"Dead and Gone" Book 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris, and "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding" a bunch of wedding related short stories by various fantasy/science fiction writers.
First of all, "Dead and Gone"- so, so good. I got it in the mail at 11 AM and couldn't put it down (at least, until I finished it at 2PM). It brings together most of the characters from the series in one way or another and brings closure to some issues from earlier in the series. It also includes a fairy war that leaves all the major characters changed somehow, which is a great way to advance the series without adding or subtracting characters or getting repetitive. Unfortunately, now I have to wait until May for the release of the next book in the series.
"My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding" had some really fun stories in it. My favorite one featured CimSims, which are animated corpses that are "programmed" to represent a character from a movie, who are then "owned" by entertainment centers. In addition to just being a fun idea, the story touches on their political/civil rights (are they people or property? can they be murdered/murder?), and ethical dilemmas surrounding the creatures(do they have "real" feelings or only their programmed feelings? should they have the right to the pursuit of happiness?). It was kind-of a fun thought experiment. Overall, though, this book is getting sold. Too many of the stories were just "eh".
Yes, these are more fantasy books. Both the author of the Twilight Series and thee Sookie Stackhouse Series recommended this series as the "first" real vampire novels with a female protagonist. They're good, but much gorier and more violent than the others I've read so I probably won't keep them (because I probably won't reread them) and I won't post about them again after this particular comment (there are about 15 books in the series).
The story line, if you are interested, is that Anita Blake is an animator (raises zombies from the grave for pay, which is legal in the Anita universe) and a vampire slayer (only sanctioned kills with a warrant issued by the Justice Department). She also works as a supernatural expert for a special division of the police department. Because she straddles the line between the supernatural and human world, she works as a liaison between the supernatural community (vampires, shapeshifters, voodoo witches) and the human community, but also frequently ends up on someone's hit list. What I find endearing about the character is that she frequently quotes Dr. Suess in odd, but often fitting, situations, and collects stuffed penguins even though she is supposed to be this bad-ass killer.
I wouldn't suggest reading these unless you are already into this type of story line. They are edgy and well-written, but, as I mentioned before, also quite violent.
This is one of Ken's suggestions and it has been driving him crazy that it has taken me almost a month to finish reading it because I kept putting it aside for my vampire series novels. Truthfully, I really just didn't get that into it until the last 100pages.
The story line is actually pretty good- it is about a mining company drilling in the Pacific Ocean and they are causing earthquakes in CA. An underwater research company goes to investigate what the mining company is doing and tries to stop them from further blasting (because the fear is that CA will fall off into the ocean). An underwater water between the two companies occurs. What lost me is that there is a lot of technical detail about the mining, submarines, blast sites, etc. that I kept getting bogged down in. Kind of a MD problem. :-) Otherwise, not a bad book.
What is fun about this book is it is directly tied to ABC's show "Castle". In the first season of the show, Richard Castle follows detective Beckett (female) around for background for a book he's writing. In the first episode of the second season, he releases the book "Heat Wave" to the public and Beckett gets a chance to read it. At the same time, ABC actually released this book in real life (and I finally got around to read it). It has the picture of the actor (Nathan Fillion) that plays Castle on the back, the dedication to Beckett, everything that is shown on the television show. In fact, I tried to find somewhere in the book where it told who actually wrote it and couldn't.
The book, then, is about a reporter (Rook) who follows around a detective (Nikki Heat) because he is writing an article on her team. If brings together what happened in a lot of the shows from the first season, including witty diaologue. EXCEPT, in the book Heat and Rook end up having sex and developing a relationship, while on the show Beckett and Castle aren't to that point yet. Very amusing.
The writing is okay, but the book is very short- less than 200 pages. If you like Castle, you should read the book. Otherwise, probably not worthwhile.
This one was actually much better and much shorter than "Shirley". :-) It was also very different from the other Bronte novels. This was Charlotte Bronte's first novel, before even Jane Eyre. No-one would publish it while she was alive, however, because they thought it was too dull. It doesn't have the emotional intensity of the other novels, but I thought it was interesting enough.
It is very straight forward. An educated, but poor, man from England takes a position teaching in a school in Brussels. There he meets a woman, falls in love, and gets married. The end. Very exciting, eh? It is well written, I thought. Although there is a lot of dialogue in French. My French feels refreshed after reading this book, but it would be really annoying if you didn't know French.
Not recommended, since you are not fans of Bronte!
This is on most "Best Books Ever" lists, yet is only 120 pages long. It follows a Swedish family that is trying to make a living on a Nebraska farm, specifically the daughter and youngest son of 3 boys. It follows them from childhood, when their father dies and leaves the farm to them, to when they are in their middle age. Obviously (lengthwise), it leaves out large periods of time and focuses on three time periods in their lives.
Overall, I really liked it, but I can't say why. Much of it is rather depressing and yet, somehow, hopeful as well. The ending is sad/hopeful just as the rest of the book.
I couldn't help but laugh, "The Professor" by Charlotte Bronte wasn't published because the publishers thought it was too dull!!!! Oh my, I can only imagine what my thoughts would be......
I had read O Pioneers years ago and liked it then too.
"Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I heard good things about this book from several different sources and finally read it. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I started it, because I seriously thought to myself, "Just one or two chapters and then I'll get out the sewing machine and do up that mending." Yeah. I read the first two chapters and then finished the book. I got up once to make lunch and then sat down while it was microwaving and completely forgot about it. I had to reheat my lunch after I finished the book. Yeah, that good.
Okay, so the book setting is that North America was destroyed with wars and natural disasters and this the time AFTER those events. A new government has been set up in the Rocky Mtns, which controls 13 districts that cover North America. The government set up Hunger Games to reinforce their control over the districts. Basically, once a year, two teenagers (one boy, one girl) and chosen from each district via a lottery system (that favors the wealthy, of course) and sent to the Hunger Games. The teenagers are put in a man-made arena and told to battle to the death. The victor of the games gets fame and their district gets food from the capital for the year (while the other districts go hungry).
The story follows a 16 year old girl from District 12, who volunteers to go to the Games in place of her 12 year old sister. A boy who has been kind to her in the past is also chosen to go to the games. The book follows her ethical dillema about whether to kill these other innocent kids (who are trying to kill her) and especially the boy from her district, who has always been kind to her and her family. Yet, she has promised her sister she will come home, so how can she not kill to survive? It also covers the conflict between wealth and poverty within the districts and between the districts and the central government, and the perils of control by a totalitarian central government.
I really liked how it covered so many topics that are pertinent today in a fantasy world and also that the main character was a strong, resilient young woman who struggles to be strong in a hard world and yet not take advantage of the weak. She makes a much better literary role model than Bella from Twilight and yet this book has got a lot less hype.
The first few books were the best in this series, at least so far (and according to other reader's reviews- this will stay true), although I did like the plot to Book 8. The problem is that the books have become even more violent and pornographic. The plots are still good and I still like the characters, but they are just getting too graphic to be really enjoyable, especially when it is at the expense of the plot. If they get much worse, I will probably not finish the series. It is really a shame, I think, because the idea, characters, and many of the plots could easily stand on their own without the graphic violence and sex.
"Catching Fire" (Second Hunger Games Book) by Suzanne Collins.
I felt a little silly checking this book out of the Children's Collection at WMUs library but justified by the fact that many adults read Harry Potter (including me).
It wasn't as good as the first book, mostly because it felt a little rushed. I wonder if she was pressured to release the second book early? Otherwise, I can't say much about it without ruining the ending of the first book. I will say that it leaves you REALLY hanging on a bad note at the end so I am anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in August.
Okay, I bought this book in the $1 section of Bargain books because I liked the author's name and the title of the book. It was okay.
It's about a female FBI agent in Richmond, Virginia, who is investigating a case where a Black man and a White cop fall to their deaths from the roof of a factory in the middle of a protest. No one will admit to seeing what happened. The Black community blames the cop and the cops blame the Black man.
It is a little religiousy and the writing is rather abrupt, with short chapters, short sentences, and underdeveloped characters. If it is her first book, not bad. If it isn't her first then she needs to work on her writing if she wants a bestseller.
Anita Blake Books, 10-15, by Laurell Hamilton I know, I know, I said that I wouldn't keep reading them if they got any worse. They have gotten worse and I am still reading them. As I justified myself to Ken, "But I like so many of the characters now!" Seriously, in addition to the main character, there are about 10 or so characters that play large roles and appear in every book and have their own subplots. I love the characters, but am not loving the violence and graphic sex/orgy scenes. Only two books till I finish the series and then I am calling it quits (at least until another book comes out. These books have some interesting twists. For one, the ex-Catholic, formerly monogamous main character has become a succubus and thus needs to have sex frequently (thus the dramatic increase in sex scenes).
"The Crying Rocks", by Janet Lisle. This is another book for young adults. What can I say, I'm still young at heart. It is about a 14 yr old girl, who was adopted at the age of 5 when she turned up living with a crazy woman at a train depot. She doesn't remember anything before she was adopted and is told rather conflicting stories by her adoptive parents. She meets a boy in school who tells her she looks like an Indian girl in a painting in the library. They start researching the tribe of Indians and hiking to old ceremonial sites and other sites in myths about the Indians (for example, the Crying Rocks). At the end of the book, she learns her own story. It was a good plot, but the writing was a bit weak.
This is (sort-of) a biography about Laura Bush. I was inspired to read it after I read Sittenfeld's "American Wife". I say it is sort-of a biography because it is written very conversationally and not chronologically, probably because it is written by a reporter who has covered Laura Bush since her husband's election to the White House. It was rather interesting reading but you don't really come away knowing much more about Laura Bush.
There are two quotes from the book that I have to share. The first is actually about George W. Bush, "In his one-on-one relationships, George Bush was not the sort of conservative to impose his will on anybody else. He saved that for public policy (p. 80).
And, about Laura Bush, "Reading for pleasure, she once said, is her one vice." Yup, got that covered.
This is listed as one of the top 100 novels of all time on almost every list. I beg to differ. I found it dull pretty much the whole way through. To give you an idea of how dull- I've been reading it since November.
It is supposedly a good book because it is one of the first examples of literary realism. Uh-huh. It showed how dull and unsatisfying marriage can be, the perils of reading romance novels, and how affairs outside of marriage can ruin your life. Right. It was dull. I don't want to read about a boring, unsatisfying marriage that plows on for 200 pages. Maybe it's because I read too many romance novels...
Not recommended. Though I would love your comments if you've read it already.
"Storm Front" (Harry Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher.
This is the first in a series about Harry Dresden, a private investigator who is also a wizard. He investigates supernatural crimes with the police and takes on private cases that take on supernatural elements.
This is also Butcher's first novel, which can be seen in the writing. Occasionally it seems a bit unpolished and a little overdone. However, I still really enjoyed the book. There is a lot of wit, plenty of action, and what I look for most in sci-fi books- the characters and situations are believable even though they are sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, especially if his writing improves.
Ken also really enjoyed this book. Recommended with reservations.
This is actually non-fiction, but is a fascinating read. Collins is an op-ed writer for the New York Times, who chronicles women's journey for equality from the 1960s to present day. Each chapter is made up of smaller segments (columns, I'm guessing) that deal with a particular topic that relates to the main chapter. She highlights different women and their individual stories and then ties those stories into overall trends and events. It is easy to read and will both make you proud to be a woman and depress you.
What a great book. This is the true account of Jackie Spinner's time in Iraq in 2004 as a news correspondant for the Washington Post. She is sent, as a rookie reporter, to cover the court marshal of one of the soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal and stays in Iraq for more than 9 months- covering the Fallujah offensive and the first major Iraqi elections as well as other stories.
In the book she talks a little about the stories she covers but even more about day-to-day life in Iraq as an American, especially as violence escalates to the point where she is basically a prisoner in the Post headquarters. She talks about her relationship with the Iraqi translators and staff and what it is like to be the only female in a house of male staff, guards, and journalists. It is both hearbreaking at times, funny at others (trying to explain that a tampon is not a bomb at a checkpoint, when she doesn't speak Arabic and the guard doesn't speak English), and generally a fascinating read.
Definitely recommended- Ange, I'll be sending it to you eventually.
This book is scary and depressing, mostly because it is non-fiction. It is hard to believe that it happens and is still happening today. Duff Wilson is a Seattle reporter recruited by a group of citizens in Quincy Washington to help them investigate hazardous waste being turned into fertilizer. In short, they find out that it is LEGAL for hazardous waste, ranging from ash from smelters, steel residues, incinerated tires, to nuclear waste, to be "recycled" into fertilizer. Some fertilizer companies remove the heavy metals from the waste but most just mix it with acid and turn it into pellets to be sold as fertilizer. This type of fertilizer is banned by the EU and heavily regulated in Canada, but is unregulated and untested in the US. Still.
