Princess de Cleves

The Princesse de Clèves by Marie-Madeleine de LaFayette

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For the time it was written, it's a pretty racy story of passion and illicit love. By today's standards, it's not nearly so! All that being said, I enjoyed it after I got used to the style and the more stilted language than what I typically read.

Recommended to people interested in the time period - both in literature and history.



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Bookhunter

Bookhunter by Jason Shiga

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A quick, but action-packed read. Even more awesome than I'd hoped! :D Agent Bay's hard-boiled edge totally makes the story. A must-read for all library staff who enjoy comics & graphic novels



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Three Bears

The Three Bears by Byron Barton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Seth (age 3) like the simple illustrations and the story is well-adapted for the sometimes wiggly toddler or preschooler.



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John Keats - Poems

Keats: Poems by John Keats

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Keats's sonnets were much more enjoyable than his longer work, I think due to their structure. The longer works just felt like someone sat down with a rhyming dictionary and did their best to entertain their friends & loved ones. The descriptive language Keats uses is rich and vibrant. The rhyme just felt forced and was very distracting, whereas with the shorter poems, this was not the case. Perhaps this is because the poetry is written by a young man (he died at 25) still developing his style and becoming comfortable with different poetical structures. Anyone interested in the Romantics should take a look - perhaps starting with the sonnets, but I'd recommend Samuel Coleridge first though before Keats.



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Need

Need by Carrie Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not bad, but not terrific either. I might read the next one in the series to see how Zara resolves the situation she leaves hanging at the end. Overall a pretty fast read and not one that I needed a lot of concentration for (i.e. I was able to read it while in between playing with my 2 year old son if that's any indication).

The characters are fairly stereotypical, but the premise is interesting and the story moves along fast enough to forgive this flaw. As is usually the case, the heroine fairly readily accepts the supernatural goings-on around her while doing some minor protesting and briefly considers fainting. Overall, I'd recommend it to readers who really enjoyed the Twilight series or Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series who are looking to branch out into the larger supernatural realm.



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The Would Be Gentleman (or The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman)

The Would Be Gentleman by Molière

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This play has several similar titles depending on who the translator was. I am sure this would be hilarious to see performed. As other reviewers have said, it's a take-off on "The Emperor's New Clothes" and is wonderful. :)



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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I liked that this was a more psychological novel about espionage. The characters seem a little bland, but there's nothing real about them - even to themselves... They need to *be* their story. Le Carre follows through with this splendidly and it's closer to a mystery than an adventure or suspense story since a lot of the reader's thoughts toward the story are devoted to "who's doing what & working for whom?" / "what's really going on here?"

A definite (& refreshing) change from dashing Mr. Bond. There's no harsh language, graphic violence or sex, and the style isn't as terse as most hard-boiled or noir fiction, but The Spy Who... has that kind of cloak of shadows around it. Even without those devices, though, this is no cozy read. Recommended for fans of espionage fiction (it's a classic of the genre) and for mystery readers who want a little bit different fare from their usual whodunnit.



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My Heartbeat

My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked that the book was really less about sex and sexuality than about how we "know" those around us - especially those closest to us. How are we really communicating with those we love? I think that this way of exploring identity and sexual identity is much more subtle and thoughtful than what I'd expected.

I also didn't mind that the characters read/discussed classic literature - I read some of that on my own too as a teenager (not the ones mentioned in this book, but others). For somebody looking for clear boundaries, this is not that book - it's more of a reminder that we are all works in progress & that's fine. :) We're only in trouble when we don't realize it.



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The Genetic Strand

The Genetic Strand: Exploring a Family History Through DNA by Edward Ball

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This isn't quite the book that a brief description makes it out to be. What most of the book does is describe the current state of DNA testing in most of the variations that someone is likely to come across. That it was mostly science-talk didn't bother me - I'm familiar enough with the science around DNA to not be bothered by "the Vocabulary." What did bother me, though, was getting back to what the brief description promises - a book about race and racial tension within multiple generations of a family. In my opinion, the book didn't spend *nearly* enough time with this. I couldn't help but cringe when the author talks about the possibility of having non-white ancestors with some of his family members. They sound really excited about it, but sound so ignorant in their discussion that it's really off-putting.

I also found the implicit white privilege in the whole premise of the book somewhat off-putting too: the well-off white guy finds some family hair in his family heirloom desk (which he finds really bizarre, but I think is fairly common to collect a bit of hair from a first haircut, etc..) and decides to go to the expense of having it DNA tested to see if his family's story about who they are is accurate. While he hoped to find traces of Native American or African ancestry in the DNA samples collected (probably so he'd have the premise for another book), I was struck by the fact that he's *able* to do this, whereas for many of the descendants of the slaves his family held, they *don't* have a long family story and at least some (I won't say many, because I don't know) don't have the means to find out via DNA testing (he doesn't talk about the cost of all the testing in the book).

****SPOILER****
The book doesn't bother me because it's not an apologist work. It bothers me because it's as if he and his relatives covet biological evidence of the mistreatment of the women they held as slaves (or the illicit activities of the white women in their family). The book bothers me because after he's found out that his family is as white as they always thought they were - even if there's no "noble" blood in their family - the book just stops. Oh, huh. DNA testing sometimes makes mistakes - cue skepticism about EVERYTHING related to DNA, blah, blah. It came off as though he's the spoiled kid who didn't get his way and now he doesn't want to play anymore, though it's better written than to sound *whiny*. It bothers me that he wanted to spend the $$ to try to rewrite his family history _because he wanted to_ when most other people (white or not) can't. Just makes it seem like he's not so far removed from his ancestors as he'd like to be - ideologically.



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Joseph's Yard

Joseph's Yard by Charles Keeping

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The text is right over the illustrations, which in this case, makes the book difficult to read. If it were longer, it'd cause headaches. :( Some preachy stories are likeable. This one was not & some of the illustrations were creepy. I'd pick a different book to teach similar themes about love and caring for something/someone without smothering/stifling.



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Who's Seen the Scissors?

Who's Seen Scissors by Fernando Krahn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A humorous wordless book about a pair of flying scissors. Recommended for older preschoolers to first grade. :)



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The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I dislike books with whiny protagonists for the most part. I can sympathize for Edna, though. To have nothing that you can call your own is very difficult. The Awakening in some ways reminds me of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own in the need to carve out a piece of one's life just for one's self without all the demands & expectations of friends, family, etc... Having a toddler at home, I understand the innately selfish demands of children and that they're not allayed just by having someone else around to help with the kids. Having a nanny (or a great daycare provider) & knowing the kids are in good hands doesn't remove the feelings of guilt for not being there yourself, for losing your temper over something small, etc... It is extremely difficult to feel like one is "enough" for this task alone.

And yet.

And yet, I think many women dream about who they might be if they stood on their own. "Who is this woman who is mother, wife, daughter? Who would I be if I really wasn't afraid of what they'd think or say." Though I think Edna overreacted to her situation, I can understand the despair that compels her actions (and having a husband who's considering the nuthatch doesn't help either). This book makes me grateful I live at a time where it's common for women to have a career and a family because it does give us time during the day and a place to be someone other than "Mama."

I'd recommend this book to most mothers of young children - though probably not to one who's depressed or really short on sleep. I think that A Room of One's Own would be a terrific follow-up to this book if reading for school (or pleasure).



