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SU11 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks - Summer 2011
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott LynchI’d heard such good things about this book from many different sources and I wanted to love it. I really wanted to love it..but I just didn’t. It was a struggle to read right from the start and I don’t know why because there were some good things about it. The humor had me laughing right out loud on more than one occasion. And I enjoyed the different time/plotlines too but something was missing. It reminded me so much of The Blade Itself in how I felt about it, and how disjointed it was to me. In the end though, I’m not sure yet if I will read the second book. I might just because I need to find out what happens to the main character. For all my meh of the book, he really grew on me.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo (my copy has 530 pgs)
Task Total=20
Grand Total=100
Tales from the Yoga Studio: A Novel by Rain Mitchell+10
Bubba and the Dead Woman by C.L. Bevill
+10
Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching by Robert J. Marzano
+10
Sisterchicks in Sombreros by Robin Jones Gunn
+ 10
= Summer Reading 365 points
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller*****
Catch-22 falls into the category of books I can't believe I didn't read sooner. I loved this book. It made me laugh aloud multiple times. Reading it so soon after All Quiet on the Western Front added a sort of poignancy, but did not in any way detract from my ability to enjoy and be amused by the antics of Yossarian and the others. The name Major Major Major was one I have long heard, but now can truly understand. Milo, the black marketeer operating out of the camp's mess hall is one of my favorite characters. Among other antics, he is frequently involved in different incidents on both sides, the American and the German, but he keeps himself in good with both by telling everyone they are "part of the syndicate and everyone gets a share." The highly confused chaplain who just wants to go home to his wife and children is another favorite. The book is not always so lighthearted though; there are some scenes which are filled with horror, and when they came along I found myself consistently shocked. They are mixed in skillfully, though, and added to the story while still being jarring. Overall, this is a smart, funny book which deserves its place in the canon.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
***
I would like to be able to give this book 4 stars, and I think I would have been able to had it been completed. As it is, it is a posthumously published unfinished novel and that is, at times, a detractor. That being said, I enjoyed reading it and will definitely be reading more works by David Foster Wallace. He proved to be witty, cutting, insightful, and entertaining. The backdrop of the IRS and its overlapping bureaucratic denizens all vying for power made for a wonderful world rich in a sort of stale despair. I am looking forward to Infinite Jest far more than I was previously.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
****
I enjoyed Royal Assassin as much as I did Assassin's Apprentice, which is to say I enjoyed it a lot. This continued showing the growing relationship between Fitz and Verity. The relationship between Fitz and the Fool, as well as the character of the Fool, were further developed, and in ways I like. I remain firmly not a fan of Molly and her interactions with Fitz, but some things can't be helped I suppose. The pacing wasn't wholly consistent, but the ways in which that was the case did not really detract from the book. They were understandable. Overall, it was a fun read and I look forward to the next one.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
*****
I was very excited to read this book. Some of that excitement might have come from the fact that it was my nomination that became the Book of the Month for the group with which I read it. Regardless, I found a fascinating tale that reached back into ancient mythologies to weave a conflict born of and enforced by the time and seasons of a planet. A planet split in two, ruled by a native, but policed by offworlders. A planet proscribed so that no one who leaves can return and no native can leave. Looming over everything is Arienrhod, the Snow Queen and her attempts to make sure Winter never ends. The story also weaves its way through Sparks Dawntreader Summer and his cousin Moon Dawntreader Summer. The world created as backdrop is vibrant and complex in away that makes it almost a character itself
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
*****
+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (1009 pages)
Task Total: 15
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
*****
+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (1128 pages)
Task Total: 15
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
****
+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (1060 pages)
Task Total: 15
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
