Don't read this comment if you plan on reading the book because I am bound to give something away. I didn't intend to finish it quite so soon, but I had to go into the library today and it is due in less than a week, so I quick finished it so I could drop it off while I was there today.
This book has the same endearing qualities as the last book, with great situations and heart-warming family moments. In this book, the family struggles to make ends meet after the death of Ralph's father. This means a variety of odd jobs for all of them, including Ralph, and quite a few sacrifices. Most of the people from the first book still show up, including Hi and Ralph's cowpoke buddies. There is a surprise coming aout half way into the book and quite a cliffhanger at the end, but I won't give those away.
Of course, recommended. I'll have to wait a bit for the next book, since I had to order it through ILL.
This is part of the Great Episodes series, in which authors take an event in American history and write a novel about it, keeping as close to the facts as possible but fictionalizing it enough to make a real novel. They are meant for high school students, to make history more interesting, and have discussion questions in the back. I really like this idea.
In this book, Rinaldi takes several years in the life of Patrick Henry's family at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. In real life, Patrick Henry's wife was mad, scholars posit post-partum depression, and they kept her in the basement. Later, his eldest son also went mad (maybe also depression) during a battle of the Revolutionary War. Rinaldi takes these facts and writes the novel from the perspective of the two eldest girls in the family and how they dealt with their mother, an often absentee father, and the political turmoil. One of the overriding themes is the question "When is it okay to lie, especially to protect another person, and when should you tell the truth?" In the book, Rinaldi writes that the wife says to him at one point "Give me my freedom or let me die"- thus giving Henry the idea of "give me liberty or give me death" in his famous speech.
Unfortunately, I don't like the personalities that Rinaldi ascribed to the two girls. She makes the eldest bossy and overbearing and the second eldest wild and stubborn. A large share of the book covers the conflict between the two sisters and makes them both out to be obnoxious. Rinaldi confesses in a historical epilogue that this is all her imagination as there are very few accounts of what the girls were really like. So, in sum, great plot and idea but lousy characters.
"Electra" by Euripides, as translated by Janet Lembke and Kenneth J. Reckford.
I was actually in the mood for some Greek drama this afternoon so I pulled this off the bookshelves. It is very short, only 77 pages long, and therefore readable in one sitting. Of course, I had to read it aloud in order to get the full impact. The dogs appreciated that.
In this version of the revenge of Electra and Orestes on Aigisthos and Clytemnestra for the murder of Agammenon (there are several versions), Euripides shows Electra as stronger than her brother Orestes and really the instigator of the murders, for all Orestes carries them out. Except for the anti-feminist rantings coming from Electra about her mother, I enjoyed reading it. Nothing like a good revenge plot to finish off a pleasant summer day. :-)
If you are in to Greek drama, I recommend this translation because it is very easy to understand and enjoy.
On the recommendation of club-mates: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I agree with both Angie and Joy, what a great book! Even though I have few circumstances in common with Gilbert, the way that she describes everything lets me be right there with her. Tons of great quotes, as you both mention, and several laugh out loud moments. There were several times I had to read sections out loud to Ken.
I borrowed this book from a friend to read, but have already bought it as I can foresee reading it again, plus I want my mother to read it.
"Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception" by Eion Colfer.
This is the next installment of the Artemis Fowl series. In this, an evil pixie attempts to show Mud Men (that would be us, humans) the fairy underworld, while also revenging herself on Artemis, his bodyguard, and the fairy Holly Short. However, Artemis's memory was wiped at the end of the last book, so for most of this book he doesn't know/believe what is going on. This makes for some very amusing exchanges. However, this book wasn't quite as good. It was more serious, had fewer amusing moments, and we lose one of the secondary characters. Oh well, it was still a good read.
It's my reward system. I have to do a certain amount of schoolwork (or housework, whichever is most pressing) in order to "win" a chapter of a book. I love to read and this way I get a lot of schoolwork and other work done too. I also let myself read a couple of chapters before bed if I've been productive all day. It seems rather childish, but it works for me. I keep working hard all day and get to read a lot.
That, and I like a selection of books to read from so I usually have about 10 book started at any given time and then choose which book I want to read a chapter of when I get my work done. You know, sometimes you feel like a romance, other times a thriller, or a biography, or ...
"An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler" by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Joy hated this book, but my mother really enjoys the whole series and has been urging me to read it. What a way to go into a book, or in this case a collection of the 3 books that start the series.
I won't resummarize since Joy already summarized in her post and the plot is very simple. In many ways I agree with Joy, but I did enjoy it and will finish reading the series. As Joy posted, it is very simplistic- the dialogue, the plot, the characters, etc. I don't mind the quilting explanations so much since I am not a quilter, however I find the stupid questions that people ask about quilting to be... well, stupid. Seriously, basting like a turkey?
However, it is a quick read and I enjoy the historical parts where they reflect back on times during the wars and so on. My mom said the later books are better (she read the series out of order, starting with the later books) so hopefully I will see an improvement as I continue through the series. These certainly won't be my favorite books but they are quick, easy, and harmless. Plus, as I already mentioned, it will make my mother happy that I've read them and can talk to her about them.
This book was a lot better than I expected it to be. Cornwell is one of those writers that publishes frequently and therefore, I expected, would have rather sub-standard work. This wasn't an excellent book, but it was a good read.
The main character is a middle-aged Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia, who is called in to investigate the death of a reporter while diving in a naval shipyard. She becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving a cult, nuclear plant, and Libya. Sounds a little far-fetched, right? And it is, actually, but it seems to work for this book. My biggest problem with it was that it ended rather abruptly.
With that said, I don't know whether to recommend it. Ken will enjoy it, so he'll be reading it next, but I'm not sure if it is for everyone.
M, have you read any David Rosenfelt? A friend of mine recommended his first book, Open and Shut. I think it sounds good with some offbeat humor. Just wondering if he had the M stamp of approval too =)
"Inherit the Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.
Alright, I admit that this was a reread, but it has been ages since I last read this play (did we read it in high school?) and I wanted to see if I really wanted to keep it on my bookshelf or not. Turns out that I do. I forgot how good this play was.
For those of you who don't remember, it is Lawrence and Lee's rendering of the Scopes trial (putting Evolution on trial, basically). They admit that some of the dialogue actually comes from the transcript of the Scopes trial and some of the characters are the same, but they take full responsibility for fictionalizing it. The characters are very believable and it is written in such a way that you honestly believe it could be happening in any small town.
Definitely recommended if you haven't already read it.
I had to look online to see if this was based on a true story. I didn't think it was, initially, but McEwan had an appendix in the back that held an article by a psychologist describing a case study that was very similar to the novel. It was not actually an article by a scientist, though, but part of the novel apparently. Very confusing.
Anyway, about the novel... I don't know what to think about it other than that it was disturbing. It begins with an accident with a hot air balloon in which a man dies. One of the other men involved in the incident falls in love with the main character (another man involved in the incident) and becomes obsessed with him: sending him letters, standing outside his building to catch a glimpse, calling him on the phone, etc. Or does he? Is this stalker really a figmant of the man's imagination and not real at all? His wife thinks he may be. Through the whole novel the reader is left wondering whether this is really happening or whether the main character is crazy. The last few chapters clear this mystery up.
The only chapter that I really actively enjoyed was a chapter toward the end where the main character goes to a couple of hippies to buy a gun. There were several humorous moments in that chapter that were also very realistic, I thought. Otherwise, I thought about the book a lot when I wasn't reading it, but mostly because I really wanted to know if it was real or imaginary. It drove me a little bit crazy, I think.
It is on our list of 1,001 books to read so I hate to say that I don't recommend it. Use your own judgement. :-)
"Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer.
There were some great characters introduced in this book: an imp with an obsession with language and a female teenage genius. In addition, Artemis is entering puberty and keeps stopping in the middle of intense action to ask Butler if what he is feeling is normal. Hillarious. One of my favorites of this series.
"Bullet" by Laurell Hamilton and "Hill Games" by Charles Cronin.
"Bullet" is the latest Anita Black novel and is basically 300 pages of sex (hard-core) and violence with a little bit of plot. I don't know why I keep reading these books.
"Hill Games" is about some lobbyists and lawyers that attempt to change a law so that American companies can bribe foreign officials for contracts. Based on a lot of corrupt, sexist, good-ole-boys. BORING. I thought I would enjoy it, but I was wrong.
Neither is recommended for anyone. What a waste of my time.
"Home Ranch" by Ralph Moody, the 3rd in the Little Britches series.
Supposedly, this is the third in the series, but actually it picks up a chapter in the middle of "Man of the House" and expands it. So, you don't really move any further in Ralph's life and don't yet get passed the small cliffhanger at the end of "House".
However, I actually liked it better than "House" because it tells of Ralph's time working on a cattle ranch with Mr. Batchlett. He goes on all sorts of adventures and does some more trick-riding. However, it is almost all new characters so you don't get to see Hi or any of Ralph's family in this book. It was a fun book to read.
I would actually recommend getting this and "House" together and reading this when you get to the chapter about Ralph working for the summer with Mr. Batchlett. It would fill in the blanks in "House" without breaking chronological order.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.
I think we had decided that this wouldn't be picked as a book club book since Joy had already read it? Anyway, I went ahead and read it because I had wanted to for a long time.
I agree with Joy, a very good book. I had expected it to be darker than it actually was, being as how it deals a lot of with race relations from a Black perspective as well as having a rape of a minor. These parts were depressing, of course, but there were also several amusing chapters to break it up. What I also really liked is that it was easy to read a chapter at a time. I could read a chapter, put the book down for several days, and come back to it for another chapter without being lost. While the storyline develops, each chapter is self-contained enough that you don't feel like you've left in the middle of something or are lost when you return. I really like that in books.
I've just checked out a collection of complete autobiographies by Angelou. Apparently she was a prostitute for a while and had a number of odd jobs so I expect the later autobiographies to be just as good, though they don't get the attention the first does. Of course, I'll let you know as I read them!
Definitely recommended, Tracy, since I know you were thinking about reading it. I think you'll really like it. I also want to put another plug out there for the "Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins. I think both Tracy and Angie will really like those books. Maybe not Joy so much since you don't seem like as much of a fantasy fan.
"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins, the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy.
This book was excellent, sad, depressing, and gave me nightmares all last night. I can't tell you how many times I teared up while reading it yesterday.
In this book, the revolution finally begins and the colonies are at war with the capitol. Katniss is, as the mockingjay, in the middle of the war as the "leader" of the rebellion. At the same time she is battling feelings of depression and guilt as everyone around her is dying. A LOT of characters die off in this book and some in really horrible ways (thus the tearing up in many places and the nightmares). So why is it so good? I love the way Collins had developed Katniss and her relationship with the other characters. Plus, the social commentary is still a huge part of the book with Katniss struggling with important questions (how far can the rebels go before they become like the capitol leaders?, are humans destined to always kill each other for power?, is it better to protect your friends and family or put them in peril to help society as a whole?) Plus, it is just really well-written. Part of the reason for the nightmares is because I really felt like I was there and knew these people.
I don't often recommend depressing books, but I really recommend this whole series.
"Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox", the 6th Artemis Fowl book by Eoin Colfer.
Alas, this book was not as good as the last few. It revived Opal Koboi, who I was glad to be rid of, and included a lot of time travel, which got rather confusing at times. It also had to do with a lot of extinct animals, which was depressing. Oh well, maybe the next will be better.
"The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson, the second book in the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
I started this book yesterday and finished it this morning. I was just unable to put it down. This book really starts to flesh out Lisabeth's background and what "All that evil" actually was. Of course, Blomkvist is involved, in fact deeply involved. I love the way Lisabeth kicks butt. In one scene she encounters two evil bikers who are trying to do terrible things to her, but she overwhelms them. They refuse to tell how and for the rest of the book everyone else wonders how she did it. I won't say anymore to ruin it.
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson. The last book of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
Oh, so good. I read it basically in one sitting yesterday. It wraps up all the action and sideplots from the first two books with a great courtroom scene. This book was also a little less violent than the prior two, as much of it played out in jail and the courtroom.
"Gather Together in My Name" by Maya Angelou, the second in her autobiographical series.
This book was very different from "Caged Bird". It was less philosophical and much more material. It chronicles her late teenage years as she jumps from job to job and man to man. It is crazy what jobs she ends up doing sometimes. It was a very quick and easy read- much quicker and easier than "Caged Bird". I can't wait to start the next one.
I do recommend it, but read it after "Caged Bird" because you'll understand more of it.
"Mary Emma and Company" by Ralph Moody, the 4th in the Moody series.
It seems like all I've been reading lately are series! Anyway, this one really has more to do with Ralph's mother and sister than with him. They've moved to Boston and are trying to find a way to make a living. They no longer have horses or ranches so Ralph has to find something else to do and his mother and sister and trying to find a means of making money that doesn't require them to be away from home. It is full of great anecdotes like all the others and is still told from Ralph's point of view. I didn't know if I would like it as well because it didn't involve ranching or horses but I still really enjoyed it. Of course, recommended.
M, since I had read "Caged Bird" and the Troy Library had "Gather Together in My Name" and YOU gave a good recommendation, I ran right over and borrowed it from the library. I will start it tonight perhaps, (after my 2nd reading of Eat, Pray, Love).
I really enjoyed this book; it was like a cross between "Rocketeer" and "Man with the Iron Mask" but with the wisecracking of "Artemis Fowl". In short, it is set in the late 1800s, when a brilliant 14 year old boy, who is obsessed with flying, witnesses the murder of the king and the boy's tutor. He is sent to a horrible prison under a different name to keep from saying who the murderer is, while his family and the princess are told that he has died. He must plan his escape, which takes years, and find a way to prevent the murderer from killing the princess when she takes the throne.
It is generally well-written, though it could have actually been a little longer. In order to stay manageable some time periods and events were covered quickly, but it is a book for teenagers and is already over 400 pages long so I see why that is. Otherwise, even better than Artemis Fowl. I look forward to reading the rest of Colfer's books. Recommended.
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera.
This book took me an unbearably long time to read and I just can't say I enjoyed it. From what I can gather, it is supposed to be about two couples: a woman obsessed with a man and his infidelity, and a man who marries an obnoxious woman and has an affair with one of the mistresses of the man in the first couple. This all plays out with the backdrop of the Communist invasion of Czechoslovakia.
With that said, there may have been a plot somewhere in all the digressions and meandering but I think I missed it. I did happen to notice that people died- main characters died- but then in the next section they were still alive. ?? Also, the book ended with the death of the dog, which apparently died before the owners die, which is in the section before. ?? There were several passages that were really interesting and made perfect sense- they just had nothing to do with the plot or characters, at least not that I noticed.
A- the theme of Part 6 was shit. I thought of you (and how you and I both like to read about the nitty-gritty parts of existence) as I was reading it. Don't ask me what it had to do with the plot, if there was a plot.
So, if you haven't already picked up on it, this book is NOT recommended.
I like Tom Clancy and I like political thrillers but I didn't care for this book. It is about a race for control of the USSR among several factions, some pro-American and some anti-American. The competition has all sorts of intrigues and deceptions, some involving the US.
The idea is an interesting one, but the writing really turned me off. The chapters were short and choppy and frequently switched characters so you couldn't really connect with any one character. And yet, it seemed to move slowly. Not recommended.
This was a really interesting, though sad book. It was a sad storyline with a lot of heartbreak (A- you'd probably like it) and interesting in the way it was written.
The book alternates perspectives of a young girl in Mexico and a woman living in Los Angeles who is trying to find her father. Somewhere near the beginning I realized they were the same person (they have different names, which is explained near the end) and their storylines merge toward the end. Usually I don't care for books that switch between characters and time periods but I like the way it was done in this book. The young girl loses her father and takes the treacherous route to the US, illegally, to find him while at the same time the woman is returning to Mexico to take her father home.
This book wasn't as good as "Airman" or the Fowl series. The plot was a little too far out into fantasy (in the future, earth is decimated and humans live on a satellite under bad conditions, creatures invisible to most people feed on humans), it was too short and ended abruptly, and it just wasn't as witty. I guess we can't expect every book to be great, right?
I've been reading a lot of realistic, rather depressing books lately so I thought it was time to delve into another vampire series. I was a little concerned because I hated the last vampire series I tried (Vampire Diaries) and didn't like the prior (St. Germaine) either, but this was the perfect comeback.
This series is written for young adults (I've become very familiar with the Children's section at WMU's library) and follows two young women (I use this term losely). In this fictional world, there are two types of vampires: Strigoi, which are evil, violent, and survive on blood alone; and Moroi, which are good, magical, and need blood to be healthy but can also survive on food. In addition, there are Dhampirs, which are the offspring of human/Moroi matings. They are stronger than humans but don't drink blood. They traditionally become guardians of the Moroi (passivists), who are being hunted by the Strigoi. Still with me? The book is told from the perspective of Rose, a dhampir, and guardian of Lissa, a moroi. They attend an academy where each are taught their special tricks- either bodyguarding (Dhampirs) or magic (Moroi). These two girls are unusual because they share a mind bond and Rose can feel Lissa's emotions and occasionally get in her head. They struggle with the usual teen issues like crushes and being outcasts, but the book also goes into other more adult issues as well. In my mind, this makes it even better than Twilight. I loved the characters and enjoyed the plot. There are serious moments and jokes, but ultimately the main storyline is the relationship between the two girls.