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The Bloody Chamber

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wonderful use of language and imagery. All the praise from my online book group members is richly deserved! I'd recommend this to (grown-up) fantasy readers looking for something a little different. These stories are definitely not written for children, but are not more violent or explicit than many of the YA books that are being published right now. No foul language, but there are violent scenarios and sexual imagery. For readers wanting to revel in the richness of the English language, these stories will be a delicacy.



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Handa's Surprise

Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This would be a good storytime book. :) Recommended for preschoolers since it appeals to their sense of humor and teaches colors, fruits, and (subtly) subtraction.



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Rosario+ Vampire

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 2 by Akihisa Ikeda

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This series is growing on me. It's cute. Some of the innuendo might bother some parents, but it's pretty innocent for the most overall. The same parents might be bothered by the monster slaying also - or that there are monsters to begin with. Its general themes are fitting in, sticking up for friends, fairness, and getting through high school.



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Hirugashi When They Cry

Higurashi When They Cry, Vol. 2 by Ryukishi07

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Psychological horror in manga form. Very well done. :) Are there curses, demons, ghosts? Or is it all in the victims' minds? I'd recommend this series to fans of Japanese horror films (or even the American remakes) as well as Japanese horror fiction or other psychological thrillers.



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The Wood Beyond the World

The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The plot of The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris is not particularly complex and is trite by today's standards. However, this is one of the books that started the "dude from mostly humble beginnings ends up in magical land and becomes king somehow" fantasy trend. Lots of ye-olde style language, but nothing unmanageable. Overall, definitely should be read by fans of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, as those readers will delight in discovering the ways this book influenced the work of those authors in particular. For other readers, if you like fairy tales, you'll probably like this book.



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All My Friends Are Dead

All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Somewhat amusing. 3 minute read-time. I had hoped for at least some funny cartoons, but they were only somewhat entertaining at best. If you're curious, get it from the library or read at the bookstore. I'd only purchase it if I were giving it as a gag gift.



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Pretty Face

Pretty Face by Mary Hogan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pretty Face by Mary Hogan is a coming of age/romance novel for teens. Very well-done, I thought. And I also liked how the author didn't tie up things *too* neatly. I'd probably recommend it to fans of Meg Cabot. It's not as funny, but it's similar in that the main characters are female & learning to be themselves while finding their place in the world - with the romantic edge. I have to say that it was the descriptions of Italy (& the Italian boyfriend haha) that really made the book for me.



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The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun

The Lady in the Car with the Glasses and a Gun by Sébastien Japrisot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The book took awhile to read because until the end, neither the characters nor you, the reader are sure what's happening. Thus, it takes some extra effort. It's a great story though and is tied up well in the end. Not a book for everyone and not as straightforward as an American noir novel, but a wonderful addition to the genre. Highly recommended to all noir fiction fans!



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Pox Party

The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Very interesting concept. Makes one question the motivation behind the American Revolution - not a bad thing for young people to be encouraged toward critical thinking. Anderson is a great & very versatile writer too - the difference between Octavian Nothing and Feed is tremendous. Definitely worthwhile for anyone who enjoys the Revolutionary War time period or is interested in African American history in the US.



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Blind Man With a Pistol

Blind Man with a Pistol by Chester Himes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Lots of action. Definitely in a hard-boiled style. Racial tension, several murders, various other crimes make for a tense read. The story moves back and forth in time a bit, but in general progresses chronologically. I especially like it because the disjointedness between the chapters imitates the chaos of events and the confusion of the police (both the African American detectives - the main characters - and the personality-less white cops & detectives & officials they work with). Very sophisticated as far as hard-boiled crime novels go. :) Recommended for anyone who likes hard-boiled crime novels or is interested in the mid-20th century race riots.



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Christmas Mouse Too!

Visit from Saint Nicholas: And Santa Mouse, Too! by Clement Mouse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Read several times this year for the holidays. :)



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I Can Has Cheezburger?

I enjoy the website, so I thought I'd take a look at the book. It's a little disappointing. You're better off having the website's RSS feed. Not a complete waste of time, but it was only 15 minutes. The little cartoons are amusing, but I'd have really felt ripped off if I'd purchased it.

Sybil

This book by Flora Rheta Schreiber chronicles the treatment of a woman with multiple personality disorder & is the classic book that the movie was based on. Recommended for readers interested in mental illness and for people who read books that feature a main character (real or fictional) with massive problems who may or may not come out on top in the end (e.g. A Child Called It, etc., Go Ask Alice, etc...). It's long, but worth it for those readers.

It Ain't All About the Cookin'

This book gives readers the inside story about Paula Deen's life before she became a Food Network celebrity. It recounts her struggles with single parenthood and agoraphobia. I really enjoyed "getting to know" Paula since she goes out of her way to make her television viewers feel as though they'd be welcome in her home. Definitely recommended for Paula's fans and for people interested in reading a memoir of a person overcoming the odds to live the American dream.

Incredible Journey

Another children's book it's hard to believe that I missed as a youngster. Boy, to read these posts, you'd think I hadn't opened a book until 2005! Sheila Burnford's story of a young Labrador retriever, a older bull terrier, and an aloof Siamese cat speaks to a broad audience. Enjoyable by children and adults too! This book is especially great to read if a child's just read Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller. Definitely an uplifting animal story. Not as complicated to read as Call of the Wild or White Fang, The Incredible Journey gives readers the feel of the wilderness and the search for home & those who love us that's both exciting and comforting.

Highly recommended for grades 3-6. Also highly recommended for anyone else who loves animals & enjoys animal stories.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

I selected this book for my library's January book club selection (yes, you can see what a slow-poke I am about my postings if you hadn't already noticed!). Being in my early 30's, I can sympathize with Julie's housekeeping (even though my own apartment has never been quite as bad as hers), her relationship with her husband, and friends. I also am able to sympathize with her desire for "something else" - a challenge, something new, something to blast one out of his/her rut.... something.

I found the book engaging, candid, and at points, laugh-out-loud funny. If you're easily offended by the f-word, you might want to select a different book. While it's not on every page, it's sprinkled throughout the text with some regularity.

Highly recommended for most adults - especially those searching for a way out of their own rut. Perhaps the answers are simpler than we think.

Red Chrysanthemum

In this installment of Laura Joh Rowland's series starring Sano Ichiro (he has various titles depending on how far along in the series you are), we find disturbing parallels to the news in the contemporary United States - the horrors of child molestation and child murder. Rowland explores the political intrigue and dangers surrounding exposing & proving these charges in the setting of feudal Japan. More a thriller than a mystery, Sano and his wife, Lady Reiko, find themselves trapped by the roles they are expected to play in their society. While trying to stop the heinous practices of another member of the aristocracy, Lady Reiko finds herself (and therefore her husband and son) in greater danger than ever before.

Rowland masterfully portrays the feudal Japanese setting, explaining potentially unfamiliar concepts without breaking the action. The tension of the social structure as it existed in Japan at that time adds to the suspense of this thriller/mystery. I've read all the books in this series and look forward to her next! The characters are as well-rounded and complex as the setting. Readers interested in this setting will not be disappointed! The dialogue is rich and not stilted.