****
I have been torn on how to rate this book, so I am going with 4, solely because that is what I gave A Feast for Crows. I would say I enjoyed this one roughly as much, primarily because of the first two-thirds. I was, however, disappointed. I did not receive the resolution or movement I expected and was led to believe there would be in this book. Favorite characters did practically nothing, there were entirely new characters I found completely impossible to care about, and the book ends on a massive and irritating cliffhanger. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading it. I was just very unhappy when I finished it and afterwards. Here's hoping The Winds of Winter is better, when it comes out (hopefully) half a decade from now.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo (1016 pages)
Task Total: 20
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
****
I really enjoyed this, far more than I expected. It is very true that the book is extremely similar to the TV show Firefly, but there were enough differences to make it enjoyable. Retribution Falls is grittier and has far more moral ambiguity. It also takes place on a single planet, with airships, instead of in space, which was an interesting change. I found myself liking this more and more as I read it. Given some of my inevitable comparisons to the parallel Firefly characters at the beginning it had to work to fully suck me in, but it succeeded admirably. It has action, romance of a sort, and is overall surprisingly good.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Post Total: 140
Grand Total: 425
Angels Fall by Nora RobertsWhen I need a good comfort read, something that I don’t have to put a lot of thought into, I turn to a few authors, one being Nora Roberts who is always able to quickly whisk me away and catch me up n her stories. Angels Fall was no exception to this. Who doesn’t like a good romantic suspense novel with fairly good character development? The only mention on characters I would say is that I thought her male lead was a bit different from her usual male characters. A bit more abrasive and gruff than many of her other male leads in her other books I’ve read. A quick, enjoyable summer read.
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
Task Total=15
Grand Total=115
A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan+10 task
= 55 total
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch****
I enjoyed Moon Over Soho even more than I enjoyed Midnight Riot. Peter Grant remains an interesting character, trying to both remain a normal cop while also playing his role as apprentice wizard to Nightingale, the only other wizard/cop on the force. His propensity to run off and try to solve things on his own gets him into more trouble this time around, which added a nice touch of "reality" the book needed for balance. I also found it easier to relate to the plot this time. I was very glad to see them continue to develop Peter's relationship with his former partner, who is struggling with injuries, rather than simply writing her out or into the background. I look forward to the next book in the series.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
*****
It is rare that I read a book and instantly add it to my favorites list as well as giving it five stars, but that is exactly what happened with The Long Goodbye. Raymond Chandler deserves his place at the top of the noir heap. The book is dark and grim, but never feels like it is being more of those than the story demands. The city itself plays a huge role, which I think is an essential part of the genre. There are beautiful tragic women and confused, doomed men. There are terrible murders. There are lots of cocktails and plenty of backroom dealing. Throughout the book it remained impossible to separate the good guys from the bad, and even now I would not like to take on the task. The way humanity is presented in this book is so bare. That's one of many reasons I loved it so much.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Enter A Murderer by Ngaio Marsh
***
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1935)
Task Total: 15
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
*****
Oryx and Crake is both post-apocalyptic and dystopian. It deals with themes of religion, sexuality, violence, oppression, genetic engineering, love, lust, and friendship. It opens with a man who calls himself Snowman living on a beach after a disaster of proportions we do not fully learn until later. There are also other beautiful beings who seem like humans, but both more advanced and more simple. Snowman's thoughts then turn inwards and backwards to his childhood, when he was called Jimmy. The book switches back and forth between Jimmy's memories of life and his present day reality. We learn about his friendship with a boy named Crake and who they both became, as well as his relationship with a girl named Oryx. We also see an unfolding picture of how and why Jimmy became Snowman and why his world is the way it is. Along the way, the themes I mentioned above also unfold, with all the questions they bring.