Recommended. Tracy, I know you'll like this series if you liked Twilight.
"Frostbite", "Shadow Kiss", and "Blood Promise" by Richelle Mead, books 2,3, and 4 of the Vampire Academy series.
These books are killing me. I checked out "Frostbite" on Tuesday, read it Tuesday night. It was good. A solid plot, character development, still a little witty, a lot sad, and very interesting. It ended well and left me satisfied.
Wednesday I checked out "Shadow Kiss", read it Wednesday night. Kept me up reading 'till almost midnight. It was more intense then the prior two and then about 3/4s of the way through. BAM. Huge plot twist that I never saw coming and then the book ended, leaving me hanging. Seriously, if I wasn't pretty sure the library was already closed then I might have driven to Kalamazoo to get the next one. Instead I was up a good share of the rest of the night because my mind wouldn't let it go and let me sleep.
So yesterday (Thursday) I checked out "Blood Promise". I was a good girl and graded papers and taught class even with the book screaming at me from my bag. As soon as class was over, though, I sat down and read the first three chapters. I managed to peel myself away long enough to drive home. Then I sat down and read it. I think I paused once to say hello to Ken when he came home, though I can't say for sure. Toward the end I was feeling pretty good about it, because it was wrapping up nicely, when in the last chapter ANOTHER plot twist and then it ended. SERIOUSLY?!? Okay, I kind-of saw this one coming, but still. So, I was up a good share of last night obsessing over the ending of that book (plus, it was really hot here last night). I'm exhausted.
Since the last book just came out, I have to order it on Amazon because the library doesn't cover it and it won't let me ILL it, so now I have to wait for it to get here. So, I'll work on Book Thief and try to catch up during the hiatus.
Okay, I just wrote a long post about two books and then lost it. Bummer.
Anway, "Storm Born" and "Succubus Blues" by Richelle Mead.
I liked Vampire Academy so much that I thought I would try out her two adult series. "Storm Born" is the first in the Dark Swan series about a human/fairy shaman who works as a magical consultant. Rather like a cross between Dresden Files and Anita Blake. It was alright.
I really liked "Succubus Blues" (the first in the Georgina Kincaid series) because it reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris's series. Kincaid is an unwilling succubus who meets her favorite author in this book. The first few scenes between them are hilarious! Then she meets a nephilium (human/angel) who first wants to run away with her and then wants to kill her.
I'll finish both series, but only recommend the Kincaid series thus far. Maybe the Dark Swan series will improve but thus far I wasn't too impressed with that book.
"Howards End" by E.M. Forester and "Blowout" by Catherine Coulter.
Howards End, like every E.M. Forster book I've read was very good. It follows the clash between two educated and intellectual sisters and a bourgeoise family in England in the early 20th century- centered around a country house (Howards End). There are numerous misunderstandings and clashes, but in the end it seems to work itself out. Not as satisfactorally as it might have, in my opinion, but that seems pretty realistic! I like Forster's writing style and characters in general, but enjoyed Room With a View more than this book. Recommended.
"Blowout" is one of those mass marketed FBI thriller books. I think it is actually from the middle of a series about two FBI agents. The plot centered around a mystery of a woman who died about 20 years before and the murder of a Supreme Court judge. At times the writing was good, at others it seemed unpolished. Also, the two FBI agents seemed well developed as characters but the others seemed stilted and unnatural. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be a classic, I suppose. Not recommended.
"Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead, the last published book of the Vampire Academy Series.
And, of course this book leaves the reader hanging. The last three have, why not this one? Another good book, though not as good as the prior two, in my opinion. Rose is reunited with her love, but not in the way she expects and not so happily as she wants. Then she becomes embroiled in a Moroi court scandal and accused of treason, with the punishment of death. What will be the outcome? Stay tuned for the next (and last of the series) book, which releases in December. :-) I hate it when books leave you hanging.
"Thorn Queen" and "Succubus On Top" by Richelle Mead, and
"Fields of Home" by Ralph Moody.
In "Fields of Home" Ralph goes to live with his grandfather on a farm in Maine. It took me a while to read this book because his grandfather is so cranky and crotchety that I could only stand him in small doses. Ralph leaves and comes back several times because his grandfather drives him crazy, but by the end they make peace with each other. It is a lot about farming and getting along with relatives. Not as good as the earlier books in the series, so I would suggest skipping over this book unless you're really committed to the series.
"Thorn Queen" is the 2nd book in the Dark Swan series about a Shaman who turns out to also be half-fey. Not nearly as good as the first and darker and more twisted. Not recommended.
"Succubus on Top" (2nd in the Georgina Kincaid series) however, was as good as the first with lots of LOL moments and an interesting plot. It also gives more depth to the characters. I'm really enjoying this series. I do recommend this series to people who like the Sookie Stackhouse books. The subject matter is different, but the tone is similar.
Ken's father recommended this author since he really likes her books. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. This book is sci-fi-ish. A girl becomes a Listener when her mother is killed. Listeners can hear the voices of people living through crises in a certain place. She also turns out to be a Pandora, which means she can bring on hidden psychic talents in other people. The voices are blocked by a man and she is placed in a home with her uncle and grows up never knowing she is a Listener. Until she is in her 30s and the blocker comes back to remove the block on the voices and ask her to help him find an important book. Then they travel Europe trying to avoid bad men who are hunting both her and the book.
The plot might have been interesting, but it was never fully developed. The writing was okay in places but jumped around a lot and the conversations often seemed contrived. Maybe some of her other books are better? I kind-of have a hard time picturing my father-in-law reading this book, actually. Maybe I read the wrong author. Anyway, not recommended.
"Shaking the Nickel-Bush" by Ralph Moody and "Succubus Dreams" by Richelle Mead.
It is amazing all the jobs/adventures that Moody has! In "Nickel-bush" he is traveling around the west looking for work and ends up doing a variety of odd jobs (from horse-falls for the movie industry to cowboy-artist) and having strange adventures (like careening down a canyon backwards in a "flivver" and jumping trains). This book was interesting and had the great anecdotes typical of a Moody book, but wasn't as upbeat as the earlier books, in fact in places it was almost depressing.
"Succubus Dreams" was fun and funny, both, though it also included some very detailed sex scenes (eat your heart out Fanny Hill) and ended on a sour note. I enjoyed several LOL moments and didn't hate the sex scenes :-) but did dislike the ending. Oh well. Maybe the next book will resolve the ending.
"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan, Book 1 of Percy Jackson a nd the Olympians.
I had to read this book quick before Ken gets the movie through Netflix (top of his queue) and I just couldn't watch the movie without reading the book first... :-)
This looks like a great series for kids, but it just doesn't have the pull for adults that some other young adult series have (for example, Harry Potter). It is focused more on battles with monsters and escape plans than with adult situations or humor, so I probably won't follow the series. I'm already involved in enough other series right now anyway.
This book introduces us to Percy Jackson as a struggling middle schooler who discovers there is something different about himself. He ends up at Half-Blood camp where he discovers why he is different and is sent on a quest to find the lightning thief and return the stolen goods. There are lots of mythological monsters that he fights with the help of two friends (a smart girl and goofy but brave boy- remind us of any other series?).
I would definitely recommend it to kids, but not so much to adults.
"Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex" by Eion Colfer.
Just when I was getting a little bit bored with the AF books, Colfer mixes it up in this book. Much of the book is about Artemis going crazy with a disease called the Artemis Complex which often affects those dabbling with magic who also have a lot of guilt. It begins with OCD and paranoia and moves to multiple personality disorder. So much fun and a good way to create crazy new conversations and character dynamics. There is a twisted world domination plot involved also, of course, with Holly, Foaly, and Artemis attempting to save the day.
However, I felt that Colfer rather leaves the reader hanging at the end, without the tidy wrap-up that usually ends his books. I guess I'll have to wait for the next book to come out to see how it all ends. As always, recommended. And now I move on to focusing on "Love in the Time of Cholera". I plan to have it finished by the end of this week.
"The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow and "Succubus Heat" by Richelle Mead, the 4th or 5th of the Georgina Kincaid series.
I've been reading "The Adventures of Augie March" since June. It is a dense, aimless book. It is supposedly written in picareque style, except that "Unlike other picaresque novels, such as Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, the plot of Augie March is never pre-determined. Things simply happen to Augie, one after another, with no evident story arc or hint as to where his adventures are leading." (Wikipedia) Exactly. No evident plot or point. Augie meets people and pages are spent describing the person and the occasion and their relationship and then that person never appears in the book again. Augie works a job and pages are spent on the job, the people he meets, his duties, his employer, and then he quits and it is never referenced again. Apparently this book has been compared to Moby Dick. I can see why. I'm just glad that I am done reading it. Not recommended.
"Succubus Heat" like the rest of this series was a quick, fun read. Georgina's demon boss is summoned by a human and so all his evil underlings (including Georgina) lose their abilities and basically become human. An interesting twist that leads some great places in the plot. But in the end Georgina releases her boss and goes back to being a succubus.
"Dead Witch Walking" by Kim Harrison and "Eight Tales of Terror" by Edgar Allan Poe.
I'd already read Poe's stories once, but thought I would reread them to celebrate Halloween. This just reaffirmed that I'm not a huge Poe fan. I like some of his poems and a few of his stories, but all-in-all, just not a fan. I disliked "Hop-Frog" and "The Cask of Amontillado", was bored by "MS. Found in a Bottle" and "Ligeia" and liked "Fall of the House of Usher" and "Masque of Red Death". A mixed bag of likes and dislikes.
"Dead Witch Walking" is the start of the Hollows series by Harrison. This book introduces us to a witch, living vampire, and pixie who leave the non-human bail bond agency to start their own bounty hunter partnership. However, the agency they left puts a price on the head of the witch (because she did not pay off her contract) and so she is constantly being attacked by assassins (thus the title) and her partners spend a lot of time attempting to keep her alive. At the same time, the partners are trying to smooth out the arrangements of their new agency (and living arrangements) and take down an influential city councilmen who has been dealing in drugs. So much action, sarcasm, and lol moments packed into one book. It was a little confusing at first until I got used to the characters, but then I began to love the characters and their shenanigans. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, "Succubus Shadows" by Richelle Mead, and "Suddenly Frugal" by Leah Ingram.
A. had recommended "The Awakening" in one of our book surveys. I think it is even one of her favorite books. Because of the ending, it is not going to be one of mine. If you haven't already read it, it is about a woman in Louisianna in the late 1800s who starts to resent her life as a housewife and mother and begins to have feminist stirrings. I really liked most of the book but was disappointed in the ending. It does make sense for the book, but...
"Succubus Shadows" is not as good as the prior books in this series. It reminded me a little bit of the television episodes where they recap everything that has happened so far. In this book, Georgina is kidnapped by some demons and made to relive all the terrible times in her life, so basically it covered a bunch of stuff that the reader already knew. Meanwhile, her friends try to find/save her. There were some lol moments and I liked the ending, but most of the book just seemed like a repeat. Bummer.
"Suddenly Frugal" is a non-fiction book that talks about ways to save money. I didn't find it very helpful because I already do most of these things, though it did recommend a book swap website, bookmooch.com, that I have recently joined and am liking.
"Dry Divide" by Ralph Moody, the 7th book of the "Little Britches" series.
I'm really enjoying this series, Tracy; thank you so much for introducing me to it.
This book picks up where "Shaking the Nickel Bush" leaves off, with Ralph broke and without a job in Colorado. He hires on to help a farmer harvest wheat and ends up becoming the favorite as he always does. The first few chapters are a little sad because Ralph is really struggling and there is a character that really abuses his family and animals, but once past that point, it becomes a happier story. It always amazes me what a hard worker Ralph is! The only thing missing in this book is any information about Grace and the rest of Ralph's family.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Undead" by Kim Harrison, second in the Hollows series.
Not quite as good as the first because there was a lot more drama/violence and a lot less humor/wit. However, still a fun read. This book follows Rachel's quest to take down Trent for murder, while trying to avoid becoming her roommates vampire scion or being killed by a demon. At the same time, she learns some important information about her father and her past.
I really love the main pixie character, Jenks, and his whole family, in this series.
M, I wanted to thank you for the Harris book you sent in the mail - I haven't been able to read it yet because Harold picked it up the next day and has been working on it ever since. He seems to like it, and I think he's going to start the Sookie Stackhouse series when he's done with this one. =)
RE the Awakening, I didn't much care for the ending, but in a way it fit the book. I imagine she must have felt such an immense wave of freedom (no pun intended). Overall I liked the book because in the beginning it was so subtle about her situation, and how she started to resent it. I especially liked the part where the children were asleep, her husband comes home, wakes them up and then tells her the one is sick. Ooooh boy did I dislike him in that moment!
A, Ken is also thinking about starting the Sookie Stackhouse series when he finishes the Dresden Files series. "Secret Rage" is one of her earlier books and not nearly as good as Sookie, but it is interesting to see where she started from.
I really disliked her husband, in "Awakening", but wasn't a big fan of Robert either since he also seemed pretty self-absorbed. I'm glad I read it; it just won't be one of my favorites. :-)
I am so glad that a friend recommended this book to me because it is a great book. It's taken me several months to read it because it is over 500 pages long and very dense, but it was well worth the time.
It is hard to say what it is about because it covers so much! Basically, it follows the life of an orphan, Homer Wells, who was born at St. Cloud's orphanage and trained by the doctor in charge to be a midwife and abortionist. At the same time, it covers the topics of abortion, unwanted pregnancies and orphans, forbidden love, WWII, race relations, lesbianism, etc. etc. It packs so much in and yet none of it seems extraneous. It all makes sense within the plot and is all rather neatly wrapped up by the end. In addition, the writing is very good and in some places the blending of storylines and conversations is ingenious. And, of course, there are many humorous segments to lighten an otherwise very difficult plot line.
I'm left a little conflicted about this book. For one, I'm not sure whether it is fiction or non-fiction. It was written by Alexander when she returned to India after graduate school in England. It is written from the first person perspective of a woman who returns to India after graduate school in England, who gets caught up in the political and social struggles of the time. :-)
Secondly, it is quite short- just over 100 pages. Part of me wants it to be longer, to have better closure and yet, it seems to have ended at a place that works with the rest of the story even if it doesn't make me happy.
So, I don't know. Read at your own risk. A would probably like it because it is pretty depressing...
"Cleopatra VII: The Royal Diaries" by Kristiana Gregory and "Every Which Way But Dead" by Kim Harrison.
"Cleopatra" is a Scholastic book targeted at middle school age kids in an attempt to make them interested in history. Gregory recreates what she believes Cleopatra would have written in her diary from the age of 12-14 when she fled Egypt to Rome with her father. This is another instance when I like the idea, but wasn't impressed with how it was carried out. The writing wasn't spectacular or gripping and I can't see it making someone more interested in history. But maybe it would appeal to someone that age?
Kim Harrison's writting isn't spectacular either but her books are a lot of fun to read and hard for me to put down. In this installment of the Hollows series, there is a bad witch in town who is getting in trouble with everyone and the runners of Vampiric Charms find themselves in the middle of it, of course, and eventually Rachel faces off against the bad witch. The only thing I didn't care for in this book was that the pixie, who is my favorite character, leaves the agency is huff and doesn't appear in the rest of the book. I'm sure Jenks will be back in the next book, though, so I'll keep reading. :-)
"Gods in Alabama" by Joshilyn Jackson and "Scraps of Life: Chilean Arpilleras, Chilean Women and the Pinochet Dictatorship" by Marjorie Agosin.
"Scraps" is a nonfiction book about women who mobilized against Pinochet's dictatorship by creating arpilleras (rather like tapestries) that conveyed the terror of living under the regime and then smuggling them out of the country to be sold. Most of the women had loved ones who had been "disappeared" by the regime and met the other women of the group while asking about the missing people at prisons and torture centers. In addition to creating the arpilleras, the women also organized protests and marches against the regime. What the author points out is so interesting is that the regime refused to recognize women as having any role other than as wives and mothers, so it ignored the women and only, for the most part, "disappeared" men. However, with the lack of men, more and more women were forced to work outside the home and chose to become politically active, thus creating a feminist movement. Towards the end of the Pinochet regime, the government started arresting and beating the women as well, though, when the leaders recognized the power the women had. Interesting and sad book.
On a lighter note, "Gods" was a strange novel. At the beginning we learn that Lena has left Alabama with a secret and lived the past 10 years in Chicago. She is forced to return to Alabama with her black boyfriend (meeting a racist Southern family) to confront this secret. At the end, we find out the secret isn't what we thought it was. Ultimately, it is a book about the relationships between Lena, her cousin, and her aunt. It switches back and forth between the present (Lena returning to Alabama) and the past (the reason why she left), but it works because it pieces together the story for the reader as she slowly confronts it. The book is written in a very contemporary style, with discussion of bodily functions, swearing, and no holds barred. Honestly, I'm not sure if I liked the book or not, but it kept me thinking!
A, have you read this? It is one of the supplementary books to the series (others are a book on Quiddich and one on magical beasts). I had bought it the last time I read #7, but then never read it. However, after watching the #7 Part 1 movie Thanksgiving (very good, though there are a lot of differences from the book), I got it out to read it. It is a slim book of magical fairy tales for children (the book that Dumbledore bequeaths to Hermione). If you like fairytales, it is a fun read. After each tale is "commentary" by Dumbledore, which is rather funny sometimes.
"Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South" by Shirley Abbot and "I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" by Rick Bragg.
These are both non-fiction, but interesting books. "Womenfolks" is written by a woman who was asked by a relative to research the women of their family. She finds little about the women of her family and instead ends up writing about white women in the South throughout our country's history. She writes it as "My great-grandmother might have had this type of experience because this is what it was like to be a woman in this place during this time". I make it sound dull, but I found it quite interesting.
"Soldier" is obviously about the Jessica Lynch story. As you probably recall, Lynch was one of the first POWs of the Iraq war and was rescued from an Iraq hospital several weeks after she was captured. Bragg interviews Lynch, her family, and fellow soldiers about the events leading to her capture, rescue, and rehabilitation. In some ways it seems kind-of fake and "feel-good", but in other ways it feels authentic and tells the story well. I enjoyed it, anyway!
"Blood Rites" by Jim Butcher, Book 6 of Dresden Files, and
"For a Few Demons More" by Kim Harrison, Book 5 of the Hollows series.
In "Blood Rites" Dresden takes a job to protect the cast of a porno from a curse. You can imagine some of the situations this puts him in, then. :-) In addition, he is left caring for a special puppy and discovers family he didn't know he had. One of the best of the series thus far with lots of off the wall references to books, television, and other things.
"For a Few Demons More" is not one of the better books of this series. It is intense with lots of action and little of the fun characterizing the earlier books. Then, at the end one of my favorite characters dies. I hate it when that happens!
"Horse of a Different Color" by Ralph Moody, the last of the Little Britches series.
I am sorry to finish this series as it has been such fun to read. This last book did not disappoint and was very interesting. In it, Ralph takes up raising feeder beef and hogs and a livestock shipping business. The community he is in gets hid with several misfortunes but, of course, through ingenuity he manages to pull himself out of trouble and often others as well. There is a lot of financial dickering and figuring of weights and sale prices in this book, but the window into the livestock markets and farm community after WWI is well worth it. Highly recommended. I'll miss this series.
I was rather looking forward to "Bachelor Girl" because it is about Rose Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter and I thought since I liked the Little House books that I would like this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The writing and plot were simplistic, while also reinforcing traditional gender roles. Finally, it left the reader hanging at the end, which I don't like.
Rita Mae Brown is best known for her writings in gender and women's studies and lesbian novels. "Animal Magnetism" was a departure from her typical writing and told of the lessons she learned from animals during her life. It had pictures of her pets and lots of great anecdotes. A fun book, but sometimes the writing of this book also seemed simplistic as well.
Neither is highly recommended, though animal lovers may enjoy "Animal Magnetism".
This is one of the few science fiction books that is frequently found on "best books" lists. It is one of many written by Asimov, who also wrote the "I, Robot" series.
Basically, the book is set in the future, in the 2200s. Humans have expanded from Earth to live in settlements (think big spaceships) that orbit the planet. One of the settlements develops hyperdrive and leaves Earth's orbit when it discovers that a star is on course to disrupt the solar system. The novel focuses on three people: Marlene, a 15 year old girl on the breakaway settlement; Crile, her father, who remained on Earth rather than going with the breakaway settlement; and Pitt, the Earthling-hating Commander of the breakaway settlement. The timeline spans about 15 years, alternating between the present time for Marlene and Pitt, and the past for her father. The timeline all ties together in the end in a way that makes sense.
I really liked that Asimov explains everything in a way to make it clear and believable. The characters are also unusual and quirky so it was a fun read. However, while most of the book was fairly believable for science fiction, the ending was too quick and came together too easily to be believable, which rather ruined the book for me.
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Binchy's books and so decided to read this collection of Christmas stories. This is not the usual bunch of feel-good Christmas stories, but rather more realistic snapshots of different women's (all the main characters were female) Christmas experiences. Some were hopeful, others rather depressing (including the title story which has a woman believing her family is going to stop taking her for granted only to find out that that is not the case), others almost funny (for example, one was about a girl who gets a camera for Christmas and then takes photos of all her family members in comprimising positions). Overall it as a pleasant read for the holidays.
I started this book in early October in anticipation of Halloween and am just now finishing it. Some of the stories are really creepy and disturbing while others were just disturbing. They ranged from a fictional sermon on hell, to traditional ghost stories, to a ghost detective who discovers the human criminals behind a "haunted" mansion. It has some great writers represented, including James Joyce, Daniel Defoe, Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. However, it isn't recommended. There are better horror/terror collections out there if you want to read something like that.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I think of this book. I wasn't happy with the first 100 pages, mostly because it kept switching between different people and time periods with no apparent connection between them. In the last 200 pages I started to see the connection between the characters but sometimes events that happened to one character would be left hanging with little connection to the others. On the other hand, the stories of the characters, aside from being incomplete, were well-written and interesting.
So what is it about? The book follows the members of a Native American tribe in the west for roughly 100 years through various episodes in different lives. It covers alcoholism, adultery, suicide, Vietnam War, relations between Native Americans and the US govt, and many other topics through these characters. The basic event holding the plot (if there is one) together is the suicide of a young woman on the reservation.
Since I'm not sure whether or not to recommend it, I won't say one way or the other. :-)
I had to finish this book quickly because I listed it on bookmooch.com and it was mooched the same day!. Luckily it is quite short and an easy read because it is written for pre-teens.
It was really quite good. It follows a few months in the life of a mute who is discovered almost dead on the street by some street urchins who then take him in. They perform tricks in the streets to earn coins and soon he is working with them. He draws the attention of a retired mime who takes him in and begins to teach him the art. There are a number of subplots, including a burgeoning love story between two characters.
Recommended for young adults. Although it was written in 1980, it doesn't feel dated.
This was the next installment of the Hollows series and was rather a letdown compared to the others. Rachel, the main character, finds out a lot of interesting stuff about her and her family, but she spends most of the book whining about being responsibility and then doing something stupid. Hopefully the next book moves past all the whining and moping.
Not recommended, unless you're reading the series.
What a fascinating and disturbing book! A stranger (devil) comes to a small village in the mountains somewhere in Europe. He meets a young woman (Miss Prym) and shows her 12 bars of gold. He says he wants to find out whether people are good or evil, so he wants her to tell the townsfold that he will hide 11 bars of gold and if they murder one of the townspeople within a week he will give it to the town. In addition, he hides one bar of gold where she can see and tells her that if she takes it he will know that she is evil, if she leaves it then she is good. The book then follows different people in the town during the week. I'll warn you, the end is a little disturbing.
"Crescent" b Diane Abu-Jaber, and "The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
"Crescent" was an excellent book and I highly recommend it, especially to Angie as it is very similar to the international downers you/she like(s). :-) It is a love story, sort-of, and it is a story of the intersection between Iraq and America. Han is a displaced Iraqi writer who comes to Los Angeles (or maybe San Francisco- I can't remember) and meets Sirine, an Iraqi-American cook at a Middle Eastern cafe. The story is loosely based around their relationship, but at the same time discusses other characters and how they are all connected somehow through Iraq or America. In addition, at the beginning of each chapter is the ocntinuation of an Iraqi fairytale/story told by Sirine's uncle, which foreshadows the events of the chapter. It is well-written and heartbreaking and inspiring. Needless to say, I really liked it.
"Things" by O'Brien I didn't actually finish. I thought it was a non-fiction book with stories about things that soldiers carried in Vietnam. Instead, it is a novel that is loosely based on the author's time in Vietnam, told through stories of the war that may or may not be true. It feels very real, which I like, but is why I also stopped reading it. It was just too graphic and violent. Finally, about 100 pages in, I said to myself, "why am I reading this for fun, when it is so disturbing?" and I stopped. Not recommended for any of us.
M sent me this book after she posted on it (above). I read it in one plane ride, and really liked it. It reminded me of a lot of movies/readings from my undergrad days and I suggest pairing it with the movie El Norte (1983). While the majority of the storyline is sad, there is also a strong message of hope, hard work and emotional healing. The body is so fragile, but the human soul is so resilient.
In the prologue, the author claims that this IS a love story, though many have said it is not. I can understand both perspectives. The novel follows the lives of two female African friends. One in a marriage to the same man with 4 children, the other gets a divorce from her husband, with whom she's had one child, and becomes the second wife of a Muslim man (who also happens to be a womanizer). None of the marriages are happy or particularly loving and in that way this is certainly not a love story. The love story the author talks about is really between the two friends. Not romantic love, just the support and friendship through thick and thin and even when they disagree with the other's choices. This is also an interesting commentary on the role of educated African women and the marriage trap they find themselves in.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but A since it is rather depressing with all the hopeless marriages.
This was recommended to me by a friend doing research into Native American history. I can see why he thought this was such a great book because it gives detailed histories of many Native American tribes and their interactions with white settlers. It does this through the viewpoint of the Native Americans, through speeches they made, oral testimonies, songs, etc. However, as you can imagine, it is also very sad as it is not a happy history. I read about 3/4s of the book and then just couldn't face any more death or betrayals. I recommend it if you are interested in this topic, but not if you are looking for some recreational reading material.
Yeah! This book is back to the fun, witty, and exciting books from earlier in this series. It includes hijinks by ghosts, demons, pixies, elves, witches, etc. Rachel finally moves on from her whining and depression. In addition, we finally meet her brother. Such fun.
"The Underdogs", originally "Los de Abajo", by Mariano Azuela.
A- Did you read this as an undergrad? This is supposedly one of the best Spanish language (I read the English translation) novels of the Mexican Revolution. I didn't finish it.
If I become invested in the characters, then I will put up with a lot of violence and poor writing. It is not that this wasn't written well, but rather that I wasn't invested in the characters AT ALL and there was enough violence that at page 78 I called it quits. Basically, it is about an "accidental" rebel group during the Mexican Revolution, basically just a bunch of criminals who band together to escape and fight the government forces. At first they are popular with the peasanty, who had the government, but then they lose favor after a number of defeats. Lots of violence, not a lot of plot. Probably an accurate description of the revolution, but nothing I felt like reading for fun. Oh well. Not recommended.
A- I'm glad you liked "Across a Hundred Mountains".
This was another freecycle book that looked rather interesting so I gave it a try. It isn't spectacular writing, however the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading it. It opens with a ferry accident off of a small island in Maine. Only three people survive: a 21 year old island girl who refuses to speak, a 40-something lobster fisher from the island, and a 40-something woman from New York who is coming to visit her aunt. Their lives all change after the accident because the girl is plagued with guilt, the lobsterman starts opening up to people, and the woman rethinks her life as the wife of a philandering husband. While at the heart it is a love story between the lobsterman and New Yorker, and rather harlequinny in the love scenes, there are other interesting subplots, including why the girl has stopped speaking.
It was a quick read and rather interesting, so recommended. Just don't expect world-class writing or lots of action.
Well, this was nothing like I expected. It is a book for young adults and begins with a 16 yr old receiving a phone call from a man who claims he just killed a female college student. The boy tells his father and reports the call to the police but no-one believes him. He finds out the girl who was supposedly murdered is alive and tries to warn her, but she reports him to the police as a stalker. So, he tries to find the guy who called and prove to the police that he was not making it up.
I read it quick because it is a short, easy read and because I wanted to find out if the kid was crazy (as everyone believed) or if he was telling the truth. Most of the book, however, was this kid obsessing over the phone call and whining that no-one believed him. Then he would do something stupid, get in trouble, and whine some more. Not really recommended.
"The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding and "Black Magic Sanction" by Kim Harrison.
"Flies" is almost always on best book lists; I disagree with those authors. Don't get me wrong, the writing was good, but the plot was 'uck'. It is supposed to critique the ideas of the noble savage and show the corruption of innocence, blah, blah, blah. Basically, boys stranded on an island become savage and kill each other and pigs. Civilization falls apart. So? Am I supposed to be surprised? Not recommended. Have any of you already read this? I'd be interested in your opinions.
"Black Magic Sanction" was okay, but not one of her best. The Magical enforcement coven of witches tries to eradicate Rachel and eventually she and her friends kick their butts. I would have liked it better if so many of the books didn't have the same somebody-out-to-kill Rachel themes. Variation is good and would help this series some. Or maybe it is just time to end the series?
"Daed Beat", the 7th book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.
Butcher introduces several new characters and spends more time developing returning characters in this installment of the Dresden files. Dresden is caught in the middle of a battle for power among necromancers, which just happens to be happening in Chicago. He saves a forensic medical examiner, Butters, who then continues to fight (sort-of) with Dresden. I have to say I love this character. He is brilliant, wacky, and nerdy with great one-liners. The book was action-packed, as always, with some interesting twists and turns. A solid addition to the series.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I wasn't sure I would. It is about a 60 year-old tap-dance instructor (thus, the title) and her husband (a lawyer) who are happily married. Then her daughter, who has been seeing a lawyer, decides to marry the richest man in town instead. Then her sister leaves her husband of 20-odd years when she finds out he is cheating on her again, and comes to live with them. Then her son falls in love with the house contractor's daughter, who is black. There whole household is turned upside down with marriage, love, and divorce. The plot and characters are great, but it really is the relationship with her husband and her relationship with dance which glues the book together. Oh, and there is a dog who loves women and hates men added into the mix- hysterical. It really is a great book. Recommended.
So sad. The book was reallygood (even if she did find love in the end) and the film would have been good, if I hadn't read the book. But after reading the book, the film was a let-down. The beginning left you unclear about why she was leaving her relationship and just made her seem whiny and spoilt. Why didn't they keep the fact that her husband was cheating on her? I didn't care for Richard from Texas in the movie, either. He just seemed really obnoxious. I don't remember him as being that obnoxious in the book. I did like the Brazilian she gets with in the end in the movie, but still. Ech. In this case, they definitely should have stayed closer to the book.
"Speak" by Laurie Anderson and "Love Overboard" by Janet Evanovich.
"Speak" is a great book, especially for young adults. It drops the reader into the middle of a 14 year old's life at the start of the school year. She is an outcast, with her friends from the year before angry at her for calling the cops during a party over the summer. The reader realizes something traumatic has happened to her (the reason for calling the cops) because she stops speaking and starts doing poorly in school, but we don't find out what actually happened (though I guessed pretty accurately) until about 3/4 of the way through the book. In addition to a great plot, the writing is done well with some great insights into a girl's life and feelings about school, friends, teachers, and family. Highly recommended.
"Overboard" is one of Evanovich's earlier works and is pretty awful, honestly. It is a romance novel and so, so, so gaggy that I stopped reading it while I ate. I could start to see some of the quirky characters, one liners, and plot twists that make the Plum series great being developed in this book, but for the most part it was too cloyingly and disgustingly a romance novel. Ugh. :-)
This is a romantic thriller set in the Hudson River region during the early 1900's to the 1970s. I think the author tried to do too much in one book, which rather ruined it. It starts out about a governess who goes to work for a wealthy family who lives in a mansion on the Hudson river. There is a family curse about death and tragedy that no-one claims to believe, but keeps coming true. First, the wife of the young, handsome owner dies a mysterious death. He is blaimed, mostly because he has fallen in love with the governess and is assumed to be trying to pave the way to marry her (typical gothic romance plot). Turns out it wasn't him (of course). Meanwhile the governess is all "did he do it? is he a murderer? how can I love a murderer?". This got pretty annoying fast. In fact several paragraphs of the book were made up entirely of her (or later characters) questioning her feelings, the situation, his feelings, the curse, etc. They end up married and living happily. This in itself would have made an okay book, though rather typical. Then the main character, the governess, dies in a fire in the middle of the book. WTH?? Introduce a new main character, the wife of the governesses son. More tragedies, questioning, reuniting, happy endings, then she dies. WTH?? Introduce a new main character- the long lost relative who comes to live with the family. Good grief.
"A is for Alibi" by Sue Grafton, "Lake House" by James Patterson, and "Jester" by James Patterson.
Somebody recommended this series by Grafton to me, but I can't remember who. It is about a female private detective and the series' titles progress through the alphabet. I'm not sure if it goes clear to Z, actually, but at least to S.
I don't read a lot of detective novels or murder mysteries, but I really enjoyed this book. It isn't one of those action-packed books with little plot, but rather is very much about following the investigation of a murder through all the twists and turns, including when leads don't pan out. It is an easy writing style with just enough humor to keep a smile on your face, but not enough to detract from the seriousness of the investigation. My only real problem with the book was that the ending was rather abrupt and leaves the reader hanging a little bit. Of course, that is probably so that you buy the next book. I've mooched "B is for Burglar" and am anxiously waiting for it to show up so I can see what happens next.
James Patterson is supposed to be one of the top current authors with tons of books on best-seller lists. We got about 5 of his books through a freecycle transaction and these are the first, and only ones, I have/will read. Lake House started out interesting and quickly went downhill to an ending that just plain sucked. Main characters died, the bad guys weren't apprehended, and nothing was really resolved. And honestly, I didn't finish Jester because it started off terrible with a rape, murder of a boy, and other violence all within the first 20 or so pages. It didn't improve. The writing isn't great, the chapters are short, and there is a lot of violence. Even where there doesn't need to be violence. As I've mentioned before, I can do violence if it contributes to the plot, but otherwise count me out. I counted myself out of Jester about 100 pages in. The rest of the books are also on their way out the door without being read. There's another author I can cross off my list.
So, in sum, I recommend the Grafton series (I think Joy would like these, since she seems to like this genre) but not any book by Patterson.
