dying from diabetes, long before medical advances allowed for successful treatment of the disease. Because of this, she considers herself to almost be a vampire, since she has diabetes. She starts dressing in black and frequenting vampire chat rooms online and gets mixed up with some pretty messed-up people.
Basically, it is a book about teen angst and one girl's struggle to come to terms with being a teenager with diabetes. It is a very quick read and her theory about vampires just being people dying from diabetes is pretty interesting. However, not recommended for my fellow book-clubbers. Chances are, if you didn't like Twilight you probably wouldn't like this book either. :-)
"Double Take: Votes for Women" by Belinda Hollyer.
Again, this book is written for teenagers rather than adults, but is still worth reading for adults. Also, it is non-fiction, so it isn't exactly in keeping with our book club guidelines. It compares two sides of the fight for women's suffrage in the UK- Henry Asquith, Prime Minister for several years of the struggle and staunch anti-suffragist, and Sylvia Parkhurst, one of the leading suffragists. It alternates back and forth between the two sides from the early 1900s to the passage of the Suffrage Bill in 1918.
The English suffrage movement was much more militant than that of the US but otherwise follows a very similar course. If you are at all interested in the rights of women or the suffrage movement in the US, then I recommend this as additional reading. Oh, the best part is that it has pictures. I always like to see pictures of the people I read about.
"Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
What a disappointing book. What an ANNOYING and disappointing book. Okay, now part of it is my fault. After reading the back of the book, I assumed it was going to deal with the last days of earth because of global warming. Rather like "The Day After Tomorrow". I quickly found out that it was referring to the last days of earth for religious reasons. However, I thought maybe it would be kind-of like "Da Vinci Code". When I figured out it was much more preachy and less.. umm, interesting, then I should have just stopped reading. But I didn't. Ergh. What a waste of time.
It starts out well enough. It begins on an airplane when half the passengers are found suddenly missing, although their clothes are still in their seats. When the pilot lands the jet, they find out that people are missing all around the world, leaving behind all sorts of catastrophes. The book focuses on the pilot of the jet, the stewardess, and a passenger who is a journalist. They are all searching to find their families and to find out what happened. Then, about 100 pages into the book, the pilot "finds God" and determines that what happened is the Rapture of Christ, when Christ takes all the good Christians to heaven and everyone else is left behind. From there it is all downhill. The plot deteriorates as the authors find ways of making most of the main characters suddenly see the light and become born-again Christians. It also becomes very preachy. To top it all off, if leaves you hanging at the end BECAUSE this is a whole series. The next book is called "Tribulation Force". Yikes. I won't be reading that and I strongly recommend that you do NOT read this book.
"The Book Club: Just Desserts" by Nancy Noel Marra.
I picked this book up because it was about a book club and I thought it might be fun to read about another book club. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The writing was very simplistic and rather corny and the book was very, very short. The back cover promised good discussion of books and good desserts (the author includes the recipe for the dessert they ate at each meeting). I haven't tried any of the dessert recipes, but the discussion of the books is very brief. Typically only a page or two of discussions, with little to no details. Really just a summary of the main points they discussed.
They discussed about 1 book per month and a half/two months for approximately one year: "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker "Waiting to Exhale" by Terry McMillan. "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan "River Cross My Heart" by ? Clarke. "The Beardstown Ladies" by ?.
I've read "Scarlet Letter" and "Joy Luck Club", but am considering possibly choosing one of the other selections for a future selection. My next selection, after Angie's pick, will be "The Robber Bride" by Margaret Atwood.
"Katarina Witt: Only With Passion" by Katarina Witt and E.M. Swift.
I've alwayss liked Katarina Witt, since I was a little girl watching her skate in the Olympics. In fact, she is my favorite female skater of all time, with Christy Yamaguchi a close second. With that said, I really enjoyed this book. It is a cross between fiction and non-fiction. The character with whom she is talking is fictional, but everything she says about her life is true. For example, she mentions her skating experiences in the Olympics, some of her past relationships (including Richard Dean Anderson of McGyver fame), and her experiences living in East Germany when the wall came down.
It is written very accessibly, probably mostly due to Swift's contribution, but you can still sense Katarina Witt coming through. I would recommend it if you like her skating (it has some photos inside of some of her favorite moments on the ice), if you are interested in the thoughts of a two time Olympic gold medalist, or if you are interested in learning a little bit more about life in East Germany pre- and post- Wall.
Movie Review: "Thirteenth Warrior", based on Crighton's "Eaters of the Dead".
As usual, the movie was not as good as the book. It was much more focused on the fight scenes than some of the more subtle exchanges between the Arab and the Norsemen. Eh. Not really worth seeing.
As you have probably seen, this book really got me thinking, with the result that I started a post to see what you think! While technically not fiction, in this speech/book she is discussing women and fiction so it is pretty close. :-)
The book is actually the print version of a speech/talk about women and fiction that she gave in 1928. In it, Woolf discusses several aspects of women and fiction ranging from how women are portrayed in fiction by men, how they are portrayed by other women, famous female authors, etc..
What caught my attention is when she discusses the differences between how men and women write. Granted, this was spoken/written in 1928 and a lot has changed since then. However, I still think she makes an interesting point. She posits that women use more suggestion and inuendo in their writing with often shorter sentences and much left unsaid. While men use longer sentences and just give the information in a straight-forward fashion. Furthermore, the best authors (she specifically mentions Shakespeare and Shelley) combine the two elements and are androgenous (neither too much man or too much woman in their writing). It really made me think about current authors and how they write.
As an aside, I asked Ken what he thought about this theory and he thought it was still true today. He also said that was why he didn't like reading my "female" authors. :-)
Okay, so I didn't actually finish reading this book because I got so frustrated with it by page 100 that I gave up. It started out okay, a young couple moves to a small town in Michigan and play a lot of scrabble and have a lot of sex. Then the husband goes into a depression and the next 80 pages is him whining when he really has nothing to whine about. How annoying. Thus, I stopped reading.
Movie Review: "I Remember Mama" based on the book "Mama's Bank Account" by Kathryn Forbes.
This is a really old movie- black and white in fact. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, not being a fan of older movies. However, I thought it was done very well. It followed the book pretty closely and really captured the feeling of the book. In addition, it wasn't corny or overacted as many old movies were.
This is another one of the books from my grandmother's collection of old books: it was published in 1923. It is also a book for young adults rather than adults. With that said, I actually had a really fun time reading it!