I found myself thinking of This Perfect Day a lot while reading this, but also of Speaker for the Dead. This has intriguing similarities to both. It is also an excellent book.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Daphne by Marion Chesney
**
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
Post Total: 70
Grand Total: 495
Here are my latest completed books:The Last Summer Of The Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork
+10
The Atlas of New Librarianship by R. David Lankes
+10
Shimmer by Alyson Noel
+10
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
+10
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
+10
+ 5: 665 pages
15 Task
The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
+10
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
+10
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
+10
Children and Fire: A Novel by Ursula Hegi
+10
Going to the Dogs by Dan Kavanagh
+10
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
+10
Points this Post: 115
Grand Total: 450
Rapture in Death by J.D. RobbWhile I’ve enjoyed all of the In Death series books I’ve read so far, I think I enjoyed this one just a little bit more. While there wasn’t any more death going on than in any of the other books per se, the “topics” or trains of thought that Robb touched on I found to be very intriguing. I won’t say exactly what else I’d be giving it away. I really like how Eve’s character is continuing to build along with her relationship to Roarke and how we are seeing different sides to each of them as this series progresses.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total=15
Grand Total=130
Clara's Grand Tour: Travels with a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-Century Europe by Glynis Ridley I picked up this book because I expected it to have amusing and interesting anecdotes about the real-life travels of a rhinoceros through eighteenth century Europe. There wasn't any. I also expected to learn more about rhinoceros. The only new facts I learned was that the horn of a rhinoceros in captivity sometimes falls off, then re-grows (sort of like fingernails do on a human); and, that an average rhinoceros eats 150 lbs. of vegetation per day. The author focussed instead on the artistic representations of Clara the rhinoceros (woodcuts, playbills, anatomical texts, etc.), how realistic the representations were, etc., etc., etc. The book was OK for what it was. I'd recommend it to those who want to read about art history; I would not recommend it for history buffs or those who want to read about natural history.
+ 10 Task
+ 05 Review
Task Total: 15
The "It" girl: The incredible story of Clara Bow by Joe Morella
Clara Bow was a silent film star, primarily portraying flappers and party girls. She was one of the stars who did not make the transition to "talkies" because of her voice. This book says it wasn't her voice; so I went on youtube, listened to Clara, and, yeah, it was her voice, or at least a large part of it was her voice (think: Fran Drescher nasally Brooklyn accent). The author sticks with what Clara Bow said about her life, and what fellow actors, actresses, producers, and contemporary tabloids said about her life, typical for a celebrity bio.
Clara was on a personal downward spiral that so many actors / rock stars go on. She was fortunate that an emotionally stable actor fell in love with her, married her, and moved her out of Hollywood. The post-Hollywood chapter is brief but to the point: loving marriage, two sons, a placid suburb in Nevada, away from Hollywood temptations, until her death from natural causes at age 60.
+ 10 Task
+ 05 Review
Task Total: 15
Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut
Typical Vonnegut. The 1st person narrator never got over the death he caused (accidentally) as a 12-year-old boy. Some well-aimed zingers at small town 1950s American life.
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
A novella stretched to novel length using atmospherics and a narrator of questionable veracity. Good for what it was. Not scary, only sad.
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 275 + 15 + 15 + 10 + 10 = 325
The Odd Women by George GissingWriting this review will be a struggle; not because I didn't like the book, but because why I liked it is not so easy to explain without saying more than I usually do about the heart of the matter.
So many odd women--no making a pair with them. The pessimists call them useless, lost, futile lives. I, naturally--being one of them myself--take another view. I look upon them as a great reserve. When one woman vanishes in matrimony, the reserve offers a substitute for the world's work.
Ok, so that explains the title. This speech is given by a woman who is part of the emancipation movement of the 1890s. I must have lived under a rock, but I honestly didn't know, and was more than mildly surprised, that this very strong feminist novel was published at that time. I can only imagine the reception it must have received. Not only did Gissing address the right of women to work in other than teaching or domestic service, but it addressed the desire for a wife to be intellectual partner with her husbands.
Don't let me mislead you. Yes, this was all I've said in the preceding paragraph, but there was a rather good story as well, with interesting and well-developed characters. The prose is excellent, perhaps much better than other Victorian literature. Gissing is on both the 1001 Books list and on Bloom's Western Canon list, but for his New Grub Street, which I hope to find room for before too much time passes.