The group of citizens, including the Mayor of Quincy, help bring this issue to the attention of the EPA, environmental groups, and the nation in the 1990s. The result? Today, it is still happening. Those citizens? Discredited and bankrupted by the industry representatives. All but one eventually left Quincy because they faced so much anger and abuse from local farmers.
I highly recommend the book because it is really an eye-opener. It is also very easy to read, as Wilson has it set up as a narrative from when the citizen group start talking to each other to the outcome (or lack thereof) by 2001, when the book was published. Unfortunately, it is not a happy ending, though.
"Grave Sight" by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Harper Connelly books.
This was a fun book, not quite as good as the Sookie novels, in my opinion, but close. It is about a woman who can sense dead bodies, after having been struck by lightening as a child. She, with her brother, who manages her "business" take cases, often consisting of finding missing bodies. This book is about a case to find a girl's missing body, but the case spirals out of control and Harper and her brother are stuck in the town until it is resolved. A very quick read.
"Fool Moon" by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, Book 2).
Another fun book from Butcher, with witty lines, strange characters, and an interesting plot. The writing on this book is a bit better than the first, but it is also more violent and less light-hearted.
As I plan on reading the series, from here out I'll do summaries by groups of books- next up 3-5, as I do for Anita Blake.
"Emma Brown" by Charlotte Bronte and Clare Boylan.
Okay, so before you stop reading based on the fact that this is ANOTHER Bronte novel, most of it was written by Clare Boylan and it is really good. Really, really good, in fact.
Charlotte Bronte wrote the first two chapters and then died, leaving it unfinished. Clare Boylan, an Irish author who has written several novels prior to undertaking this project, was asked to finish the book and it was subsequently published in 2003.
In the first two chapters, Bronte introduces us to the narrator, a widow who is happily living in a small town, and sets up a mystery. A young girl is brought to a boarding school in the town and left there, but her "guardian" disappears and the mistresses of the school discover that she is not who she is supposed to be. A middle-aged bachelor in the town takes an interest in the girl and decides to solve the mystery. She, meanwhile, has no memory of who she is. Thus the story is set up, but not finished, and there is no indication of how Bronte intended to finish it.
Clare Boylan takes over and writes a tale in which all of these characters are brought together, in many fascinating and unexpected ways. Meanwhile, the reader learns of the seedier side of London: sex trafficking, drug use, and the workhouses. In addition, Boylan draws parallels between the women on the streets, women in the society, and women in marriage that are sad because they are true. The end is satisfying, even though it does not adhere to the happy endings of most love stories.
So, highly recommended. Even if you don't like Charlotte Bronte (as our new subtitle implies), I think you'll like this book. :-)
Ken recommended this to me, but in this case I don't agree with him. In fact, I never even finished the book. From the cover, I should have loved it. It was about the recovery of a Russian nuclear submarine by an American dive company. However, the writing was amateur and the plot weak. IN addition, the author jumped around so that there did not seem to be a continuous storyline. I eventually gave up. Not recommended.
However, I have also reread 1-9 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels and REALLY enjoyed them for a second time. :-)
"Grave Surprise" by Charlaine Harris. The 2nd of the Harper Connelly books.
The writing and plot were even better in this book than in the first. In this book Harper finds the body of a young girl by accident; a girl whose case she had worked months before and never found. The book follows the investigation into how the girl got there and how she died. What makes this book interesting, I think, is that we begin to see a real shift in her relationship with her brother (who is a step-brother- they are not related by blood). Where will this go? I can't wait to find out. Unfortunately, there are only four books in this series, so far. Number 3 is on its way through ILL. :-)
"An Ice Cold Grave" by Charlaine Harris (Book 3 of the Harper Connelly series
I've been getting books through MeLCat (a Michigan libraries exchange program) and then I have to read them quickly because I don't get to keep them for very long. Luckily, all of them have been very good so far, so it really hasn't been too much of a burden. :-)
"Grave" was, like the others, very good. I just enjoy Harris's writing. In this installment of the Connelly chronicles, she discovers a mass burial site of teenage boys in a small S. Carolina town. The book centers around her and the police attempting to find the serial killer before he kills again. Also, her relationship with her step-brother develops more and we learn a bit more about their past. Very good.
"Outlander" was an excellent book for a first novel. The author, Gil Adamson, is pretty widely published in short fiction and poetry, but this is her first full-length novel. It begins with a young (19 yrs old) widow running for her life in the Rocky Mtns in the late 1800s. She has murdered her abusive and philandering husband and is running from his two twin brothers. The entire novel is a cat-and-mouse of her being pursued by them through the mountains. Along the way she meets all kinds of people and almost dies several times. As much as I'd like to tell you more, I won't give away the ending. The writing is very good, the plot both moves quickly and also meanders, if you know what I mean? It is neither constant overwhelming action and drama, nor does it leave the reader bored. Not a book that I'll buy and keep on the shelves, but definitely a good read. Recommended.
Apparently Harris likes to dabble in various related genres. The Sookie Stackhouse series is fantasy with vampires and shifters; the Harper Connelly series is more science fiction and has no vampires or shifters but has telepaths and psychics; the Aurora Teagarden books, so far, are just murder mysteries- no special powers or fantastical (is this a word?) creatures.
However, even without psychics and shifters, they are a fun read. In this book, the first, we are introduced to Aurora Teagarden, a 28 year old librarian in a mid-sized town. One of her hobbies is a club called 'Real Murders' where the participants discuss and try to solve historical murders after reading about them and sometimes watching movies about them. Except thenn members of the club start dying in murders that replicate historical murders. Is one of the club members responsible? And who will be next? It is set up like a typical murder mystery with clues pointing fingers in many different directions and a dramatic finish. Of course, Harris's writing is just as fun and her characters just as relatable. In fact, I really like the idea of a mild-mannered librarian as the protoganist. Someone who would rather be at home reading about murder investigations than involved in them. :-)
As per usual, recommended for Harris fans and murder mystery fans.
"Grave Peril" by Jim Butcher (book 3 of Dresden files) and "Grave Surprise" by Charlaine Harris (book 4 and last book of Harper Connelly series)
A lot of "grave" books this week. :-) Both by authors I like and both from series I like. "Grave Surprise" wraps up the Harper Connelly series and ties up a lot of loose ends in a pretty interesting plot twist. Interesting and well-written, but not as much fun as the prior 3 books.
"Grave Peril" was longer than the first 2 books and was action packed from start to finish. However, not as much fun and less character development. We meet new characters and there are some interesting plot twists, but we just don't see much of the characters from the first two. In addition, the main character seems a little whiny and repetitive in this book. Hopefully book 4 gets back to the fun, fascinating Harry Dresden we met in the first two books.
Recommended in my Ms. Magazine. It is about a young girl in Nigeria, whose father is a wealthy, Catholic Nigerian who believes in corporal punishment of his children and spousal abuse to ensure an iron hand of control in his household. The book is set during a time of turmoil in Nigeria when the government is in flux and people are being killed for speaking out against the government.
Kamili and Jaja, her brother, go to visit her aunt, who lives very differently. This visit changes both of their lives and their relationship with their parents.
The book started rather slow, but began moving much faster toward the middle. It is not a happy book, but it is touching and there are some segments that are funny.
Angie, this seems like your kind of book, you might want to consider reading it.
Can you tell that I am on a mission to read all of her books?
This is the first of the Lily Bard series. Like the Aurora Teagarden series, these are just murder mysteries- no fantasy elements, at least not so far. Lily Bard is a woman who cleans houses for a living and therefore knows a lot about the people in the small town of Shakespeare. She also happens to be the survivor of a brutal rape and has moved to Shakespeare to get away from her past. Only the police and a very close friend know about what happened to her.
In this book, the landlord of Shakespeare Garden Apts is murdered and dumped in the park. Lily happens to see the murderer dumping the body and alerts the police with an anonymous phone call. Although she tries to stay out of it, she finds herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the murder investigation.
It was a very short book, only about 200 pages, but the characters, especially Lily, were pretty well developed, I thought. Also, I didn't guess the murderer until the very end, which is always a good thing. Recommended, of course.
"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez, and
"The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood.
I had high hopes for both of these books and was disappointed by each. While I liked "Alias Grace" and "Robber Bride" by Atwood, this book seemed disjointed, slow, and a little dull. Honestly, I just couldn't get into it. The main narrator is an older woman who is reflecting back on her past and her sister's past. The book jumps between her, her recollections, and a couple from the past, who are also talking about a fictional story. It jumped back and forth and by the time I got back to one storyline I had forgotten what had happened in it. Not one of her best, according to me, though I see it won several awards.
"Accent" was recommended by Ms. Magazine and sounded really good. It is about 4 Garcia girls who grew up in America after their family moved here from Dominican Republic. The real problem is that the story moves backward through time (the beginning is set with the adult sisters in the 1970s and it ends with the girls in the 1950s) and jumps back and forth between sisters and situations. I think my problem with both these books is that they jumped around too much and didn't follow a clear path. It is probably as much my hang-up, but I really prefer a chronological and straight-forward story.
This book is headed your way, Angie. Probably Conservatives and fans of G.W. Bush would not enjoy this book because it is making fun of Bush's presidency, but I found it hillarious. It takes actual photos of Bush, Laura Bush, and some high-ranking officials in the Bush administration, and adds captions. Obviously, these captions are not favorable to the administration. :-) For example, in one photo they have Laura Bush with her hands on either side of W's face, and her lips pursed. The caption, "Sometimes the first lady has to help the president form words in the English language". He he. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!
These books were less sex and gore, mostly because they were just less. They were all rather short and unsatisfying plotwise. By now she has introduced so many new recurring characters that we don't get to spend as much time with the older, much-loved characters, which I find disappointing. Plus, the plots are getting less interesting and complex. Is she running out of steam or just feeling the rush? "Skin Trade" released in the fall of 2009, "Flirt" released in February 2010, and I see the next book in the series, "Bullet", is set to release in June 2010. This has to be an extremely demanding schedule. I will probably read the next book but am afraid it will be much like the last few- short and unsatisfying.
"A Bone to Pick" and "Three Bedrooms, One Corpse", books 2 and 3 of the Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris.
I really enjoy this series- even more than the Harper Connelly and Lily Bard series, but not quite as much as Sookie. The main character is great- a librarian all about books and quiet nights at home, who keeps ending up in the middle of murder investigations. The secondary characters are pretty well developed and authentic-feeling. Plus, as murder mysteries, they are fun to try and figure out who done it.
In "Bone", Aurora inherits the estate of a older librarian and finds out that it isn't all good luck, as there is a mysterious murder related to the inheritance that must be solved. She also gets the librarian's cat- which is a hillarious sideline to the main plot. She does whine a bit about being alone and 30, which is annoying at times. Otherwise, great book.
"Bedrooms" is even better. When showing a house for her mother (a realtor), she walks in on a murder. She also meets an exciting man (the client) who she is immediately attracted to (reminds me A LOT of Quinn from Sookie series). Once more she is involved in a murder mystery and wonders if the new man could be the killer? Especially since he has a mysterious past that he doesn't want to discuss.
Recommended. I think you might enjoy this series too, Angie. Maybe not to own, but to get from the library (which is what I've been doing).
"Shakespeare's Champion", 2nd book of the Lily Bard series by Charlaine Harris and
"Jumped" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"Jumped" is really a book for teens, but was recommended for teen readers by Ms Magazine, along with "Hunger Games", which I really enjoyed- so I thought I would try it. This one wasn't quite as good for adults, but I think it would be a great book for teens. It is quite short and covers four young women (all minorities, if I remember correctly) in an urban high school. Each chapter captures a few minutes of one girl's life, as they all move towards one event toward the end of the book- a fight (physical) between two of the girls. I would recommend it for teens to read, boys or girls. I think it captures high school well and is very readable.
"Champion" continues the Lily Bard series and was okay. Lily is involved in yet another murder mystery, except this one is stirring up racial tensions across town because it is the killing of a young black man (assumed to be killed by whites) and then the death of a young white men (assumed to be retribution). Harris really starts to develop the racial relations issues, which I find fascinatinng, but then she gets side-tracked by the love story between Lily and, of course, a strong, handsome detective. Part of the reason I got annoyed at this part was because the detective and the dynamic between the two was VERY similar to the recent love interest of Aurora Teagarden in the other series. It seemed very repetitive. Plus, it seemed to overshadow the more interesting (in my opinion) race relations issues. I'll probably finish this series, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else. It just isn't as good as the Aurora or Sookie series.
"Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times" by James Garner.