Interested readers should start with Rowland's first novel, Shinju and will be grateful there are many more in the series to read after that! Her latest book in the series is The Snow Empress, which I can't wait to get my hands on!

Good-bye Mr. Chips

While many reviewers praise this book by James Hilton on its sentimental interpretation of the story of an English schoolteacher, Mr. Chipping (aka the titular Mr. Chips), I found the story to be sad, though not depressing. I thought of it less as a portrait of an institution or a boarding school Everyman, than as a story of someone passed by & not really thought about by his peers or students. Having the people in his life regard him flippantly (though without malice) as "Mr. Chips" made me sad that no one really knew him. Probably, though he cared for his students, the young men they became probably didn't think twice about him after they left school. The picture I saw was a very lonely one. I suppose in a way, he is an Everyman in the sense that we can never really can know those around us, but still - I'd like to think some of us are more sensitive to the needs of others than most of the people around poor Mr. Chipping. Maybe that's the entire point of the sentimental story.

Recommended for middle and high school students. Also recommended for general audience.

The Dante Club

I believe this was Matthew Pearl's first novel. I really enjoyed it - liking the suspense/thriller aspect of the book. His descriptions are excellent. If you can make it past the first murder and all that entails (it's gruesome - you'll look at houseflies askance for awhile), you'll find a well-written historical thriller filled with literary figures. The characters don't just simper away in their studies, but are written as *people* each with his (predominantly male cast of characters) own foibles and point of view. The other murders that take place in the course of the story I didn't find quite so horrible (as in inducing horror/repugnance as opposed to "terror" - it's not a scary book), so if you make it past the first one and enjoy Pearl's writing style, you won't be disappointed.

I'd never recommend this book to readers of cozy mysteries! It's definitely more in the thriller genre. I suspect that if the jacket copy intrigues to someone and they're aware it has some gruesome scenes & they pick it up anyway, that they'll enjoy the book. I'd also recommend the book to people who like thrillers set in the present. They might find they enjoy the historical setting. :) Not for kids!

Matilda

I can't believe that I'd never read this book as a child! Roald Dahl was one of my favorite authors, though I think he and I had a falling out after I read Danny, Champion of the World when I was in ax. 4th grade - I'm not sure why since I liked reading about Danny and his father living in their caravan. Since the 2nd grade when my teacher Mrs. Stabenow read The Boxcar Children to us, I wanted desperately to live in a boxcar & living in a caravan was very nearly the same thing! I remember not liking that nearly so well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. At any rate, my Dahl reading tapered off after Danny. sigh... I missed out on a treasure - Matilda is a wonderful book! I would have loved it as a child. I would have loved the child vs. adult aspect of it - I liked other books like that.

I would recommend this book highly to anyone needing a bit of a break from stern grown-up fare, but also interested in a book not dumbed down for children. The book is well-written enough to appeal to grown-ups & helps give us back a piece of that wonder of childhood. Oh - I'd recommend the book for kids too! :)

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, & War

In this non-fiction title by Nathaniel Philbrick, which won the National Book Award in 2oo6, we return to those American icons, the Pilgrims. Philbrick's engaging prose puts the formation of the Plymouth colony and the Pilgrims' interactions and their relationship with the Native Americans under a historical microscope. (I am imagining an extra diminutive Miles Standish wriggling on a glass slide, but that's beside the point).

This is the only balanced book I've encountered on this subject. The Pilgrims and later, other English colonists, are all too human. Philbrick doesn't venerate the Pilgrims, nor does he vilify them. He treats the Native Americans in the same way and describes as best as possible the cooperation and conflicts that occurred. He doesn't entirely step away to allow the reader to draw his/her own conclusions, but draws us readers into the past to see events as they played out without making heroes or villains of anyone.

The conclusions drawn (at the end in the last chapter) point toward the possibility of living together in a tolerant, cooperative, mutually beneficial society. That this is possible - it was at one point and could be again. Perhaps that's what drew so many readers to the book last year and why it remains so popular at this time. We Americans (and most other people in the world too I believe) want to live in peace with our world neighbors even though our belief systems are different and our cultural values differ. Working together, we can build a world where we all can thrive.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Another great, hilarious play! I had seen the movie with the same title, but had never read Joseph Kesselring's play. I was delighted that the movie is almost an actual performance of the play! I really enjoyed reading the play and am looking forward to when the movie shows up in my Netflix again!

Recommended for beginning drama readers (very madcap & I hesitate to say it.. zany) and for fans of the movie, especially. People who enjoy reading plays would not find this as high-brow as Harold Pinter or maybe Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, but I think it'd be tough to find one who didn't have to suppress a smile once in awhile while reading it.

Dark Water

In this collection of short stories, Koji Suzuki, has put together a set of disturbing tales all centering around the theme of water. While American audiences are somewhat familiar to the titular story from the movie, Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly and Suzuki himself is much more well-known for his Ring series, Ring, Spiral and Loop (and the movies based on them: so far The Ring & Ring 2 and Ringu and Ringu 2).

This is a great creepily sinister set of tales perfect for fans of Koji Suzuki, Japanese horror in general, or just wants a well-written book of spooky stories without having to worry about a lot of gore. Disturbing & creepy? Yes. Gory & icky? No.

The Birthday Party and The Room : Two Plays

Again with the plays! I still think that I need to read some more about Pinter's style to fully enjoy these. Of these two, I liked "The Birthday Party" better, but they were both very odd. I think of the 3 plays by Harold Pinter I've read so far, "The Lover" was the most accessible. Interesting to read, probably just as weird to see performed.

Recommended for people into modernist philosophies, neo-intellectual beatniks, and people really into the history of drama. General audiences would probably not find much appeal.

Mousetrap

The classic play by Agatha Christie lives up to its name! Great, quick, & easy to read - though I'd like to see it performed sometime too. :)

Recommended especially for people who think they dislike reading plays, but who feel guilty they don't read more of them. Also recommended for British mystery fans.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

I know this is a mini-series documentary now, but this book by Dee Brown is very powerful in its own right. It took me a long time to finish less because it's a long book, but more because I could only read so much about irrational, unfounded savagery on the part of our nation's white imperialists from the past at any given time. I'd say that this would definitely round out any curriculum on the settling of the West (obviously at a high school or higher level - just because I don't think a class of elementary school kids could make it through the book).

Hugely worthwhile for all Americans able to read the book. The prose is not light (by any stretch of the imagination), but is very readable & isn't difficult to read in a technical sense. Highly, highly recommended.

Cold Skin

In this creepy novel by Albert Sanchez Piñol, a young man trying to escape his past goes to an island in the Antarctic to take weather measurements. The man he's supposed to replace is missing - the only person present is the lighthouse keeper, Gruner. Strange gets stranger in this horror novel that leaves the reader wondering who the monsters really are.

The story is much more similar to H.P. Lovecraft than Stephen King, but if King's explicitness bothers you, this is not the book for you. If not, this is a disturbingly weird read that will be worth your time. If you've mostly read American horror novels, this will be a special treat for you. :)

Recommended for H.P. Lovecraft fans especially, but other horror readers too. Other readers might not enjoy it as much.

Come Closer

In Come Closer by Sara Gran, we come back to the idea of demonic possession vs. mental instability. I didn't really find this book that scary, but others might. Somehow I still felt outside of the main character, Amanda's, situation - despite the insider's point of view. Most of the time I just didn't feel that sympathetic toward Amanda.