+10 Task
+ 5 Oldie
+ 5 Review
Grand Total = 110
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel by Lola Shoneyin+10 Task
Grand Total: 115
Excellent book. Despite the culturally foreign concept of polygamy, I found myself relating with the characters in a way I never expected! I recommend it for anyone, especially women.
One Shot by Lee ChildOne Shot is the ninth book in the ongoing Jack Reacher series. Reacher, as almost everybody calls him, is an ex Army officer drifiting across America. Reacher never looks for trouble, but he seems to come across it wherever he may be. But Reacher is not your average Joe. He’s 6’5 and you don’t want to mess with him – he knows how to get things done. If I’m ever in a bar fight, I want Reacher on my side.
This novel was as entertaining as the other Reacher novels I have read. Fast paced, lots of action, lots or Reacher lines! A highly enjoyable comfort read which leaves me wanting more!
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total=15
Grand Total=145
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope 4 starsThis book couldn't be more aptly titled, but don't think that makes it in the least boring. There are enough interesting characters and plenty of plot to keep you reading through all of it's lengthy pages.
It's all about money, you see: who's got it, who flaunts it, who will do what to get it, and who will marry because of it. There are intrigues, both financial and matrimonial; and scandals, both financial and matrimonial. Some parts, admittedly, are a bit melodramatic, but Trollope is such good fun. How can you not laugh about the naming of a very wealthy, but minor aristocrat, named Damask Monogram? Or the law firm of the stodgy and not very swift Messrs Slow and Bideawhile?
This is just about as much fun as you can have. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because it just didn't quite make my heart sing.
+10 Task
+ 5 Oldie (pub 1875)
+ 5 Jumbo (Kindle, 778 pages)
+ 5 Review
Grand Total = 135
Tea with Hezbollah: Sitting at the Enemies' Table, Our Journey Through the Middle East by Ted Dekker
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain Pub. 1897, 720 pgs30 pts for books read in this post
5 pts for Oldies (1897)
5 pts for Jumbo (720pgs)
40 pts Total for this task
125 pts - Grand Total (85 former plus 40 for this post)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (546p)
The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1850)
The Ghost War by Alex Berenson
+10 Task
Post Total: 40
Summer Grand Total: 630
Something Blue by Emily Giffin+10 Task
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
+10 Task
New Total = 180
Miss Lonelyhearts & The Day of the Locustby Nathanael West
+10 task
+5 oldies (1939)
The Mysteries of Udolpho
by Ann Radcliffe
+10 task
+5 oldies (1794)
+5 jumbo (722 pgs)
It Can't Happen Here
by Sinclair Lewis
+10 task
+5 oldies (1935)
Grand Total: 245
Animating Maria by Marion Chesney***
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark
***
It has taken me a couple of days to decide what I think of The Driver's Seat. Ultimately, I prefer The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the only other work by Muriel Spark I have read. The Driver's Seat reminds me of the film that forms on one's teeth after eating or drinking too much sugar; vaguely unpleasant but otherwise unremarkable and easily removed. It is a methodically executed psychological thriller that initially left me unsettled, but that feeling has faded over time. It did not have any staying power; something that, to me, is the hallmark of an exceptional work. I do not regret the time I spent reading it, but I might if it were a longer work.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
*****
The description of The Forever War on Goodreads begins with "How they happened and why, how they've succeeded and failed. The Forever War is not that kind of book..." This is one of the primary attributes that made this without question the best book I have read about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rather than focusing on the politics and historical implications, Dexter Filkins chose to focus on the people. Part memoir, part oral history, he has woven a narrative based on his own experiences over the course of nine years in the Middle East and the tales of those people he met. We see the changes over time in his feelings, the dissonance between the different sides. We hear the fragments of stories of the Marines with whom he spent a considerable amount of time. We read of deaths that haunt him and moments of beauty that amazed him. This book brought tears to my eyes more than once and reminded me that I am thankful for the people who spend their time in these hellholes, regardless of my opinion of whether or not they should be there.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Post Total: 40
Grand Total: 535
I've read two books by Goodreads Authors who usually write YA books but this time around, wrote a book aimed at a more adult audience. Both books still read like a YA book except with a 30ish year old heroine and a little bit (not alot, only a little) more description of physical intimacy.Austenland by Shannon Hale