OMG- this book is hillarious. It is very short- only 79 pages and includes reworked versions of 13 classic fairy tales. Let me copy a short excerpt from the beginning of 'Goldilocks' since that will better show what it is like than my explanation:
"Through the thicket, across the river, and deep, deep in the woods, lived a family of bears- a Papa Bear, a Mama Bear, and a Baby Bear- and they all lived together anthropomorphically in a little cottage as a nuclear family. They were very sorry about this, of course, since the nuclear family has traditionally served to enslave womyn, instill a self-righteous moralism in its members, and imprint rigid notions of heterosexualist roles onto the next generation. Nevertheless, they tried to be happy and took steps to avoid these pitfalls, such as nameing their offspring the non-gender-specific "Baby.""
Oh, very recommended. It made me laugh until I cried!
"Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris, the most recent installment of the happenings in Sookieverse.
Oh, so good. I loved it, but I hate that it left us hanging on several issues. How will I last until the next book releases? This book handles the fall-out from the Fairy War and the revelation of the shifters. It also digs deeper into Eric's past and his relationship with Sookie. All with the same humor (several laugh out loud moments, especially when her nephew Hunter comes to visit) and great characters.
I would say that I really recommend it, but I know A has already read it and J probably won't if she hasn't already!
I really, really loved this book. It is based on the true story of Mary Arning, the first person to find the full fossilized remains of the ichysaur, plesiosaur, and pterodactyl. All the characters and events were real, but Chevalier fictionalized the thoughts and fillers to make an excellent novel.
It is told through the alternating perspectives of two women, Mary Arning, who is a girl in the beginning and a woman in the end, and Elizabeth Philpot, a young unmarried woman in the beginning. They share a fascination with hunting for fossils along the coast of a small town in England and become friends. The book follows their friendship and the discovery of the "monsters" and the eventual fame of Mary Arning as a hunter. I make it sound dull, but Chevalier makes it fascinating with great character development, some romance, and intrigue.
It is brand new (published in 2010) and thus maybe a little hard to find in smaller libraries? But definitely worth the effort. I highly recommend this book.
"Shakespeare's Trollope", 4th of the Lily Bard series, and
"The Julius House" and "Dead Over Heels", the 4th and 5th of the Aurora Teagarden series. All by Charlaine Harris.
"Trollope" is about the town trollope who is found murdered by, you guessed it, Lily Bard. It is actually my favorite of this series so far.
"Julius" and "Dead" were my least favorites of the Aurora series so far. Mostly because they murders are second to the personal plotline so they felt more like romances than murder mysteries.
Yes, another vampire novel. About two months ago there was a feature on NPR by a woman who spent the prior six months reading approximately 150 vampire novels. Then she made a list and ranked them, with her commentary. She recommended this book as being a cross between Anne Rice and Laurell Hamilton. So, of course, I had to read it. However, I have mixed feelings about it.
First, although this is the first book Yarbro wrote in the series (of about 20 books) it is not the first chronologically in the life of the main character, the vampire Saint-Germain. I like to read books in the order of the life of the character, so I was a little disappointed when I found out this is actually about midway in the series.
However, the character is based on a real person in history, a real hotel in Paris, and actual events in Paris. Unfortunately, I did not find this out until the very end when I read the historical note. I think I would have enjoyed the book more (plus have explained a few confusing parts of the book) had I known this before.
Finally, it was pretty disturbing and violent. It was about as violent as the Hamilton books, just with fewer pornographic scenes. But the violence in these seem more personal somehow and more disturbing, with Satanic cults and ritual rapes. Not very pleasant reading in many parts, in fact it gave me nightmares. So, before I get involved with the characters, like I did with Anita Blake, I am going to stop reading now.
I can thank Angie for this referral, via one of her friends on facebook. It is about a 12 year old boy who decides he is going to steal fairie gold. He also happens to be a genius and devises an elaborate plan to get the gold.
It was a fun book to read and I look forward to the rest of the series. It is not written as well as "Harry Potter" or "Hunger Games" but it is fun and light-hearted. A great book for kids, although there is some swearing and criminality in it. Of course, I'll be posting on the rest of the series. :-)
This book follows three separate women, who all come together in the end. We meet Iris, a postmistress in a small coastal town in Massachusetts, Emma, a young woman who marries the doctor of the town, and Frankie, one of the few female war correspondants in Europe during the beginning of WWII. One day Emma's husband decides to go to London to help treat the casualties of the Blitz. This decision, ultimately, brings the three women together at the end of the book, to support each other as they each fight their own demons.
It is very well written, especially the broadcasts made by Frankie about the war. While it does not have a happy ending, the ending does fit the story very well and brings together all of the pieces. It is a wonderful book and highly recommended.
"Shakespeare's Counselor", the last of the Lily Bard series, and
"A Fool and his Honey", the 6th of the Aurora Teagarden series.
I found both books disappointing. "Shakespeare" is the last book of the Lily Bard series, and I'm assuming she is not continuing it as this book was published almost 10 years ago, and yet it did not wrap up all the loose ends. I expected the loose ends to be tied up and our characters set, much like what she did in the Connelly series, but it didn't happen. The plot was interesting enough and was actually very feminist, which I liked, but you were left hanging at the end.
My beef with "Fool" is that one of the main characters dies at the end. I hate when authors kill off main characters, especially at the end of a book. At least if they kill them at the beginning then I can adjust to the death, but this just leaves me upset. I can see why she did it, since this character was holding up the overall storyline, but still. The plot was okay, but not one of the best. Two more books left in this series and two non-series books will finish my Harris marathon.
I forgot to mention that there was a Stephanie Plum reference in "A Fool and His Honey". Aurora wakes from being unconscious, after a blow to the head, to find herself in a dark, damp basement. She starts listing all the detectives she's read about and how they would never end up in this situation. Then she thinks of Stephanie Plum and decides that Stephanie probably would have ended up in the same situation and she feels better. :-)
"Last Scene Alive" is the second to last Teagarden mystery by Charlaine Harris.
What is interesting about this book is that it is about a movie star, who is playing Teagarden in a movie about the murders in the first Teagarden book. The actress is, of course, murdered, and Aurora is instrumental in finding out how, why, and by whom. While their is some grieving going on for the character that kicked it in the last book, in general this book is pretty light-hearted and fun.
This is a fabulous book, unless you're a little squeamish about sex. An Idaho girl goes to a New York City school for a creative writing program. While there, she dates some losers and decides she has been picking the wrong men. Thus, she decides that for the next year she is going to say yes to anyone who asks her out. She may or may not have sex with them. And they may not just be men.
It is hillarious and touching and brutally honest. Definitely recommended, again, unless you are a bit squeamish about sex scenes, including masochism and lesbianism.
"The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle" by L.J. Smith.
My confession: I watch the television show "Vampire Diaries" online when I have time. It feels childish, but I really like the show, so the books should be even better, right?
Ugh. Overall, as you can tell from prior postings, I like vampire novels. I don't know why. I even liked the Twilight series, though I agree that it is not very well written. This book (actually the first two of the series combined into one) was not good. The characters were superficial, the writing was immature, and the plot has been done before, and since, better. The television show has little in common with the books, thank goodness. Whereas I typically like shows and movies of books to follow the books closely, I see why they changed it. The shows have improved on the characters, plot, and dialogue. Not that the show isn't also very teen-based and at times immature, but nowhere near as much as the books.
I can't believe I spent money on this book. Hopefully someone else makes the same mistake I did and buys it from me on Amazon. :-)
I am house-sitting for a friend and have the run of her very well stocked bookshelves. I'm trying to read as many books as I can in a week. :-)
I think Tracy Chevalier might be my new favorite author. Like "Remarkable Creatures", this book is historical fiction. It is based on the subject of Verneer's painting of a girl with a pearl earring. In the novel, this is a maid that works in the artist's house. I'm not sure if it is known who the girl is? Many of his subjects were unknown. Anyway, the novels follows her life from the time she became a maid, how she ended up being a subject of the painting, to Vermeer's death.
It is well-written with enough historical details to make it convincing, but not so many that the reader becomes inundated. I had a hard time putting it down! Highly recommended.
"Poppy Done to Death" last book in the Aurora series by Charlaine Harris.
Usually I don't do quotes from non-book club books, but two passages spoke to me.
The main character is a librarian named Aurora, who is always getting involved in murder investigations. In this book, her sister-in-law is murdered. Meanwhile, her younger brother runs away from home and comes to live with her. She is talking about him when she says, "It was hard to believe a brother of mine wasn't a reader. I had never been able to figure out what non-readers did." I've had that same thought umpteen times.
The other quote that caught my eye was by the same character, referencing a moment of annoyance with a male friend, "See, this is why I believe in gun control; because if I'd had a gun, I wouldn't have had much control over my actions." :-) I really enjoy Harris!
One of her first books, it was published in 1988. As such, it was okay. Not brilliant but not terrible either. It is about a female reporter whose parents were recently murdered. She helps investigate more recent murders that are connected.
This is the last of the Harris books for me to read, but one of the first she ever wrote. A model from NYC moves to Georgia and ends up becoming involved in the search for a rapist/murderer in the small town. Not one of her best, so not recommended.
This was a fascinating book that follows a number of characters through several years. The story is told chronologically but jumps from character to character and gives each viewpoint on the occurrences. Unfortunately, it concludes with the deaths of a couple of the main characters and is not a happy ending.
Very good, but not recommended because of the ending.
This is the first book, chronologically, in the Vampire Saint-Germain series. I requested it through ILL and then decided I didn't want to read the series afterall but couldn't cancel the request. So, I read it.
It was, like Hotel Transylvania, very violent with many ghastly deaths and torture. It is set in Ancient Rome during Nero's reign and the reign of the 5 emperors that followed Nero, and includes the building of the Colosseum. As such, this was a violent and bloody time in Rome, with terrible "Games" in the Circus Maximus so to some extent the violence may have been warranted. However, I don't take pleasure in reading about it.
What I did like in this book was all the discussion about the conspiracies and attempts to overthrow the emperor's and the discussion of the historical sites in Rome. Since I just got back from visiting these sites, it was fun to read about them in historical context.
What I really like about this collection of short stories is that the editor gives the complete works of each author at the end, so it's a good way to figure out who you like and then follow up with it. For example, now I know that I really like Kate Chopin and have a list of everything else she's written. Convenient, eh?
Also, some of the authors I now know that I do not like. Gertrude Stein, for one. Several of the stories were really good and others just 'eh'. I'm looking forward to your comment on this book, Angie.
Just for comparison sake, for when you've finished it, my favorite stories were:
"The Story of an Hour" by Chopin. "The Other Two" by Wharton "The Garden Party" by Mansfield and "Everyday Use" bby Walker
My least favorites:
"Miss Furr and Skeene" by Stein, though I did find it fascinating. "Day Old Baby Rats" by Hayden
This is another scary, true story of an environmental disaster being covered up by authorities. In the 1990s, a scientist in North Carolina discovered a toxic dinoflagellate (which is a tiny organism that emits a toxin) in streams and waters that was causing massive fish kills. In addition to killing fish, it was (is, it still exists today) causing health problems in the people exposed to it, ranging from oozing skin lesions to memory loss to extreme mood swings to name just a few. However, the environmental and health agencies in NC denied it existed and worked to discredit the scientist rather than investigate it. This was, in part, because the dinflagellate thrived in nutrient rich waters, for example downstream from hog farms and industries. After litereally YEARS of fish kills and sick people, the national government finally pressures NC to recognize the scientist and take it seriously. In that time period, the dinoflagellate was also found in Delaware and Maryland.
It is so scary because it is a true story AND because the same types of cover-ups happen all over the country. Plus, I got thinking of all the hog farms moving into PA and wonder if they are creating an environment that this dinoflagellate could exist in?
"Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident", book 2 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
This was even better than the first book, in my opinion. All the characters from the first book are back and the relationships between the characters are really developed in this book. Additionally, there is just a lot of action.
However, Colfer does tone Fowl down a little bit. He starts rethinking his criminal wasy and being more considerate of others. Probably a good thing, but it is a little disappointing since I really liked his cold-hearted genius. :-)
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson.
When I first started this book I thought it was great and bought the whole series (I had checked it out of the library, initially). Then it got a rather violent and disturbing and I started to rethink that decision. But it redeemed itself and so I'm glad I bought it. The next two books are on a long waitlist at the library so I am especially glad.
The book starts by following two characers, a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a major corporation owner in Sweden, and a young woman who works at a security agency and does background checks on people. They meet while working on an unsolved murder case (actually, it is a lot more complicated than that, but you get the point) and the book follows their search to find out who the killer was.
This makes it sound very simple but it is anything but. The main character (Lisbeth Salandar) is all sorts of screwed up and I loved her character. One of the better female characters I have read in a while, actually. The plot is complex and fascinating and the writing is very good, even being a translation for the Swedish books. However, there are some pretty violent/sick scenes. They make sense in the context but are still no fun to read.