It is seven chapters that I think were published separately as short stories because they are all very self-contained. Put together, they chronicle the adventures of a Scottish man in the US and is collie, Lochnivar Bobby. Each chapter is a new adventure beginning with his acquisition of Lochnivar Bobby, when the collie was stolen by another collie breeder, when the man was injured in the wilderness and Bobby had to find help, etc.
You might have to be a dog lover to enjoy it, but for an older book for young adults I really had a hard time putting it down! So, I recommend it.
This was one that Angie had sent me (thanks again!). For the most part, I liked it; although I lost interest a little bit in the middle when everyone was reliving their memories. And it did not go at all the way I had expected it to go at first.
I found it funny that the factory had three smoke stacks (as does the nuclear plant near our house here in MI) and that the university was Mansfield University. I could perfectly picture the nuclear plant here across from Mansfield University in PA. Led to some interesting mental pictures.
My favorite character had to be the little girl, Sophie. Her thoughts were wonderful. I found Bennie and Susannah completely frustrating and Todd reminded me of a Todd we have in our department at WMU. Very analytical but maybe not the most socially accomplished person.
Anyway, thanks for sending it to me, Angie. Have you read any others by Ursu?
"He Sees You When You're Sleeping" by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark.
Another disappointment. I'd read a couple of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark and enjoyed them so I thought I would try a book. I'm not sure if it is because it is a Christmas book or because she is writing with Carol H. C., but I found this rather boring.
The idea is interesting- a man is sent back to Earth by the Heavenly Council to help someone before they let him into heaven. He decides to help a little girl by bringing her father and grandmother home (they are in a witness protection program while they wait for a trial in which they are the key witnesses). But, eh. The writing style is rather choppy and the plot just never really picks up. Not recommended.
"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Okay, so I wasn't going to read this series about vampires. After all, how many GOOD books about vampires are there? Not that many. However, friends of ours coerced us to watch the series TrueBlood with them (we don't actually like the tv series very much but don't want to hurt their feelings by telling them, so we keep watching it). I noticed that the series is based on books, and heaven knows I can't resist that. So, I checked out the books online and all the reviewers said the books were much, much better than the show. So I broke down and read the first book.
This book is the same general plot as the first season of TrueBlood. Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic waitress who lives in a small town in Louisiana. Due to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires have come out of the coffin (so to speak) and become legal members of society. A vampire named Bill moves back to this small town at the same time that women are mysteriously being murdered. Sookie becomes enamoured of Bill because she can't read his thoughts (and therefore it is peaceful to be around him) while at the same time she wonders if he is the one committing the murders? There are some other subplots as well, involving Sookie's brother Jason and another vampire named Eric.
It is SO much better than the show. The show is violent, intense, and over-acted with little character development. The books are much more light-hearted (with humour and everyday comments/situations), much less violent, and develop the characters, especially the main character (Sookie) a lot more. In fact, I read the book in one day (it was only a couple hundred pages anyway) and look forward to starting the second in the series today.
If you are into vampire or fantasy novels, which I know that Angie and Joy aren't, then I recommend the book. Joy, it is more adult and a lot less whiny than Twilight.
"Living Dead in Dallas" and "Club Dead" by Charlaine Harris.
No, I won't post on every one of the Sookie Stackhouse series- I'll stop after this comment, unless there is something spectacular I have to share or I'll explode.
Angie, these books remind me a lot of the Plum series. I realized this the other night as I was literally shaking the bed with laughter and Ken commented that I hadn't laughed like that since I read the last Plum novel. So, replace Stephanie, Joe, and Ranger with Sookie, Bill, and Eric. Then replace bonds agent and detective with telepath and vampire. Same witty conversations/thoughts (ex: "It was one of God's jokes that he put such a dumb mind in such an eloquent body"), same crazy situations (ex: a Norse vampire dressed as a queen at an orgy party or a dead werewolf wrapped in a green shower curtain with little fish on it), same love triangle (Bill is committed to relationship and Eric just wants sex).
Differences? WAY, WAY, WAY more sex in the Stackhouse novels (in fact, I think Ken is going to read them just for the sex scenes- typical man). And there are more serious, suspenseful moments. I thought the second and third books were even better than the first and am looking forward to the rest.
I had thought of choosing this book as a book club book but Angie had shot it down because it is modeled after the life of Laura Bush. However, it is so good and there is so much in it that we could have discussed!
Being a liberal to the left of most liberals, I expected to be disgusted by it. Afterall, I'm not a fan of George W. Bush (or H.W. either, for that matter)- what could I get out of a novel about his wife. What could the wife of G.W.B. have to say that I could have any meaning for me? I was wrong. I could almost now be a fan of Laura Bush. In fact, I just ordered a biography of her, just to see how much of the novel was probably true to real life.
It starts out with the words "Have I made terrible mistakes?" and then ends with the same question. The book is a justification of her marriage and support (as a democrat and pro-choice woman) of her husband during his presidency and the years leading up to the presidency. She argues that she married for love and compromised to make her marriage work. Maybe they weren't the best compromises, but they were the best she could do at the time.
Highly recommended, regardless of your political persuasion.
As Angie would say, "meh." Bland plot, mostly bland writing. Obviously one of her first. You can see the blueprints of characters for the Plum Series (namely Grandma Mazur), but they aren't fully fleshed out. Goes to the bookstore to be sold on Saturday. Don't waste your time reading it.
"Bite", an anthology featuring Laurell Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and others.
I'm torn on whether to keep this book. I really enjoyed the Hamilton and Harris stories (Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse characters). The others were okay. What has me wondering is because the 4th story is, I believe, considered fantasy erotica (i.e. a lot of explicit sex). None of the other stories really have much sex. I feel like I'd be putting porn on my shelves. This wouldn't be an issue, but I have people borrowing books off my shelves- people like my neighbors girls. Last year one of the girls borrowed "Virgin or Vamp" for a school project, but at least that was an academic book on how the media portrays rape victims. Hmm. Have to consider this more, I think. Anyway, not recommended unless you are a fan of fantasy OR of Anita Blake/Sookie Stackhouse.
I read the first Sookie Stackhouse, Dead Until Dawn, in about 24 hours, and LOVED IT. I'm so glad I got the first 3 in the series because I read Living Dead in Dallas and Club Dead yesterday. Yes, both of them. I think Harold must be feeling a little ignored, because I did nothing but read all day.