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
And, I've read 2 notable books:
Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1985)
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction (2009)
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Grand Total: 325 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 365
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie MacomberMy first Debbie Macomber book and I’d heard a lot about her. Right of the bad, I wasn’t thrilled. The characters were highly irritating, especially Jacqueline and I just couldn’t connect with them. Perhaps they weren’t 3 dimensional for me. I could see where she was going with them, but the depth just wasn’t there for me. I wanted to be pulled into the story and feel something for these characters but I just never did. Good thing it was a quick read and didn’t go on and on else I might have given up on it. I most likely won’t read the next in the series, that’s how disappointed I was.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total=15
Grand Total=160
Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat by Jeff BenedictThis book started by making me cry. Benedict poignantly describes a couple holding their daughter as she dies, every parent's worst nightmare. Their child went from healthy to dying of a fast moving, virulent and mysterious illness in little more than a week. It turns out that she got it from eating a contaminated and undercooked hamburger at Jack in the Box.
Benedict takes us from the outbreak to the first arbitrated settlement of the E. coli illnesses and deaths on the west coast from Jack in the Box in the early 90's. He tells us the story through some of the people involved, mainly the plaintiffs' attorney, Bill Marley and the CEO of Jack in the Box, Bob Nugent. He includes parents, doctors, researchers, public health officials, industry consultants and attorneys.
Even though I knew the outcome, I found Benedict's story compelling. I spent a number of years in the government regulation of food processors (in the FDA). It was interesting to see how this tragic episode started changing the way food was processed and regulated--evidently not enough as we have suffered additional deaths and illnesses from E. coli.
10 + 5 = 15
Previous total: 100
New total: 115
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinI want to reread all of the Song of Ice and Fire books before I read Dance with Dragons since I don't really remember what happens. I'm no good at rereading books and I only got a few chapters in the first couple of times I tried. I have to fight the feeling that I'm wasting my time since I could be reading something new. My opinions of the main characters pretty much stayed the same, because I've discussed them and so thought up arguments. I watched the television show before rereading this book, I was surprised about how much I thought the book versions of characters differed from the television versions.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
This was a good book. Based on the title I thought this was about growing up in Pennsylvania, since there is a Middlesex in Pennsylvania and I hadn't heard of the other ones. It's actually about the life and family history of a hermaphrodite. The family is Greek, and the novel follows their immigration from Greece to Detroit. The author kept putting in historical facts that I wasn't sure I should believe or not since I know nothing about Detroit. He kept putting in lists of defunct brands that existed during the time period, which annoyed me because they didn't seem to have any purpose besides showing off how much research he did.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo
Grand Total: 245
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison AllenThis book was cute. I listened to the audiobook read by Karen White. It reminded me of The Help (without the social commentary), since they were both set in South and both had women's societies. I don't live in the South and I haven't read a lot of Southern literature. I guess they have a lot of women's societies in the South? It was a cute chicklit mainly about the power of friendship. Other themes were the power of love and how although family is important you need to live your own life. There was a mystery thrown in too.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
I listened to the audiobook read by Dan John Miller. This book has a really low rating on Goodreads, which I don't think it deserves. From the reviews there Greg Bear is a pretty famous science fiction author, and he's recently been trying new stuff with his writing. I guess it didn't work out for him, and this book is an attempt to return to his old style. I guess his older stuff is better, and so his fans aren't happy. I haven't read any of Greg Bear's work besides this one, so I can't compare. Anyway, unless the work is in a series, I don't think it's fair to judge a book by an author against other work. You have to pick it up without expectations.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