Recommended, but read at your own risk. I take no responsibility for nightmares.
This is an older book, it was published in 1944. It was bought by my great-grandfather, then passed to my grandmother, then to my mother, and on to me!
Usually, since it is an older book, I would say that, of course, it was pretty tame. However, after Fanny Hill...
This book is the first from the Jalna series, which was apparently very popular- even having a movie and television series made from them! Anyway, this book was rather tame, although it had its romantic intrigues. It follows a young couple, the Whiteoaks (a young English man and Irish wife) from their life in India, with the military, to their life in Ontario, Canada. They buy property in the wilderness in Ontario and build an estate called Jalna- thus the title.
The wife, Adeline, is in someways very stereotypical woman and Irish but she is a lot of fun to read about. The husband is, not surprisingly, very stereotypical husband and English. They meet with a number of friends and acquaintances, some rather quirky, everywhere they go. My biggest issue with the book is that there seemed to be nothing really driving plot. Each chapter dealt with its own situation, but there didn't seem to be one overarching tale being told, thus it seemed to meander.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"- Swedish movie adaptation of the novel.
There is actually an American version of the book in the works, with Kristen Stewart (Twilight actress) tagged as the main character, but that won't be out for quite a while.
The movie was in Swedish, with American subtitles, which in itself was rather fun. There are actually a lot of Swedish words that are identical or nearly identical to English. I wonder how hard it is to learn?
Anyway, it follows the book fairly closely. The biggest differences are that they dropped most of Blomkvist's relationships with other characters and decreased the amount of time he spends in Hedestad. The actor who played Blomkvist (the journalist) did okay but I really liked the actress that played Lisbeth. I thought she did an amazing job. Honestly, I don't see how Kristen Stewart could even compare. It was still pretty violent in movie form and they did show most of the disturbing parts of the novels. Also, it is 2.5 hours long.
If you read the book and like it, then I suggest you watch the movie, mostly because the actress portrays Lisbeth Salandar so well.
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
I debated whether or not to read this book for a long time. I love "Pride and Prejudice", but with zombies (and ninjas, BTW)? I'm glad I read it, though. What a hoot! It was just a fun book to read and made me laugh out loud many times.
What I really liked was that it even had discussion questions at the end, such as "Some critics have suggested that the zombies represent the authors' views toward marriage- and endless curse that sucks the life out of you and just won't die. Do you agree, or do you have another opinion about the symbolism of the unmentionables?"
If you liked "Pride and Prejudice" then I can't see how you wouldn't like this. Just don't take it seriously. :-)
John read Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies while I read Pride and Prejudice. Then we compared the two. I still can not bring myself to read Pride, Prejudice and Zombies for fear that I will take it to seriously and not be able to enjoy it. I have heard that Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies is hilarious but poorly written. But if you are recommending it I may have to try it.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Remarque.
I'm not a big fan of war books, especially after Catch 22, however I never read this in high school or college and it is always listed on top 100 books lists. So, I made myself read it.
I can see why students are asked to read it; it is very thought provoking and has a huge impact. As pleasure reading though, it is a bit intense and disturbing (read into that- it gave me nightmares). It really shows the violence, desperation, and desolation that comes with war.
It was written very well and really shows the reality of war (at least it seems like it does, I've never been in a war to be able to say for sure), so I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. Although, I imagine you've all probably read it before, in which case I wonder what you thought of it? THis is not a book I am ever going to reread, once was enough for me.
And Tracy, I do recommend P&P&Z, just because it is so ludicrous that it is funny. A lot of it is the actual writing of Austen, but with zombies and ninjas added in at sometimes random spots. The basic plotline is still the same, with the exception of Charlotte and Collins, though I kindof enjoyed where he went with that. Like I said, just don't take it seriously and you should be able to enjoy it. :-) I can't wait to hear your comments once you've read it! (No hurry, I know you're a little backlogged right now with FH and DG and LH).
I don't get it. I read the whole play in one sitting; it is very short. Then I spent about 20 minutes online trying to figure out why this is considered one of the great plays of the last century. From what I can tell, it is great because no-one gets it.
It is about two men who are waiting for a third man, Godot, who never actually shows up. In the first act they are waiting and meet with two other men, a master and slave; in the second act, ditto. There are many repetitive lines and nonsensical monologues, a bit similar to Catch 22.
It is from the school of absurdist theater, which is supposed to show the absurdity of life through absurd theater. Um, okay. There have been many interpretations, but Becket is quoted as sayiing that they are all making too much out of something too simple.
I've been working on this book for quite a while. It is really good, but the chapters are VERY short. Some are less than one page. Seriously, there are 137 chapters, which means if you read a book a chpater at a time..., well, you get my point.
Anyway, it is the prequel to Da Vinci Code and follows Robert Langdon's, a Harvard symbologist, quest to uncover an Illuminati plot to destroy the Vatican and religion. It is fascinating, well written, and fast-paced, with many hidden twists and turns. One of my favorite parts is that they show the Illuminati ambigrams in the book. The other is that I just came back from seeing all these places and therefore could picture it in my head really well.
The only thing that I didn't care for in the book is that the it switches frequently between characters and has short chapters. So you might have 5-10 chapters in 10 pages that all cover different characters. As you know from my prior posts, I prefer more straightforward narrative writing. I look forward to reading Da Vinci Code next, after rewatching this movie.
I read DaVinci and Angels out of order (though it doesn't make much difference really). They were both great, but I liked Angels & Demons best. Unlike you, I rather enjoy shorter chapters because they give me easy stopping points.
"Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988-2000.
This is a recommendation of Angie's, dating back to Nat'l Poetry Month. I have read a few of Clifton's poems before but never this particular collection.
I really enjoyed this collection, although several were disturbing. Surprisingly, I liked some of the religious poems the best, in large part because of the way she humanizes biblical figures.
Some of my favorites: Lazarus (second day), Grief, Female, Wishes for Sons, Note Passed to Superman, and Telling Our Stories. I also liked the Lucifer poems. Angie, I know you've read this a couple of times- which are your favorites?
Oh wow, I'm beyond thrilled that someone took me up on my further reading from Nat'l Poetry Month!! I just love how fearless Clifton is with her writing. My favorites are: donor what i think when i ride the train the death of thelma sayles (my personal favorite, it makes me teary every time) wishes for sons eve thinking here yet be dragons leda 1, 2 and 3 leaving fox
Some poets I can only take in small doses. Clifton is one I can sit and read endlessly. Another is Edna St Vincent Millay.
I like the religious poems, but from more of a studious point of view. I like that they make you look up the stories (leda, too), understand them and then relate to the characters. Generally I enjoy poetry that somehow references other literature, so that you get a two-for-one to really understand it.
Eve Thinking and Leaving Fox almost made my favorites list- they were close seconds. I've also read a few of Edna St. Vincent Millay's but not a collection- any suggestions on what is the best one to get?
Also, I am housesitting once again for the friend with the personal library. I see she has "Eat, Pray, Love"- I foresee starting that tomorrow. I didn't realize the movie was starring Julia Roberts and is coming out so soon. Can't wait to have my multimedia experience!
This is the volume that I have: http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Perennial-Classics-Vincent-Millay/dp/006093168X/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279202734&sr=1-11
It's very good. Based on the selections there, I think A Few Figs from Thistles or The Harp Weaver and Other Poems would be the best ones.
I hope you enjoy Eat Pray Love as much as I did. Happy reading!!
Oh heavens, where to start? I read this book because it was part of the Fanny Hill court case, in the United States, that was used to overturn obscenity laws and allowed these two books (and Tropic of Cancer) to be published finally in the 1960s. This book was banned due to explicit sexual encounters, adultery, and unprintable words (fuck and cunt primarily). It does use a lot of "unprintable words", there is sex, and there is adultery. Thus, it has the makings of a good book, right?
Let me quickly summarize the plot, in case you've never read it. Lady Chatterly, a woman in her late 20s, is married to Lord Chatterley, who is paralized from the waist down. They are both intellectuals and fell in love because of their "minds" and therefore don't mind being without sex. However, after pages of depression and overthinking of life, Lady Chatterley decides that a life of the mind without the physical life of the body is no life at all, yet she sees no way out of her situation. More depression, more overthinking of life, sex, love, etc. Pages of it. Finally (thank heavens) she meets the gamekeeper, who has both intellect and physicality. They have sex, talk about sex, fall in love, talk about love, talk about Bolshevism and capitalism and the downfall of the modern world. Then they become jointly depressed and talk about depression and all the previously mentioned topics yet again. In the last few chapters of the book they finally take action but then Lawrence ends the book before we really find out what happens.
Maybe you see where my problem lies? There is a lot more talking than action and all the talking inevitably just depresses the characters, and, by extension, ME. I really wanted to introduce Lady Chatterley to Fanny Hill. I think Fanny could have really helped her out with the whole love/sex issue, although she wouldn't have been much help with the Bolshevism/capitalism/"world going to hell in a money bag" problems.
It reminded me a lot of Madame Bovary in that there was a lot of whining leading up to adultery leading to more whining. As Tracy said of Dorian Gray, this could have been a good book with some major editing. With that said, in just a few minutes I am going to start the BBC movie. :-)
So, not recommended. But go ahead, read it anyway.
"Summer Knight" by Jim Butcher, 4th book of the Dresden Files series
What a fun book and so much butter than the last book in the series. A short summary: faerie war with Dresden in the middle trying to save his ass, as usual. The storyline kept twisting and turning with constant action; all my favorite characters were back; and, best of all, the humorous one-liners were rampant. Oh, how I laughed!
I won't say whether or not it is recommended, since you'd want to read the series in order to keep up with what is going on with the different characters, but if you like fantasy set in this world, I suggest you try this series.
"Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code" by Eoin Colfer.
More fun with Artemis Fowl. In this book, Fowl gets involved with the Chicago Mob when he attempts to sell Faerie technology to a tech company owner affiliated with the Mob. It all goes badly, of course, and he must team up with the Faeries again to get the technology back. At the end, they require him to receive a mind wipe so that he stops messing in Faerie business. But is it successful? (There are several more books, so I'm guessing NO).
Like the other AF books, this had our favorite characters reunited, with zany situations and humorous one-liners. I think these would be great books for pre-teens and younger teenage kids. Obviously, even adults like them!
I'll open a new "Books by Melissa" after this post. I do thhink you'll like the Artemis Fowl books, though they are definitely written more for teens than adults.
I have "Tropic of Cancer" on my book wish list. Eventually I'll read it. :-)
The miniseries was better than the book because there was less whining about sex and more sex. However, it did not stick very close to the book, especially the ending, which was much happier in the miniseries.
What I love about the BBC is that they do not shy away from nudity. In one scene in the book, Mellors and Lady Chatterley run around in the rain naked. They did in the movie, too, with breasts and penis bouncing. You'd never see that in an American movie.
The biggest issue with the miniseries (besides the fact that it strayed from the book) was the music. It was very repetitive and was VERY similar to the music of other miniseries I've seen by BBC. Do they have the same music director for all their miniseries? If so, he needs to take a break.
The nudity makes me want to watch that movie in spite of the fact that you do not recommend it ;) Of course my wanting to watch the movie could be because my husband has been away for almost 8 months and...nevermind. Where's my copy of Fanny Hill?....
Poor Tracy- no fookin'. If you want BBC nudity with a good plot, I recommend "Room with a View". There is a seen where a bunch of guys chase each other around naked. Good for a laugh, if nothing else...
78 comments:
"Dead and Gone" Book 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris, and
"My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding" a bunch of wedding related short stories by various fantasy/science fiction writers.
First of all, "Dead and Gone"- so, so good. I got it in the mail at 11 AM and couldn't put it down (at least, until I finished it at 2PM). It brings together most of the characters from the series in one way or another and brings closure to some issues from earlier in the series. It also includes a fairy war that leaves all the major characters changed somehow, which is a great way to advance the series without adding or subtracting characters or getting repetitive. Unfortunately, now I have to wait until May for the release of the next book in the series.
"My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding" had some really fun stories in it. My favorite one featured CimSims, which are animated corpses that are "programmed" to represent a character from a movie, who are then "owned" by entertainment centers. In addition to just being a fun idea, the story touches on their political/civil rights (are they people or property? can they be murdered/murder?), and ethical dilemmas surrounding the creatures(do they have "real" feelings or only their programmed feelings? should they have the right to the pursuit of happiness?). It was kind-of a fun thought experiment. Overall, though, this book is getting sold. Too many of the stories were just "eh".
"Anita Blake" books 1-4, by Laurell K. Hamilton.