I read Sue Grafton's series a few years back (I think she was up to K or L at that time) and really enjoyed them. For some reason I stopped though, and never came back to it.
I also used to be a James Patterson fan, and have read most of his with the kids games names (Hide and Seek, Cat and Mouse, etc). Then I read Kiss the Girls and really didn't like it, way too violent like you said. I did like When the Wind Blows (The Lake House is its sequel) but not enough to overcome all of the graphic violence.
"The Stillborn" by Zaynab Alkali and "Half the Sky" by Kristof and Wudunn.
"Stillborn" was a good book but too short. It really needed more meat. It follow the life of an African girl from age 12 until she is an old woman, in just over 100 pages. Much of the story is told in conversations among villagers and the girl's dreams and tends to jump forward in time abruptly. It is a fascinating look at life in an African village (I don't think the name of the country ever really shows up) in the mid-1900s. No recommendation on this book.
"Sky" is a nonfiction book written very much like an academic book but much more interesting. The two authors, a husband-wife team, travel the world investigating the role and treatment of women. Each chapter deals with a women's issue, ranging from sex trafficking to maternal mortality, to education. They begin with a story of some woman they met, then transition to the statistics and problem, then finish with a success story of an organization or person making a difference. It is both depressing and hopeful at the same time. And very, very informative. I've been teaching Women's Studies for 3 years now and I learned a lot from this book. Highly recommended.
Ditto A's comments on Sue Grafton and James Patterson. I read Grafton's several years ago. I think when she first started and kept up with her as they came out and then just quit.
Read lots of James Patterson's until I got grossed out by them and gave up on him too.
"Pale Demon" by Kim Harrison, and "Iron Crowned" by Richelle Mead.
These are both the last books in their series (until the next is published), which makes me sad.
"Demon" is the last of the Rachel Morgan series and has Rachel finding new powers, getting in more trouble, and moving on from her partnership with Jenks and Ivy. It felt like the end of the series, but I think there are more to come.
"Iron" was the latest of the Dark Swan series and I wasn't as happy with it as I could have been. It ended in a predictable manner and yet still leaves the reader hanging. In addition, the explicit sex scenes got monotonous. Okay, already. She has lots of sex. Yippee for her, now let's get back to the plot. I hope this series improves with the next book.
"How Do I Love Thee: A Novel of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Poetic Romance" by Nancy Moser.
This is historical fiction, which I like. What I really liked about this book was that at the end she goes through each chapter and says what events actually happened (listing the source, in this case Barrett Browning's letters and diaries) and what events/conversations she fictionalized. I think every historical author should do this. It was almost more fascinating than the book itself.
With that said, I'm not a big fan of this book. For one, it had heavy religious overtones. This wouldn't have been a problem if done right, but in this case it meant that the first half of the book Barrett was whining to God about how ill she was and how unhappy she was A LOT. It got really repetitive and annoying. In the second half, she kept thanking God over and over for the joy that the love of Robert Browning brought her. Not as whiny, but just as repetitive and annoying.
In addition, while the plot itself was fascinating (her life prior to meeting Browning, their secret romance and elopement, and their married life after she has been disowned by her family makes for great reading), the writing was weak. The best parts were when Moser used excerpts from their poems and letters. I understand that not every writer has the power of words that these two poets did, but this story really needed better writing.
So I don't know whether or not to recommend it. As I stated before, the story itself is just fascinating and worth reading about, but maybe there is a better book about it out there? I don't necessarily recommend this retelling.
"Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas" by Maya Angelou.
This is the next installment in the Angelou autobiographies (I know, it's been awhile since the last one). This one was a lot of fun and one of my favorites. It covers the time she spends travelling Europe and Africa with the cast of "Porgy and Bess". I especially liked it because she talks about each country they spend time in and relates little stories about people, events, and performances. Meanwhile, she has left her son at home with her mother and at the end of this book has returned to the US to be with her son.
"The Last Colony" by John Scalzi, and "Dog Heroes" by Jen Bidner.
"Dog Heroes" came from E, who got it from Dushore Lady, I think. It is a look at different types of rescue/working dogs in the United States and in other countries historically. It has lots of pictures and some interesting anecdotes, including some from 9/11. I found it a fun,quick, read. It made me realize that my dog Shiloh would be great at rescue work, as he has many of the qualities they mention, but I don't have the time or money to train him. Recommended to dog lovers or those interested in service animals.
"Colony" is the third book in a series, which I didn't realize until I finished. If I had known before I started then I probably wouldn't have read it, which would have been a shame as I really enjoyed it. It is a sci-fi book dealing with aliens and alien worlds, so honestly I almost didn't read it anyway (not usually my cup of tea). But, it was free and I have a hard time turning down a free book so I thought I'd give it 50 pages and by then I was hooked. What I really liked about this book was the female characters. The main character is a male, but his wife, daughter, and secretary are integral to the plot and they are all just fantastic characters. His wife is a former Secret Services officer who is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone (including her husband). She also has a wonderfully dry sense of humor. His daughter is a fiesty teenager who really exemplifies a teenage girl with a good heart and wicked temper. Finally, his secretary is efficient, brilliant, and also has a great sense of humor. Just about every line out of her mouth had me laughing out loud. The plot was okay, lots of conspiracy and aliens, but the book was really made by the characters. I have to say, these are the best female characters that I've seen in a book in a while. However, since none of you are really sci-fi fans (right?) I don't recommend it.
I thought this was a fascinating book, though written in a very Grisham-like way. The basic plot is that the First Lady decides to divorce the current president and chooses a small town lawyer to take her case. The President, and the evil tech giant who works with the President, do everything they can to prevent this from happening. There is a plot twist at the end that changes things, but I did see it coming, which was a bit disappointing. If you like Grisham then I recommend this book.
"Somebody Owes Me Money" by Donald Westlake, and "B is for Burglar" and "C is for Corpse" by Sue Grafton.
I had bought the Westlake book shortly after we read "Hot Rock" for Joy's pick. I Think this book was as good, though it had a very different plot. Chet Conway discovers the murder of his bookie when going to collect a wager (thus, the title). The bookie happened to be working for two mobsters who were at war with each other and so both assumed the other had contracted Chet to kill the bookie. Meanwhile, the bookie's sister flies in from Vegas to revenge her brother's murder and she also thinks Chet did it. So, for most of the book Chet is being shot at, strangled, chased, accused, or recovering. There is a lot of action. What I really enjoyed was the way that Chet dealt with all of it. Instead of getting all Jason Bourne about it, instead he keeps trying to get out of it by telling the truth, but no-one ever believes him. Poor guy. Fun book, recommended.
I'm also really enjoying this alphabet series. In "B", Kinsey is looking for a missing woman and gets in the middle of a faked death/murder. She also meets a handsome detective who unfortunately goes back to his wife, from whom he is separated. "C" was a little sadder, all in all. She meets a young man who is working hard to recover from a horrible car accident. He hires her because he thinks it was a murder attempt, but his memory has been shot from head trauma. They really connect and the reader gets attached to him in the first 100 pages of the book before Grafton kills him off. Kinsey deals with his death by continuing to search for his murderer. Less exciting, more sad. The series goes to 'V'. I think she is still working on it, though, so maybe she'll be to 'Z' by the time I get there.
As a side note, "Dead Reckoning", the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series is slated to come out this May. A and T, are you anxiously awaiting it like I am?
I'd heard about this book and found a copy inside a box of freecycle books. Honestly, I wasn't too enthusiastic about reading it because I expected it to be preachy, but decided to read it and get it off of my shelves. In fact, I ended up really enjoying it.
Pausch rights the book based on the last lecture he gave at Carnegie-Mellon before he died of pancreatic cancer. Rather than talking about death or dying, he focused on living and told anecdotes from his life that illustrated principles he had found important. The book includes some of the powerpoint slides and photos he included in his lecture. The ending, of course, is quite sad since he does die.
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
I heard about this book on NPR and thought it sounded really interesting, then the department (Gender and Women Studies) chose it for their Spring book discussion series. How convenient.
The book chronicles the true story of Henrietta Lacks, the African American woman who died of cancer in the 1950s, but whose cells live on. Her John Hopkins doctor (a white man) harvested the cancerous cells of her cervix without her consent and was able to grow them in a lab. Scientists had been unable to grow cells that lasted very long prior to this point so it was a huge breakthrough. The HeLa cell line continues to be used in research today with literally hundreds of thousands of vials of her cells throughout the world.
The scientific use of the cells is part of the book, but the even bigger part is what happened to Henrietta's family. They didn't find out about her cells until about 20 years later, after her children had grown up in poverty and abuse. They found out about their mother's cells during a worldwide expose of the woman behind the HeLa cells, then the family was exploited by a number of people for information on their mother, but they never got anything out of it except anger and mistrust.
It is really a fascinating and disturbing story. It ranges from scientific ethics to issues of racism (Henrietta was a black woman and most of the scientists who have benefitted from the use of her cells are white) to informed consent. At the end it discusses the fact that this could still happen today as there is no requirement for informed consent about the use of "discarded" body tissue. Recommended.
Recently a student and I had been talking about women writer firsts and Ursula K Le Guin was mentioned as one of the first successfull female authors of science fiction. This in itself would be enough for me to read one of her books, just to see. Then I found this trilogy in the dollar section of bargain books, so why not? I'm glad I did.
"Gifts" is about a young girl and boy who are growing up in a society much like feudal England. There are "cantors" who control large estates in the country and have serfs working for them, but they are still looked down on by the people in the cities. The sci-fi twist is that each bloodline of the "cantors" has a gift associated with it. Gry's (the girl) gift is the ability to call animals to her and to train them. It is used to call in game to hunters but she refuses to use it that way and makes her family unhappy. The boy's (Orrec) gift is to kill with a look. He is late developing his gift and then finds out it is wild (uncontrolled) so he blindfolds himself after accidentally killing. There is more to the plot than this, of course, but I wouldn't want to give anything away.
I thought it was a beautifully written book with a lot of thought put into the responsibilities and costs of each gift. The characters are well developed and really bring the story together. I would recommend this book even to people who aren't sci fi fans.
This is the fourth book in the series of autobiographies of Maya Angelou and much more race oriented than the prior books. While all of her books are centered around her as an African American girl/woman, in this portion of her life she becomes very active with the Civil Rights movement in the United States and then transitions into activism to end apartheid in South Africa and later working for peace in other African countries. Just about every chapter and story deals with racism, slavery, or colonialism. In part because of that, it is much more serious than the prior autobiographies (with the possible exception of Caged Bird). What I found enjoyable in this book is that she is starting to meet really influential people that I recognize from history: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Earl Jones. It is really interesting to get her take on what they were like as people.
Still highly recommended. These autobiographies read so much like novels because she had such a fascinating and exciting life. Each one is different from the prior book so I've never lost interest. Two more to go.
"Voices" by Ursula K. Le Guin, the second of the Upland series.
Although the main characters from "Gifts" show up in this book, they are not the main characters. It is narrated by a teenage girl who lives in an occupied town. She is a seige brat, meaning she is the result of a rape by the invading army. Her mother died and she lives in the house of the former leader. Gry and Orrec don't show up until about 5 chapters in. That threw me for a bit of a loop. I went back to check that this really was the second book in the series before I continued reading.
With that said, it is just as well written with some beautiful passages. It takes place about 17 years after the end of "Gifts" and follows the revolt of the townspeople against the occupiers. Gry and Orrec play instrumental parts in these events, but the real story is about Memer, the girl. This book is more violent than "Gifts", which makes sense since it is set during a violent conflict. However, it still deals with the responsibilities of having certain gifts and how they should be used.
Another book, off of a number of top 100 or 1000 book lists, that is destined not to be a favorite. Ultimately, this book was just too long and by the end I was just tired of it. It follows various members of a family during a (you guessed it) death in the family. Agee has an interesting style of rambling, stream-of-consciousness writing. At first it was novel and fascinating, but it got old fast. One chapter of maybe 10 pages was the kid thinking about being teased by older boys about his name. And sometimes one sentence takes up half a page and by the end of the sentence you don't remember what the start was about. LIke I said, kind-of neat at first, but got old fast. Otherwise, there did not seem to be much plot beside everyone mulling over the death and whether or not there is a god.
I see from Sparknotes (I was trying to see what makes this book special), that this is autobiographical, based on Agee's remembrances of his father's passing when he was a boy. It was also published posthumously from an unpolished manuscript and some have argued that Agee did not intend it to be published like this. Maybe his editor is part of the trouble, then.
I'm just not a Sparks fan. I keep trying because it seems like I should be, but I'm not. After all, I like the movies based on the books, but not the books. Especially not this book.
This is similar to the other Sparks books I've read, in that it is told from a later date where something important is happening, but then large chunks are memories of the past, usually about how the couple met. In this particular book, you don't find out what is happening in the present until very near the end, which I find annoying. Even more annoying is that it doesn't end where it should. About two chapters from the end is a good ending, sad, but good. However, Sparks can't leave well-enough alone so he slaps on a happy ending that doesn't seem to fit at all. It just feels awkward. Not recommended. I have one more Sparks book on my shelf to try, but I think it will wait a while.
I have to confess that I only read about the first 300 pages of this 800 page book. I really liked it, but it was mooched and I had to send it out. I wasn't too heartbroken, though, because I just googled her name to see what happened to her after the point I finished reading.
This was really a fascinating biography for a number of reasons. First, Dietrich herself is really interesting. She was a bisexual who often crossdressed, had MANY lovers while staying married to the same husband, and, of course, is a film legend. It wasn't even an unhappy marriage. Her husband had a mistress who traveled with the family and cared for Maria Riva when Dietrich couldn't. Both knew about the other's lovers and seemed fine with it. Additionally, the book is written by her daughter from her daughter's perspective, which makes it different from a biography from an outside source. The reader gets first-hand accounts about the lovers and her mother's idiosyncracies. Finally, Dietrich grew up in Germany in WWI and was very involved in the US war effort in WWII, touring on the front lines, selling bonds, and visiting the wounded. To top it all off, she was close (often VERY close) to a number of famous people: Mae West, Earnest Hemingway, Clark Gable, etc... So there is a lot of name dropping in the book, especially about those who became her lovers.
I won't recommend it, unless you like biographies or have an interest in Dietrich because it is VERY long and detailed.
"Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead, the last book in the Vampire Academy series. Or at least, I think it is.
I really like this series and most of this book has been as good as the previous five. Rose is charged with murder at the same time that the royal court is in upheaval over how to defend itself. She escapes from prison and goes on a quest to help Lissa, while Lissa and friends stay at court in order to work to clear Rose's name. Due to the bond between Rose and Lissa, we get to see what is happening in both places throughout the book.
Where it all falls apart for me is when it all comes together in the book. Most of the book is turmoil and confusion with royal plots and secrets that seem like they will never be untangled. Then, in the last 90 pages everything falls into place easily and everyone but a few are left perfectly happy. That just doesn't happen. It my opinion it was TOO easy. Oh well, this happens in a lot of series that wrap up.
Or, at least, I think this is the last book. In the acknowledgements at the end, Mead makes a comment like "and join me for more stories from the Moroi world." Huh? I think maybe she is going to follow a couple of the secondary characters in a new series. Especially one character was left hanging and I can see her moving on with him. At the same time, I hope she doesn't. One of the problems with successful series is that sometimes the authors keep going after they should have ended it. For example, I think the Plum series by Evanovich is great, but I think she should have ended it about 2 books ago. It is starting to get repetitive and, dare I say it, old. Keep a great series great by knowing when to quit!
Plum series by Evanovich is great, but I think she should have ended it about 2 books ago. It is starting to get repetitive and, dare I say it, old. Keep a great series great by knowing when to quit!
This book was just depressing. A few places made me leave, but it had more places with sad (pathetic) people who die. Including a kid who commits suicide at the end. As the ending. How disappointing. Moving on to "E is for Evidence" and hoping for something more upbeat.
Is this why you both stopped reading, because they got so depressing? I hope not.
I think that had something to do with why I stopped reading Grafton. It's been a while, but I remember "catching up" to the end of the series (at that time) and having no anticipation for the next release, so I just dropped it there.
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"Man of the House" by Ralph Moody.
******SPOILER ALERT*******
Don't read this comment if you plan on reading the book because I am bound to give something away. I didn't intend to finish it quite so soon, but I had to go into the library today and it is due in less than a week, so I quick finished it so I could drop it off while I was there today.
This book has the same endearing qualities as the last book, with great situations and heart-warming family moments. In this book, the family struggles to make ends meet after the death of Ralph's father. This means a variety of odd jobs for all of them, including Ralph, and quite a few sacrifices. Most of the people from the first book still show up, including Hi and Ralph's cowpoke buddies. There is a surprise coming aout half way into the book and quite a cliffhanger at the end, but I won't give those away.
Of course, recommended. I'll have to wait a bit for the next book, since I had to order it through ILL.
"Or Give Me Death" by Ann Rinaldi.
This is part of the Great Episodes series, in which authors take an event in American history and write a novel about it, keeping as close to the facts as possible but fictionalizing it enough to make a real novel. They are meant for high school students, to make history more interesting, and have discussion questions in the back. I really like this idea.