Joy, if you think of reading these, get the first FOUR, becuase there is quite a "leave you hanging" moment at the end of book 3 and I'm dying over here!! =)
I haven't had as many laugh out loud moments as I have with the Plum series, but I think that one didn't really get off the ground until book 4, so I have high hopes for the next few installments.
M, you were totally right about the Sookie/Bill/Eric triangle and about them being more grown up than Twilight. They are a little more gory than I'd like, but I guess that comes with the vampire territory.
Angie- frankly, I read the series so fast that I've blurred the books together, but I think that #4was my favorite. It furthers the Sookie/Eric storyline into fun places. :-)
I had bought the 1-7 boxed set to start and book #7 also leaves you hanging so I was on pins and needles until # 8 showed up. Then it turned out that #8 was one of my least favorites. Book 9 is the last in the series (only available in hardcover- but completely worth the purchase. It was much better than #8) until May, when #10 is supposed to come out. There is a little bit of a leave-you-hanging feeling between #9 and #10, but nothing I can't live with. :-)
I can't remember if they get funnier- I'm thinking not, but the plots get more involved and great new characters emerge (I love Sookie's roommate in a couple of the later novels). The violence continues, but you get used to it. I'm not sure whether that is a good thing- in fact, I'm pretty sure it's not.
52 comments:
"Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov.
I read this play because I'm going to be seeing it in the theater later this summer and I wanted to know what to expect. I hope it is better as a play than as a book.
My first problem was that the names were all Russian and I found it difficult to keep them straight. This was further compounded by the fact that Chekhov introduced them into the action by their last name, but the other characters referred to them by their first and middle names.
My second problem was that people were in love with other people who were not their spouses. This was quite difficult for me to keep straight as well.
Anyway, like a typical Russian play/book it ended on a depressing note with nothing resolved. So, not recommended.
"The Sacred Clowns" by Tony Hillerman.
I like Hillerman because he takes the typical cop/crime novel and gives it a twist by introducing the Native American element. It just makes it that much more interesting.
With that said, this is a typical Leaphorn/Chee novel. Leaphorn and Chee are investigating a missing teenager, a murdered teacher, and a murdered Koshare dancer. Are they connected? Only Chee/Leaphorn will find out. Both are simultaneously also pursuing love interests. Good plot, good characters. Recommended.
Now on to Catch-22, which I notice is VERY long. Not Moby Dick long, but a solid 460 pages with small text and full covered pages. This book might take me a while!
"Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White.
Yes, I know we all read this in school, but I haven't read it since then. I actually picked it up for my mother, who has an urge to reread it and thought I would reread it quick before I send it to her.
I forgot how fun this book is! It has a cute plot, great conversations between animals, and a good vocabulary for children. I won't recommend it since we've all already read it, but I'll mention how nice it was to revisit it and encourage you to do the same!
A couple of weeks ago I had read "Marley and Me" by John Grogan and enjoyed it. Last night I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie. This happens to be one of only a few cases when I actually like the movie better than the book. At times the book seemed to drag on and, frankly, I didn't really like John Grogan from the book. The movie covers all the major events very well and leaves out the monotonous parts. In addition, the John Grogan played by Owen Wilson is a very likeable character. And yes, I did cry at the end. I recommend the movie over the book.
"A Room With a View" by E. M. Forster.
I really liked this book. I was afraid that it would be an "Edith Wharton" book but it ended up being a "Jane Austen" book instead! It is about a young woman who goes to Italy and meets a young man from a different class, or at least who is perceived to be of a different class by her chaperone. She returns home to England, becomes engaged to another man, and then meets the man from Italy again. I won't say any more as I don't want to ruin it.
The story is interesting from the beginning, with no slowing in the middle. At the end I couldn't put it down! It is basically a romance, but at the same time it is a social commentary about the biases and prejudices of English society and true nobility of spirit and feeling.
Highly recommended! I have the movie coming via Netflix tomorrow. I hope they do a good job with it. Now I can't wait to read "Howard's End" and "Passage to India".
"A Room With A View", BBC movie.
I thought the BBC did a great job adapting the book to a movie. I watched the classic version which was made 20 or so years ago; there is another version that just came out a couple of years ago. It had good actresses playing the two primary parts (Helena Bonham Carter as the lead, and Maggie Smith as Miss Charlotte) and a good supporting cast as well.
Now, there is a scene in the book where the three male lead characters are frolicking naked in and around a pond. Ah, the good ole' BBC. They played the scene exactly as it was written. For about 2-3 minutes they showed three naked men running and splashing in and around a pond, including a full frontal shot of them running around the pond- buck naked. I won't say any more. :-)
So, to sum up, for the most part I like the book better, but the movie is definitely worth seeing! :-)
"The Cardinal of the Kremlin" by Tom Clancy.
This is a typical Clancy novel, along the lines of "Hunt for Red October" and "Patriot Games". In fact, it has several of the same characters from "Hunt for Red October".
In short, it is about a highly placed traitor in the Soviet military who is discovered, by accident, by the KGB at the same time that very sensitive arms reduction negotations are in progress. The CIA has to get the traitor out quietly before the negotiations are disrupted. At the same time, the novel follows the build-up of "Star Wars" (laser based missile defense) systems in both countries and the espionage and counter-espionage going on in both programs.
What is nice about the book is that it details the technology being used in the missile defense systems (mirrors and lasers) enough to make it believable but not so much that the reader becomes bored.
The problem I had with the book is that it follows so many different characters- the military traitor, political figures in the Soviet Union, political figures in the US, negotiators, scientists in both programs, and even an Afghan fighter who is fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan- that it is hard to keep track of who is who. Sometimes the book will flash to one character for less than a page and then will not return to that character again for about 20 pages. It is a bit confusing, especially through the first 100 pages and prevents the reader from really getting to know many of the characters.
Even with this complaint, I recommend the book to political intrigue and espionage fans. But beward, it is about 500 pages long and moves quickly through most of it, so if you step away from it for long you might forget something important.
"How Angel Peterson Got His Name" by Gary Paulsen.
Eli has been begging me to read this book so I finally did while on vacation. It is VERY FUNNY!
About a group of 13-year-olds and their "extreme sports" exploits during the 1950's. The part I liked was about shopping. The only places they had to shop were the grocery store, hardware store and the army surplus store. So they spent a lot of the time at the army surplus store. It's a wonderful read for today's kids to realize how much material stuff they have and how available it is. And good to see what kids in the "old days" did for entertainment.