Yes, these are more fantasy books. Both the author of the Twilight Series and thee Sookie Stackhouse Series recommended this series as the "first" real vampire novels with a female protagonist. They're good, but much gorier and more violent than the others I've read so I probably won't keep them (because I probably won't reread them) and I won't post about them again after this particular comment (there are about 15 books in the series).
The story line, if you are interested, is that Anita Blake is an animator (raises zombies from the grave for pay, which is legal in the Anita universe) and a vampire slayer (only sanctioned kills with a warrant issued by the Justice Department). She also works as a supernatural expert for a special division of the police department. Because she straddles the line between the supernatural and human world, she works as a liaison between the supernatural community (vampires, shapeshifters, voodoo witches) and the human community, but also frequently ends up on someone's hit list. What I find endearing about the character is that she frequently quotes Dr. Suess in odd, but often fitting, situations, and collects stuffed penguins even though she is supposed to be this bad-ass killer.
I wouldn't suggest reading these unless you are already into this type of story line. They are edgy and well-written, but, as I mentioned before, also quite violent.
"Ocean Black" by Hank Bostrum.
This is one of Ken's suggestions and it has been driving him crazy that it has taken me almost a month to finish reading it because I kept putting it aside for my vampire series novels. Truthfully, I really just didn't get that into it until the last 100pages.
The story line is actually pretty good- it is about a mining company drilling in the Pacific Ocean and they are causing earthquakes in CA. An underwater research company goes to investigate what the mining company is doing and tries to stop them from further blasting (because the fear is that CA will fall off into the ocean). An underwater water between the two companies occurs. What lost me is that there is a lot of technical detail about the mining, submarines, blast sites, etc. that I kept getting bogged down in. Kind of a MD problem. :-) Otherwise, not a bad book.
"Heat Wave" by Richard Castle.
What is fun about this book is it is directly tied to ABC's show "Castle". In the first season of the show, Richard Castle follows detective Beckett (female) around for background for a book he's writing. In the first episode of the second season, he releases the book "Heat Wave" to the public and Beckett gets a chance to read it. At the same time, ABC actually released this book in real life (and I finally got around to read it). It has the picture of the actor (Nathan Fillion) that plays Castle on the back, the dedication to Beckett, everything that is shown on the television show. In fact, I tried to find somewhere in the book where it told who actually wrote it and couldn't.
The book, then, is about a reporter (Rook) who follows around a detective (Nikki Heat) because he is writing an article on her team. If brings together what happened in a lot of the shows from the first season, including witty diaologue. EXCEPT, in the book Heat and Rook end up having sex and developing a relationship, while on the show Beckett and Castle aren't to that point yet. Very amusing.
The writing is okay, but the book is very short- less than 200 pages. If you like Castle, you should read the book. Otherwise, probably not worthwhile.
"The Professor" by Charlotte Bronte.
This one was actually much better and much shorter than "Shirley". :-) It was also very different from the other Bronte novels. This was Charlotte Bronte's first novel, before even Jane Eyre. No-one would publish it while she was alive, however, because they thought it was too dull. It doesn't have the emotional intensity of the other novels, but I thought it was interesting enough.
It is very straight forward. An educated, but poor, man from England takes a position teaching in a school in Brussels. There he meets a woman, falls in love, and gets married. The end. Very exciting, eh? It is well written, I thought. Although there is a lot of dialogue in French. My French feels refreshed after reading this book, but it would be really annoying if you didn't know French.
Not recommended, since you are not fans of Bronte!
"Oh Pioneers!" by Willa Cather.
This is on most "Best Books Ever" lists, yet is only 120 pages long. It follows a Swedish family that is trying to make a living on a Nebraska farm, specifically the daughter and youngest son of 3 boys. It follows them from childhood, when their father dies and leaves the farm to them, to when they are in their middle age. Obviously (lengthwise), it leaves out large periods of time and focuses on three time periods in their lives.
Overall, I really liked it, but I can't say why. Much of it is rather depressing and yet, somehow, hopeful as well. The ending is sad/hopeful just as the rest of the book.
Recommended.
I couldn't help but laugh, "The Professor" by Charlotte Bronte wasn't published because the publishers thought it was too dull!!!! Oh my, I can only imagine what my thoughts would be......
I had read O Pioneers years ago and liked it then too.
"Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I heard good things about this book from several different sources and finally read it. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I started it, because I seriously thought to myself, "Just one or two chapters and then I'll get out the sewing machine and do up that mending." Yeah. I read the first two chapters and then finished the book. I got up once to make lunch and then sat down while it was microwaving and completely forgot about it. I had to reheat my lunch after I finished the book. Yeah, that good.
Okay, so the book setting is that North America was destroyed with wars and natural disasters and this the time AFTER those events. A new government has been set up in the Rocky Mtns, which controls 13 districts that cover North America. The government set up Hunger Games to reinforce their control over the districts. Basically, once a year, two teenagers (one boy, one girl) and chosen from each district via a lottery system (that favors the wealthy, of course) and sent to the Hunger Games. The teenagers are put in a man-made arena and told to battle to the death. The victor of the games gets fame and their district gets food from the capital for the year (while the other districts go hungry).
The story follows a 16 year old girl from District 12, who volunteers to go to the Games in place of her 12 year old sister. A boy who has been kind to her in the past is also chosen to go to the games. The book follows her ethical dillema about whether to kill these other innocent kids (who are trying to kill her) and especially the boy from her district, who has always been kind to her and her family. Yet, she has promised her sister she will come home, so how can she not kill to survive? It also covers the conflict between wealth and poverty within the districts and between the districts and the central government, and the perils of control by a totalitarian central government.
I really liked how it covered so many topics that are pertinent today in a fantasy world and also that the main character was a strong, resilient young woman who struggles to be strong in a hard world and yet not take advantage of the weak. She makes a much better literary role model than Bella from Twilight and yet this book has got a lot less hype.
I strongly recommend this book.
Anita Blake books 5-9 by Laurell Hamilton.
The first few books were the best in this series, at least so far (and according to other reader's reviews- this will stay true), although I did like the plot to Book 8. The problem is that the books have become even more violent and pornographic. The plots are still good and I still like the characters, but they are just getting too graphic to be really enjoyable, especially when it is at the expense of the plot. If they get much worse, I will probably not finish the series. It is really a shame, I think, because the idea, characters, and many of the plots could easily stand on their own without the graphic violence and sex.
Still not recommended.
"Catching Fire" (Second Hunger Games Book) by Suzanne Collins.
I felt a little silly checking this book out of the Children's Collection at WMUs library but justified by the fact that many adults read Harry Potter (including me).
It wasn't as good as the first book, mostly because it felt a little rushed. I wonder if she was pressured to release the second book early? Otherwise, I can't say much about it without ruining the ending of the first book. I will say that it leaves you REALLY hanging on a bad note at the end so I am anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in August.
Recommended.
"The Stones Cry Out" by Sibella Giorello.
Okay, I bought this book in the $1 section of Bargain books because I liked the author's name and the title of the book. It was okay.
It's about a female FBI agent in Richmond, Virginia, who is investigating a case where a Black man and a White cop fall to their deaths from the roof of a factory in the middle of a protest. No one will admit to seeing what happened. The Black community blames the cop and the cops blame the Black man.
It is a little religiousy and the writing is rather abrupt, with short chapters, short sentences, and underdeveloped characters. If it is her first book, not bad. If it isn't her first then she needs to work on her writing if she wants a bestseller.
Not recommended.
Anita Blake Books, 10-15, by Laurell Hamilton
I know, I know, I said that I wouldn't keep reading them if they got any worse. They have gotten worse and I am still reading them. As I justified myself to Ken, "But I like so many of the characters now!" Seriously, in addition to the main character, there are about 10 or so characters that play large roles and appear in every book and have their own subplots. I love the characters, but am not loving the violence and graphic sex/orgy scenes. Only two books till I finish the series and then I am calling it quits (at least until another book comes out. These books have some interesting twists. For one, the ex-Catholic, formerly monogamous main character has become a succubus and thus needs to have sex frequently (thus the dramatic increase in sex scenes).
"The Crying Rocks", by Janet Lisle.
This is another book for young adults. What can I say, I'm still young at heart. It is about a 14 yr old girl, who was adopted at the age of 5 when she turned up living with a crazy woman at a train depot. She doesn't remember anything before she was adopted and is told rather conflicting stories by her adoptive parents. She meets a boy in school who tells her she looks like an Indian girl in a painting in the library. They start researching the tribe of Indians and hiking to old ceremonial sites and other sites in myths about the Indians (for example, the Crying Rocks). At the end of the book, she learns her own story. It was a good plot, but the writing was a bit weak.
Not recommended.
"The Perfect Wife" by Ann Gerhart.
This is (sort-of) a biography about Laura Bush. I was inspired to read it after I read Sittenfeld's "American Wife". I say it is sort-of a biography because it is written very conversationally and not chronologically, probably because it is written by a reporter who has covered Laura Bush since her husband's election to the White House. It was rather interesting reading but you don't really come away knowing much more about Laura Bush.
There are two quotes from the book that I have to share. The first is actually about George W. Bush, "In his one-on-one relationships, George Bush was not the sort of conservative to impose his will on anybody else. He saved that for public policy (p. 80).
And, about Laura Bush, "Reading for pleasure, she once said, is her one vice." Yup, got that covered.
Not recommended.
"Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert.
This is listed as one of the top 100 novels of all time on almost every list. I beg to differ. I found it dull pretty much the whole way through. To give you an idea of how dull- I've been reading it since November.
It is supposedly a good book because it is one of the first examples of literary realism. Uh-huh. It showed how dull and unsatisfying marriage can be, the perils of reading romance novels, and how affairs outside of marriage can ruin your life. Right. It was dull. I don't want to read about a boring, unsatisfying marriage that plows on for 200 pages. Maybe it's because I read too many romance novels...
Not recommended. Though I would love your comments if you've read it already.
"Storm Front" (Harry Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher.
This is the first in a series about Harry Dresden, a private investigator who is also a wizard. He investigates supernatural crimes with the police and takes on private cases that take on supernatural elements.
This is also Butcher's first novel, which can be seen in the writing. Occasionally it seems a bit unpolished and a little overdone. However, I still really enjoyed the book. There is a lot of wit, plenty of action, and what I look for most in sci-fi books- the characters and situations are believable even though they are sci-fi. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, especially if his writing improves.
Ken also really enjoyed this book.
Recommended with reservations.
"When Everything Changed" by Gail Collins.
This is actually non-fiction, but is a fascinating read. Collins is an op-ed writer for the New York Times, who chronicles women's journey for equality from the 1960s to present day. Each chapter is made up of smaller segments (columns, I'm guessing) that deal with a particular topic that relates to the main chapter. She highlights different women and their individual stories and then ties those stories into overall trends and events. It is easy to read and will both make you proud to be a woman and depress you.
Highly recommended.
"Tell Them I Didn't Cry" by Jackie Spinner.
What a great book. This is the true account of Jackie Spinner's time in Iraq in 2004 as a news correspondant for the Washington Post. She is sent, as a rookie reporter, to cover the court marshal of one of the soldiers involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal and stays in Iraq for more than 9 months- covering the Fallujah offensive and the first major Iraqi elections as well as other stories.
In the book she talks a little about the stories she covers but even more about day-to-day life in Iraq as an American, especially as violence escalates to the point where she is basically a prisoner in the Post headquarters. She talks about her relationship with the Iraqi translators and staff and what it is like to be the only female in a house of male staff, guards, and journalists. It is both hearbreaking at times, funny at others (trying to explain that a tampon is not a bomb at a checkpoint, when she doesn't speak Arabic and the guard doesn't speak English), and generally a fascinating read.
Definitely recommended- Ange, I'll be sending it to you eventually.
"Fateful Harvest" by Duff Wilson.
This book is scary and depressing, mostly because it is non-fiction. It is hard to believe that it happens and is still happening today. Duff Wilson is a Seattle reporter recruited by a group of citizens in Quincy Washington to help them investigate hazardous waste being turned into fertilizer. In short, they find out that it is LEGAL for hazardous waste, ranging from ash from smelters, steel residues, incinerated tires, to nuclear waste, to be "recycled" into fertilizer. Some fertilizer companies remove the heavy metals from the waste but most just mix it with acid and turn it into pellets to be sold as fertilizer. This type of fertilizer is banned by the EU and heavily regulated in Canada, but is unregulated and untested in the US. Still.
The group of citizens, including the Mayor of Quincy, help bring this issue to the attention of the EPA, environmental groups, and the nation in the 1990s. The result? Today, it is still happening. Those citizens? Discredited and bankrupted by the industry representatives. All but one eventually left Quincy because they faced so much anger and abuse from local farmers.