In this book, Rinaldi takes several years in the life of Patrick Henry's family at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. In real life, Patrick Henry's wife was mad, scholars posit post-partum depression, and they kept her in the basement. Later, his eldest son also went mad (maybe also depression) during a battle of the Revolutionary War. Rinaldi takes these facts and writes the novel from the perspective of the two eldest girls in the family and how they dealt with their mother, an often absentee father, and the political turmoil. One of the overriding themes is the question "When is it okay to lie, especially to protect another person, and when should you tell the truth?" In the book, Rinaldi writes that the wife says to him at one point "Give me my freedom or let me die"- thus giving Henry the idea of "give me liberty or give me death" in his famous speech.
Unfortunately, I don't like the personalities that Rinaldi ascribed to the two girls. She makes the eldest bossy and overbearing and the second eldest wild and stubborn. A large share of the book covers the conflict between the two sisters and makes them both out to be obnoxious. Rinaldi confesses in a historical epilogue that this is all her imagination as there are very few accounts of what the girls were really like. So, in sum, great plot and idea but lousy characters.
Not recommended.
"Electra" by Euripides, as translated by Janet Lembke and Kenneth J. Reckford.
I was actually in the mood for some Greek drama this afternoon so I pulled this off the bookshelves. It is very short, only 77 pages long, and therefore readable in one sitting. Of course, I had to read it aloud in order to get the full impact. The dogs appreciated that.
In this version of the revenge of Electra and Orestes on Aigisthos and Clytemnestra for the murder of Agammenon (there are several versions), Euripides shows Electra as stronger than her brother Orestes and really the instigator of the murders, for all Orestes carries them out. Except for the anti-feminist rantings coming from Electra about her mother, I enjoyed reading it. Nothing like a good revenge plot to finish off a pleasant summer day. :-)
If you are in to Greek drama, I recommend this translation because it is very easy to understand and enjoy.
On the recommendation of club-mates: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I agree with both Angie and Joy, what a great book! Even though I have few circumstances in common with Gilbert, the way that she describes everything lets me be right there with her. Tons of great quotes, as you both mention, and several laugh out loud moments. There were several times I had to read sections out loud to Ken.
I borrowed this book from a friend to read, but have already bought it as I can foresee reading it again, plus I want my mother to read it.
Definitely recommended to everyone.
"Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception" by Eion Colfer.
This is the next installment of the Artemis Fowl series. In this, an evil pixie attempts to show Mud Men (that would be us, humans) the fairy underworld, while also revenging herself on Artemis, his bodyguard, and the fairy Holly Short. However, Artemis's memory was wiped at the end of the last book, so for most of this book he doesn't know/believe what is going on. This makes for some very amusing exchanges. However, this book wasn't quite as good. It was more serious, had fewer amusing moments, and we lose one of the secondary characters. Oh well, it was still a good read.
Wow Melissa. You sure to read alot and fast too. I'll never be able to keep up. Even if I read all day!
It's my reward system. I have to do a certain amount of schoolwork (or housework, whichever is most pressing) in order to "win" a chapter of a book. I love to read and this way I get a lot of schoolwork and other work done too. I also let myself read a couple of chapters before bed if I've been productive all day. It seems rather childish, but it works for me. I keep working hard all day and get to read a lot.
That, and I like a selection of books to read from so I usually have about 10 book started at any given time and then choose which book I want to read a chapter of when I get my work done. You know, sometimes you feel like a romance, other times a thriller, or a biography, or ...
"An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler" by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Joy hated this book, but my mother really enjoys the whole series and has been urging me to read it. What a way to go into a book, or in this case a collection of the 3 books that start the series.
I won't resummarize since Joy already summarized in her post and the plot is very simple. In many ways I agree with Joy, but I did enjoy it and will finish reading the series. As Joy posted, it is very simplistic- the dialogue, the plot, the characters, etc. I don't mind the quilting explanations so much since I am not a quilter, however I find the stupid questions that people ask about quilting to be... well, stupid. Seriously, basting like a turkey?
However, it is a quick read and I enjoy the historical parts where they reflect back on times during the wars and so on. My mom said the later books are better (she read the series out of order, starting with the later books) so hopefully I will see an improvement as I continue through the series. These certainly won't be my favorite books but they are quick, easy, and harmless. Plus, as I already mentioned, it will make my mother happy that I've read them and can talk to her about them.
Not recommended.
"Cause of Death" by Patricia Cornwell.
This book was a lot better than I expected it to be. Cornwell is one of those writers that publishes frequently and therefore, I expected, would have rather sub-standard work. This wasn't an excellent book, but it was a good read.
The main character is a middle-aged Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia, who is called in to investigate the death of a reporter while diving in a naval shipyard. She becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving a cult, nuclear plant, and Libya. Sounds a little far-fetched, right? And it is, actually, but it seems to work for this book. My biggest problem with it was that it ended rather abruptly.
With that said, I don't know whether to recommend it. Ken will enjoy it, so he'll be reading it next, but I'm not sure if it is for everyone.
M, have you read any David Rosenfelt? A friend of mine recommended his first book, Open and Shut. I think it sounds good with some offbeat humor. Just wondering if he had the M stamp of approval too =)
A- Nope, I've never read Rosenfel, never even heard of him. Let me know if the book's any good, if you read it.
"Inherit the Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.
Alright, I admit that this was a reread, but it has been ages since I last read this play (did we read it in high school?) and I wanted to see if I really wanted to keep it on my bookshelf or not. Turns out that I do. I forgot how good this play was.
For those of you who don't remember, it is Lawrence and Lee's rendering of the Scopes trial (putting Evolution on trial, basically). They admit that some of the dialogue actually comes from the transcript of the Scopes trial and some of the characters are the same, but they take full responsibility for fictionalizing it. The characters are very believable and it is written in such a way that you honestly believe it could be happening in any small town.
Definitely recommended if you haven't already read it.
"Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan.
I had to look online to see if this was based on a true story. I didn't think it was, initially, but McEwan had an appendix in the back that held an article by a psychologist describing a case study that was very similar to the novel. It was not actually an article by a scientist, though, but part of the novel apparently. Very confusing.
Anyway, about the novel... I don't know what to think about it other than that it was disturbing. It begins with an accident with a hot air balloon in which a man dies. One of the other men involved in the incident falls in love with the main character (another man involved in the incident) and becomes obsessed with him: sending him letters, standing outside his building to catch a glimpse, calling him on the phone, etc. Or does he? Is this stalker really a figmant of the man's imagination and not real at all? His wife thinks he may be. Through the whole novel the reader is left wondering whether this is really happening or whether the main character is crazy. The last few chapters clear this mystery up.
The only chapter that I really actively enjoyed was a chapter toward the end where the main character goes to a couple of hippies to buy a gun. There were several humorous moments in that chapter that were also very realistic, I thought. Otherwise, I thought about the book a lot when I wasn't reading it, but mostly because I really wanted to know if it was real or imaginary.
It drove me a little bit crazy, I think.
It is on our list of 1,001 books to read so I hate to say that I don't recommend it. Use your own judgement. :-)
"Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer.
There were some great characters introduced in this book: an imp with an obsession with language and a female teenage genius. In addition, Artemis is entering puberty and keeps stopping in the middle of intense action to ask Butler if what he is feeling is normal. Hillarious. One of my favorites of this series.
"Bullet" by Laurell Hamilton and
"Hill Games" by Charles Cronin.
"Bullet" is the latest Anita Black novel and is basically 300 pages of sex (hard-core) and violence with a little bit of plot. I don't know why I keep reading these books.
"Hill Games" is about some lobbyists and lawyers that attempt to change a law so that American companies can bribe foreign officials for contracts. Based on a lot of corrupt, sexist, good-ole-boys. BORING. I thought I would enjoy it, but I was wrong.
Neither is recommended for anyone. What a waste of my time.
"Home Ranch" by Ralph Moody, the 3rd in the Little Britches series.
Supposedly, this is the third in the series, but actually it picks up a chapter in the middle of "Man of the House" and expands it. So, you don't really move any further in Ralph's life and don't yet get passed the small cliffhanger at the end of "House".
However, I actually liked it better than "House" because it tells of Ralph's time working on a cattle ranch with Mr. Batchlett. He goes on all sorts of adventures and does some more trick-riding. However, it is almost all new characters so you don't get to see Hi or any of Ralph's family in this book. It was a fun book to read.
I would actually recommend getting this and "House" together and reading this when you get to the chapter about Ralph working for the summer with Mr. Batchlett. It would fill in the blanks in "House" without breaking chronological order.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.
I think we had decided that this wouldn't be picked as a book club book since Joy had already read it? Anyway, I went ahead and read it because I had wanted to for a long time.
I agree with Joy, a very good book. I had expected it to be darker than it actually was, being as how it deals a lot of with race relations from a Black perspective as well as having a rape of a minor. These parts were depressing, of course, but there were also several amusing chapters to break it up. What I also really liked is that it was easy to read a chapter at a time. I could read a chapter, put the book down for several days, and come back to it for another chapter without being lost. While the storyline develops, each chapter is self-contained enough that you don't feel like you've left in the middle of something or are lost when you return. I really like that in books.
I've just checked out a collection of complete autobiographies by Angelou. Apparently she was a prostitute for a while and had a number of odd jobs so I expect the later autobiographies to be just as good, though they don't get the attention the first does. Of course, I'll let you know as I read them!
Definitely recommended, Tracy, since I know you were thinking about reading it. I think you'll really like it. I also want to put another plug out there for the "Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins. I think both Tracy and Angie will really like those books. Maybe not Joy so much since you don't seem like as much of a fantasy fan.
"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins, the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy.
This book was excellent, sad, depressing, and gave me nightmares all last night. I can't tell you how many times I teared up while reading it yesterday.
In this book, the revolution finally begins and the colonies are at war with the capitol. Katniss is, as the mockingjay, in the middle of the war as the "leader" of the rebellion. At the same time she is battling feelings of depression and guilt as everyone around her is dying. A LOT of characters die off in this book and some in really horrible ways (thus the tearing up in many places and the nightmares). So why is it so good? I love the way Collins had developed Katniss and her relationship with the other characters. Plus, the social commentary is still a huge part of the book with Katniss struggling with important questions (how far can the rebels go before they become like the capitol leaders?, are humans destined to always kill each other for power?, is it better to protect your friends and family or put them in peril to help society as a whole?) Plus, it is just really well-written. Part of the reason for the nightmares is because I really felt like I was there and knew these people.
I don't often recommend depressing books, but I really recommend this whole series.
"Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox", the 6th Artemis Fowl book by Eoin Colfer.
Alas, this book was not as good as the last few. It revived Opal Koboi, who I was glad to be rid of, and included a lot of time travel, which got rather confusing at times. It also had to do with a lot of extinct animals, which was depressing. Oh well, maybe the next will be better.
"The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson, the second book in the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
I started this book yesterday and finished it this morning. I was just unable to put it down. This book really starts to flesh out Lisabeth's background and what "All that evil" actually was. Of course, Blomkvist is involved, in fact deeply involved. I love the way Lisabeth kicks butt. In one scene she encounters two evil bikers who are trying to do terrible things to her, but she overwhelms them. They refuse to tell how and for the rest of the book everyone else wonders how she did it. I won't say anymore to ruin it.
Excellent book, recommended.
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson. The last book of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
Oh, so good. I read it basically in one sitting yesterday. It wraps up all the action and sideplots from the first two books with a great courtroom scene. This book was also a little less violent than the prior two, as much of it played out in jail and the courtroom.
Very good. Recommended.
"Gather Together in My Name" by Maya Angelou, the second in her autobiographical series.
This book was very different from "Caged Bird". It was less philosophical and much more material. It chronicles her late teenage years as she jumps from job to job and man to man. It is crazy what jobs she ends up doing sometimes. It was a very quick and easy read- much quicker and easier than "Caged Bird". I can't wait to start the next one.
I do recommend it, but read it after "Caged Bird" because you'll understand more of it.
"Mary Emma and Company" by Ralph Moody, the 4th in the Moody series.
It seems like all I've been reading lately are series! Anyway, this one really has more to do with Ralph's mother and sister than with him. They've moved to Boston and are trying to find a way to make a living. They no longer have horses or ranches so Ralph has to find something else to do and his mother and sister and trying to find a means of making money that doesn't require them to be away from home. It is full of great anecdotes like all the others and is still told from Ralph's point of view. I didn't know if I would like it as well because it didn't involve ranching or horses but I still really enjoyed it. Of course, recommended.
M, since I had read "Caged Bird" and the Troy Library had "Gather Together in My Name" and YOU gave a good recommendation, I ran right over and borrowed it from the library. I will start it tonight perhaps, (after my 2nd reading of Eat, Pray, Love).
J- I hope you like "Gather"!
"Airman" by Eoin Colfer.
I really enjoyed this book; it was like a cross between "Rocketeer" and "Man with the Iron Mask" but with the wisecracking of "Artemis Fowl". In short, it is set in the late 1800s, when a brilliant 14 year old boy, who is obsessed with flying, witnesses the murder of the king and the boy's tutor. He is sent to a horrible prison under a different name to keep from saying who the murderer is, while his family and the princess are told that he has died. He must plan his escape, which takes years, and find a way to prevent the murderer from killing the princess when she takes the throne.
It is generally well-written, though it could have actually been a little longer. In order to stay manageable some time periods and events were covered quickly, but it is a book for teenagers and is already over 400 pages long so I see why that is. Otherwise, even better than Artemis Fowl. I look forward to reading the rest of Colfer's books. Recommended.
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera.
This book took me an unbearably long time to read and I just can't say I enjoyed it. From what I can gather, it is supposed to be about two couples: a woman obsessed with a man and his infidelity, and a man who marries an obnoxious woman and has an affair with one of the mistresses of the man in the first couple. This all plays out with the backdrop of the Communist invasion of Czechoslovakia.
With that said, there may have been a plot somewhere in all the digressions and meandering but I think I missed it. I did happen to notice that people died- main characters died- but then in the next section they were still alive. ?? Also, the book ended with the death of the dog, which apparently died before the owners die, which is in the section before. ?? There were several passages that were really interesting and made perfect sense- they just had nothing to do with the plot or characters, at least not that I noticed.
A- the theme of Part 6 was shit. I thought of you (and how you and I both like to read about the nitty-gritty parts of existence) as I was reading it. Don't ask me what it had to do with the plot, if there was a plot.
So, if you haven't already picked up on it, this book is NOT recommended.
"Politika" by Tom Clancy.
I like Tom Clancy and I like political thrillers but I didn't care for this book. It is about a race for control of the USSR among several factions, some pro-American and some anti-American. The competition has all sorts of intrigues and deceptions, some involving the US.
The idea is an interesting one, but the writing really turned me off. The chapters were short and choppy and frequently switched characters so you couldn't really connect with any one character. And yet, it seemed to move slowly. Not recommended.
"Across a Hundred Mountains" by Reyna Grande.
This was a really interesting, though sad book. It was a sad storyline with a lot of heartbreak (A- you'd probably like it) and interesting in the way it was written.
The book alternates perspectives of a young girl in Mexico and a woman living in Los Angeles who is trying to find her father. Somewhere near the beginning I realized they were the same person (they have different names, which is explained near the end) and their storylines merge toward the end. Usually I don't care for books that switch between characters and time periods but I like the way it was done in this book. The young girl loses her father and takes the treacherous route to the US, illegally, to find him while at the same time the woman is returning to Mexico to take her father home.
Recommended.
Ooooh, that does sound like something I would like!
"The Supernaturalist" by Eoin Colfer.
This book wasn't as good as "Airman" or the Fowl series. The plot was a little too far out into fantasy (in the future, earth is decimated and humans live on a satellite under bad conditions, creatures invisible to most people feed on humans), it was too short and ended abruptly, and it just wasn't as witty. I guess we can't expect every book to be great, right?
Not recommended.
"Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead.
I've been reading a lot of realistic, rather depressing books lately so I thought it was time to delve into another vampire series. I was a little concerned because I hated the last vampire series I tried (Vampire Diaries) and didn't like the prior (St. Germaine) either, but this was the perfect comeback.
This series is written for young adults (I've become very familiar with the Children's section at WMU's library) and follows two young women (I use this term losely). In this fictional world, there are two types of vampires: Strigoi, which are evil, violent, and survive on blood alone; and Moroi, which are good, magical, and need blood to be healthy but can also survive on food. In addition, there are Dhampirs, which are the offspring of human/Moroi matings. They are stronger than humans but don't drink blood. They traditionally become guardians of the Moroi (passivists), who are being hunted by the Strigoi. Still with me? The book is told from the perspective of Rose, a dhampir, and guardian of Lissa, a moroi. They attend an academy where each are taught their special tricks- either bodyguarding (Dhampirs) or magic (Moroi). These two girls are unusual because they share a mind bond and Rose can feel Lissa's emotions and occasionally get in her head. They struggle with the usual teen issues like crushes and being outcasts, but the book also goes into other more adult issues as well. In my mind, this makes it even better than Twilight. I loved the characters and enjoyed the plot. There are serious moments and jokes, but ultimately the main storyline is the relationship between the two girls.
Recommended. Tracy, I know you'll like this series if you liked Twilight.
"Frostbite", "Shadow Kiss", and "Blood Promise" by Richelle Mead, books 2,3, and 4 of the Vampire Academy series.
These books are killing me. I checked out "Frostbite" on Tuesday, read it Tuesday night. It was good. A solid plot, character development, still a little witty, a lot sad, and very interesting. It ended well and left me satisfied.