Highly Recommeded by Eli and me.
I'm gonna kill the computer. I posted 2 times and both times the internet went down and so no post and then when I do finally post it is in the wrong place, ERGGGGG!!!!
It's okay, Joy. You can comment on my post. :-)
I finished "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned", books 2 and 3 of the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. The former follows the life of Lestat through until 1984 while the latter picks up in 1984 and combines characters from Books 1 and 2 and new characters.
The reason I read them both back-to-back is because Ken has already read them and is anxious to rent the movie "Queen of the Damned" which covers both books. So, I had a limited time to read them if I didn't want the movie to ruin it for me!
The writing style of "Lestat" was better than "Queen" but I liked the plot of "Queen" better. The problem I had with "Queen" was that the first 200 pages is all snapshots of the lives of other vampires and mortals. Some of them die and are never seen again in the book, which leads me to ask, "what was the point?". Finally it all starts to come together in the last 250 pages and you see the purpose of some of the earlier snapshots. "Lestat" is much more stream-lined and chronological.
Interestingly, while both are more violent than "Interview", I had fewer nightmares. Go figure. Anyway, for vampire enthusiasts (in a literary sense, at least) they are both recommended.
Movie reviews: "Queen of the Damned" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix".
Since these are connected to books I've read, I figured I would comment on the movies as well.
My biggest problem with both of these movies is that they REALLY deviated from the books. However, in both cases there was so much written material to cover that there was some necessity to cut out as much as possible and still follow the plot. I thought "Harry Potter" did better at this than "Queen".
"Queen" had to use material from both "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" in order to make sense as the books are very much tied together. Both of these books are long and involve complicated story plots and background information. What I found most distressing is that the movie left out the vampire queens goal of annihilating 9/10s of men on the world in order to ensure peace. In the books Lestat turns against her because he cannot stand the mass murder of humans. This shows both Lestat's humanity and the queen's obsession with control. I thought this was a really important part of the book, but they do not attempt to show this at all in the movie. I did think that they did a good job with most of the main characters, though the secondary characters were pretty pathetic.
Anyone who's read Harry Potter knows that there is so much going on in the later books that it must be a nightmare to adapt it to film. So, as seen in both "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Goblet of Fire", they are forced to leave a lot out in order to fit it into a feature length film. I've been really impressed in the past with how they've managed to leave out so much and yet keep the plot and feel of the books intact (in fact, I thought they did a better job with the end fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic in the film than in the book!) This movie really deviates from the book and yet... the same feel, same character development, and same core plot are there. It is really very amazing. For Harry Potter fans, I definitely recommend the movie- just don't read the book (or in my case, reread it for the hundreth time) right before watching the movie because then, if you're like me, you'll spend more time noticing the differences than actually enjoying the movie!
With this said, I did enjoy both movies, especially Harry Potter. In fact, I think this was the best Harry Potter movie so far and am really looking foward to "Deathly Hallows".
BTW: I see that the movie "Sherlock Holmes" is being released on Christmas Day. Judging from the previews- it will not be very much like the stories either!
"Plum Spooky" by Janet Evanovich.
Yes, I took a break from Shirley for some recreational reading. I don't count Shirley as recreational anymore since I have to force myself to read it.
I loved it! Oh, so funny! I almost rolled off the couch with laughter when ranger sees the Rangeman jeep full of monkeys. And farting fire! Oh my. Why can't they all be like this?
Highly recommended for anyone and everyone. Afterall, who doesn't like monkeys, retired Easter Bunnies, and men who fart fire?
"The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me. The movie was cute, so I thought I would read the book and the book is even better. It is written in a light, easy-to-read style that is usually very humorous and sometimes heartbreaking. The authors are poking fun at everyone involved in the "nanny" enterprise, but especially the parents that hire nannies. You can tell from the anecdotes that these women have had many years experience as nannies!
Recommended.
"The Singing Line" by Alice Thomson.
This book is non-fiction, for a change. It is about a British journalist (Alice Thomson) who is following in her great- (or great-great-)grandmother's footsteps. Her great-grandmother Alice had married and moved to Australia in the 1870s. Her husband, Charles Todd, was in charge of stringing telegraph poles through the Outback of Australia. Alice Springs, Australia, is actually named after her. The book combines stories and photos from the original Alice's life with photos and stories from the author's trip along the route of the telegraph.
I had picked this book up in the $1 section of Bargain Books and thought it might be interesting (but also thought it would more likely be dull). It really is quite interesting to hear about the problems the original Alice had in Adelaide taking care of an extended family, the problems her husband had in getting telegraph poles through the Outback, and the problems the author has in traveling the same route.
Recommended for those interested in late 1800s Australia or a real-life adventure story.
"Non Campus Mentis" compiled by Anders Henricksson.
Hilarious. Anders Henriksson is a history professor who decided to compile some of his (college- all college) students funnier mistakes. It is amazing how ridiculous some of these are. I couldn't stop laughing.
My favorite (to give you an idea of what the book is like) is on p. 29: "Power belonged to a patriarchy empowering all genders except the female. Nuns, for example, were generally women. In the early part of the middle Ages female nuns were free to commit random acts of contrition and redemption. Later they were forcibly enclustered in harems."
Highly recommended for a short, very funny, interpretation of history through the eyes of college students.
"News from the Edge: Vampires of Vermont" by Mark Sumner.
I know, who knew there were vampires in Vermont? This book follows Savvy Skye (from Monsters of Minnesota) to Vermont to interview a vampire. She is bitten by her "source" and then he dies. As she begins to get paler and become sensitive to the sun, she is racing against time to find out how he died and how to save herself.
Like "Monsters of Minnesota" this is a quick, fun read. No spectacular writing or great social message, but a fun way to spend an afternoon. Recommended.
"Warriors Don't Cry" by Melba Pattillo Beals.
What a phenomenal book! This is another one of my $1 Bargain Books buys and I couldn't be happier. It is a non-fiction book about the experiences of one of the 9 Black students that integrated Little Rock's Central High School after Brown v. Board. Melba Pattillo (one of the girls who integrated) kept a diary during the year of integration and later reconstructed the year based on her diary, news clippings, and the memories of her family and friends.
The book is absolutely fascinating, a mix of what happened to her personally, what happened to the other 8 students, and of the escalating conflict between Eisenhower and Arkansas governor Faubus and between integrationists and segretationists. It is really well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't recommend this book highly enough!