I highly recommend the book because it is really an eye-opener. It is also very easy to read, as Wilson has it set up as a narrative from when the citizen group start talking to each other to the outcome (or lack thereof) by 2001, when the book was published. Unfortunately, it is not a happy ending, though.
"Grave Sight" by Charlaine Harris, the first of the Harper Connelly books.
This was a fun book, not quite as good as the Sookie novels, in my opinion, but close. It is about a woman who can sense dead bodies, after having been struck by lightening as a child. She, with her brother, who manages her "business" take cases, often consisting of finding missing bodies. This book is about a case to find a girl's missing body, but the case spirals out of control and Harper and her brother are stuck in the town until it is resolved. A very quick read.
Recommended for Charlaine Harris fans.
"Fool Moon" by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, Book 2).
Another fun book from Butcher, with witty lines, strange characters, and an interesting plot. The writing on this book is a bit better than the first, but it is also more violent and less light-hearted.
As I plan on reading the series, from here out I'll do summaries by groups of books- next up 3-5, as I do for Anita Blake.
Recommended with reservations.
"Emma Brown" by Charlotte Bronte and Clare Boylan.
Okay, so before you stop reading based on the fact that this is ANOTHER Bronte novel, most of it was written by Clare Boylan and it is really good. Really, really good, in fact.
Charlotte Bronte wrote the first two chapters and then died, leaving it unfinished. Clare Boylan, an Irish author who has written several novels prior to undertaking this project, was asked to finish the book and it was subsequently published in 2003.
In the first two chapters, Bronte introduces us to the narrator, a widow who is happily living in a small town, and sets up a mystery. A young girl is brought to a boarding school in the town and left there, but her "guardian" disappears and the mistresses of the school discover that she is not who she is supposed to be. A middle-aged bachelor in the town takes an interest in the girl and decides to solve the mystery. She, meanwhile, has no memory of who she is. Thus the story is set up, but not finished, and there is no indication of how Bronte intended to finish it.
Clare Boylan takes over and writes a tale in which all of these characters are brought together, in many fascinating and unexpected ways. Meanwhile, the reader learns of the seedier side of London: sex trafficking, drug use, and the workhouses. In addition, Boylan draws parallels between the women on the streets, women in the society, and women in marriage that are sad because they are true. The end is satisfying, even though it does not adhere to the happy endings of most love stories.
So, highly recommended. Even if you don't like Charlotte Bronte (as our new subtitle implies), I think you'll like this book. :-)
"Seaglow" by William S. Schaill.
Ken recommended this to me, but in this case I don't agree with him. In fact, I never even finished the book. From the cover, I should have loved it. It was about the recovery of a Russian nuclear submarine by an American dive company. However, the writing was amateur and the plot weak. IN addition, the author jumped around so that there did not seem to be a continuous storyline. I eventually gave up. Not recommended.
However, I have also reread 1-9 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels and REALLY enjoyed them for a second time. :-)
"Grave Surprise" by Charlaine Harris. The 2nd of the Harper Connelly books.
The writing and plot were even better in this book than in the first. In this book Harper finds the body of a young girl by accident; a girl whose case she had worked months before and never found. The book follows the investigation into how the girl got there and how she died. What makes this book interesting, I think, is that we begin to see a real shift in her relationship with her brother (who is a step-brother- they are not related by blood). Where will this go? I can't wait to find out. Unfortunately, there are only four books in this series, so far. Number 3 is on its way through ILL. :-)
"The Outlander" by Gil Adamson. and
"An Ice Cold Grave" by Charlaine Harris (Book 3 of the Harper Connelly series
I've been getting books through MeLCat (a Michigan libraries exchange program) and then I have to read them quickly because I don't get to keep them for very long. Luckily, all of them have been very good so far, so it really hasn't been too much of a burden. :-)
"Grave" was, like the others, very good. I just enjoy Harris's writing. In this installment of the Connelly chronicles, she discovers a mass burial site of teenage boys in a small S. Carolina town. The book centers around her and the police attempting to find the serial killer before he kills again. Also, her relationship with her step-brother develops more and we learn a bit more about their past. Very good.
"Outlander" was an excellent book for a first novel. The author, Gil Adamson, is pretty widely published in short fiction and poetry, but this is her first full-length novel. It begins with a young (19 yrs old) widow running for her life in the Rocky Mtns in the late 1800s. She has murdered her abusive and philandering husband and is running from his two twin brothers. The entire novel is a cat-and-mouse of her being pursued by them through the mountains. Along the way she meets all kinds of people and almost dies several times. As much as I'd like to tell you more, I won't give away the ending. The writing is very good, the plot both moves quickly and also meanders, if you know what I mean? It is neither constant overwhelming action and drama, nor does it leave the reader bored. Not a book that I'll buy and keep on the shelves, but definitely a good read. Recommended.
"Real Murders" by Charlaine Harris.
Apparently Harris likes to dabble in various related genres. The Sookie Stackhouse series is fantasy with vampires and shifters; the Harper Connelly series is more science fiction and has no vampires or shifters but has telepaths and psychics; the Aurora Teagarden books, so far, are just murder mysteries- no special powers or fantastical (is this a word?) creatures.
However, even without psychics and shifters, they are a fun read. In this book, the first, we are introduced to Aurora Teagarden, a 28 year old librarian in a mid-sized town. One of her hobbies is a club called 'Real Murders' where the participants discuss and try to solve historical murders after reading about them and sometimes watching movies about them. Except thenn members of the club start dying in murders that replicate historical murders. Is one of the club members responsible? And who will be next? It is set up like a typical murder mystery with clues pointing fingers in many different directions and a dramatic finish. Of course, Harris's writing is just as fun and her characters just as relatable. In fact, I really like the idea of a mild-mannered librarian as the protoganist. Someone who would rather be at home reading about murder investigations than involved in them. :-)
As per usual, recommended for Harris fans and murder mystery fans.
"Grave Peril" by Jim Butcher (book 3 of Dresden files) and
"Grave Surprise" by Charlaine Harris (book 4 and last book of Harper Connelly series)
A lot of "grave" books this week. :-) Both by authors I like and both from series I like. "Grave Surprise" wraps up the Harper Connelly series and ties up a lot of loose ends in a pretty interesting plot twist. Interesting and well-written, but not as much fun as the prior 3 books.
"Grave Peril" was longer than the first 2 books and was action packed from start to finish. However, not as much fun and less character development. We meet new characters and there are some interesting plot twists, but we just don't see much of the characters from the first two. In addition, the main character seems a little whiny and repetitive in this book. Hopefully book 4 gets back to the fun, fascinating Harry Dresden we met in the first two books.
"Purple Hibiscus" by "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Recommended in my Ms. Magazine. It is about a young girl in Nigeria, whose father is a wealthy, Catholic Nigerian who believes in corporal punishment of his children and spousal abuse to ensure an iron hand of control in his household. The book is set during a time of turmoil in Nigeria when the government is in flux and people are being killed for speaking out against the government.
Kamili and Jaja, her brother, go to visit her aunt, who lives very differently. This visit changes both of their lives and their relationship with their parents.
The book started rather slow, but began moving much faster toward the middle. It is not a happy book, but it is touching and there are some segments that are funny.
Angie, this seems like your kind of book, you might want to consider reading it.
"Shakespeare's Landlord" by Charlaine Harris.
Can you tell that I am on a mission to read all of her books?
This is the first of the Lily Bard series. Like the Aurora Teagarden series, these are just murder mysteries- no fantasy elements, at least not so far. Lily Bard is a woman who cleans houses for a living and therefore knows a lot about the people in the small town of Shakespeare. She also happens to be the survivor of a brutal rape and has moved to Shakespeare to get away from her past. Only the police and a very close friend know about what happened to her.
In this book, the landlord of Shakespeare Garden Apts is murdered and dumped in the park. Lily happens to see the murderer dumping the body and alerts the police with an anonymous phone call. Although she tries to stay out of it, she finds herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the murder investigation.
It was a very short book, only about 200 pages, but the characters, especially Lily, were pretty well developed, I thought. Also, I didn't guess the murderer until the very end, which is always a good thing.
Recommended, of course.
"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" by Julia Alvarez, and
"The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood.
I had high hopes for both of these books and was disappointed by each. While I liked "Alias Grace" and "Robber Bride" by Atwood, this book seemed disjointed, slow, and a little dull. Honestly, I just couldn't get into it. The main narrator is an older woman who is reflecting back on her past and her sister's past. The book jumps between her, her recollections, and a couple from the past, who are also talking about a fictional story. It jumped back and forth and by the time I got back to one storyline I had forgotten what had happened in it. Not one of her best, according to me, though I see it won several awards.
"Accent" was recommended by Ms. Magazine and sounded really good. It is about 4 Garcia girls who grew up in America after their family moved here from Dominican Republic. The real problem is that the story moves backward through time (the beginning is set with the adult sisters in the 1970s and it ends with the girls in the 1950s) and jumps back and forth between sisters and situations. I think my problem with both these books is that they jumped around too much and didn't follow a clear path. It is probably as much my hang-up, but I really prefer a chronological and straight-forward story.
Neither are recommended.
"Bad President"
This book is headed your way, Angie. Probably Conservatives and fans of G.W. Bush would not enjoy this book because it is making fun of Bush's presidency, but I found it hillarious. It takes actual photos of Bush, Laura Bush, and some high-ranking officials in the Bush administration, and adds captions. Obviously, these captions are not favorable to the administration. :-) For example, in one photo they have Laura Bush with her hands on either side of W's face, and her lips pursed. The caption, "Sometimes the first lady has to help the president form words in the English language". He he. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!
Anita Blake books 16-18, by Laurell Hamilton.
These books were less sex and gore, mostly because they were just less. They were all rather short and unsatisfying plotwise. By now she has introduced so many new recurring characters that we don't get to spend as much time with the older, much-loved characters, which I find disappointing. Plus, the plots are getting less interesting and complex. Is she running out of steam or just feeling the rush? "Skin Trade" released in the fall of 2009, "Flirt" released in February 2010, and I see the next book in the series, "Bullet", is set to release in June 2010. This has to be an extremely demanding schedule. I will probably read the next book but am afraid it will be much like the last few- short and unsatisfying.
"A Bone to Pick" and "Three Bedrooms, One Corpse", books 2 and 3 of the Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris.
I really enjoy this series- even more than the Harper Connelly and Lily Bard series, but not quite as much as Sookie. The main character is great- a librarian all about books and quiet nights at home, who keeps ending up in the middle of murder investigations. The secondary characters are pretty well developed and authentic-feeling. Plus, as murder mysteries, they are fun to try and figure out who done it.
In "Bone", Aurora inherits the estate of a older librarian and finds out that it isn't all good luck, as there is a mysterious murder related to the inheritance that must be solved. She also gets the librarian's cat- which is a hillarious sideline to the main plot. She does whine a bit about being alone and 30, which is annoying at times. Otherwise, great book.
"Bedrooms" is even better. When showing a house for her mother (a realtor), she walks in on a murder. She also meets an exciting man (the client) who she is immediately attracted to (reminds me A LOT of Quinn from Sookie series). Once more she is involved in a murder mystery and wonders if the new man could be the killer? Especially since he has a mysterious past that he doesn't want to discuss.
Recommended. I think you might enjoy this series too, Angie. Maybe not to own, but to get from the library (which is what I've been doing).
"Shakespeare's Champion", 2nd book of the Lily Bard series by Charlaine Harris and
"Jumped" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"Jumped" is really a book for teens, but was recommended for teen readers by Ms Magazine, along with "Hunger Games", which I really enjoyed- so I thought I would try it. This one wasn't quite as good for adults, but I think it would be a great book for teens. It is quite short and covers four young women (all minorities, if I remember correctly) in an urban high school. Each chapter captures a few minutes of one girl's life, as they all move towards one event toward the end of the book- a fight (physical) between two of the girls. I would recommend it for teens to read, boys or girls. I think it captures high school well and is very readable.
"Champion" continues the Lily Bard series and was okay. Lily is involved in yet another murder mystery, except this one is stirring up racial tensions across town because it is the killing of a young black man (assumed to be killed by whites) and then the death of a young white men (assumed to be retribution). Harris really starts to develop the racial relations issues, which I find fascinatinng, but then she gets side-tracked by the love story between Lily and, of course, a strong, handsome detective. Part of the reason I got annoyed at this part was because the detective and the dynamic between the two was VERY similar to the recent love interest of Aurora Teagarden in the other series. It seemed very repetitive. Plus, it seemed to overshadow the more interesting (in my opinion) race relations issues. I'll probably finish this series, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else. It just isn't as good as the Aurora or Sookie series.
"Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times" by James Garner.
