The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Sep15

My predominant feeling reading this book was a strange mix of boredom and guilt. The middle of the book is very slow, but since you find out early on that there are going to be a bunch of suicides, (surprise, surprise) it dawns on you that the something you are impatiently waiting for to happen will be a pile of girls killing themselves. Then the guilt sets in.

We read this for a book club book, I was not the only one with such feelings nor was I the only one completely befuddled over the narrator, Who? why? What is the context to the narrative? Why?

Would I recommend it? No

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

Sep9

Second in The Liveship Traders series I liked this book much better than the first.

Is it because the character set up was done in the first book and now they are actually growing?

Because now I’m hooked in the plot?

Because I can see more and more how this connects to the Tawny Man Trilogy?

Because I love a good nautical adventure?

I have no idea, but I’m requesting the next one from the library tonight.

Would I recommend it? No, I can’t recommend the second if I didn’t like the first even if it was better. Perhaps the third will swing my vote back to a yes we’ll have to see…

While we are on the subject of things that I don’t love I have a question.

Who is in charge of cover art for books?

Don’t they ever worry about the artists actually reading what they attempt to portray? This isn’t the worst example of an inaccurate cover ever, something like this picture sort of happened. Characters, ships and sea serpents are described to sort of look like that… seriously, I find it to be totally annoying.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Sep1

Now the problem with this post is that I must publicly admit that not only have I read all the twilight books but that I was interested enough to check out this “eclipse novella.” Yup, I read them, and I liked them. I did not start until after they were all written and I had a few friends rave about them, but I did eventually cave, and I was addicted, and I read them all back to back, and my husband has teased me about it ever since. I have not however gone to see any of the movies. How you can make a movie out of a book where the main character just talks about how beautiful her vampire boyfriend is and then not have that beautiful of a guy acting as the vampire is beyond me, but I digress…

This book takes one very minor character from Eclipse and gives you her whole story. I think I can do no better than what Stephenie Meyer says in the forward:

“I hope you end up caring about Bree as much as I do, though that’s kind of a cruel wish. You know this: it doesn’t end well for her. But at least you will know the whole story. And that no perspective is ever really trivial.”

I think it exemplifies the part of authors that awes me. To create and know your characters so well that you have all these back stories in your head, to not only choose what goes in a book and what doesn’t, but to have enough knowledge of your creation that everyone no matter how small a part acts accordingly, whether we as readers know it the first time we meet them or not. It amazes me.

Would I recommend it? Now I feel sort of silly, and maybe I’m not making any sense tonight, but my answer to this is no. This isn’t really a book to pick up just to read, if you have read the rest of them then sure, its a fun (OK,well not super fun it is a very short life) read. But I didn’t think it was awesome in itself or a necessary addendum to the books. It is what it stands for that amazes me, the actual book not so much.

There is no picture, becuase the book is black and shiny which I find mostly impossible to photograph. Not only that it is highly recognizable from afar as a Stephenie Meyer book, you don’t need my poor picture to find this one on a shelf!

Death In A Lonely Land by Peter Hathaway Capstick

Aug31

I’d just like to say right now that I have absolutely no desire to go hunting for anything that has earned it’s reputation as a man eater or even anything that could possibly do so in the future. I do not want to go hunting animals that may attempt to eat me before I eat them. I do not want to hunt animals that don’t want to eat me but would be satisfied with stomping me into a pulp. I really don’t want to go hunting for something that would like to pound me into a pulp and then eat me afterward with nothing but a few dogs and a really big knife. Yet, for some reason I love reading about people who do.

Maybe I’m nuts, or maybe it is that Capstick is an especially engaging author, pick up something of his and let me know!

Would I recommend it? Yes. This book of his is not all big game hunting, it also has fishing, some discussions on firearms and ammo, (now I want a fully automatic BB gun, and that’s not something I ever expected to say) and bit of bird hunting. While the variety of topics is nice the benefits of using a tube fly for salmon just don’t have the same memorable qualities as a “Midnight Date With A Black Jaguar!”