"The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight: A Treasury of Modern Fairy Tales" Edited by Jack Zipes.
The premise behind this collection of fairy tales is that fairy tales should change to reflect the time period. Most of our fairy tales are from a feudal time period where women occupied very narrow roles and democracy was almost unheard of. Therefore, we should start paying more attention to modern fairy tales that emphasize things like feminism and democracy rather than kings and queens.
Thus, these fairy tales have princesses (yes, there are still princesses and princes in some of them) and girls that are outspoken, do great deeds, and even drive forklifts while the princes and boys are more likely to be gentle, peace-loving, and won by the girls rather than vice versa. All of this without losing the "magic" of the fairy tale genre.
I really enjoyed the change and recommend it to all readers, young and old. Especially for those who love fairy tales, even the classic ones.
"Sight of the Stars" by Belva Plain.
A long time ago I had read "Random Winds" by Belva Plain and liked it well enough to give it space on my book shelf. However, after reading "Sight of the Stars", I wonder if I should reread "Random Winds" to see why I liked it.
"Sight of the Stars" supposedly follows three generations of a family from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. I say supposedly because it skips over large time periods and attempts to fill in the gaps with diaries and recollections of the main character. Basically, this leads to a rather disjointed story in which you don't really get to know any member of the family very well. Plus, there is no over-arching theme to the book other than this family. Not recommended.
"Surfacing" by Margaret Atwood.
I'm a fan of Margaret Atwood, but this is certainly not my favorite book. It is about an artist who goes to her father's cabin on a lake with friends. Ultimately, she is there to search for her father, who's missing, but her friends are just there to have fun.
There were many parts of it that I really liked and that are truthful in a way that only Atwood can. But much of the book just left me cold. Not recommended.
"Tell Me Where It Hurts" by Dr. Nick Trout.
This is basically a modern story of a veterinarian along the lines of a James Herriot book. It chronicles the day in the life of Nick Trout as a veterinarian at an animal hospital in Massachusetts. It is built from a variety of experiences he has had over the years, ranging from the humorous to the heartbreaking.
While Dr. Trout is a bit chauvenistic, he does convey well the bond between owner and animal and the difficult choices that owners and their veterinarians must make in trauma situations and also in their day-to-day lives. If you like James Herriot then you would like this book.
"Legends I" edited by Robert Silverburg.
This is a collection of four, short fantasy novels by Stephen King, Robert Silverberg, Orson Scott Card, and Raymond E. Feist. The introduction clarifies the difference between fantasy and science fiction (a distinction I did not know): fantasy deals with unprovable creatures and situations (witches, vampires, aliens, etc) while science fiction deals with conceivably scientifically possible scenarios (time travel, space ships, etc). This book focuses on fantasy.
Now, first of all, I'm not really a fan of fantasy in general. I do like some vampire tales (Ann Rice), some witch tales (Harry Potter), and some other specific fantasy books/shows (X-Files), but could care less about most fantasy. In this book, I really enjoyed one story, kinda liked one other and didn't care for the remaining two.
Specifically: the first story by Stephen King about zombies and vampires- ugh (but I have never liked a Stephen King novel yet); the second story by Silverberg was basically an alien murder mystery which I kinda liked; the third, by Orson Scott Card, I really enjoyed- it was an alternative North American history with some great characters and dialogue; and finally, the last by Raymond E. Feist was about a battle during a war on another planet- didn't care for it.
I might see about getting another O.S.C. book just to see if I really enjoy the books, but otherwise, this book is not recommended.
"Scared to Death" by Rae Foley.
I think this is classified as a romantic thriller? I was looking for a quick, easy read for a rainy day yesterday and "Vanity Fair" by Thackeray just wasn't doing it for me.
So, this is what I asked for. It is about a male concert pianist, whose career is destroyed when his hand is injured in a fight. His friend's twin sister dies in mysterious circumstances and then his friend dies soon after, also under suspicious circumstances and he is left all of their money (thus is under suspicion of murder himself). He attempts to find out who killed them and stirs up a lot of trouble along the way-including the death of 2 more people. The romance part comes in with the female FBI agent who is sent, undercover, to investigate (because a politician, a political advisor to the president, and government contract is involved) and the sexual tension between them. The extent of the romance is a couple of passionate kisses and a marriage proposal- this is not the Harlequin type smutty romance that is all sex and no plot.
The writing wasn't spectacular and there was little character development; however, it did keep me guessing right up till the end and then the murderer was the one person I never suspected. It wraps it up neatly and ties all the loose ends. Not bad, really.
Not recommended, though. Unless, like me, you are looking for a quick easy read on a rainy day.
"The Miracle of St. Bruno's" by Phillipa Carr (aka Victoria Holt).
I was in the mood for a Gothic thriller- though this was really more historical fiction. It follows the intertwined lives of a baby found in the place of Baby Jesus in the manger scene of an Abbey on Christmas morning and a girl who is born next door to an ex-monk. It follows their lives through the upheaval of the changing laws under Henry VIII, Edward, and Bloody Mary- with the book ending during the early years of the reign of Elizabeth. It really focuses on the political turmoil during this time as seen by the two main characters.
It was much better than the other Phillipa Carr novels I've read recently, with a relatively happy ending to finish off all the suffering. :-)
Not recommended unless you are a fan of Victoria Holt, which I don't think either of you are.
"The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller.
What a beautiful love story. Seriously, I think I cried through the last 50 pages of the book and I am not a crier usually. While not a typically happy ending, it is an ending that fits the story.
The storyline is of a photographer who goes to Iowa to photograph the bridges of Madison County. While there he meets the wife of a farmer and mother of two children and they fall in love. Desperately, passionately, permanently in love. I won't say what else happens since I HIGHLY encourage you to find out for yourself. The book is quite short, less than 200 pages, and won't take long.
I plan on watching the movie this week. PLEASE let it be as good as the book...
VERY HIGHLY recommended.
"The Bridges of Madison County" - Movie review.
I almost didn't rent this movie when I saw that it was directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. I'm not a fan of Eastwood, at all. HOWEVER, I have to say that I thought he did a really good job with this movie. It was directed simply, filmed at the actual sites referred to in the book, and kept very close to the book. Also, his portrayal of Robert Kincaid was very convincing. I fell in love with him and I detest Clint Eastwood! Meryl Streep also did an excellent job portraying Francesca, but then I expect that of her. :-)
The movie had the same effect on me as the book. It is just such a beautiful love story with such a heartbreaking ending. At one point when I was openly weeping (I watched it alone so that I wouldn't have that awkward feeling about crying over a movie with someone else who isn't), Shiloh (my dog) got so concerned that he came over and laid his head in my lap! Again, highly recommended.