OMG- this book is hillarious. It is very short- only 79 pages and includes reworked versions of 13 classic fairy tales. Let me copy a short excerpt from the beginning of 'Goldilocks' since that will better show what it is like than my explanation:
"Through the thicket, across the river, and deep, deep in the woods, lived a family of bears- a Papa Bear, a Mama Bear, and a Baby Bear- and they all lived together anthropomorphically in a little cottage as a nuclear family. They were very sorry about this, of course, since the nuclear family has traditionally served to enslave womyn, instill a self-righteous moralism in its members, and imprint rigid notions of heterosexualist roles onto the next generation. Nevertheless, they tried to be happy and took steps to avoid these pitfalls, such as nameing their offspring the non-gender-specific "Baby.""
Oh, very recommended. It made me laugh until I cried!
"Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris, the most recent installment of the happenings in Sookieverse.
Oh, so good. I loved it, but I hate that it left us hanging on several issues. How will I last until the next book releases? This book handles the fall-out from the Fairy War and the revelation of the shifters. It also digs deeper into Eric's past and his relationship with Sookie. All with the same humor (several laugh out loud moments, especially when her nephew Hunter comes to visit) and great characters.
I would say that I really recommend it, but I know A has already read it and J probably won't if she hasn't already!
"Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier.
I really, really loved this book. It is based on the true story of Mary Arning, the first person to find the full fossilized remains of the ichysaur, plesiosaur, and pterodactyl. All the characters and events were real, but Chevalier fictionalized the thoughts and fillers to make an excellent novel.
It is told through the alternating perspectives of two women, Mary Arning, who is a girl in the beginning and a woman in the end, and Elizabeth Philpot, a young unmarried woman in the beginning. They share a fascination with hunting for fossils along the coast of a small town in England and become friends. The book follows their friendship and the discovery of the "monsters" and the eventual fame of Mary Arning as a hunter. I make it sound dull, but Chevalier makes it fascinating with great character development, some romance, and intrigue.
It is brand new (published in 2010) and thus maybe a little hard to find in smaller libraries? But definitely worth the effort. I highly recommend this book.
"Shakespeare's Trollope", 4th of the Lily Bard series, and
"The Julius House" and "Dead Over Heels", the 4th and 5th of the Aurora Teagarden series. All by Charlaine Harris.
"Trollope" is about the town trollope who is found murdered by, you guessed it, Lily Bard. It is actually my favorite of this series so far.
"Julius" and "Dead" were my least favorites of the Aurora series so far. Mostly because they murders are second to the personal plotline so they felt more like romances than murder mysteries.
"Hotel Transylvania" by Chelsea Yarbro.
Yes, another vampire novel. About two months ago there was a feature on NPR by a woman who spent the prior six months reading approximately 150 vampire novels. Then she made a list and ranked them, with her commentary. She recommended this book as being a cross between Anne Rice and Laurell Hamilton. So, of course, I had to read it. However, I have mixed feelings about it.
First, although this is the first book Yarbro wrote in the series (of about 20 books) it is not the first chronologically in the life of the main character, the vampire Saint-Germain. I like to read books in the order of the life of the character, so I was a little disappointed when I found out this is actually about midway in the series.
However, the character is based on a real person in history, a real hotel in Paris, and actual events in Paris. Unfortunately, I did not find this out until the very end when I read the historical note. I think I would have enjoyed the book more (plus have explained a few confusing parts of the book) had I known this before.
Finally, it was pretty disturbing and violent. It was about as violent as the Hamilton books, just with fewer pornographic scenes. But the violence in these seem more personal somehow and more disturbing, with Satanic cults and ritual rapes. Not very pleasant reading in many parts, in fact it gave me nightmares. So, before I get involved with the characters, like I did with Anita Blake, I am going to stop reading now.
Not recommended.
"Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer.
I can thank Angie for this referral, via one of her friends on facebook. It is about a 12 year old boy who decides he is going to steal fairie gold. He also happens to be a genius and devises an elaborate plan to get the gold.
It was a fun book to read and I look forward to the rest of the series. It is not written as well as "Harry Potter" or "Hunger Games" but it is fun and light-hearted. A great book for kids, although there is some swearing and criminality in it. Of course, I'll be posting on the rest of the series. :-)
Recommended.
"The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake.
This book follows three separate women, who all come together in the end. We meet Iris, a postmistress in a small coastal town in Massachusetts, Emma, a young woman who marries the doctor of the town, and Frankie, one of the few female war correspondants in Europe during the beginning of WWII. One day Emma's husband decides to go to London to help treat the casualties of the Blitz. This decision, ultimately, brings the three women together at the end of the book, to support each other as they each fight their own demons.
It is very well written, especially the broadcasts made by Frankie about the war. While it does not have a happy ending, the ending does fit the story very well and brings together all of the pieces. It is a wonderful book and highly recommended.
"Shakespeare's Counselor", the last of the Lily Bard series, and
"A Fool and his Honey", the 6th of the Aurora Teagarden series.
I found both books disappointing. "Shakespeare" is the last book of the Lily Bard series, and I'm assuming she is not continuing it as this book was published almost 10 years ago, and yet it did not wrap up all the loose ends. I expected the loose ends to be tied up and our characters set, much like what she did in the Connelly series, but it didn't happen. The plot was interesting enough and was actually very feminist, which I liked, but you were left hanging at the end.
My beef with "Fool" is that one of the main characters dies at the end. I hate when authors kill off main characters, especially at the end of a book. At least if they kill them at the beginning then I can adjust to the death, but this just leaves me upset. I can see why she did it, since this character was holding up the overall storyline, but still. The plot was okay, but not one of the best. Two more books left in this series and two non-series books will finish my Harris marathon.
I forgot to mention that there was a Stephanie Plum reference in "A Fool and His Honey". Aurora wakes from being unconscious, after a blow to the head, to find herself in a dark, damp basement. She starts listing all the detectives she's read about and how they would never end up in this situation. Then she thinks of Stephanie Plum and decides that Stephanie probably would have ended up in the same situation and she feels better. :-)
"Last Scene Alive" is the second to last Teagarden mystery by Charlaine Harris.
What is interesting about this book is that it is about a movie star, who is playing Teagarden in a movie about the murders in the first Teagarden book. The actress is, of course, murdered, and Aurora is instrumental in finding out how, why, and by whom. While their is some grieving going on for the character that kicked it in the last book, in general this book is pretty light-hearted and fun.
"The Year of Yes" by Maria Dahvana Headley.
This is a fabulous book, unless you're a little squeamish about sex. An Idaho girl goes to a New York City school for a creative writing program. While there, she dates some losers and decides she has been picking the wrong men. Thus, she decides that for the next year she is going to say yes to anyone who asks her out. She may or may not have sex with them. And they may not just be men.
It is hillarious and touching and brutally honest. Definitely recommended, again, unless you are a bit squeamish about sex scenes, including masochism and lesbianism.
"The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle" by L.J. Smith.
My confession: I watch the television show "Vampire Diaries" online when I have time. It feels childish, but I really like the show, so the books should be even better, right?
Ugh. Overall, as you can tell from prior postings, I like vampire novels. I don't know why. I even liked the Twilight series, though I agree that it is not very well written. This book (actually the first two of the series combined into one) was not good. The characters were superficial, the writing was immature, and the plot has been done before, and since, better. The television show has little in common with the books, thank goodness. Whereas I typically like shows and movies of books to follow the books closely, I see why they changed it. The shows have improved on the characters, plot, and dialogue. Not that the show isn't also very teen-based and at times immature, but nowhere near as much as the books.
I can't believe I spent money on this book. Hopefully someone else makes the same mistake I did and buys it from me on Amazon. :-)
NOT RECOMMENDED.
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier.
I am house-sitting for a friend and have the run of her very well stocked bookshelves. I'm trying to read as many books as I can in a week. :-)
I think Tracy Chevalier might be my new favorite author. Like "Remarkable Creatures", this book is historical fiction. It is based on the subject of Verneer's painting of a girl with a pearl earring. In the novel, this is a maid that works in the artist's house. I'm not sure if it is known who the girl is? Many of his subjects were unknown. Anyway, the novels follows her life from the time she became a maid, how she ended up being a subject of the painting, to Vermeer's death.
It is well-written with enough historical details to make it convincing, but not so many that the reader becomes inundated. I had a hard time putting it down!
Highly recommended.
"Poppy Done to Death" last book in the Aurora series by Charlaine Harris.
Usually I don't do quotes from non-book club books, but two passages spoke to me.
The main character is a librarian named Aurora, who is always getting involved in murder investigations. In this book, her sister-in-law is murdered. Meanwhile, her younger brother runs away from home and comes to live with her. She is talking about him when she says, "It was hard to believe a brother of mine wasn't a reader. I had never been able to figure out what non-readers did." I've had that same thought umpteen times.
The other quote that caught my eye was by the same character, referencing a moment of annoyance with a male friend, "See, this is why I believe in gun control; because if I'd had a gun, I wouldn't have had much control over my actions." :-) I really enjoy Harris!
Good book.
"Sweet and Deadly" by Charlaine Harris.
One of her first books, it was published in 1988. As such, it was okay. Not brilliant but not terrible either. It is about a female reporter whose parents were recently murdered. She helps investigate more recent murders that are connected.
Not recommended.
"A Secret Rage" by Charlaine Harris.
This is the last of the Harris books for me to read, but one of the first she ever wrote. A model from NYC moves to Georgia and ends up becoming involved in the search for a rapist/murderer in the small town. Not one of her best, so not recommended.
"Falling Angels" by Tracy Chevalier.
This was a fascinating book that follows a number of characters through several years. The story is told chronologically but jumps from character to character and gives each viewpoint on the occurrences. Unfortunately, it concludes with the deaths of a couple of the main characters and is not a happy ending.
Very good, but not recommended because of the ending.
"Blood Games" by Chelsea Yarbro.
This is the first book, chronologically, in the Vampire Saint-Germain series. I requested it through ILL and then decided I didn't want to read the series afterall but couldn't cancel the request. So, I read it.
It was, like Hotel Transylvania, very violent with many ghastly deaths and torture. It is set in Ancient Rome during Nero's reign and the reign of the 5 emperors that followed Nero, and includes the building of the Colosseum. As such, this was a violent and bloody time in Rome, with terrible "Games" in the Circus Maximus so to some extent the violence may have been warranted. However, I don't take pleasure in reading about it.
What I did like in this book was all the discussion about the conspiracies and attempts to overthrow the emperor's and the discussion of the historical sites in Rome. Since I just got back from visiting these sites, it was fun to read about them in historical context.
But, all in all, not recommended.
"Women and Fiction " edited by Susan Cahill.
What I really like about this collection of short stories is that the editor gives the complete works of each author at the end, so it's a good way to figure out who you like and then follow up with it. For example, now I know that I really like Kate Chopin and have a list of everything else she's written. Convenient, eh?
Also, some of the authors I now know that I do not like. Gertrude Stein, for one. Several of the stories were really good and others just 'eh'. I'm looking forward to your comment on this book, Angie.
Just for comparison sake, for when you've finished it, my favorite stories were:
"The Story of an Hour" by Chopin.
"The Other Two" by Wharton
"The Garden Party" by Mansfield
and "Everyday Use" bby Walker
My least favorites:
"Miss Furr and Skeene" by Stein, though I did find it fascinating.
"Day Old Baby Rats" by Hayden
"And the Water Turned to Blood" by Rodney Barker.
This is another scary, true story of an environmental disaster being covered up by authorities. In the 1990s, a scientist in North Carolina discovered a toxic dinoflagellate (which is a tiny organism that emits a toxin) in streams and waters that was causing massive fish kills. In addition to killing fish, it was (is, it still exists today) causing health problems in the people exposed to it, ranging from oozing skin lesions to memory loss to extreme mood swings to name just a few. However, the environmental and health agencies in NC denied it existed and worked to discredit the scientist rather than investigate it. This was, in part, because the dinflagellate thrived in nutrient rich waters, for example downstream from hog farms and industries. After litereally YEARS of fish kills and sick people, the national government finally pressures NC to recognize the scientist and take it seriously. In that time period, the dinoflagellate was also found in Delaware and Maryland.
It is so scary because it is a true story AND because the same types of cover-ups happen all over the country. Plus, I got thinking of all the hog farms moving into PA and wonder if they are creating an environment that this dinoflagellate could exist in?
Recommended. I thought it was a fascinating read.
"Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident", book 2 of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.
This was even better than the first book, in my opinion. All the characters from the first book are back and the relationships between the characters are really developed in this book. Additionally, there is just a lot of action.
However, Colfer does tone Fowl down a little bit. He starts rethinking his criminal wasy and being more considerate of others. Probably a good thing, but it is a little disappointing since I really liked his cold-hearted genius. :-)
Still recommended.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson.