This is the second book in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy. This book took me a long time to read, and not because it was bad. After every chapter I felt like I had to stop and absorb what was written.The author is also a great illustrator, and so good at describing people that his illustrations match your imaginations. This year is the 100th anniversary of his birth, and people are actually celebrating. A fourth book to his series, Titus Awakes, is being released from the estate this year. Peake wrote fragments of it before he died, and his widow completed it.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo
Grand Total: 280
Sense and Sensibility by Sense and Sensibility+10 Task
+5 Oldies (first published 1811)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
+10 Task
The Dead Town by Dean Koontz
+10 Task
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
+10 Task
+5 Jumbo (562 pgs)
The Last Pope by Luis Miguel Rocha
+10 Task
Post Total: 60
Summer Total: 690
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin****
I would love to give Winter's Tale 5 stars, but ultimately there was something lacking in the story for me. The book is beautiful and rich, with absolutely stunning descriptions of both light and winter scenes. Sometimes the latter waxed repetitive, but the overall picture painted of New York City over the 20th century and the upper reaches of the Hudson River Valley was breathtaking. The plot, however, was inconsistent in its pacing. It took around 200 pages to really get going, and it weaved in and out thereafter. There were some very touching moments, particular between the character Peter Lake and Beverly Penn, but there were equal numbers of dull ones. The ending also felt weak to me, although I do not know that it would to everyone. Overall, this is a book I would recommend, but not without disclaimers.
+10 Task
+5 Review
+5 Jumbo (763 pages)
Task Total: 20
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
*****
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is without a doubt my favorite book of all I have read by Philip K. Dick to date. The story is beautiful and poignant. Taking place primarily in a single day, it follows the life of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who begins to question the job he does. He hunts androids who hide among and pretend to be human. Faced with a new model that thinks faster than humans, the only way to detect them is by administering tests that judge empathy, the only thing really separating them. Deckard's seesawing emotions created a tension that was only partially relieved by the end of the story. I am still thinking about it and the questions it raises.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Good Muslim: A Novel by Tahmima Anam - 7/30/11 to 8/3/11
***
I have not read A Golden Age and I know nothing about the Bangadeshi war against Pakistan. Both of these facts most likely decreased my appreciation for The Good Muslim: A Novel. I enjoyed the first of three sections very much, but somewhere in the second what had seemed like an introductory style began to feel very much like a lack of coherency. The lack of exposition contributed to my confusion about the setting and Maya, the primary character, began to repeat her thoughts and observations in a way that became irritating. I find it frustrating that this book was not better, because it very well could have been. It feels like there is a beautiful story that could have been told if only the author had more time or a more brutal editor to trim away the outer edges and reveal the center.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Post Total: 50
Grand Total: 585
I'm out of time to post for this summer. We're headed to a cabin without power.Here are the last books I'll post, although I will continue to read, of course. Can't wait for the fall challenge. I'll be back ob the 18th to create my task!
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
+10
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson Complete
+10
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
+10
A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes
+10
Under the Jolly Roger by LA Meyer (544 pages)
+15
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
+10
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
+10
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
+10
Points this Post: 85
Grand Total: 535
I loved "One Good Dog" .
Floating in My Mother's Palm by Ursula Hegi 4 starsThis is the first published book in Ursula Hegi's "Burgdorf Cycle". I haven't heard the term "cycle" applied to books before, but it certainly makes more sense in this context than does the term series. The events in this book take place after her more well-known Stones from the River.
I would characterize this as more a collection of stories with the narrator and setting the same throughout. Hanna Malter is a young girl who tells of her life and town following WWII when she is perhaps between the ages of 10 and 14. Trudi Montag, the dwarf who runs the pay library who was the narrator in Stones, plays a featured part in this one.