"The Blue Castle" by L.M. Montgomery.
This is a revisit for me. Everyone knows L.M. Montgomery for Anne of Green Gables, but this book is my favorite of all of her books. It is about a 29 year old woman, considered an old maid by her family, who is dominated by her relatives. She finds out that she could die at any time from a heart condition and suddenly decides to live the rest of her life for herself. In my favorite chapter, she tells all her relatives what she has been thinking for years but never said. They don't know about her medical diagnosis and think she's just gone crazy. Then she moves in with a drunk carpenter to take care of his dying daughter and falls in love with the town outcast. What I like about this book is that it realy shows a woman coming into her own later in life (in her late 20s-early 30s). Plus, it has some pretty funny lines in it.
If you like Anne of Green Gables, you will like this book. Recommended.
"Vanity Fair" by W.M. Thackeray.
It is about time. I've been reading this book for months, literally- since before Shanghai Girls. It is almost 900 pages long and though interesting, not all the chapters move very quickly.
General impressions- this is really a scathing critique of the time period. Thackeray points out all the hypocracies of society, though cushioning it in plenty of extra observations and digressions. He is by no means succinct. Though, credit to be given, at least there are no entirely extraneous chapters (MD).
Of the characters, Amelia Sedley Osbourne is supposed to be the epitome of womanhood while Becky Sharp Crawdon is the devious fortune hunter. Of course, as this might lead you to guess, Becky is definitely the more interesting of the two women. I found Amelia to be a dull, simpering imbecile for most of the book, with only a few breaks from this role. Becky, while morally questionable, was at least intelligent and had goals in life other than marrying a dandy and coddling a spoiled child. Thackeray does show some sympathy for Becky, commenting several times that society made her the way she was.
The men fare no better- either being brave and bad or good and stupid with little in between.
My biggest pet peeve: after 800 pages of discussing the lives of these people ad nauseum (sp?), Thackeray wraps it all up very quickly in the last few chapters. It makes me wonder- did he suddenly get sick of it? Did his readers demand a quick ending? What else could explain how quickly he summarized a tale that had already lasted so long? It was rather annoying, actually.
So, worth reading? Umm, maybe. It is nice to know what it is about and to say I've read it, but I really did not enjoy the reading of it very much.
Melissa, have to say I read Bridges of Madison County when it first came out and LOVED LOVED LOVED it and thus HAD to go visit the actual bridges and as I mentioned earlier, visiting the Roseman bridge was like a religious experience. Some day I'll tell you about the "souvenir" shop there, quite hilarious.
I also enjoyed the movie.
"Eaters of the Dead" or "Thirteenth Warrior" by Michael Crighton.
Hmm, this is an interesting book. Apparently, the idea of the book came from a dare to show that Beowolf was based on historical fact. Crighton couldn't prove it, so instead he decided to write a book about a first-hand account of the events of Beowolf by an outsider. It is based on an actual translation of a text by an Arab sent north on a diplomatic mission, but then Crighton fictionalizes the account to have this Arab meet up with Norsemen and fight Grendel with them. It is really hard to tell where the real text ends and the fictionalization begins.
While the book starts out rather slow, it is a quick read- short and easily followed. I think I would recommend it.
Joy, I do remember you writing about your trip to the Bridges now that you mention it. I think that is why I had the book on my "to read" list. I will have to find Roseman bridge the next time I'm in Iowa!
"Mama's Bank Account" by Kathryn Forbes.
This was one of my grandmother's books that have been handed down through the family. It was published in 1943 and has apparently been a best-seller since, although I've never heard of it before. It is a collection of short stories from the author's childhood, most focusing on the role of her mother and the trials of the Norwegian immigrant family in San Francisco.
It is very easy reading and is actually aimed at a younger audience- around 10 and 12 year olds I think. However, it is worth reading as an adult and recommended.
"Nights of Rain and Stars" by Maeve Binchy.
This book was recommended to me by a friend. It is about a group of tourists from different countries on a small island in Greece who are brought together by a tragedy on the island. They begin talking to each other and the residents of the island and become friends. Each of them is running or hiding from someone/something and at some point are convinced to face up to whatever it is that they are afraid of.
It is well-written, for the most part, and an interesting story line. Only two real critiques: 1. it bounces from character to character throughout the whole book, which is rather annoying. 2. Some of the conversations are a little unnatural. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading it and recommend it.
"Sweetblood" by Pete Hautman.
This is a novel for teenagers rather than adults, but I still found it to be pretty good. It is about a 16 year-old girl with diabetes who has a theory that vampire myths developed from people dying from diabetes, long before medical advances allowed for successful treatment of the disease. Because of this, she considers herself to almost be a vampire, since she has diabetes. She starts dressing in black and frequenting vampire chat rooms online and gets mixed up with some pretty messed-up people.
Basically, it is a book about teen angst and one girl's struggle to come to terms with being a teenager with diabetes. It is a very quick read and her theory about vampires just being people dying from diabetes is pretty interesting. However, not recommended for my fellow book-clubbers. Chances are, if you didn't like Twilight you probably wouldn't like this book either. :-)
"Double Take: Votes for Women" by Belinda Hollyer.
Again, this book is written for teenagers rather than adults, but is still worth reading for adults. Also, it is non-fiction, so it isn't exactly in keeping with our book club guidelines. It compares two sides of the fight for women's suffrage in the UK- Henry Asquith, Prime Minister for several years of the struggle and staunch anti-suffragist, and Sylvia Parkhurst, one of the leading suffragists. It alternates back and forth between the two sides from the early 1900s to the passage of the Suffrage Bill in 1918.
The English suffrage movement was much more militant than that of the US but otherwise follows a very similar course. If you are at all interested in the rights of women or the suffrage movement in the US, then I recommend this as additional reading. Oh, the best part is that it has pictures. I always like to see pictures of the people I read about.
"Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days" by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
What a disappointing book. What an ANNOYING and disappointing book. Okay, now part of it is my fault. After reading the back of the book, I assumed it was going to deal with the last days of earth because of global warming. Rather like "The Day After Tomorrow". I quickly found out that it was referring to the last days of earth for religious reasons. However, I thought maybe it would be kind-of like "Da Vinci Code". When I figured out it was much more preachy and less.. umm, interesting, then I should have just stopped reading. But I didn't. Ergh. What a waste of time.
