Review: Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Maybe it's because this is what I have to listen to in the car right now and I enjoy this sort of book better listening to it then reading it, but I'm having a fantastic time with Life of Pi. I love all of the tidbits and animal facts. The ending wasn't as strong as I'd hoped it would be, but overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I had a lot of fun with it.



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Review: Heroic Measures: A Novel

Heroic Measures: A Novel by Jill Ciment

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Who doesn't like a story about a dachshund?

This was a quick read and thoroughly enjoyable. Ciment is a gifted writer and has a way of capturing regular day-to-day activities in an interesting way. I also loved the way the book incorporated the dog's view (an aging dachshund) with that of it's owners, Alex and Ruth.

I would recommend Heroic Measures as a fun, well-written little book that wraps you up in the lives of an elderly couple and their little dog over a short weekend.

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Review: Sad Cypress

Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This was the best Agatha Christie I've read yet (I'm maybe through 25%?). A fabulous mystery and a delightful read. I enjoyed the unusual format quite a bit as well (story, Poirot investigation, then court case).



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Review: Black Swan Green

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was a very vivid snapshot of a year in a 13 year old's life. Reading this really did bring back what it felt like to be in middle school - all of the fears, emotional highs and lows, thought patterns, relationships with siblings, petty concerns (that seem enormous!), etc. I feel very attached to Jason Taylor and was very sorry to say goodbye to him as I finished this novel today.

David Mitchell has done a wonderful job; the writing is superb and utterly engaging. I would highly recommend this lovely coming of age story.



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Review: Madeleine is Sleeping

Madeleine is Sleeping by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



After finishing Madeleine is Sleeping, I felt like I'd been privy to someone else's dream. Not everything made sense or connected, but there was a lovely flow of ideas and words. It's the kind of book you need to reread, perhaps twice.

I would suggest Jeanette Winterson and Jesse Ball as related authors if you like this style of work, specifically Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson and The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball. Winterson and Ball have more concrete imagery and connections, and I feel are more satisfying to read overall.



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Review: The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I read exactly 100 pages of this book and that is ALL I will give it. Although several people have recommended it to me, and usually Oprah's picks are at least decent reads, the writing is awful.

"Soul-mate," "hot body," etc. I'm all for good sex in a book, but make it believable? And sexy?

Overall, the writing is clumsy and the characters stock, boring, and quite forgettable. If you were swept off your feet by The Davinci Code and that sort of pop-culture rubbish, you'll probably like it.





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Review: The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a delightful little book I enjoyed reading very much. People have critiqued it as being contrived, redundant, cheesy, etc. I guess I picked it up in the library not knowing anything about it and didn't realize so many people are taking this book seriously. It's a fun little read but nothing I could imagine "learning" from. A beautiful tale, all in all.

[Addendum May 7th, 2012]

It's been two and half years since I listed this audiobook, and while I barely remember the story, I remember sitting in my car during my lunch break in the shade, eating a sandwich, and just having fun with the story. I have an overall 'glow' feeling when I think about The Alchemist, something I can't say I have with many of the books I read (or listen to, when I had my crazy commute when we lived in Michigan).

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Review: The Way Through Doors

The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is, I believe, the most beautiful book I have ever read. It reads like a long, lovely dream.

[Addendum May 7th, 2012]

It's been two and a half years since I read this, but I remember picking up The Way Through Doors in the Farmington Hill's 'New Books' display, the moment I picked it up on a lazy Saturday morning when Ian and I were lounging in bed, and being unable to put it down for two days, until I finished it on Sunday night and immediately insisted that Ian read it as well.


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Review: Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



While I am all for changing the way Americans (and the rest of the world) live, expend energy, and think about global warming, this book was terribly written and I put it down after 100 pages. Friedman couldn't organize his thoughts, was unbelievably repetitive, and repeated the words, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" what seemed like every page or so. Also, his facts seemed biased towards Americans and his ideas all together unorginal. Perhaps this book would be a useful primer for somebody who is ignorant of the current crisis we're in and has an undisciminating palette when it comes to books.



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Review: Ella Minnow Pea

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A fabulous satire and a lovely read.



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Review: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had a family studies minor in undergrad and we studied some of Gottman's work on marriage in one of my classes. As I'm now getting ready to get married, I thought it would be fun to go back and take a look now that a few years have gone by and the topic is more personally applicable.

While the information in this book is invaluable and based on years of work, I wanted more of the acutal research, statistics, and facts. The pyschologist in me was disappointed that there weren't summaries of studies and actual data. It read like any other marriage book I've read for an interpersonal relationships course: a little dumbed down with a lot of examples about generic couples and newly branded catch phrases. That said, I'm glad I read it and my partner and I are excited to go through some of the exercises together. I think this book will be a valuable resource later on in our relationship when we experience more conflict. While the nerd in me was a little let down, I would still highly recommend this book to couples who have committed to each other for life.




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Review: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs is a light and funny book, reminiscent of works by P.G. Wodehose. It was a very satisfying read: quick and delightful. After I was finished, I insisted on re-reading it aloud with my partner.



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Review: The Castle in the Forest

The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
 
This was the first book I've read by Norman Mailer, and, perhaps, the last. While the premise was promising (looking at a young Hitler - how he was conceived, born, and raised, up to the age of 21 years), the story itself was lacking. I loved the parts about beekeeping, but I thought the book's placement and use of sex was distracting and unnecessary. While I'm all for sex in literature and even literature about sex, the details in this particular book didn't add to the story or the work itself. I would not recommend this.

[Addendum May 7th, 2012]

In moving this review from Goodreads.com to this blog, I looked at several other review for this book and it seems like even Norman Mailer fans really hated this book and thought it was too crass and too dark. That said, I will come Norman Mailer another change, but do not plan on reading either the second or third installation in this series about Hitler.


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Review: Nefertiti

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Reading this book was like being stuck in front of a never-ending soap opera. It's mildly entertaining, and if you spend a little time with it, you find yourself slightly involved, if only in an ironic sense, but after a few hours you just want to get out of the drama. This book wasn't good literature; the narrative was poor and the descriptions were limited to faces and dress. The book doesn't explore the culture or imagery of Egypt, nor what a rule truly entailed. I was very disappointed.

[Addendum May 7th, 2012]

I remember listening to this audiobook very clearly. Ian was still in Albuquerque with his family (I had to return right after Christmas to get back to work). I recall quite vividly that the apartment was dark, I was avoiding cooking (I really hate cooking for just myself and will often actually lose a few pounds when Ian is out of town), and I was listening to this audiobook was listlessly working on a difficult Ravensburg puzzle, hating myself and hating the book.



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