Hanna is not a perfect child - she is known to say some very hurtful things, and she and her friends have played some pranks. Hanna also is not what I think of as a typical child in that she is quite perceptive of people. Of the priest's unmarried sister she observes:
The pastor's sister, Hannelore Beier, was a woman in her thirties with crippled hands. Her fingers over-lapped and drew themselves toward her palms, birdlike claws which she refused to hide. When she taught Sunday school, she moved them gracefully, those stiff extensions of herself, weaving the texture of her words into our hearts.And this, of her mother's friend who had bouts of mental illness:
On days when she couldn't speak at all, her head would jerk forward as though she were trying to make the words fall from her mouth, and I'd think of the thousands of unspoken words crowding inside her, wishing I could help her release them. I'd feel my neck and shoulders tighten, my lips moving as if, somehow, I could form those words for her.This is not a plot-driven work. If that is your favorite, you might wish to look elsewhere.
+10 Task
+ 5 Review
Grand Total = 150
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts10 pts
The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson (pub 1909)
15 pts
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson ( pub 1886)
15 pts
Florida Ghosts & Pirates: Jacksonville, Fernandina, Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Daytona by C. Lee Martin
10 pts
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson(563 pgs)
15 pts
Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba
10pts
The Sugar Camp Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
10 pts
Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research by Sue Halpern
10pts
Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris
10 pts
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (575 pgs)
15 pts
120 pts - This Post
245 pts - Total Points (125 last post + 120 this post)
I give up on the reviews.The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1850)
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (finished the series!)
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1921)
My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart (this was terrible)
+10 Task
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
+10 Task
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
+10 Task
Grand Total= 340
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher+10 Task
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters
+10 Task
Grand Total: 145
Rhea wrote: "I give up on the reviews...."I've enjoyed the reviews you've done & have, in general, been impressed with the number of people that have written thoughtful, pithy reviews. I do not enjoy writing reviews & the few I have completed have been the result of discussing the book in real life, or in direct response to a question. So thank you, Rhea, and everyone else, for the reviews you have done!
Liz M wrote: "Rhea wrote: "I give up on the reviews...."I've enjoyed the reviews you've done & have, in general, been impressed with the number of people that have written thoughtful, pithy reviews. I do not ..."
Thank you Liz, that's nice of you to say. I really enjoy reading the reviews even if I don't like writing them either. People are so eloquent.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
It's called Ella Minnow Pea because the words sound like LMNOP. I never got that, after saying it aloud 15 times I had to look it up. I'm 'studying' for the GRE by reading books, so I'm making a point to look up words I don't know and make lists.
This book taught me the words-
Anodized, Anserous, Aposiopesis, Arroyos, Bastinado, Benedict, Cenotaph, Deracinating, Elision, Latitude (the other definition), Mileu, Moratorium, Otalgia, Perspicacity, Piscivorous, Pullet, Pyrrhic, Raison (spelled raisson for some raison), Salvo, Trenchancy, and Verboten.
It also tricked me into looking up these-
Acolytic, Bandiford, Confabettes, Cephalo-stock, Elevatia, Frescochaise, Illicitabetical, Illegum, Invisiblinguista, Fenester, Heavipendence, Humongolacity, Nimisister, Overtitious, Partete, Piscimonger, Pureplicity, Rubilious, Sarilla, Taciteries, Travailious, and Vacatement.
+10 Task
+5 Review (If it counts. I'm stretching it with a word list.)
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1929)
Grand Total= 370
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilizationby Jonathan LyonsReview:
Lyons presents a lot of very interesting information about the development of science and philosophy in the Arab/Muslim world and its transfer to Europe. But I maybe I was looking for something else. The development of astronomy and math sparked both by arrival of knowledge from India, translation of Greek texts and religious needs (how do you know the times for the five prayers and the way to Mecca to complete your religious duties correctly?) was part of what I was looking for. The stories of the intrepid and curious men who located Arab information and translated it and employed learned Arabs was interesting but I was also looking for why the centers of Arab/Muslim learning seemed to fade and stultify.