If you keep up on psychological fiction or read all the possession books you can, go for it. If you're looking for something a little creepy & supernatural to balance out all those chick lit books set in NYC, go for it. If you're looking for something edge-of-your seat scary or truly scary, find something else. Sinister at best.

Speak

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book for teens about a girl who has been raped and the circumstances surrounding her trauma and the year following as she struggles with reclaiming a place in her world. Largely a book of mental processes and flashbacks, the book tells its story well - bringing the reader into the main character's mind and lets teens experience this event and the start of the healing process from a safe place (outside of the situation). Speak is the Go Ask Alice of this generation (though never fear, there is no shortage of readers for G.A.A.). These books speak to what I like to think of as the "They've got it soooo much worse than I do" appeal factor. This also explains the incredible appeal of A Child Called It to this same audience. In my opinion, Speak is a much higher quality book, though it does not purport to be a true story because it's not so sensationalized and the moral of the story doesn't hit the reader over the head like a sledgehammer. Still, I think probably for a lot of girls (and perhaps a few guys who read this as a required book for school) when they find themselves drifting into a similar situation, they might be more likely to find a friend to take them home before anything happened - or not stick close to their friends so that none of them could be injured or taken advantage of in an inebriated state.

I'd highly recommend this to fans of V.C. Andrews and for people who like to read about other people coming through difficult circumstances (fans of A Child Called It, Go Ask Alice, Mr & Mrs Bo Jones, etc..). For everyone else, it's worthwhile as a teenager, but less impressive for an adult audience. For adults who like this kind of book, I'd recommend Sybil or Ghost Girl.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

Well, it's a little hard for me to admit that I've actually read one of these, but I *did* read it to increase the number of bestsellers I've read so I can do the Readers' Advisory part of my job better. This is the first book in The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun and it's all right as far as cozy mysteries go. Kinda bland for my taste, but it IS the first one and usually a few books into a series they improve quite a bit before sliding downhill after too many have been published. I like the hard-boiled mysteries and the more intellectual ones, and this is neither - a great book for the bus, bathroom, or before bed (no nightmares!)

Overall, if you like cozy mysteries (mysteries without overt sex, profanity, violence) and have somehow missed Braun, queen of this domain, then these are for you. If you like more of the rough & tumble, I'd skip them and go for something tougher (personally really liked Matthew Pearl's Dante Club).

Feed

This book by MT Anderson is set in a future not too far from ours - and not too different from our own. Intended for young adult audiences, I think it draws from and bears comparing to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I thought Feed was a good book, but I didn't really like any of the characters. I think their flaws annoyed me (which they're supposed to) - just a little too over-the-top for my taste as a (sadly) early-30's adult.

Some readers will be turned off by the thrill-seeking behavior of most of the book's characters. Reading through the whole thing, I suspect many people will realize the pathetic nature of this behavior and the horror of the boredom bordering on insanity that generates that kind of search for the next thrill.

Very highly recommended for middle school and high school readers - especially who need to write a book report and want to sound smart for their teachers. Highly recommended for readers who enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 and/or like dystopian scenarios.

Pygmalion

Later turned into My Fair Lady by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe, this play by George Bernard Shaw is much more satisfying than the screen adaptation (I haven't seen a stage production). I think most people offended by Audrey Hepburn's Liza stooping meekly for Henry Higgins' slippers will enjoy George Bernard Shaw's original immensely. The play doesn't take any easy ways out, but it would feel false, I think if it did. Hooray!

Highly recommended for all drama lovers and anyone who saw the film version of My Fair Lady. Overall highly recommended for a broad audience from more sophisticated middle school readers to adult. :)

The Oxford Murders

For a change from the drama, children's books, and other classics, I read this mystery by Guillermo Martinez (who I believe is from Spain). This mystery combines math/logic puzzles with murder mystery! However, not all mystery readers would enjoy this book - those looking for a little intellectual stimulation will find it here. Those looking for cats with antics or hairdressers with a knack for private investigation would probably not like The Oxford Murders much. I am not very "mathy" and I liked it because it didn't feel like a fluff book.

Recommended for "thinkers" and people who enjoy math, chess, or other logic puzzles.

The Crucible

I found Arthur Miller's play very relevant to the current state of American politics (as a political statement about witch hunts, whether for terrorists or communists), but it's also great as a dramatic work aside from any potential political undertones. I was an English major, so I find those kinds of things - some may not & we may both be right!

Very highly recommended for all Americans 15-16+. Reading this play was great on my own, but would benefit from discussion also. Make your friends think and talk to them about it. ;)

Sarah, Plain and Tall

This children's book by Patricia MacLachlan was a great story. I enjoyed it now as an adult, but I would have adored it during my "Little House" phase as a kid. Ah well! Don't let the kids you know escape their childhoods without it! If they have time to read Goosebumps, they have time for this one too!

Very highly recommended for all children 5-10 years old & all kids who enjoy Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series or stories about pioneer times. Also recommended for any adult who enjoyed those kinds of stories as a child, but never actually read this one (like me!).

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom

Walter Alvarez's book is a great discovery story! Well-written for the lay audience, it captures one's attention and takes readers through the many dead ends and ultimately, discoveries, that make up science and the process that scientists go through formulating and testing their ideas.

Highly recommended for all science lovers, dinosaur buffs (if you haven't read it already!), everyone wanting to find out more about the world around us, and of course, anyone who's ever wondered what really happened to the dinosaurs.

The Elephant Man

This is another play (reading them is fairly quick and boosts my yearly "books read" total while being culturally with it!) - this one by Bernard Pomerance. The play is about Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man and his interactions with high society and his caregivers. It's very philosophical, but more optimistic, I think than The Glass Menagerie was. I don't know that everyone would agree with that, though.

Overall, I liked G.M. better, but this is definitely worth your time - especially if you are interested either in drama or medicine. Recommended. :)

Glass Menagerie

This Tennessee Williams play is terrific! I really enjoyed it, even though it's sad. I think it would be enjoyed by a lot of teenagers who feel alienated from their parents or who feel overly protected by the same. Probably why it's read in so many high schools, eh? I can't wait to see a production of it! :D

Highly recommended for ages 14-15 and up. Great stuff and it's short! Might as well expand your cultural literacy with the short things at the very least!!

An Ordinary Man

Paul Rusesabagina is most well known in the United States as being the hotel manager depicted in Hotel Rwanda. This book is his own account of the events during Rwanda's genocide. Very well-written & I'd say impossible not to be moved by the horror or the survival of the hotel's guests. Definitely well worth reading. I can't say too much about it, as I feel my words are meaningless in comparison.

Must read for everyone who believes in human rights & current events. Probably should be read by those who are inclined to think that what's on the news doesn't affect them. I would say that the book would be a benefit to teenagers who are growing up as global citizens, but should probably be read with adult guidance - or someone to turn to & ask questions of (whether it's in a classroom, with family, or a pastor, etc..).