When I first started this book I thought it was great and bought the whole series (I had checked it out of the library, initially). Then it got a rather violent and disturbing and I started to rethink that decision. But it redeemed itself and so I'm glad I bought it. The next two books are on a long waitlist at the library so I am especially glad.
The book starts by following two characers, a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a major corporation owner in Sweden, and a young woman who works at a security agency and does background checks on people. They meet while working on an unsolved murder case (actually, it is a lot more complicated than that, but you get the point) and the book follows their search to find out who the killer was.
This makes it sound very simple but it is anything but. The main character (Lisbeth Salandar) is all sorts of screwed up and I loved her character. One of the better female characters I have read in a while, actually. The plot is complex and fascinating and the writing is very good, even being a translation for the Swedish books. However, there are some pretty violent/sick scenes. They make sense in the context but are still no fun to read.
Recommended, but read at your own risk. I take no responsibility for nightmares.
"The Building of Jalna" by Mazo de la Roche.
This is an older book, it was published in 1944. It was bought by my great-grandfather, then passed to my grandmother, then to my mother, and on to me!
Usually, since it is an older book, I would say that, of course, it was pretty tame. However, after Fanny Hill...
This book is the first from the Jalna series, which was apparently very popular- even having a movie and television series made from them! Anyway, this book was rather tame, although it had its romantic intrigues. It follows a young couple, the Whiteoaks (a young English man and Irish wife) from their life in India, with the military, to their life in Ontario, Canada. They buy property in the wilderness in Ontario and build an estate called Jalna- thus the title.
The wife, Adeline, is in someways very stereotypical woman and Irish but she is a lot of fun to read about. The husband is, not surprisingly, very stereotypical husband and English. They meet with a number of friends and acquaintances, some rather quirky, everywhere they go. My biggest issue with the book is that there seemed to be nothing really driving plot. Each chapter dealt with its own situation, but there didn't seem to be one overarching tale being told, thus it seemed to meander.
Recommended if you like older books.
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"- Swedish movie adaptation of the novel.
There is actually an American version of the book in the works, with Kristen Stewart (Twilight actress) tagged as the main character, but that won't be out for quite a while.
The movie was in Swedish, with American subtitles, which in itself was rather fun. There are actually a lot of Swedish words that are identical or nearly identical to English. I wonder how hard it is to learn?
Anyway, it follows the book fairly closely. The biggest differences are that they dropped most of Blomkvist's relationships with other characters and decreased the amount of time he spends in Hedestad. The actor who played Blomkvist (the journalist) did okay but I really liked the actress that played Lisbeth. I thought she did an amazing job. Honestly, I don't see how Kristen Stewart could even compare. It was still pretty violent in movie form and they did show most of the disturbing parts of the novels. Also, it is 2.5 hours long.
If you read the book and like it, then I suggest you watch the movie, mostly because the actress portrays Lisbeth Salandar so well.
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
I debated whether or not to read this book for a long time. I love "Pride and Prejudice", but with zombies (and ninjas, BTW)? I'm glad I read it, though. What a hoot! It was just a fun book to read and made me laugh out loud many times.
What I really liked was that it even had discussion questions at the end, such as "Some critics have suggested that the zombies represent the authors' views toward marriage- and endless curse that sucks the life out of you and just won't die. Do you agree, or do you have another opinion about the symbolism of the unmentionables?"
If you liked "Pride and Prejudice" then I can't see how you wouldn't like this. Just don't take it seriously. :-)
John read Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies while I read Pride and Prejudice. Then we compared the two. I still can not bring myself to read Pride, Prejudice and Zombies for fear that I will take it to seriously and not be able to enjoy it. I have heard that Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies is hilarious but poorly written. But if you are recommending it I may have to try it.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Remarque.
I'm not a big fan of war books, especially after Catch 22, however I never read this in high school or college and it is always listed on top 100 books lists. So, I made myself read it.
I can see why students are asked to read it; it is very thought provoking and has a huge impact. As pleasure reading though, it is a bit intense and disturbing (read into that- it gave me nightmares). It really shows the violence, desperation, and desolation that comes with war.
It was written very well and really shows the reality of war (at least it seems like it does, I've never been in a war to be able to say for sure), so I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. Although, I imagine you've all probably read it before, in which case I wonder what you thought of it? THis is not a book I am ever going to reread, once was enough for me.
And Tracy, I do recommend P&P&Z, just because it is so ludicrous that it is funny. A lot of it is the actual writing of Austen, but with zombies and ninjas added in at sometimes random spots. The basic plotline is still the same, with the exception of Charlotte and Collins, though I kindof enjoyed where he went with that. Like I said, just don't take it seriously and you should be able to enjoy it. :-) I can't wait to hear your comments once you've read it! (No hurry, I know you're a little backlogged right now with FH and DG and LH).
"Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Becket.
I don't get it. I read the whole play in one sitting; it is very short. Then I spent about 20 minutes online trying to figure out why this is considered one of the great plays of the last century. From what I can tell, it is great because no-one gets it.
It is about two men who are waiting for a third man, Godot, who never actually shows up. In the first act they are waiting and meet with two other men, a master and slave; in the second act, ditto. There are many repetitive lines and nonsensical monologues, a bit similar to Catch 22.
It is from the school of absurdist theater, which is supposed to show the absurdity of life through absurd theater. Um, okay. There have been many interpretations, but Becket is quoted as sayiing that they are all making too much out of something too simple.
So, not recommended.
"Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown.
I've been working on this book for quite a while. It is really good, but the chapters are VERY short. Some are less than one page. Seriously, there are 137 chapters, which means if you read a book a chpater at a time..., well, you get my point.
Anyway, it is the prequel to Da Vinci Code and follows Robert Langdon's, a Harvard symbologist, quest to uncover an Illuminati plot to destroy the Vatican and religion. It is fascinating, well written, and fast-paced, with many hidden twists and turns. One of my favorite parts is that they show the Illuminati ambigrams in the book. The other is that I just came back from seeing all these places and therefore could picture it in my head really well.
The only thing that I didn't care for in the book is that the it switches frequently between characters and has short chapters. So you might have 5-10 chapters in 10 pages that all cover different characters. As you know from my prior posts, I prefer more straightforward narrative writing. I look forward to reading Da Vinci Code next, after rewatching this movie.
Recommended.
I read DaVinci and Angels out of order (though it doesn't make much difference really). They were both great, but I liked Angels & Demons best. Unlike you, I rather enjoy shorter chapters because they give me easy stopping points.
"Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988-2000.
This is a recommendation of Angie's, dating back to Nat'l Poetry Month. I have read a few of Clifton's poems before but never this particular collection.
I really enjoyed this collection, although several were disturbing. Surprisingly, I liked some of the religious poems the best, in large part because of the way she humanizes biblical figures.
Some of my favorites: Lazarus (second day), Grief, Female, Wishes for Sons, Note Passed to Superman, and Telling Our Stories. I also liked the Lucifer poems. Angie, I know you've read this a couple of times- which are your favorites?
Recommended.
Oh wow, I'm beyond thrilled that someone took me up on my further reading from Nat'l Poetry Month!! I just love how fearless Clifton is with her writing.
My favorites are:
donor
what i think when i ride the train
the death of thelma sayles (my personal favorite, it makes me teary every time)
wishes for sons
eve thinking
here yet be dragons
leda 1, 2 and 3
leaving fox
Some poets I can only take in small doses. Clifton is one I can sit and read endlessly. Another is Edna St Vincent Millay.
I like the religious poems, but from more of a studious point of view. I like that they make you look up the stories (leda, too), understand them and then relate to the characters. Generally I enjoy poetry that somehow references other literature, so that you get a two-for-one to really understand it.
Eve Thinking and Leaving Fox almost made my favorites list- they were close seconds. I've also read a few of Edna St. Vincent Millay's but not a collection- any suggestions on what is the best one to get?
Also, I am housesitting once again for the friend with the personal library. I see she has "Eat, Pray, Love"- I foresee starting that tomorrow. I didn't realize the movie was starring Julia Roberts and is coming out so soon. Can't wait to have my multimedia experience!
This is the volume that I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Perennial-Classics-Vincent-Millay/dp/006093168X/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279202734&sr=1-11
It's very good. Based on the selections there, I think A Few Figs from Thistles or The Harp Weaver and Other Poems would be the best ones.
I hope you enjoy Eat Pray Love as much as I did. Happy reading!!
"Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence.
Oh heavens, where to start? I read this book because it was part of the Fanny Hill court case, in the United States, that was used to overturn obscenity laws and allowed these two books (and Tropic of Cancer) to be published finally in the 1960s. This book was banned due to explicit sexual encounters, adultery, and unprintable words (fuck and cunt primarily). It does use a lot of "unprintable words", there is sex, and there is adultery. Thus, it has the makings of a good book, right?
Let me quickly summarize the plot, in case you've never read it. Lady Chatterly, a woman in her late 20s, is married to Lord Chatterley, who is paralized from the waist down. They are both intellectuals and fell in love because of their "minds" and therefore don't mind being without sex. However, after pages of depression and overthinking of life, Lady Chatterley decides that a life of the mind without the physical life of the body is no life at all, yet she sees no way out of her situation. More depression, more overthinking of life, sex, love, etc. Pages of it. Finally (thank heavens) she meets the gamekeeper, who has both intellect and physicality. They have sex, talk about sex, fall in love, talk about love, talk about Bolshevism and capitalism and the downfall of the modern world. Then they become jointly depressed and talk about depression and all the previously mentioned topics yet again. In the last few chapters of the book they finally take action but then Lawrence ends the book before we really find out what happens.
Maybe you see where my problem lies? There is a lot more talking than action and all the talking inevitably just depresses the characters, and, by extension, ME. I really wanted to introduce Lady Chatterley to Fanny Hill. I think Fanny could have really helped her out with the whole love/sex issue, although she wouldn't have been much help with the Bolshevism/capitalism/"world going to hell in a money bag" problems.
It reminded me a lot of Madame Bovary in that there was a lot of whining leading up to adultery leading to more whining. As Tracy said of Dorian Gray, this could have been a good book with some major editing. With that said, in just a few minutes I am going to start the BBC movie. :-)
So, not recommended. But go ahead, read it anyway.
"Summer Knight" by Jim Butcher, 4th book of the Dresden Files series
What a fun book and so much butter than the last book in the series. A short summary: faerie war with Dresden in the middle trying to save his ass, as usual. The storyline kept twisting and turning with constant action; all my favorite characters were back; and, best of all, the humorous one-liners were rampant. Oh, how I laughed!
I won't say whether or not it is recommended, since you'd want to read the series in order to keep up with what is going on with the different characters, but if you like fantasy set in this world, I suggest you try this series.
"Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code" by Eoin Colfer.
More fun with Artemis Fowl. In this book, Fowl gets involved with the Chicago Mob when he attempts to sell Faerie technology to a tech company owner affiliated with the Mob. It all goes badly, of course, and he must team up with the Faeries again to get the technology back. At the end, they require him to receive a mind wipe so that he stops messing in Faerie business. But is it successful? (There are several more books, so I'm guessing NO).
Like the other AF books, this had our favorite characters reunited, with zany situations and humorous one-liners. I think these would be great books for pre-teens and younger teenage kids. Obviously, even adults like them!
I've always wondered about the Artemis Fowl books, and since you like them I guess I'll put them on my winter reading list.
I think you need another "books by melissa" post -- this one takes too long to load on my phone now! (:
Have you read Tropic of Cancer? It's another one I've always meant to reed but never have.
I'll open a new "Books by Melissa" after this post. I do thhink you'll like the Artemis Fowl books, though they are definitely written more for teens than adults.
I have "Tropic of Cancer" on my book wish list. Eventually I'll read it. :-)
BBC Miniseries- "Lady Chatterley's Lover".
The miniseries was better than the book because there was less whining about sex and more sex. However, it did not stick very close to the book, especially the ending, which was much happier in the miniseries.
What I love about the BBC is that they do not shy away from nudity. In one scene in the book, Mellors and Lady Chatterley run around in the rain naked. They did in the movie, too, with breasts and penis bouncing. You'd never see that in an American movie.
The biggest issue with the miniseries (besides the fact that it strayed from the book) was the music. It was very repetitive and was VERY similar to the music of other miniseries I've seen by BBC. Do they have the same music director for all their miniseries? If so, he needs to take a break.
Not recommended.
The nudity makes me want to watch that movie in spite of the fact that you do not recommend it ;)
Of course my wanting to watch the movie could be because my husband has been away for almost 8 months and...nevermind. Where's my copy of Fanny Hill?....
Poor Tracy- no fookin'. If you want BBC nudity with a good plot, I recommend "Room with a View". There is a seen where a bunch of guys chase each other around naked. Good for a laugh, if nothing else...
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