Previous total: 115
Book + review: 15
New total: 130
After the Golden Age by Carrie VaughnEntertaining, even for those who never read the Superhero comics.
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Girl in Hyacinth Blue (1999) by Susan Vreeland
Over-rated.
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer
Good overview of today's steampunk.
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt
Excellent!
+ 10 Task
Task Total: 10
The Moon and Sixpence (1919) by W. Somerset Maugham
Misogynist.
+ 10 Task
+ 05 Oldies points for any book written prior to 1950
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 365 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 15 = 420
Ring Around the Sun (1953) by Clifford D. Simak An entertaining romp through a "Golden Age" 1950s science fiction novel. The descriptions of "normal" then seem alien today -- everyone smokes, the corner drugstore, the Car is King, and the phone system -- needing a human operator to make a long distance call! The upbeat ending in the face of adversity is also typical of the "Golden Age", and is present here. The obsession with (view spoiler) is very 1950s also. My main complaint with the novel is the writing -- way too many passages of:
"what if xxx??" or, if not that, then "what if xxx??"
Some passages of that technique are OK but this novel overuses it.
+ 10 Task
+ 05 Review
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 420 + 15 = 435
"A Dance With Dragons" George R R Martin+10 Task
+5 (Jumbo, 1016pp)
Grand Total: 175
Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace***
Given my utter hatred of Tokyo Year Zero, I was pleasantly surprised that I mostly enjoyed this book. The plot was grimy and violent and the view of humanity extremely dark, but the writing did not bother me. I can't say it changed the fact that I am reading Nineteen Seventy-Seven only because it is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, but at least I no longer dread that and expect to abandon it partway through. Overall, this book goes in the category of books I respect more than enjoy, but don't hate. I don't think I would recommend it, but I wouldn't discourage people from reading it.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
****
After the disappointment that was Rebel Angels, I was very happy to see Libba Bray return to the type of writing and plot I enjoyed in A Great and Terrible Beauty. This was by no means as good, but it was still a very fun book to read. She managed to avoid at least some of the pitfalls that are so common when someone is telling a coming of age story. Potential character development was realized and the story drawn to a close in a highly enjoyable way. I do remain curious as to why this was a single book rather than two, given the length relative to the first two, but that's hardly a drawback. Basically, I say read a synopsis of the second, but give this book a read.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Diana the Huntress by Marion Chesney
***
+10 Task
Task Total: 10
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
*****
This book came highly recommended by a close friend who posted on a facebook update when I was reading that he went gaga for it. I have to say I did the same. Erik Larson takes two fascinating tales and weaves them together into a non-fiction page turner. The story of the chief architect and other people behind the world's fair in Chicago and that of a disturbingly successful serial killer blend together surprisingly well. I will definitely be reading more by the author. I think it takes a specific sort of rare skill to write a non-fiction work that is both this strong and this memorable.
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 10
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
****
I love Death. To anyone unfamiliar with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series that likely seems a strange or morbid comment. Among his readers, though, it's a common sentiment. This is yet another enjoyable romp through that delightfully wacky universe he has so masterfully created. The books just make me happy. In this one, Death is told he will die, so he decides to use the time he has left, now that he has time. The results of both this, and the removal of Death from the world are unpredictable, involving souvenir snow globes and runaway shopping trolleys. Oh, and an irascible undead wizard named Widdle Poons. How could that combination go wrong?
+10 Task
+5 Review
Task Total: 15
Post Total: 70
Grand Total: 655
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Garden Spells (other topics)Corduroy Mansions (other topics)
Bloodhound (other topics)
Summer (other topics)
The Song of Roland (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah Addison Allen (other topics)Alexander McCall Smith (other topics)
Anonymous (other topics)
G.K. Chesterton (other topics)
Daniel Tammet (other topics)
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+10 Task
+5 Oldies (1895)
If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon
+10 Task
Post Total: 25
Summer Grand Total: 590+