The Alchemist

This book by Paolo Coelho had been talked up to such an extent that I had very high expectations for it. Sure it's semi-philosophical about life's journey, paths not taken, etc..., but overall it's kind of simplistic. The message seemed to be "do what you need to do" regardless of the other people you care about and who care about you and if it's gonna work out, it'll work out - if not, it wasn't meant to be. That seems awfully self-centered to me. Not that I believe the individual is unimportant or that one's journey through life can't be synchronistic, but I don't believe that at a certain point your life has passed you by and given you the bird 'cause you weren't ready (or were afraid or whatever) to go for the ride. Yes. That opportunity was missed, but there is always something else waiting for you around life's corners and bends. Will the opportunity be the same? - no. Will the experience be identical? - no. Does that mean that it's bad or that your life is unfulfilled? I don't think so. Different than it might have been, but bad, sad, or pathetic - not unless that's how you want to live it.

Anyway, I would say that if you're looking for something inspirational, go for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. If you have to read it, at least it's short & won't take up too much of your time. Not recommended unless it's required (or you want to find out what I'm talking about! ;) ).

The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo is the story of a very small mouse in love and his adventures. This children's book is a very quick read for an adult, but likely to keep children (I'd say primarily 3rd-5th graders) busy for a few days (definitely less for avid readers). The Tale of Despereaux would also appeal to 1st and 2nd graders as a read-aloud book. This is not to say older children or adults would not enjoy the story (far from it!!) but that they may find it too quick for their tastes. Something like Brian Jacques' Redwall series might have more appeal to middle and high school students.

All that being said, Desperaux and his tale/tail are very cute and it's a very endearing story "for young and old alike." :)

Highly recommended for all children and families - as well as general readers.

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince

I finally read it! The latest installment in the series by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince is an asset to the series. I found the book to be refreshing in that Harry continues to grow up (and mature) and while sometimes grumpy and melodramatic, has moved beyond being the sullen teen we saw in Order of the Phoenix.

As a reader of the series, I was not disappointed.

Highly recommended for Potter fans. For those unfamiliar with the series, it's best to start at the beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Voodoo Dreams : A Novel of Marie Laveau

This novel by Jewell Parker Rhodes is another excellent snapshot of life in New Orleans. This book takes place before the Civil War and paints a vivid picture of the city at that time. Voodoo Dreams is a coming-of-age story wrapped up in spicy Creole Louisiana, slavery, and - of course - voodoo. It's also a self-awakening story as Marie tries to find out who she is and what her purpose in life is - which is something all of us can relate to.

I cannot stress enough what a gifted storyteller Jewell Parker Rhodes is! There is something for everyone in this book, but the story belongs to Marie. Rhodes draws a part of the soul into this story. Very well-written! I suspect that Voodoo Dreams will appeal more to women than to men, but men with an interest in voodoo, New Orleans history, or who have read Interview With the Vampire will probably enjoy this book also. Readers interested in African American authors, but who are tired of the usual romance/Drama fare will also find this refreshing.

Very highly recommended for all readers! Not overly violent or sexual, but this is not a "gentle" read.

The Joy of Sex

Ok, ok, I know... Everybody's heard about it. I figured I'd read it to see if this book by Alex Comfort was in reality what I expected it to be. If all you expect upon opening this book is a racy book full of exotic photos, you'll be surprised. The Joy of Sex is actually very down-to-earth and not really at all titillating (pardon the pun). It's almost like a Chilton's guide to heterosexual sex. That being said, this book is most likely to be of help to relatively inexperienced couples, but even those of us who have been around the block a time or two will probably find out something previously unknown.

Comfort's direct writing style and factual information will likely irritate those readers who picked up the book thinking it'd be a quick thrill. However, for those readers interested in improving their lives in the bedroom, it's worth at least a skim-through.

Highly recommended for the relatively inexperienced couple. Recommended for all others.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

This classic by Oscar Wilde somewhat defies categorization. It's usually lumped with horror, but isn't quite - in the same way that The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux isn't really horror. That being said, though, the story moves along well and the characters are fairly lively for a book written in the latter part of the 19th Century. I kept imagining scenarios I'd seen in a movie adaptation of "An Ideal Husband" in relation to setting and speech patterns.

For a book that's considered a classic, The Portrait of Dorian Gray is very readable and would be a good book for any high school student to report on. :) I'd even say that if you already know something about the story, the book will still appeal to you!

Highly recommended for general readers. Very highly recommended for high school students who want to report on a "classic" to look good to their English teachers (hey, it's a win-win situation!).

The Witches of Eastwick

This book by John Updike (which was made into a movie in the late 1980's) was a worthwhile read. I found the book much darker and less wrapped-up morally than the movie - though this doesn't surprise me. :) The Witches of Eastwick is a well-written book and Updike embraces the power (not necessarily supernatural) that women have, but also shows the ugly side of women's relationships: jealousy, guilt, & sometimes betrayal.

None of the characters in The Witches of Eastwick are purely good or evil and it's up to the reader to decide how he/she feels about them at the end of the story. I won't spoil this write-up with more comparisons between the movie and the book, but suffice to say, it's worth reading and renting and one will not spoil the other.

Recommended for general audiences who don't mind sexual content. Highly recommended for those with an interest in witches, witchcraft, or witchy stories. :)

The Story of Art

I have a lot of catching up to do - we'll see how far I get tonight. :)

The Story of Art by Ernst Hans Gombrich is a readable overview of the history of world art. As is the case with many introductory art history texts, this book also mostly focuses on art developments in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and United States. As an introductory text, however - especially for a layperson interested in the topic, this is a very self-explanatory book. Someone with more background in art history probably will be familiar with most of the concepts, but may enjoy it for its readability-factor. Gombrich moves from one artist, period, or technique to the next without jarring breaks or a lot of dry jargon.

I highly recommend The Story of Art especially for lifelong learners interested in rounding out their education and for high school or college students who want an idea of what all this art stuff is about!

The Horror Readers’ Advisory : The Librarian’s Guide to Vampires, Killer Tomatoes, and Haunted Houses

This slender volume by Becky S. Spratford and Tammy H. Clausen is a great overview for librarians on the horror genre. Often disdained by librarians as being "trashy," Spratford and Clausen do a good job of picking out the qualities of these novels that appeal to readers without any trash-talk. They've also put together a great starter list for each sub-genre of horror - including old stand-bys, and throwing in a few that might be new to most readers.

A terrific source for librarians, non-librarians can use it to get some good ideas of where to go next for the next big thrill (of course, you can always ask your local reference librarian too - they like to help with this kind of thing!!).

Very highly recommended to librarians!

A Clockwork Orange

After about 9 years after my (now) husband read this book, I decided to go for it. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is a good book, but is not for those who can't stomach reading violent content - especially violence against women. The book is VERY different from the movie and gives the reader much more insight into the main character, Alex's, reasoning, moods, etc... that the movie doesn't do. Also, the version of the book I read has the original last chapter that was cut when the book was originally imported to the U.S. I think I enjoyed it much more with that chapter, though I could see why it was cut due to the time period in American pop culture.

As an aside, the book is written in dialect, so it will be difficult (and not very enjoyable) for some readers. I'd say that if you enjoy Irvine Welsh's books (Trainspotting - among others) and somehow this one has slipped past you - go for it! You'll probably really like it. If you dislike Welsh's books, it doesn't mean you won't like this one, though!

Highly recommended.