Wednesday I checked out "Shadow Kiss", read it Wednesday night. Kept me up reading 'till almost midnight. It was more intense then the prior two and then about 3/4s of the way through. BAM. Huge plot twist that I never saw coming and then the book ended, leaving me hanging. Seriously, if I wasn't pretty sure the library was already closed then I might have driven to Kalamazoo to get the next one. Instead I was up a good share of the rest of the night because my mind wouldn't let it go and let me sleep.
So yesterday (Thursday) I checked out "Blood Promise". I was a good girl and graded papers and taught class even with the book screaming at me from my bag. As soon as class was over, though, I sat down and read the first three chapters. I managed to peel myself away long enough to drive home. Then I sat down and read it. I think I paused once to say hello to Ken when he came home, though I can't say for sure. Toward the end I was feeling pretty good about it, because it was wrapping up nicely, when in the last chapter ANOTHER plot twist and then it ended. SERIOUSLY?!? Okay, I kind-of saw this one coming, but still. So, I was up a good share of last night obsessing over the ending of that book (plus, it was really hot here last night). I'm exhausted.
Since the last book just came out, I have to order it on Amazon because the library doesn't cover it and it won't let me ILL it, so now I have to wait for it to get here. So, I'll work on Book Thief and try to catch up during the hiatus.
Okay, I just wrote a long post about two books and then lost it. Bummer.
Anway, "Storm Born" and "Succubus Blues" by Richelle Mead.
I liked Vampire Academy so much that I thought I would try out her two adult series. "Storm Born" is the first in the Dark Swan series about a human/fairy shaman who works as a magical consultant. Rather like a cross between Dresden Files and Anita Blake. It was alright.
I really liked "Succubus Blues" (the first in the Georgina Kincaid series) because it reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris's series. Kincaid is an unwilling succubus who meets her favorite author in this book. The first few scenes between them are hilarious! Then she meets a nephilium (human/angel) who first wants to run away with her and then wants to kill her.
I'll finish both series, but only recommend the Kincaid series thus far. Maybe the Dark Swan series will improve but thus far I wasn't too impressed with that book.
"Howards End" by E.M. Forester and "Blowout" by Catherine Coulter.
Howards End, like every E.M. Forster book I've read was very good. It follows the clash between two educated and intellectual sisters and a bourgeoise family in England in the early 20th century- centered around a country house (Howards End). There are numerous misunderstandings and clashes, but in the end it seems to work itself out. Not as satisfactorally as it might have, in my opinion, but that seems pretty realistic! I like Forster's writing style and characters in general, but enjoyed Room With a View more than this book. Recommended.
"Blowout" is one of those mass marketed FBI thriller books. I think it is actually from the middle of a series about two FBI agents. The plot centered around a mystery of a woman who died about 20 years before and the murder of a Supreme Court judge. At times the writing was good, at others it seemed unpolished. Also, the two FBI agents seemed well developed as characters but the others seemed stilted and unnatural. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be a classic, I suppose. Not recommended.
"Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead, the last published book of the Vampire Academy Series.
And, of course this book leaves the reader hanging. The last three have, why not this one? Another good book, though not as good as the prior two, in my opinion. Rose is reunited with her love, but not in the way she expects and not so happily as she wants. Then she becomes embroiled in a Moroi court scandal and accused of treason, with the punishment of death. What will be the outcome? Stay tuned for the next (and last of the series) book, which releases in December. :-) I hate it when books leave you hanging.
"Thorn Queen" and "Succubus On Top" by Richelle Mead, and
"Fields of Home" by Ralph Moody.
In "Fields of Home" Ralph goes to live with his grandfather on a farm in Maine. It took me a while to read this book because his grandfather is so cranky and crotchety that I could only stand him in small doses. Ralph leaves and comes back several times because his grandfather drives him crazy, but by the end they make peace with each other. It is a lot about farming and getting along with relatives. Not as good as the earlier books in the series, so I would suggest skipping over this book unless you're really committed to the series.
"Thorn Queen" is the 2nd book in the Dark Swan series about a Shaman who turns out to also be half-fey. Not nearly as good as the first and darker and more twisted. Not recommended.
"Succubus on Top" (2nd in the Georgina Kincaid series) however, was as good as the first with lots of LOL moments and an interesting plot. It also gives more depth to the characters. I'm really enjoying this series. I do recommend this series to people who like the Sookie Stackhouse books. The subject matter is different, but the tone is similar.
"Pandora's Daughter" by Iris Johansen.
Ken's father recommended this author since he really likes her books. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. This book is sci-fi-ish. A girl becomes a Listener when her mother is killed. Listeners can hear the voices of people living through crises in a certain place. She also turns out to be a Pandora, which means she can bring on hidden psychic talents in other people. The voices are blocked by a man and she is placed in a home with her uncle and grows up never knowing she is a Listener. Until she is in her 30s and the blocker comes back to remove the block on the voices and ask her to help him find an important book. Then they travel Europe trying to avoid bad men who are hunting both her and the book.
The plot might have been interesting, but it was never fully developed. The writing was okay in places but jumped around a lot and the conversations often seemed contrived. Maybe some of her other books are better? I kind-of have a hard time picturing my father-in-law reading this book, actually. Maybe I read the wrong author. Anyway, not recommended.
"Shaking the Nickel-Bush" by Ralph Moody and
"Succubus Dreams" by Richelle Mead.
It is amazing all the jobs/adventures that Moody has! In "Nickel-bush" he is traveling around the west looking for work and ends up doing a variety of odd jobs (from horse-falls for the movie industry to cowboy-artist) and having strange adventures (like careening down a canyon backwards in a "flivver" and jumping trains). This book was interesting and had the great anecdotes typical of a Moody book, but wasn't as upbeat as the earlier books, in fact in places it was almost depressing.
"Succubus Dreams" was fun and funny, both, though it also included some very detailed sex scenes (eat your heart out Fanny Hill) and ended on a sour note. I enjoyed several LOL moments and didn't hate the sex scenes :-) but did dislike the ending. Oh well. Maybe the next book will resolve the ending.
"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan, Book 1 of Percy Jackson a nd the Olympians.
I had to read this book quick before Ken gets the movie through Netflix (top of his queue) and I just couldn't watch the movie without reading the book first... :-)
This looks like a great series for kids, but it just doesn't have the pull for adults that some other young adult series have (for example, Harry Potter). It is focused more on battles with monsters and escape plans than with adult situations or humor, so I probably won't follow the series. I'm already involved in enough other series right now anyway.
This book introduces us to Percy Jackson as a struggling middle schooler who discovers there is something different about himself. He ends up at Half-Blood camp where he discovers why he is different and is sent on a quest to find the lightning thief and return the stolen goods. There are lots of mythological monsters that he fights with the help of two friends (a smart girl and goofy but brave boy- remind us of any other series?).
I would definitely recommend it to kids, but not so much to adults.
"Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex" by Eion Colfer.
Just when I was getting a little bit bored with the AF books, Colfer mixes it up in this book. Much of the book is about Artemis going crazy with a disease called the Artemis Complex which often affects those dabbling with magic who also have a lot of guilt. It begins with OCD and paranoia and moves to multiple personality disorder. So much fun and a good way to create crazy new conversations and character dynamics. There is a twisted world domination plot involved also, of course, with Holly, Foaly, and Artemis attempting to save the day.
However, I felt that Colfer rather leaves the reader hanging at the end, without the tidy wrap-up that usually ends his books. I guess I'll have to wait for the next book to come out to see how it all ends. As always, recommended. And now I move on to focusing on "Love in the Time of Cholera". I plan to have it finished by the end of this week.
"The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow and
"Succubus Heat" by Richelle Mead, the 4th or 5th of the Georgina Kincaid series.
I've been reading "The Adventures of Augie March" since June. It is a dense, aimless book. It is supposedly written in picareque style, except that "Unlike other picaresque novels, such as Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, the plot of Augie March is never pre-determined. Things simply happen to Augie, one after another, with no evident story arc or hint as to where his adventures are leading." (Wikipedia) Exactly. No evident plot or point. Augie meets people and pages are spent describing the person and the occasion and their relationship and then that person never appears in the book again. Augie works a job and pages are spent on the job, the people he meets, his duties, his employer, and then he quits and it is never referenced again. Apparently this book has been compared to Moby Dick. I can see why. I'm just glad that I am done reading it. Not recommended.
"Succubus Heat" like the rest of this series was a quick, fun read. Georgina's demon boss is summoned by a human and so all his evil underlings (including Georgina) lose their abilities and basically become human. An interesting twist that leads some great places in the plot. But in the end Georgina releases her boss and goes back to being a succubus.
"Dead Witch Walking" by Kim Harrison and
"Eight Tales of Terror" by Edgar Allan Poe.
I'd already read Poe's stories once, but thought I would reread them to celebrate Halloween. This just reaffirmed that I'm not a huge Poe fan. I like some of his poems and a few of his stories, but all-in-all, just not a fan. I disliked "Hop-Frog" and "The Cask of Amontillado", was bored by "MS. Found in a Bottle" and "Ligeia" and liked "Fall of the House of Usher" and "Masque of Red Death". A mixed bag of likes and dislikes.
"Dead Witch Walking" is the start of the Hollows series by Harrison. This book introduces us to a witch, living vampire, and pixie who leave the non-human bail bond agency to start their own bounty hunter partnership. However, the agency they left puts a price on the head of the witch (because she did not pay off her contract) and so she is constantly being attacked by assassins (thus the title) and her partners spend a lot of time attempting to keep her alive. At the same time, the partners are trying to smooth out the arrangements of their new agency (and living arrangements) and take down an influential city councilmen who has been dealing in drugs. So much action, sarcasm, and lol moments packed into one book. It was a little confusing at first until I got used to the characters, but then I began to love the characters and their shenanigans. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin,
"Succubus Shadows" by Richelle Mead,
and "Suddenly Frugal" by Leah Ingram.
A. had recommended "The Awakening" in one of our book surveys. I think it is even one of her favorite books. Because of the ending, it is not going to be one of mine. If you haven't already read it, it is about a woman in Louisianna in the late 1800s who starts to resent her life as a housewife and mother and begins to have feminist stirrings. I really liked most of the book but was disappointed in the ending. It does make sense for the book, but...
"Succubus Shadows" is not as good as the prior books in this series. It reminded me a little bit of the television episodes where they recap everything that has happened so far. In this book, Georgina is kidnapped by some demons and made to relive all the terrible times in her life, so basically it covered a bunch of stuff that the reader already knew. Meanwhile, her friends try to find/save her. There were some lol moments and I liked the ending, but most of the book just seemed like a repeat. Bummer.
"Suddenly Frugal" is a non-fiction book that talks about ways to save money. I didn't find it very helpful because I already do most of these things, though it did recommend a book swap website, bookmooch.com, that I have recently joined and am liking.
"Dry Divide" by Ralph Moody, the 7th book of the "Little Britches" series.
I'm really enjoying this series, Tracy; thank you so much for introducing me to it.
This book picks up where "Shaking the Nickel Bush" leaves off, with Ralph broke and without a job in Colorado. He hires on to help a farmer harvest wheat and ends up becoming the favorite as he always does. The first few chapters are a little sad because Ralph is really struggling and there is a character that really abuses his family and animals, but once past that point, it becomes a happier story. It always amazes me what a hard worker Ralph is! The only thing missing in this book is any information about Grace and the rest of Ralph's family.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Undead" by Kim Harrison, second in the Hollows series.
Not quite as good as the first because there was a lot more drama/violence and a lot less humor/wit. However, still a fun read. This book follows Rachel's quest to take down Trent for murder, while trying to avoid becoming her roommates vampire scion or being killed by a demon. At the same time, she learns some important information about her father and her past.
I really love the main pixie character, Jenks, and his whole family, in this series.
M, I wanted to thank you for the Harris book you sent in the mail - I haven't been able to read it yet because Harold picked it up the next day and has been working on it ever since. He seems to like it, and I think he's going to start the Sookie Stackhouse series when he's done with this one. =)
RE the Awakening, I didn't much care for the ending, but in a way it fit the book. I imagine she must have felt such an immense wave of freedom (no pun intended). Overall I liked the book because in the beginning it was so subtle about her situation, and how she started to resent it. I especially liked the part where the children were asleep, her husband comes home, wakes them up and then tells her the one is sick. Ooooh boy did I dislike him in that moment!
A, Ken is also thinking about starting the Sookie Stackhouse series when he finishes the Dresden Files series. "Secret Rage" is one of her earlier books and not nearly as good as Sookie, but it is interesting to see where she started from.
I really disliked her husband, in "Awakening", but wasn't a big fan of Robert either since he also seemed pretty self-absorbed. I'm glad I read it; it just won't be one of my favorites. :-)
"Cider House Rules" by John Irving.
I am so glad that a friend recommended this book to me because it is a great book. It's taken me several months to read it because it is over 500 pages long and very dense, but it was well worth the time.
It is hard to say what it is about because it covers so much! Basically, it follows the life of an orphan, Homer Wells, who was born at St. Cloud's orphanage and trained by the doctor in charge to be a midwife and abortionist. At the same time, it covers the topics of abortion, unwanted pregnancies and orphans, forbidden love, WWII, race relations, lesbianism, etc. etc. It packs so much in and yet none of it seems extraneous. It all makes sense within the plot and is all rather neatly wrapped up by the end. In addition, the writing is very good and in some places the blending of storylines and conversations is ingenious. And, of course, there are many humorous segments to lighten an otherwise very difficult plot line.
Highly recommended.
"Nampally Road" by Meena Alexander.
I'm left a little conflicted about this book. For one, I'm not sure whether it is fiction or non-fiction. It was written by Alexander when she returned to India after graduate school in England. It is written from the first person perspective of a woman who returns to India after graduate school in England, who gets caught up in the political and social struggles of the time. :-)
Secondly, it is quite short- just over 100 pages. Part of me wants it to be longer, to have better closure and yet, it seems to have ended at a place that works with the rest of the story even if it doesn't make me happy.
So, I don't know. Read at your own risk. A would probably like it because it is pretty depressing...
"Cleopatra VII: The Royal Diaries" by Kristiana Gregory and
"Every Which Way But Dead" by Kim Harrison.
"Cleopatra" is a Scholastic book targeted at middle school age kids in an attempt to make them interested in history. Gregory recreates what she believes Cleopatra would have written in her diary from the age of 12-14 when she fled Egypt to Rome with her father. This is another instance when I like the idea, but wasn't impressed with how it was carried out. The writing wasn't spectacular or gripping and I can't see it making someone more interested in history. But maybe it would appeal to someone that age?
Kim Harrison's writting isn't spectacular either but her books are a lot of fun to read and hard for me to put down. In this installment of the Hollows series, there is a bad witch in town who is getting in trouble with everyone and the runners of Vampiric Charms find themselves in the middle of it, of course, and eventually Rachel faces off against the bad witch. The only thing I didn't care for in this book was that the pixie, who is my favorite character, leaves the agency is huff and doesn't appear in the rest of the book. I'm sure Jenks will be back in the next book, though, so I'll keep reading. :-)
"Gods in Alabama" by Joshilyn Jackson and
"Scraps of Life: Chilean Arpilleras, Chilean Women and the Pinochet Dictatorship" by Marjorie Agosin.
"Scraps" is a nonfiction book about women who mobilized against Pinochet's dictatorship by creating arpilleras (rather like tapestries) that conveyed the terror of living under the regime and then smuggling them out of the country to be sold. Most of the women had loved ones who had been "disappeared" by the regime and met the other women of the group while asking about the missing people at prisons and torture centers. In addition to creating the arpilleras, the women also organized protests and marches against the regime. What the author points out is so interesting is that the regime refused to recognize women as having any role other than as wives and mothers, so it ignored the women and only, for the most part, "disappeared" men. However, with the lack of men, more and more women were forced to work outside the home and chose to become politically active, thus creating a feminist movement. Towards the end of the Pinochet regime, the government started arresting and beating the women as well, though, when the leaders recognized the power the women had. Interesting and sad book.
On a lighter note, "Gods" was a strange novel. At the beginning we learn that Lena has left Alabama with a secret and lived the past 10 years in Chicago. She is forced to return to Alabama with her black boyfriend (meeting a racist Southern family) to confront this secret. At the end, we find out the secret isn't what we thought it was. Ultimately, it is a book about the relationships between Lena, her cousin, and her aunt. It switches back and forth between the present (Lena returning to Alabama) and the past (the reason why she left), but it works because it pieces together the story for the reader as she slowly confronts it. The book is written in a very contemporary style, with discussion of bodily functions, swearing, and no holds barred. Honestly, I'm not sure if I liked the book or not, but it kept me thinking!
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling.
A, have you read this? It is one of the supplementary books to the series (others are a book on Quiddich and one on magical beasts). I had bought it the last time I read #7, but then never read it. However, after watching the #7 Part 1 movie Thanksgiving (very good, though there are a lot of differences from the book), I got it out to read it. It is a slim book of magical fairy tales for children (the book that Dumbledore bequeaths to Hermione). If you like fairytales, it is a fun read. After each tale is "commentary" by Dumbledore, which is rather funny sometimes.
Recommended for Harry Potter fans.
"Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South" by Shirley Abbot and
"I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" by Rick Bragg.
These are both non-fiction, but interesting books. "Womenfolks" is written by a woman who was asked by a relative to research the women of their family. She finds little about the women of her family and instead ends up writing about white women in the South throughout our country's history. She writes it as "My great-grandmother might have had this type of experience because this is what it was like to be a woman in this place during this time". I make it sound dull, but I found it quite interesting.