It starts out well enough. It begins on an airplane when half the passengers are found suddenly missing, although their clothes are still in their seats. When the pilot lands the jet, they find out that people are missing all around the world, leaving behind all sorts of catastrophes. The book focuses on the pilot of the jet, the stewardess, and a passenger who is a journalist. They are all searching to find their families and to find out what happened. Then, about 100 pages into the book, the pilot "finds God" and determines that what happened is the Rapture of Christ, when Christ takes all the good Christians to heaven and everyone else is left behind. From there it is all downhill. The plot deteriorates as the authors find ways of making most of the main characters suddenly see the light and become born-again Christians. It also becomes very preachy. To top it all off, if leaves you hanging at the end BECAUSE this is a whole series. The next book is called "Tribulation Force". Yikes. I won't be reading that and I strongly recommend that you do NOT read this book.
"The Book Club: Just Desserts" by Nancy Noel Marra.
I picked this book up because it was about a book club and I thought it might be fun to read about another book club. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The writing was very simplistic and rather corny and the book was very, very short. The back cover promised good discussion of books and good desserts (the author includes the recipe for the dessert they ate at each meeting). I haven't tried any of the dessert recipes, but the discussion of the books is very brief. Typically only a page or two of discussions, with little to no details. Really just a summary of the main points they discussed.
They discussed about 1 book per month and a half/two months for approximately one year:
"The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne
"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
"Waiting to Exhale" by Terry McMillan.
"The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
"River Cross My Heart" by ? Clarke.
"The Beardstown Ladies" by ?.
I've read "Scarlet Letter" and "Joy Luck Club", but am considering possibly choosing one of the other selections for a future selection. My next selection, after Angie's pick, will be "The Robber Bride" by Margaret Atwood.
Anyway, not recommended.
"Katarina Witt: Only With Passion" by Katarina Witt and E.M. Swift.
I've alwayss liked Katarina Witt, since I was a little girl watching her skate in the Olympics. In fact, she is my favorite female skater of all time, with Christy Yamaguchi a close second. With that said, I really enjoyed this book. It is a cross between fiction and non-fiction. The character with whom she is talking is fictional, but everything she says about her life is true. For example, she mentions her skating experiences in the Olympics, some of her past relationships (including Richard Dean Anderson of McGyver fame), and her experiences living in East Germany when the wall came down.
It is written very accessibly, probably mostly due to Swift's contribution, but you can still sense Katarina Witt coming through. I would recommend it if you like her skating (it has some photos inside of some of her favorite moments on the ice), if you are interested in the thoughts of a two time Olympic gold medalist, or if you are interested in learning a little bit more about life in East Germany pre- and post- Wall.
Movie Review: "Thirteenth Warrior", based on Crighton's "Eaters of the Dead".
As usual, the movie was not as good as the book. It was much more focused on the fight scenes than some of the more subtle exchanges between the Arab and the Norsemen. Eh. Not really worth seeing.
"A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf.
As you have probably seen, this book really got me thinking, with the result that I started a post to see what you think! While technically not fiction, in this speech/book she is discussing women and fiction so it is pretty close. :-)
The book is actually the print version of a speech/talk about women and fiction that she gave in 1928. In it, Woolf discusses several aspects of women and fiction ranging from how women are portrayed in fiction by men, how they are portrayed by other women, famous female authors, etc..
What caught my attention is when she discusses the differences between how men and women write. Granted, this was spoken/written in 1928 and a lot has changed since then. However, I still think she makes an interesting point. She posits that women use more suggestion and inuendo in their writing with often shorter sentences and much left unsaid. While men use longer sentences and just give the information in a straight-forward fashion. Furthermore, the best authors (she specifically mentions Shakespeare and Shelley) combine the two elements and are androgenous (neither too much man or too much woman in their writing). It really made me think about current authors and how they write.
As an aside, I asked Ken what he thought about this theory and he thought it was still true today. He also said that was why he didn't like reading my "female" authors. :-)
"Saul and Patsy" by Charles Baxter.
Okay, so I didn't actually finish reading this book because I got so frustrated with it by page 100 that I gave up. It started out okay, a young couple moves to a small town in Michigan and play a lot of scrabble and have a lot of sex. Then the husband goes into a depression and the next 80 pages is him whining when he really has nothing to whine about. How annoying. Thus, I stopped reading.
Obviously, not recommended
Movie Review: "I Remember Mama" based on the book "Mama's Bank Account" by Kathryn Forbes.
This is a really old movie- black and white in fact. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, not being a fan of older movies. However, I thought it was done very well. It followed the book pretty closely and really captured the feeling of the book. In addition, it wasn't corny or overacted as many old movies were.
"Lochinvar Luck" by Albert Payson Terhune.
This is another one of the books from my grandmother's collection of old books: it was published in 1923. It is also a book for young adults rather than adults. With that said, I actually had a really fun time reading it!
It is seven chapters that I think were published separately as short stories because they are all very self-contained. Put together, they chronicle the adventures of a Scottish man in the US and is collie, Lochnivar Bobby. Each chapter is a new adventure beginning with his acquisition of Lochnivar Bobby, when the collie was stolen by another collie breeder, when the man was injured in the wilderness and Bobby had to find help, etc.
You might have to be a dog lover to enjoy it, but for an older book for young adults I really had a hard time putting it down! So, I recommend it.
"Spilling Clarence" by Anne Ursu.
This was one that Angie had sent me (thanks again!). For the most part, I liked it; although I lost interest a little bit in the middle when everyone was reliving their memories. And it did not go at all the way I had expected it to go at first.
I found it funny that the factory had three smoke stacks (as does the nuclear plant near our house here in MI) and that the university was Mansfield University. I could perfectly picture the nuclear plant here across from Mansfield University in PA. Led to some interesting mental pictures.
My favorite character had to be the little girl, Sophie. Her thoughts were wonderful. I found Bennie and Susannah completely frustrating and Todd reminded me of a Todd we have in our department at WMU. Very analytical but maybe not the most socially accomplished person.
Anyway, thanks for sending it to me, Angie. Have you read any others by Ursu?
"He Sees You When You're Sleeping" by Mary and Carol Higgins Clark.