A Room of One's Own: Women Writers and the Politics of Creativity

After reading A Room of One's Own, I wanted to delve a little further into how the text came to be and how it's influenced both the women's movement as well as late-20th Century literary criticism. This book by Ellen B. Rosenman is well-written for the educated reader interested in exploring Woolf's essay. Though a literary study/critique, the book does not use a lot of jargon and is easy to follow. For more serious readers, Room of One's Own: Women Writers and the Politics of Creativity will only be a point of departure from which to dig deeper into other critical essays. While not a waste of time, it may not have the depth in each category to keep an academic reader satisfied.

Recommended only for those wishing to find out more about Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own (who have already read that book).

The Lover

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this play by Harold Pinter. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it was written some time ago, but still feels very contemporary as far as the plot goes. I can't really describe the plot without giving away the interesting parts of the story. It's very short (around 50 pages), so go for it! There is no graphic sexual content, though intimate relationships are implied both by the title and the course of the play. It is a little weird, but in a way that is intellectually stimulating, rather than titillating.

Recommended. Highly recommended for film buffs or those into drama.

The Wind in the Willows

Another children's classic I didn't get to in my youth (too busy reading about spiders and the graphic novel-esque biographies of the Presidents of the United States - and Nancy Drew, of course.) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a great story about friendship, bravery, and when to seek out adventure (and when not to!). I found the book an enjoyable and relaxing read as an adult, but I suspect it would have been one of my favorites if I'd read it as a kid.

Highly recommended for children!! Also recommended for grown-ups who are kids at heart.

The Hot Zone

(Whew! Gonna take awhile to catch up - I've read a lot since I last posted, but didn't have time to add anything what with having to pull off my wedding and everything. At last I'm feeling more sane and am ready to work on catching up my blog here.)

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is very well written, though extremely graphic descriptions of the course Ebola Zaire takes through the human body. If you like medical thrillers and are interested in a series of true (and somewhat harrowing) anecdotes tied up neatly together, you will love this book. I will admit I enjoyed the feeling of squeamishness and slight paranoia that the book leaves you with.

Recommended. Highly recommended for anyone who likes medical thrillers or (perhaps) true crime - it is a medical thriller, but reads a little like true crime.

The Nine Tailors

This intriguing mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers is an excellent read! I don't believe this book is the first of her tales starring Lord Peter Wimsey, but it's a great introduction that leaves the reader wondering where he came from and where he's going. I think this makes a terrific foray into Sayers' work! I will admit that The Nine Tailors is the first of her books that I've read personally, but I am looking forward to reading more!

The book takes place in rural England (I can't be more specific, I don't think without making a fool of myself) and has terrific characters and glimpses into the small community life. Must read for all mystery lovers. Highly recommended for other fiction readers. I think there is enough description of change-ringing to be of interest to readers of light non-fiction as well, but probably not enough for those non-ficiton readers who prefer the hard-hitters (Durant's Story of Civilization, etc...).

Pere Goriot

This classic novel by Honore Balzac is an excellent example of the (mostly) honest man vs. high society. I enjoyed the hints of Shakespeare present in the undertones of the text (think King Lear and Iago from Othello). As tends to be the case in many early European novels, extensive description can lead the 21st century reader astray. If you enjoy Dickensian melodrama and coincidence, you will enjoy this work, however. I think this book is a great introduction to Balzac's work - much more so than his longer novel, Lost Illusions.

Recommended in general; highly recommended to lovers of Charles Dickens' work and to readers of classic fiction.

A Room of One's Own

I have wanted to read this non-fiction work by Virginia Woolf for about 10-15 years now, but finally just did it! I wish I'd read it earlier, as I think it would have really appealled to my emerging womanhood psyche. However, reading it as an early thirty-something, I find it still hits its mark, reminding me that I need to take time for things that are only important to me, things that are essential to my personal renewal and growth. Also, not to forget my friends and to do things without my husband-to-be. Having outside interests keeps us sane in relationships - and helps said relationships from getting stale.

Must read - especially for young women. I'm not sure it'd have the same effect for men, but I suspect it'd still be worthwhile and thought-provoking.

Inkspell

Back for another children's book! Inkspell is Cornelia Funke's sequel to her book Inkheart. Overall, I found Inkheart more enjoyable in its entirety, as Inkspell has kind of a cliff-hanger ending. I strongly suspect that Ms. Funke will add a third book to this series to wrap up the loose ends. The characters and world created in this "Ink" series are rich, varied, and imperfect in their own ways. I think when the hero characters have regrets or other flaws, the story they interact in is much more vivid.

Must read for those who liked Inkheart. Highly recommended for Harry Potter fans and fantasy fans (as long as you don't need elves in your fantasy books).

Nonfiction Readers' Advisory

I read this collection of essays to enrich my readers' advisory skills, which I use nigh daily in my role as a public librarian. I found these essays interesting, enjoyable, as well as helpful in carrying out one of my roles as a librarian. Very insightful.

Very highly recommended for all public librarians!!

Old Man and the Sea

This short work by Ernest Hemingway is an American classic. Read by several generations of high school students (I suspect in part due to its brevity), this book is an excellent example of a man vs. nature story line. I would say, though, that what the book was really about was not the sea or even the fish, but about the man himself: his strengths, weaknesses, and more than anything, his humanity.

It'll take an hour to an hour & a half to read. Just do it. :) It's really a great (and not depressing) book about the human condition.

The Dain Curse

This book is not Dashiell Hammett's best novel, but is greatly enjoyable nevertheless. My personal favorite is The Thin Man with its hard-boiled drama combined with a healthy dose of humor. The Dain Curse is very sparse with the humor and heavy with the hard-boiled terseness of the genre (which I happen to like!). Body count is high and there's lots of gunshots and grumbling mystery.

Highly recommended for fans of hard-boiled detective novels. Would recommend others to read The Thin Man or The Maltese Falcoln for examples of Hammett's writing with broader appeal. Mystery readers who don't like stories where the detective has knowledge not related through the text of the story probably won't like this one.

Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a terrific book. To detail it's plot or underlying themes in a brief review would likely detract from the enjoyment of those who might not have read it. This is a classic example of science fiction at its best!! Action, psychological drama, and more - this book's got it!

Very Highly Recommended for all readers. Especially recommended to read or re-read for people who "used to be" science fiction fans. It will renew your faith in the genre!

Girl Sleuth

This is a recent book by Melanie Rehak. See? I do read things other than the classics and children's books!! Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her is much more than a biography of the women involved in writing and updating the Nancy Drew mystery series. It also describes the business of ghostwriting many of the most popular children's series created in the United States as well as presenting a portrait of "appropriate" roles for women throughout the majority of the 2oth Century.

Especially recommended for those interested in publishing &/or the complexities of women's roles and opinions during the 20th Century (and Nancy Drew fans too!). An enjoyable read for most other non-fiction fans.

Journal of a Plague Year

I enjoyed this book largely because at the time I was getting sick with the cold/flu that all my friends and co-workers had. I kept thinking that I "had the distemper" and that "the pestilence was sweeping over us." Not so bad that anyone thought it was God's way of cleansing Southern California, but everyone was coughing and sneezing and generally sounding awful.

Journal of a Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (better known as the author of Robinson Crusoe) recounts the events that took place during the outbreak of plague in the mid-1660's - the year before the Great Fire wiped out a good portion of the city.