"Soldier" is obviously about the Jessica Lynch story. As you probably recall, Lynch was one of the first POWs of the Iraq war and was rescued from an Iraq hospital several weeks after she was captured. Bragg interviews Lynch, her family, and fellow soldiers about the events leading to her capture, rescue, and rehabilitation. In some ways it seems kind-of fake and "feel-good", but in other ways it feels authentic and tells the story well. I enjoyed it, anyway!
"Blood Rites" by Jim Butcher, Book 6 of Dresden Files, and
"For a Few Demons More" by Kim Harrison, Book 5 of the Hollows series.
In "Blood Rites" Dresden takes a job to protect the cast of a porno from a curse. You can imagine some of the situations this puts him in, then. :-) In addition, he is left caring for a special puppy and discovers family he didn't know he had. One of the best of the series thus far with lots of off the wall references to books, television, and other things.
"For a Few Demons More" is not one of the better books of this series. It is intense with lots of action and little of the fun characterizing the earlier books. Then, at the end one of my favorite characters dies. I hate it when that happens!
"Horse of a Different Color" by Ralph Moody, the last of the Little Britches series.
I am sorry to finish this series as it has been such fun to read. This last book did not disappoint and was very interesting. In it, Ralph takes up raising feeder beef and hogs and a livestock shipping business. The community he is in gets hid with several misfortunes but, of course, through ingenuity he manages to pull himself out of trouble and often others as well. There is a lot of financial dickering and figuring of weights and sale prices in this book, but the window into the livestock markets and farm community after WWI is well worth it. Highly recommended. I'll miss this series.
"Bachelor Girl" by Roger Lea McBride
and
"Animal Magnetism" by Rita Mae Brown.
I was rather looking forward to "Bachelor Girl" because it is about Rose Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter and I thought since I liked the Little House books that I would like this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The writing and plot were simplistic, while also reinforcing traditional gender roles. Finally, it left the reader hanging at the end, which I don't like.
Rita Mae Brown is best known for her writings in gender and women's studies and lesbian novels. "Animal Magnetism" was a departure from her typical writing and told of the lessons she learned from animals during her life. It had pictures of her pets and lots of great anecdotes. A fun book, but sometimes the writing of this book also seemed simplistic as well.
Neither is highly recommended, though animal lovers may enjoy "Animal Magnetism".
"Nemesis" by Isaac Asimov.
This is one of the few science fiction books that is frequently found on "best books" lists. It is one of many written by Asimov, who also wrote the "I, Robot" series.
Basically, the book is set in the future, in the 2200s. Humans have expanded from Earth to live in settlements (think big spaceships) that orbit the planet. One of the settlements develops hyperdrive and leaves Earth's orbit when it discovers that a star is on course to disrupt the solar system. The novel focuses on three people: Marlene, a 15 year old girl on the breakaway settlement; Crile, her father, who remained on Earth rather than going with the breakaway settlement; and Pitt, the Earthling-hating Commander of the breakaway settlement. The timeline spans about 15 years, alternating between the present time for Marlene and Pitt, and the past for her father. The timeline all ties together in the end in a way that makes sense.
I really liked that Asimov explains everything in a way to make it clear and believable. The characters are also unusual and quirky so it was a fun read. However, while most of the book was fairly believable for science fiction, the ending was too quick and came together too easily to be believable, which rather ruined the book for me.
Recommended.
"This Year It Will Be Different" by Maeve Binchy.
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Binchy's books and so decided to read this collection of Christmas stories. This is not the usual bunch of feel-good Christmas stories, but rather more realistic snapshots of different women's (all the main characters were female) Christmas experiences. Some were hopeful, others rather depressing (including the title story which has a woman believing her family is going to stop taking her for granted only to find out that that is not the case), others almost funny (for example, one was about a girl who gets a camera for Christmas and then takes photos of all her family members in comprimising positions). Overall it as a pleasant read for the holidays.
Recommended.
"Irish Tales of Terror" edited by Peter Haining.
I started this book in early October in anticipation of Halloween and am just now finishing it. Some of the stories are really creepy and disturbing while others were just disturbing. They ranged from a fictional sermon on hell, to traditional ghost stories, to a ghost detective who discovers the human criminals behind a "haunted" mansion. It has some great writers represented, including James Joyce, Daniel Defoe, Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. However, it isn't recommended. There are better horror/terror collections out there if you want to read something like that.
"Love Medicine" by Louise Erdrich.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I think of this book. I wasn't happy with the first 100 pages, mostly because it kept switching between different people and time periods with no apparent connection between them. In the last 200 pages I started to see the connection between the characters but sometimes events that happened to one character would be left hanging with little connection to the others. On the other hand, the stories of the characters, aside from being incomplete, were well-written and interesting.
So what is it about? The book follows the members of a Native American tribe in the west for roughly 100 years through various episodes in different lives. It covers alcoholism, adultery, suicide, Vietnam War, relations between Native Americans and the US govt, and many other topics through these characters. The basic event holding the plot (if there is one) together is the suicide of a young woman on the reservation.
Since I'm not sure whether or not to recommend it, I won't say one way or the other. :-)
"Silent Voice" by Cunningham.
I had to finish this book quickly because I listed it on bookmooch.com and it was mooched the same day!. Luckily it is quite short and an easy read because it is written for pre-teens.
It was really quite good. It follows a few months in the life of a mute who is discovered almost dead on the street by some street urchins who then take him in. They perform tricks in the streets to earn coins and soon he is working with them. He draws the attention of a retired mime who takes him in and begins to teach him the art. There are a number of subplots, including a burgeoning love story between two characters.
Recommended for young adults. Although it was written in 1980, it doesn't feel dated.
"The Outlaw Demon Wails" by Kim Harrison.
This was the next installment of the Hollows series and was rather a letdown compared to the others. Rachel, the main character, finds out a lot of interesting stuff about her and her family, but she spends most of the book whining about being responsibility and then doing something stupid. Hopefully the next book moves past all the whining and moping.
Not recommended, unless you're reading the series.
"The Devil and Miss Prym" by Paulo Coelho.
What a fascinating and disturbing book! A stranger (devil) comes to a small village in the mountains somewhere in Europe. He meets a young woman (Miss Prym) and shows her 12 bars of gold. He says he wants to find out whether people are good or evil, so he wants her to tell the townsfold that he will hide 11 bars of gold and if they murder one of the townspeople within a week he will give it to the town. In addition, he hides one bar of gold where she can see and tells her that if she takes it he will know that she is evil, if she leaves it then she is good. The book then follows different people in the town during the week. I'll warn you, the end is a little disturbing.
Recommended, somewhat highly.
"Crescent" b Diane Abu-Jaber, and
"The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
"Crescent" was an excellent book and I highly recommend it, especially to Angie as it is very similar to the international downers you/she like(s). :-) It is a love story, sort-of, and it is a story of the intersection between Iraq and America. Han is a displaced Iraqi writer who comes to Los Angeles (or maybe San Francisco- I can't remember) and meets Sirine, an Iraqi-American cook at a Middle Eastern cafe. The story is loosely based around their relationship, but at the same time discusses other characters and how they are all connected somehow through Iraq or America. In addition, at the beginning of each chapter is the ocntinuation of an Iraqi fairytale/story told by Sirine's uncle, which foreshadows the events of the chapter. It is well-written and heartbreaking and inspiring. Needless to say, I really liked it.
"Things" by O'Brien I didn't actually finish. I thought it was a non-fiction book with stories about things that soldiers carried in Vietnam. Instead, it is a novel that is loosely based on the author's time in Vietnam, told through stories of the war that may or may not be true. It feels very real, which I like, but is why I also stopped reading it. It was just too graphic and violent. Finally, about 100 pages in, I said to myself, "why am I reading this for fun, when it is so disturbing?" and I stopped. Not recommended for any of us.
Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
M sent me this book after she posted on it (above). I read it in one plane ride, and really liked it. It reminded me of a lot of movies/readings from my undergrad days and I suggest pairing it with the movie El Norte (1983). While the majority of the storyline is sad, there is also a strong message of hope, hard work and emotional healing. The body is so fragile, but the human soul is so resilient.
Recommended.
"Changes: A Love Story" by Ama Ata Aidoo.
In the prologue, the author claims that this IS a love story, though many have said it is not. I can understand both perspectives. The novel follows the lives of two female African friends. One in a marriage to the same man with 4 children, the other gets a divorce from her husband, with whom she's had one child, and becomes the second wife of a Muslim man (who also happens to be a womanizer). None of the marriages are happy or particularly loving and in that way this is certainly not a love story. The love story the author talks about is really between the two friends. Not romantic love, just the support and friendship through thick and thin and even when they disagree with the other's choices. This is also an interesting commentary on the role of educated African women and the marriage trap they find themselves in.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but A since it is rather depressing with all the hopeless marriages.
"I Buried My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown.
This was recommended to me by a friend doing research into Native American history. I can see why he thought this was such a great book because it gives detailed histories of many Native American tribes and their interactions with white settlers. It does this through the viewpoint of the Native Americans, through speeches they made, oral testimonies, songs, etc. However, as you can imagine, it is also very sad as it is not a happy history. I read about 3/4s of the book and then just couldn't face any more death or betrayals. I recommend it if you are interested in this topic, but not if you are looking for some recreational reading material.
"White Witch, Black Curse" by Kim Harrison.
Yeah! This book is back to the fun, witty, and exciting books from earlier in this series. It includes hijinks by ghosts, demons, pixies, elves, witches, etc. Rachel finally moves on from her whining and depression. In addition, we finally meet her brother. Such fun.
"The Underdogs", originally "Los de Abajo", by Mariano Azuela.
A- Did you read this as an undergrad? This is supposedly one of the best Spanish language (I read the English translation) novels of the Mexican Revolution. I didn't finish it.
If I become invested in the characters, then I will put up with a lot of violence and poor writing. It is not that this wasn't written well, but rather that I wasn't invested in the characters AT ALL and there was enough violence that at page 78 I called it quits. Basically, it is about an "accidental" rebel group during the Mexican Revolution, basically just a bunch of criminals who band together to escape and fight the government forces. At first they are popular with the peasanty, who had the government, but then they lose favor after a number of defeats. Lots of violence, not a lot of plot. Probably an accurate description of the revolution, but nothing I felt like reading for fun. Oh well. Not recommended.
A- I'm glad you liked "Across a Hundred Mountains".
M - I never read Los De Abajo, but then again I never had a class devoted solely to Mexico. I am sure if I had, it would have been a part of it.
Doesn't sound like something I would enjoy either.
"The Summer I Dared" by Barbara Delinsky
This was another freecycle book that looked rather interesting so I gave it a try. It isn't spectacular writing, however the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading it. It opens with a ferry accident off of a small island in Maine. Only three people survive: a 21 year old island girl who refuses to speak, a 40-something lobster fisher from the island, and a 40-something woman from New York who is coming to visit her aunt. Their lives all change after the accident because the girl is plagued with guilt, the lobsterman starts opening up to people, and the woman rethinks her life as the wife of a philandering husband. While at the heart it is a love story between the lobsterman and New Yorker, and rather harlequinny in the love scenes, there are other interesting subplots, including why the girl has stopped speaking.
It was a quick read and rather interesting, so recommended. Just don't expect world-class writing or lots of action.
"Wolf Rider" by Avi.
Well, this was nothing like I expected. It is a book for young adults and begins with a 16 yr old receiving a phone call from a man who claims he just killed a female college student. The boy tells his father and reports the call to the police but no-one believes him. He finds out the girl who was supposedly murdered is alive and tries to warn her, but she reports him to the police as a stalker. So, he tries to find the guy who called and prove to the police that he was not making it up.
I read it quick because it is a short, easy read and because I wanted to find out if the kid was crazy (as everyone believed) or if he was telling the truth. Most of the book, however, was this kid obsessing over the phone call and whining that no-one believed him. Then he would do something stupid, get in trouble, and whine some more. Not really recommended.
"The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding and
"Black Magic Sanction" by Kim Harrison.
"Flies" is almost always on best book lists; I disagree with those authors. Don't get me wrong, the writing was good, but the plot was 'uck'. It is supposed to critique the ideas of the noble savage and show the corruption of innocence, blah, blah, blah. Basically, boys stranded on an island become savage and kill each other and pigs. Civilization falls apart. So? Am I supposed to be surprised? Not recommended. Have any of you already read this? I'd be interested in your opinions.
"Black Magic Sanction" was okay, but not one of her best. The Magical enforcement coven of witches tries to eradicate Rachel and eventually she and her friends kick their butts. I would have liked it better if so many of the books didn't have the same somebody-out-to-kill Rachel themes. Variation is good and would help this series some. Or maybe it is just time to end the series?
"Daed Beat", the 7th book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.
Butcher introduces several new characters and spends more time developing returning characters in this installment of the Dresden files. Dresden is caught in the middle of a battle for power among necromancers, which just happens to be happening in Chicago. He saves a forensic medical examiner, Butters, who then continues to fight (sort-of) with Dresden. I have to say I love this character. He is brilliant, wacky, and nerdy with great one-liners. The book was action-packed, as always, with some interesting twists and turns. A solid addition to the series.
"Step-Ball-Change" by Jeanni Ray.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I wasn't sure I would. It is about a 60 year-old tap-dance instructor (thus, the title) and her husband (a lawyer) who are happily married. Then her daughter, who has been seeing a lawyer, decides to marry the richest man in town instead. Then her sister leaves her husband of 20-odd years when she finds out he is cheating on her again, and comes to live with them. Then her son falls in love with the house contractor's daughter, who is black. There whole household is turned upside down with marriage, love, and divorce. The plot and characters are great, but it really is the relationship with her husband and her relationship with dance which glues the book together. Oh, and there is a dog who loves women and hates men added into the mix- hysterical. It really is a great book. Recommended.
"Eat, Pray, Love" Book-to-film review.
So sad. The book was reallygood (even if she did find love in the end) and the film would have been good, if I hadn't read the book. But after reading the book, the film was a let-down. The beginning left you unclear about why she was leaving her relationship and just made her seem whiny and spoilt. Why didn't they keep the fact that her husband was cheating on her? I didn't care for Richard from Texas in the movie, either. He just seemed really obnoxious. I don't remember him as being that obnoxious in the book. I did like the Brazilian she gets with in the end in the movie, but still. Ech. In this case, they definitely should have stayed closer to the book.
"Speak" by Laurie Anderson and
"Love Overboard" by Janet Evanovich.
"Speak" is a great book, especially for young adults. It drops the reader into the middle of a 14 year old's life at the start of the school year. She is an outcast, with her friends from the year before angry at her for calling the cops during a party over the summer. The reader realizes something traumatic has happened to her (the reason for calling the cops) because she stops speaking and starts doing poorly in school, but we don't find out what actually happened (though I guessed pretty accurately) until about 3/4 of the way through the book. In addition to a great plot, the writing is done well with some great insights into a girl's life and feelings about school, friends, teachers, and family. Highly recommended.
"Overboard" is one of Evanovich's earlier works and is pretty awful, honestly. It is a romance novel and so, so, so gaggy that I stopped reading it while I ate. I could start to see some of the quirky characters, one liners, and plot twists that make the Plum series great being developed in this book, but for the most part it was too cloyingly and disgustingly a romance novel. Ugh. :-)
"Amber Palace" by Josephine Freytag.
This is a romantic thriller set in the Hudson River region during the early 1900's to the 1970s. I think the author tried to do too much in one book, which rather ruined it. It starts out about a governess who goes to work for a wealthy family who lives in a mansion on the Hudson river. There is a family curse about death and tragedy that no-one claims to believe, but keeps coming true. First, the wife of the young, handsome owner dies a mysterious death. He is blaimed, mostly because he has fallen in love with the governess and is assumed to be trying to pave the way to marry her (typical gothic romance plot). Turns out it wasn't him (of course). Meanwhile the governess is all "did he do it? is he a murderer? how can I love a murderer?". This got pretty annoying fast. In fact several paragraphs of the book were made up entirely of her (or later characters) questioning her feelings, the situation, his feelings, the curse, etc. They end up married and living happily. This in itself would have made an okay book, though rather typical. Then the main character, the governess, dies in a fire in the middle of the book. WTH?? Introduce a new main character, the wife of the governesses son. More tragedies, questioning, reuniting, happy endings, then she dies. WTH?? Introduce a new main character- the long lost relative who comes to live with the family. Good grief.
Not recommended.
"A is for Alibi" by Sue Grafton,
"Lake House" by James Patterson,
and "Jester" by James Patterson.
Somebody recommended this series by Grafton to me, but I can't remember who. It is about a female private detective and the series' titles progress through the alphabet. I'm not sure if it goes clear to Z, actually, but at least to S.
I don't read a lot of detective novels or murder mysteries, but I really enjoyed this book. It isn't one of those action-packed books with little plot, but rather is very much about following the investigation of a murder through all the twists and turns, including when leads don't pan out. It is an easy writing style with just enough humor to keep a smile on your face, but not enough to detract from the seriousness of the investigation. My only real problem with the book was that the ending was rather abrupt and leaves the reader hanging a little bit. Of course, that is probably so that you buy the next book. I've mooched "B is for Burglar" and am anxiously waiting for it to show up so I can see what happens next.