Ship Of Magic by Robin Hobb

Aug23

I was so disappointed in this book.

I probably should have taken a breather between finishing the Tawny Man series (also by Robin Hobb) before starting a new one, but I was on a roll and I didn’t.

I really wish I had.

I loved The Farseer Trilogy and The Tawny Man Trilogy they were awesome, for reasons I have already spoken of here, here and here. This book was not as good, reading it right after Fool’s Fate made it seem even worse. Too many view points, too cliche of characters, and an unsurprising plot. Near the end things were looking up I’ll read the next one and cross my fingers it gets better but as for this one…

Would I recommend it? No. I hope it was a fluke and the writing that so impressed me with her other books returns in the second of this series.

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown and Felicia Bond

Aug20

“By the big red barn in the great green field, there was a pink pig who was learning to squeal…”

Sorry, I see the book and the words just start rolling off my tongue, I can’t help it!

Ivy loved it as a baby and I read it so many times I accidentally memorized it. Then when Clara started reading books we pulled it out with the rest of the board books and it took about two times through before I had all the words back again.

Someone tell me why I was never able to master my times tables but I can memorize kids books on accident!

Regardless* of my math ineptitude this book has my favorite sort of sing song rhythm to it, making it easy to memorize (if you are into that sort of thing) and fun to read out loud. As if that wasn’t enough to make one little book lovely the girls seem to really enjoy the super detailed illustrations (can you see the hose on the barn in the picture?).

Would I recommend it? Yes, both the kids and I agree on this one. Besides, I have it memorized and I don’t hate it, it’s got to be good.

*I was going to use irregardless in this sentence but thought I’d better look it up to see if it meant what I thought it meant. My dictionary had this to say about it:

…”The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however.” … “Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.”

So I did…

…but every time I’ve read though my draft I say irregardless in my head.

Birds by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek

Aug17

I loved this book. Laura Dronzek’s illustrations are perfect for the text, things like this…

“If there are lots of birds in one tree and they all fly away at the same time, it looks like the tree yelled,”

“SURPRISE!”

Sadly neither of my kids seemed to agree with me. Ivy (3 years)was completely uninterested (too simple?) I could only get her to read it with my once, then I thought Clara (10 months) might like the pictures but she was also unenthusiastic. I think my kids are broken.

Would I recommend it? I’d like to but with two thumbs down from the actual kids in the house I’m not sure I can!

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb

Aug16

I’m not sure how much there really is to say about the third book in a trilogy, either you are going to read them all or you aren’t. Stopping after number two would be foolish and this one had dragons and love and concludes 5 books worth of material, if you’ve gone this far you better finish!

*This picture was shrunk so as not to hurt your eyes too badly. It’s bad, really bad, I have no idea how to take a picture of a black book with a shiny cover on it, sorry!*

Also to be a tad more technical and less sassy with my comments I thought Robin Hobb did an excellent job of pulling in secrets and plot lines from all over the last five books, unraveling them and then weaving them back up into a very nice final book. Stuff was revisited I never thought to hear mention again and it made for a better ending than I was expecting!

Would I recommend it? Yes. I’ll say it one more time, Start with Assassins Apprentice, and just keep going, they are some pretty dang good books!

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Aug11

This was my book clubs August book. In our discussion we dubbed it a boy book, and wished we had a a male view point on it. Lacking that insight, all you get is mine…

The book is crazy in an over the top, can that much crap really happen to one family, sort of way. Then just when you think that you can’t possible read any more about infidelities, dysfunctional relationships, and guilty childhoods someones testicles start on fire and it makes you laugh just enough to keep reading. Then you reach the end, and it is lame.

Would I recommend it? No. Since it’s a boy book I’m curious what he other gender thinks. If you are a man, and you’ve read it let me know!

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb

Aug6

This was book two of the Tawny Man trilogy (see this for book one) and it defiantly had a book two sort of feel. Lots of stuff happens, you get thrown a few small bones of plot at the end, but overall not a lot gets resolved. Not my favorite of hers so far but it’s not dulling my impatience while I wait for the next one!