Highly recommended for all plague buffs. Also highly recommended for readers with an interest in medical history and/or municipal response to a biological disaster, this will prove very illuminating. Other readers may find the lack of chapters and most other breaks in the text distressing in addition to phrasing differences between contemporary English and Defoe's English.

Heavy Words

When I requested Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme by Chris Roberts, I confess that I was hoping for something a little more pithy. However, the book is very enjoyable and spends several pages discussing each rhyme, though some rhymes I think are more popular in the UK than here in the States. The glossary of UK slang words was very helpful (and entertaining). The most interesting thing about the book as a whole is the introduction of rhyming slang, in which the slang is the word in the phrase that doesn't rhyme with the object it refers to - e.g. calling a five pound note (a fiver) a "lady" because "Lady Godiva" rhymes with "fiver" in some British accents. Intriguing!

Recommended for the curious. Those expecting more studious, less glib analysis should look elsewhere.

Winnie the Pooh

Another children's classic I never read as a kid. Pretty good, but definitely a kid's book. Disney stays semi-faithful, but it's worth reading since Pooh is such a cultural icon. I did enjoy the use of capitalization - especially when Pooh and Piglet are trying to think of a Cunning Trap to catch a Woozle (or was it a Heffalump? I can't remember).

Highly recommended for all children (I think it'd be a great read-aloud book for grown-ups and kids to share). Recommended for adults who haven't read it before cause it's fast and it's a big part of children's culture in the US and Britain.

nonrequired reading

Wistawa Szymborska is best known as a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature for her collections of poetry. Apparently, though, she also writes a column in a Polish newspaper that reviews a broad and refreshing scope of books. From how-to guides on hanging wallpaper to history texts for the educated layperson, Szymborska seems to tackle them all in her column. This book is a collection of selected columns.

I found this collection very refreshing because I tend to think of those people who've won prestigious prizes for literature (and other fields) as being literary and profound all the time. It seems as though they must be able to appreciate all literature with their ultra-astuteness. The refreshing part comes in doses where Szymborska isn't able to finish a book because it bores her so much - or she hates a book for being too fluffy (or too serious about a fluffy topic). It unfolds through this series of columns that she's a regular person who loves reading and has very eclectic tastes. Awesome!

Recommended for bibliophiles looking for the next good book.

Haunting of Hill House

This short novel by Shirley Jackson (better known as the author of the short story "The Lottery") is spoiled somewhat by the film adaptations that have been produced over the course of the last 40 years or so. The book isn't so much horror as an eerie book in which you can't be sure of the sanity of the main characters - much like James' Turn of the Screw. Subtle references to lesbianism make this novel stand out among similar creepy novels of its time.

Recommended for horror genre fans who are serious readers (rather than just the blood & guts type). Also recommended for fans of psychological fiction - this is a good modern example without being blugeoned over the head with angst, mental illness, etc...

Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke is a great children's book. Orphans, cranky fair folk, dragons, adventure - what more do you want in a children's story?! :)

Highly recommended for all young fantasy readers. Adult fantasy readers may enjoy this as long as they enjoy a lighthearted story.

Wrinkle in Time

Another book that was praised to me over and over again when I was in grade school, but never read. I suppose I was just being contrary. :) Anyway, Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is a great book and though written for children contains very adult themes (of distopian Big Brother-type societies and people fighting against them). Really, it sends the message that it's important for us all to have differences, but to not let those differences get us down too much (there will always be people who love you).

Highly recommended for children - especially those who enjoy stories where "ordinary" children do extraordinary things (fighting evil and whatnot), though this story doesn't have magic. Extraordinary things happen through science more advanced than our own at present. Also highly recommended for adults who like this kind of story and are looking for a quick read (ax. 2 hours).

Christmas Stories

Unbeknownst to much of the American population, Charles Dickens wrote several other stories that take place around the Christmas and New Year's holidays. I made my way through these during my recent flights to O'Hare and back.

Only recommended for true Dickens fans. There is a reason that Dickens' other Christmas Stories are not as well known - they're just not as well put together. Too much sentiment and "Do unto others..." is crammed into them without the great plot devices of A Christmas Carol - and not as much Christmas. I just didn't like them that well - and I really like Dickens. These are not an example of his best work.

Christmas Carol

I can hardly believe it (since I've read quite a few of Charles Dickens' novels) that I hadn't read A Christmas Carol before. Reading through, though, I was amazed at how true to the text of the novella many of the movies are! (I watched one on TMC a couple weeks ago and even the dialog was almost word-for-word).

Must read - even though most of us in the U.S. know this story, it's such a classic that it's a shame not everyone's read it. It's short, so there's no excuse!

Secret Garden

Even though my sister loved this book and was in a (very good) production based on this Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, I only just read it this past week. The Secret Garden is a classic of children's literature for a reason. A great book that doesn't talk down to its readers.

Highly recommended for children and anyone who likes uplifting books about orphans. :)

Ascending Peculiarity

Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey edited by Karen Wilkins. This book is a compilation of interviews people have conducted with Edward Gorey over the years. It's very interesting to see how described himself to others (regardless of how much of that description is "put on"). As is the nature of interviews, many people ask similar questions, so some of the transcriptions in the last quarter of the book are repetative, but still interesting.

Unless you're an Edward Gorey fan, you probably won't be interested.

Earthsea Series

I began another classic children's fantasy series and again was not disappointed! The Earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin begins with A Wizard of Earthsea and continues with The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, The Other Wind, and Tales of Earthsea. I've now finished the entire series.

LeGuin's writing style is very different from Lloyd Alexander's. I'd say his tone is almost like that of an oral storyteller while LeGuin's is a little more literary. The main character for much of the series is Sparrowhawk, a young wizard whose destiny takes him all over his world. The main theme is light vs. darkness in the depths of the human soul, but it's treatment isn't preachy. Now that I've finished the series, my early conclusions about not wanting to see any dramatizations thereof are confirmed. There's just no way they could have nearly the value - the kind of dark & personal intimacy as reading the books has. That being said, I hope the movie will draw more people to these books. Another interesting aspect is that though the books are sequential, the later books don't start right where the last one left off - or tell you much about what's happened in between the books. Very interesting.

Highly, highly recommended. Absolutely a must read for fantasy fans! I cannot praise this series enough.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima by John Hersey has become a required reading book for many high schools. I think part of that is due to its brevity, which makes it more likely that teenagers will read it. However, its subject matter - the stories of several survivors of the US bombing of Hiroshima is not light. Hersey depicts the moments before and after the bombing as well as following up on the later lives of each person depicted.

The book is not as poignant as The Diary of Anne Frank. It almost seems as though the author is waving a wild finger, pointing, saying, "look what you did!" The book really has many of the same qualities as an in-depth newspaper articles where the author remains objective. It relays the facts of what happened and the pain, but not really the horror of it. Maybe it was just me - Hersey's writings just didn't engage me emotionally. That, and I am irritated with his scolding tone in describing the lives of those survivors who didn't completely devote themselves to others and enjoyed as much of a regular life as they were able to. Of course those particular stories ended less happily than that of the woman who became a nun and the priest's story. It was if he went out of his way to say "that's not how you should grieve. See these people? They did it the right way." I found that annoying.