James Patterson is supposed to be one of the top current authors with tons of books on best-seller lists. We got about 5 of his books through a freecycle transaction and these are the first, and only ones, I have/will read. Lake House started out interesting and quickly went downhill to an ending that just plain sucked. Main characters died, the bad guys weren't apprehended, and nothing was really resolved. And honestly, I didn't finish Jester because it started off terrible with a rape, murder of a boy, and other violence all within the first 20 or so pages. It didn't improve. The writing isn't great, the chapters are short, and there is a lot of violence. Even where there doesn't need to be violence. As I've mentioned before, I can do violence if it contributes to the plot, but otherwise count me out. I counted myself out of Jester about 100 pages in. The rest of the books are also on their way out the door without being read. There's another author I can cross off my list.
So, in sum, I recommend the Grafton series (I think Joy would like these, since she seems to like this genre) but not any book by Patterson.
I read Sue Grafton's series a few years back (I think she was up to K or L at that time) and really enjoyed them. For some reason I stopped though, and never came back to it.
I also used to be a James Patterson fan, and have read most of his with the kids games names (Hide and Seek, Cat and Mouse, etc). Then I read Kiss the Girls and really didn't like it, way too violent like you said. I did like When the Wind Blows (The Lake House is its sequel) but not enough to overcome all of the graphic violence.
"The Stillborn" by Zaynab Alkali and
"Half the Sky" by Kristof and Wudunn.
"Stillborn" was a good book but too short. It really needed more meat. It follow the life of an African girl from age 12 until she is an old woman, in just over 100 pages. Much of the story is told in conversations among villagers and the girl's dreams and tends to jump forward in time abruptly. It is a fascinating look at life in an African village (I don't think the name of the country ever really shows up) in the mid-1900s. No recommendation on this book.
"Sky" is a nonfiction book written very much like an academic book but much more interesting. The two authors, a husband-wife team, travel the world investigating the role and treatment of women. Each chapter deals with a women's issue, ranging from sex trafficking to maternal mortality, to education. They begin with a story of some woman they met, then transition to the statistics and problem, then finish with a success story of an organization or person making a difference. It is both depressing and hopeful at the same time. And very, very informative. I've been teaching Women's Studies for 3 years now and I learned a lot from this book. Highly recommended.
Ditto A's comments on Sue Grafton and James Patterson. I read Grafton's several years ago. I think when she first started and kept up with her as they came out and then just quit.
Read lots of James Patterson's until I got grossed out by them and gave up on him too.
"Pale Demon" by Kim Harrison, and
"Iron Crowned" by Richelle Mead.
These are both the last books in their series (until the next is published), which makes me sad.
"Demon" is the last of the Rachel Morgan series and has Rachel finding new powers, getting in more trouble, and moving on from her partnership with Jenks and Ivy. It felt like the end of the series, but I think there are more to come.
"Iron" was the latest of the Dark Swan series and I wasn't as happy with it as I could have been. It ended in a predictable manner and yet still leaves the reader hanging. In addition, the explicit sex scenes got monotonous. Okay, already. She has lots of sex. Yippee for her, now let's get back to the plot. I hope this series improves with the next book.
"How Do I Love Thee: A Novel of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Poetic Romance" by Nancy Moser.
This is historical fiction, which I like. What I really liked about this book was that at the end she goes through each chapter and says what events actually happened (listing the source, in this case Barrett Browning's letters and diaries) and what events/conversations she fictionalized. I think every historical author should do this. It was almost more fascinating than the book itself.
With that said, I'm not a big fan of this book. For one, it had heavy religious overtones. This wouldn't have been a problem if done right, but in this case it meant that the first half of the book Barrett was whining to God about how ill she was and how unhappy she was A LOT. It got really repetitive and annoying. In the second half, she kept thanking God over and over for the joy that the love of Robert Browning brought her. Not as whiny, but just as repetitive and annoying.
In addition, while the plot itself was fascinating (her life prior to meeting Browning, their secret romance and elopement, and their married life after she has been disowned by her family makes for great reading), the writing was weak. The best parts were when Moser used excerpts from their poems and letters. I understand that not every writer has the power of words that these two poets did, but this story really needed better writing.
So I don't know whether or not to recommend it. As I stated before, the story itself is just fascinating and worth reading about, but maybe there is a better book about it out there? I don't necessarily recommend this retelling.
"Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas" by Maya Angelou.
This is the next installment in the Angelou autobiographies (I know, it's been awhile since the last one). This one was a lot of fun and one of my favorites. It covers the time she spends travelling Europe and Africa with the cast of "Porgy and Bess". I especially liked it because she talks about each country they spend time in and relates little stories about people, events, and performances. Meanwhile, she has left her son at home with her mother and at the end of this book has returned to the US to be with her son.
Highly recommended.
"The Last Colony" by John Scalzi, and
"Dog Heroes" by Jen Bidner.
"Dog Heroes" came from E, who got it from Dushore Lady, I think. It is a look at different types of rescue/working dogs in the United States and in other countries historically. It has lots of pictures and some interesting anecdotes, including some from 9/11. I found it a fun,quick, read. It made me realize that my dog Shiloh would be great at rescue work, as he has many of the qualities they mention, but I don't have the time or money to train him. Recommended to dog lovers or those interested in service animals.
"Colony" is the third book in a series, which I didn't realize until I finished. If I had known before I started then I probably wouldn't have read it, which would have been a shame as I really enjoyed it. It is a sci-fi book dealing with aliens and alien worlds, so honestly I almost didn't read it anyway (not usually my cup of tea). But, it was free and I have a hard time turning down a free book so I thought I'd give it 50 pages and by then I was hooked. What I really liked about this book was the female characters. The main character is a male, but his wife, daughter, and secretary are integral to the plot and they are all just fantastic characters. His wife is a former Secret Services officer who is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone (including her husband). She also has a wonderfully dry sense of humor. His daughter is a fiesty teenager who really exemplifies a teenage girl with a good heart and wicked temper. Finally, his secretary is efficient, brilliant, and also has a great sense of humor. Just about every line out of her mouth had me laughing out loud. The plot was okay, lots of conspiracy and aliens, but the book was really made by the characters. I have to say, these are the best female characters that I've seen in a book in a while. However, since none of you are really sci-fi fans (right?) I don't recommend it.
"Executive Prvilege" by Jay Brandon.
I thought this was a fascinating book, though written in a very Grisham-like way. The basic plot is that the First Lady decides to divorce the current president and chooses a small town lawyer to take her case. The President, and the evil tech giant who works with the President, do everything they can to prevent this from happening. There is a plot twist at the end that changes things, but I did see it coming, which was a bit disappointing. If you like Grisham then I recommend this book.
"Somebody Owes Me Money" by Donald Westlake, and
"B is for Burglar" and "C is for Corpse" by Sue Grafton.
I had bought the Westlake book shortly after we read "Hot Rock" for Joy's pick. I Think this book was as good, though it had a very different plot. Chet Conway discovers the murder of his bookie when going to collect a wager (thus, the title). The bookie happened to be working for two mobsters who were at war with each other and so both assumed the other had contracted Chet to kill the bookie. Meanwhile, the bookie's sister flies in from Vegas to revenge her brother's murder and she also thinks Chet did it. So, for most of the book Chet is being shot at, strangled, chased, accused, or recovering. There is a lot of action. What I really enjoyed was the way that Chet dealt with all of it. Instead of getting all Jason Bourne about it, instead he keeps trying to get out of it by telling the truth, but no-one ever believes him. Poor guy. Fun book, recommended.
I'm also really enjoying this alphabet series. In "B", Kinsey is looking for a missing woman and gets in the middle of a faked death/murder. She also meets a handsome detective who unfortunately goes back to his wife, from whom he is separated. "C" was a little sadder, all in all. She meets a young man who is working hard to recover from a horrible car accident. He hires her because he thinks it was a murder attempt, but his memory has been shot from head trauma. They really connect and the reader gets attached to him in the first 100 pages of the book before Grafton kills him off. Kinsey deals with his death by continuing to search for his murderer. Less exciting, more sad. The series goes to 'V'. I think she is still working on it, though, so maybe she'll be to 'Z' by the time I get there.
As a side note, "Dead Reckoning", the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series is slated to come out this May. A and T, are you anxiously awaiting it like I am?
I will die without more Sookie/Eric action soon.
:>..
(that was my attempt at an emoticon vampire.)
"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.
I'd heard about this book and found a copy inside a box of freecycle books. Honestly, I wasn't too enthusiastic about reading it because I expected it to be preachy, but decided to read it and get it off of my shelves. In fact, I ended up really enjoying it.
Pausch rights the book based on the last lecture he gave at Carnegie-Mellon before he died of pancreatic cancer. Rather than talking about death or dying, he focused on living and told anecdotes from his life that illustrated principles he had found important. The book includes some of the powerpoint slides and photos he included in his lecture. The ending, of course, is quite sad since he does die.
Recommended.
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot.
I heard about this book on NPR and thought it sounded really interesting, then the department (Gender and Women Studies) chose it for their Spring book discussion series. How convenient.
The book chronicles the true story of Henrietta Lacks, the African American woman who died of cancer in the 1950s, but whose cells live on. Her John Hopkins doctor (a white man) harvested the cancerous cells of her cervix without her consent and was able to grow them in a lab. Scientists had been unable to grow cells that lasted very long prior to this point so it was a huge breakthrough. The HeLa cell line continues to be used in research today with literally hundreds of thousands of vials of her cells throughout the world.
The scientific use of the cells is part of the book, but the even bigger part is what happened to Henrietta's family. They didn't find out about her cells until about 20 years later, after her children had grown up in poverty and abuse. They found out about their mother's cells during a worldwide expose of the woman behind the HeLa cells, then the family was exploited by a number of people for information on their mother, but they never got anything out of it except anger and mistrust.
It is really a fascinating and disturbing story. It ranges from scientific ethics to issues of racism (Henrietta was a black woman and most of the scientists who have benefitted from the use of her cells are white) to informed consent. At the end it discusses the fact that this could still happen today as there is no requirement for informed consent about the use of "discarded" body tissue. Recommended.
"Gifts" by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Recently a student and I had been talking about women writer firsts and Ursula K Le Guin was mentioned as one of the first successfull female authors of science fiction. This in itself would be enough for me to read one of her books, just to see. Then I found this trilogy in the dollar section of bargain books, so why not? I'm glad I did.
"Gifts" is about a young girl and boy who are growing up in a society much like feudal England. There are "cantors" who control large estates in the country and have serfs working for them, but they are still looked down on by the people in the cities. The sci-fi twist is that each bloodline of the "cantors" has a gift associated with it. Gry's (the girl) gift is the ability to call animals to her and to train them. It is used to call in game to hunters but she refuses to use it that way and makes her family unhappy. The boy's (Orrec) gift is to kill with a look. He is late developing his gift and then finds out it is wild (uncontrolled) so he blindfolds himself after accidentally killing. There is more to the plot than this, of course, but I wouldn't want to give anything away.
I thought it was a beautifully written book with a lot of thought put into the responsibilities and costs of each gift. The characters are well developed and really bring the story together. I would recommend this book even to people who aren't sci fi fans.
"The Heart of a Woman" by Maya Angelou.
This is the fourth book in the series of autobiographies of Maya Angelou and much more race oriented than the prior books. While all of her books are centered around her as an African American girl/woman, in this portion of her life she becomes very active with the Civil Rights movement in the United States and then transitions into activism to end apartheid in South Africa and later working for peace in other African countries. Just about every chapter and story deals with racism, slavery, or colonialism. In part because of that, it is much more serious than the prior autobiographies (with the possible exception of Caged Bird). What I found enjoyable in this book is that she is starting to meet really influential people that I recognize from history: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Earl Jones. It is really interesting to get her take on what they were like as people.
Still highly recommended. These autobiographies read so much like novels because she had such a fascinating and exciting life. Each one is different from the prior book so I've never lost interest. Two more to go.
"Voices" by Ursula K. Le Guin, the second of the Upland series.
Although the main characters from "Gifts" show up in this book, they are not the main characters. It is narrated by a teenage girl who lives in an occupied town. She is a seige brat, meaning she is the result of a rape by the invading army. Her mother died and she lives in the house of the former leader. Gry and Orrec don't show up until about 5 chapters in. That threw me for a bit of a loop. I went back to check that this really was the second book in the series before I continued reading.
With that said, it is just as well written with some beautiful passages. It takes place about 17 years after the end of "Gifts" and follows the revolt of the townspeople against the occupiers. Gry and Orrec play instrumental parts in these events, but the real story is about Memer, the girl. This book is more violent than "Gifts", which makes sense since it is set during a violent conflict. However, it still deals with the responsibilities of having certain gifts and how they should be used.
Recommended.
"A Death in the Family" by James Agee.
Another book, off of a number of top 100 or 1000 book lists, that is destined not to be a favorite. Ultimately, this book was just too long and by the end I was just tired of it. It follows various members of a family during a (you guessed it) death in the family. Agee has an interesting style of rambling, stream-of-consciousness writing. At first it was novel and fascinating, but it got old fast. One chapter of maybe 10 pages was the kid thinking about being teased by older boys about his name. And sometimes one sentence takes up half a page and by the end of the sentence you don't remember what the start was about. LIke I said, kind-of neat at first, but got old fast. Otherwise, there did not seem to be much plot beside everyone mulling over the death and whether or not there is a god.
I see from Sparknotes (I was trying to see what makes this book special), that this is autobiographical, based on Agee's remembrances of his father's passing when he was a boy. It was also published posthumously from an unpolished manuscript and some have argued that Agee did not intend it to be published like this. Maybe his editor is part of the trouble, then.
"The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks.
I'm just not a Sparks fan. I keep trying because it seems like I should be, but I'm not. After all, I like the movies based on the books, but not the books. Especially not this book.
This is similar to the other Sparks books I've read, in that it is told from a later date where something important is happening, but then large chunks are memories of the past, usually about how the couple met. In this particular book, you don't find out what is happening in the present until very near the end, which I find annoying. Even more annoying is that it doesn't end where it should. About two chapters from the end is a good ending, sad, but good. However, Sparks can't leave well-enough alone so he slaps on a happy ending that doesn't seem to fit at all. It just feels awkward. Not recommended. I have one more Sparks book on my shelf to try, but I think it will wait a while.
"Marlene Dietrich" by her daughter, Maria Riva.
I have to confess that I only read about the first 300 pages of this 800 page book. I really liked it, but it was mooched and I had to send it out. I wasn't too heartbroken, though, because I just googled her name to see what happened to her after the point I finished reading.
This was really a fascinating biography for a number of reasons. First, Dietrich herself is really interesting. She was a bisexual who often crossdressed, had MANY lovers while staying married to the same husband, and, of course, is a film legend. It wasn't even an unhappy marriage. Her husband had a mistress who traveled with the family and cared for Maria Riva when Dietrich couldn't. Both knew about the other's lovers and seemed fine with it. Additionally, the book is written by her daughter from her daughter's perspective, which makes it different from a biography from an outside source. The reader gets first-hand accounts about the lovers and her mother's idiosyncracies. Finally, Dietrich grew up in Germany in WWI and was very involved in the US war effort in WWII, touring on the front lines, selling bonds, and visiting the wounded. To top it all off, she was close (often VERY close) to a number of famous people: Mae West, Earnest Hemingway, Clark Gable, etc... So there is a lot of name dropping in the book, especially about those who became her lovers.
I won't recommend it, unless you like biographies or have an interest in Dietrich because it is VERY long and detailed.
"Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead, the last book in the Vampire Academy series. Or at least, I think it is.
I really like this series and most of this book has been as good as the previous five. Rose is charged with murder at the same time that the royal court is in upheaval over how to defend itself. She escapes from prison and goes on a quest to help Lissa, while Lissa and friends stay at court in order to work to clear Rose's name. Due to the bond between Rose and Lissa, we get to see what is happening in both places throughout the book.
Where it all falls apart for me is when it all comes together in the book. Most of the book is turmoil and confusion with royal plots and secrets that seem like they will never be untangled. Then, in the last 90 pages everything falls into place easily and everyone but a few are left perfectly happy. That just doesn't happen. It my opinion it was TOO easy. Oh well, this happens in a lot of series that wrap up.
Or, at least, I think this is the last book. In the acknowledgements at the end, Mead makes a comment like "and join me for more stories from the Moroi world." Huh? I think maybe she is going to follow a couple of the secondary characters in a new series. Especially one character was left hanging and I can see her moving on with him. At the same time, I hope she doesn't. One of the problems with successful series is that sometimes the authors keep going after they should have ended it. For example, I think the Plum series by Evanovich is great, but I think she should have ended it about 2 books ago. It is starting to get repetitive and, dare I say it, old. Keep a great series great by knowing when to quit!
Plum series by Evanovich is great, but I think she should have ended it about 2 books ago. It is starting to get repetitive and, dare I say it, old. Keep a great series great by knowing when to quit!
I could not agree more.
"D is for Deadbeat" by Sue Grafton.
This book was just depressing. A few places made me leave, but it had more places with sad (pathetic) people who die. Including a kid who commits suicide at the end. As the ending. How disappointing. Moving on to "E is for Evidence" and hoping for something more upbeat.
Is this why you both stopped reading, because they got so depressing? I hope not.
I think that had something to do with why I stopped reading Grafton. It's been a while, but I remember "catching up" to the end of the series (at that time) and having no anticipation for the next release, so I just dropped it there.
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