Another disappointment. I'd read a couple of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark and enjoyed them so I thought I would try a book. I'm not sure if it is because it is a Christmas book or because she is writing with Carol H. C., but I found this rather boring.
The idea is interesting- a man is sent back to Earth by the Heavenly Council to help someone before they let him into heaven. He decides to help a little girl by bringing her father and grandmother home (they are in a witness protection program while they wait for a trial in which they are the key witnesses). But, eh. The writing style is rather choppy and the plot just never really picks up. Not recommended.
"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Okay, so I wasn't going to read this series about vampires. After all, how many GOOD books about vampires are there? Not that many. However, friends of ours coerced us to watch the series TrueBlood with them (we don't actually like the tv series very much but don't want to hurt their feelings by telling them, so we keep watching it). I noticed that the series is based on books, and heaven knows I can't resist that. So, I checked out the books online and all the reviewers said the books were much, much better than the show. So I broke down and read the first book.
This book is the same general plot as the first season of TrueBlood. Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic waitress who lives in a small town in Louisiana. Due to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires have come out of the coffin (so to speak) and become legal members of society. A vampire named Bill moves back to this small town at the same time that women are mysteriously being murdered. Sookie becomes enamoured of Bill because she can't read his thoughts (and therefore it is peaceful to be around him) while at the same time she wonders if he is the one committing the murders? There are some other subplots as well, involving Sookie's brother Jason and another vampire named Eric.
It is SO much better than the show. The show is violent, intense, and over-acted with little character development. The books are much more light-hearted (with humour and everyday comments/situations), much less violent, and develop the characters, especially the main character (Sookie) a lot more. In fact, I read the book in one day (it was only a couple hundred pages anyway) and look forward to starting the second in the series today.
If you are into vampire or fantasy novels, which I know that Angie and Joy aren't, then I recommend the book. Joy, it is more adult and a lot less whiny than Twilight.
"Living Dead in Dallas" and "Club Dead" by Charlaine Harris.
No, I won't post on every one of the Sookie Stackhouse series- I'll stop after this comment, unless there is something spectacular I have to share or I'll explode.
Angie, these books remind me a lot of the Plum series. I realized this the other night as I was literally shaking the bed with laughter and Ken commented that I hadn't laughed like that since I read the last Plum novel. So, replace Stephanie, Joe, and Ranger with Sookie, Bill, and Eric. Then replace bonds agent and detective with telepath and vampire. Same witty conversations/thoughts (ex: "It was one of God's jokes that he put such a dumb mind in such an eloquent body"), same crazy situations (ex: a Norse vampire dressed as a queen at an orgy party or a dead werewolf wrapped in a green shower curtain with little fish on it), same love triangle (Bill is committed to relationship and Eric just wants sex).
Differences? WAY, WAY, WAY more sex in the Stackhouse novels (in fact, I think Ken is going to read them just for the sex scenes- typical man). And there are more serious, suspenseful moments. I thought the second and third books were even better than the first and am looking forward to the rest.
"American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld.
I had thought of choosing this book as a book club book but Angie had shot it down because it is modeled after the life of Laura Bush. However, it is so good and there is so much in it that we could have discussed!
Being a liberal to the left of most liberals, I expected to be disgusted by it. Afterall, I'm not a fan of George W. Bush (or H.W. either, for that matter)- what could I get out of a novel about his wife. What could the wife of G.W.B. have to say that I could have any meaning for me? I was wrong. I could almost now be a fan of Laura Bush. In fact, I just ordered a biography of her, just to see how much of the novel was probably true to real life.
It starts out with the words "Have I made terrible mistakes?" and then ends with the same question. The book is a justification of her marriage and support (as a democrat and pro-choice woman) of her husband during his presidency and the years leading up to the presidency. She argues that she married for love and compromised to make her marriage work. Maybe they weren't the best compromises, but they were the best she could do at the time.
Highly recommended, regardless of your political persuasion.
"Grand Finale" by Janet Evanovich.
As Angie would say, "meh." Bland plot, mostly bland writing. Obviously one of her first. You can see the blueprints of characters for the Plum Series (namely Grandma Mazur), but they aren't fully fleshed out. Goes to the bookstore to be sold on Saturday. Don't waste your time reading it.
"Bite", an anthology featuring Laurell Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and others.
I'm torn on whether to keep this book. I really enjoyed the Hamilton and Harris stories (Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse characters). The others were okay. What has me wondering is because the 4th story is, I believe, considered fantasy erotica (i.e. a lot of explicit sex). None of the other stories really have much sex. I feel like I'd be putting porn on my shelves. This wouldn't be an issue, but I have people borrowing books off my shelves- people like my neighbors girls. Last year one of the girls borrowed "Virgin or Vamp" for a school project, but at least that was an academic book on how the media portrays rape victims. Hmm. Have to consider this more, I think. Anyway, not recommended unless you are a fan of fantasy OR of Anita Blake/Sookie Stackhouse.
I read the first Sookie Stackhouse, Dead Until Dawn, in about 24 hours, and LOVED IT. I'm so glad I got the first 3 in the series because I read Living Dead in Dallas and Club Dead yesterday. Yes, both of them. I think Harold must be feeling a little ignored, because I did nothing but read all day.
Joy, if you think of reading these, get the first FOUR, becuase there is quite a "leave you hanging" moment at the end of book 3 and I'm dying over here!! =)
I haven't had as many laugh out loud moments as I have with the Plum series, but I think that one didn't really get off the ground until book 4, so I have high hopes for the next few installments.
M, you were totally right about the Sookie/Bill/Eric triangle and about them being more grown up than Twilight. They are a little more gory than I'd like, but I guess that comes with the vampire territory.
HIGHLY recommended.
Angie- frankly, I read the series so fast that I've blurred the books together, but I think that #4was my favorite. It furthers the Sookie/Eric storyline into fun places. :-)
I had bought the 1-7 boxed set to start and book #7 also leaves you hanging so I was on pins and needles until # 8 showed up. Then it turned out that #8 was one of my least favorites. Book 9 is the last in the series (only available in hardcover- but completely worth the purchase. It was much better than #8) until May, when #10 is supposed to come out. There is a little bit of a leave-you-hanging feeling between #9 and #10, but nothing I can't live with. :-)
I can't remember if they get funnier- I'm thinking not, but the plots get more involved and great new characters emerge (I love Sookie's roommate in a couple of the later novels). The violence continues, but you get used to it. I'm not sure whether that is a good thing- in fact, I'm pretty sure it's not.
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