All that editorializing aside, I can see why the book is on many reading lists. It is one of the few books that describes the bombing of Hiroshima from the point of view of the Japanese civilians living there. Recommended, but if interested in this part of history, I'd also pick up another book that's illustrated - funny that we don't see too many pictures of the destruction wrought by the US here and so many illustrations, History Channel programs, etc... about the Nazi concentration camps. Sigh...

Grimms' Fairy Tales

The edition I read was The Annotated Brothers Grimm edited by Maria Tatar. I recall having an edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales as a kid, but I don't think I got very far with it because there weren't many pictures and the type was very tiny so all the stories could fit into a smaller volume.

As an adult with a semi-scholarly bent, I found the introduction and annotations very insightful. Each tale has a brief introductory statement to set the stage for personal contemplation. Most of the tales are pretty short, which makes it an ideal book to read during lunches or on breaks at work. The book also has references at the back if anyone wants to do further research on fantasy in children's literature, the use of fantasy and fairy tales in helping children conquer fears, etc... very interesting stuff in those annotations. There's also illustrations from various editions of the Tales, which are much appreciated! :) It's also interesting to see how children's book illustration has changed over the years!! (Pick up a copy of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and compare - very funny book by the way!!).

Highly Recommended for all readers. It's especially interesting to read the "original" versions of popular tales and the comments on them, even though we've all grown up with alternate versions of these stories that are more fleshed out. Much more violent than I remember from my childhood. Also, according to the notes, a lot of the violence was added by the Grimms even while they expunged a lot of the sexual content for their young reading audience. Weird.

The Bell Curve

I am more than halfway through this book. I'll republish after I've finally finished it. Thus far, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Richard J. Hernstein and Charles Murray is a very thorough meta-examination of many of the scholarly studies regarding intelligence conducted by various agencies throughout the 20th century.

Findings are clearly explained and statistical terms and methodologies are explained in text boxes in the middle of the text, but have lengthier, more thorough explanations in the Appendices. The volume also contains extensive endnotes for those of a more scholarly bent - or interested in further investigating some of their controversial findings. Thus far, I've found the book to be very thought-provoking, though I do not take this work as gospel truth. I think the purpose of the book was to generate dialog and for readers to self-examine their own position in society and the preconceived ideas we have about intelligence, social problems, and how they may - or may not - correlate. I think Hernstein and Murray have accomplished this task.

While very interesting, this book is rather lengthy and though not difficult for the educated layperson, it's not light or easy reading either. This one is a challenge, but will give you some good conversation topics for debate.

Recommended - especially for those with an interest in sociology or economics.

Peter Pan

Another children's book. They're on my mega-list of lifetime reads, so I figured I'd knock a few quick ones out of the way during the month that I moved and am prepping for Christmas and my wedding! All this aside, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie was a fun, but very quick read. Definitely written for children, it would probably be much better as a read-aloud title for younger children (maybe 6-9 years old?). As an adult, I can see where it would be appealing to children, but isn't written at a level where "kids of all ages" can enjoy it (whereas Lloyd Alexander, J.K. Rowling, Cornelia Funke, and others don't "dumb down" their writing).

Recommended - at the very least to somewhat counter the Disney version and as a piece of our cultural heritage. :)

Prydain Series

During November I've also finally read the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. This series consists of The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. These books were first recommended to me by my friend Wolf (yes, this is his real name & not some weird RenFaire thing gone awry) during the 3rd or 4th grade. I finally read them and really enjoyed them - even though they're obviously intended for younger readers.

This is a fantasy series with some relationship to Welsh mythology, but mostly focuses on growing up, maturing (not always the same as growing up), and finding one's way in the world. As I've said above, I really enjoyed this series! You won't find detailed settings or character descriptions, instead enough details are given so that the reader is able to make their own mental images of how the characters look and the settings of where they might be. What character descriptions exist are almost Homeric in nature and these descriptions are largely the same throughout the series. The characters grow and change and find both joy and grief in this satisfying series.

Very highly recommended for fantasy readers and fans of Harry Potter looking for another series to read. I am not a particularly fast reader and was able to finish each book in ax. 3 hours (some a little more, others a little less), so this is only a quick fix for readers more used to Potter-length books (e.g. it took me ax. 9-10 hours to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Very enjoyable nevertheless!!

Becoming Human

I've been a little lax in posting, so am hoping to catch up a bit tonight. :) I finished reading Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness by Ian Tattersall about three weeks ago. This book discusses aspects of human evolution and how people differ from our closest living relatives - chimpanzees, gorillas, and other living primates. The book also discusses the accomplishments of our now-extinct antecedants in a fair amount of detail.

Some of Tattersall's observations are far from original (e.g. the cave paintings at Lascaux are impressive), but others - to the typical layperson seem somewhat controversial at first glance (e.g. that chimps and gorillas can't communicate like people can and that sign language experiments have pretty much failed all around). As a layperson with (realistically) only basic knowledge about human evolution and very little knowledge about recent developments (the last 10-15 years) in anthropological research, I found this book a breath of fresh air. Tattersall challenges the body of "common knowledge" and in doing so forces the reader to confront his/her own prejudices about how humans developed and what makes us unique in the world.

Highly recommended for all laypersons with an interest in anthropology/human evolution. Anthro students used to reading journals in these fields are unlikely to find much new and will probably prefer something more technical. Very readable for the layperson, though. Very little jargon.

Divided Minds

Divided Minds : Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia by Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn S. Spiro, MD. is a memoir of mental illness and coping with a loved one's mental illness. The segments from both sisters - one with schizophrenia. one a licensed psychiatrist - describe the world as each experienced it often retelling the same set of events from each sister's perspective at the time.

The book is a fairly quick read. I found myself wanting to like them - and there are many things about them to like and to respect, but found their dependence on others to make them happy and the competition they perceived (probably really there) very frustrating. Easy for me to say, I know. That being said, the book does not sugar coat their individual difficulties with growing up as twins or with Pamela's struggle with mental illness. What I found fascinating, though is the fine line between a "sane" woman who has some issues and a mentally ill woman. That our brains are so fine-tuned. Amazing. I could go on and on, but don't have a lot of outside knowledge on the topic, so will stop here!

Recommended - I would say if you liked Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, this is right up your alley. If you're looking for something that includes more of the scientific perspective or a clearer history of the treatment of schizophrenia, this isn't it - but it doesn't set out to be, either. Good interesting read for something different.

Slaves in the Family

This book by Edward Ball took me a week or so to read. Though some parts are a little dry, the subject matter is very compelling. Growing up, Ball knew his family had at one time owned slaves, but the family did not encourage conversation on this topic. Needing to know more, he began researching and trying to find the descendants of the slaves his family had owned. Not all greeted him with open arms and some of his own family members were hostile. Through the process he found several people who are very likely related to him. The book discusses slavery on the rice plantations of South Carolina and larger issues of the slave trade, changing political climates, etc..., but the focus is on this man's family and the families they owned. The family stories he tells and the way he connects families through history - his own and those of others -draws the reader through a dark period of American history that still evokes strong emotions today.

Recommended - I am not aware of any other book quite like this. And for a fairly thorough portrait of what slaveholders and slaves thought about their lives, this provides a pretty good perspective that acknowledges bias, but tries very hard to overcome that bias. Does not turn a blind eye to outrages committed by whites (his own family included), but the message is one of family and of hope.