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August Book List
Aug. 31st, 2010 02:03 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
main-hoon-emily.livejournal.comOf course this doesn't show all the books I started and then gave up on when they didn't hold my interest...
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Inspector Vish Puri of Delhi makes his living investigating prospective brides and grooms to make sure they're all they're cracked up to be, so he's always happy when a more interesting case comes along. When he's asked to look into the disappearance and possible murder of a servant girl from Jaipur, Puri and his assistants Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream set their snares to catch a killer. Meanwhile, Puri's elderly Mummyji tries her own hand at investigating after someone shoots at her son while he's out watering his garden.
This is a very enjoyable mystery, with a setting which comes to life on the page. I'm not sure how well the jokes would come across unless you're already somewhat familiar with Indian culture, but I thought they were funny.
Marrying Anita by Anita Jain
Almost 32 and still not married, Anita decides to move to Delhi and try to find a husband the Indian way.
The more I think about this book the more I dislike it. As a picture of modern India -- at least a certain segment of the population -- it's interesting, but the whole premise of the book, "finding a husband the Indian way", is a joke since Anita never once tries to do so. She applies her American standards to dating in India, instead, and then wonders over and over why she keeps attracting men who only want one-night stands.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Thousands of years in the future, North America has been all but destroyed by wars and global warming. The surviving land has been divided into thirteen districts and The Capitol, a hedonistic society which requires that once a year a randomly chosen boy and girl from each district be sent to compete in The Hunger Games -- a fight to the death broadcast on national TV, with the last tribute standing becoming an instant celebrity. It's a brutal reminder of the war that led to the tenuous peace they live in now. Katniss Everdeen from District 12 knows her chances aren't good -- she's entered her name in the drawing more than is required in exchange for grain and oil for her family -- but she thinks her little sister, Prim is safe with her name on only one piece of paper in the bowl. Against all odds, Prim's name is the one drawn, and Katniss quickly volunteers to take her place. She and the boy tribute, Peeta Mellark, are whisked off to the Capitol to be groomed and displayed for the Capitol's reality-TV-mad populace before being thrown into the arena to kill or be killed. Just before the Games begin, Peeta drops a bombshell during an interview: He's loved Katniss from afar for years.
It's hard to describe my reaction to this book. Saying, "I loved it!" makes me sound like some bloodthirsty weirdo, and yet, I did. Despite the gore, not because of it. Suzanne Collins's writing style is designed to pull you in and keep you from being able to find a good stopping place, with cliffhanger suspense at the end of every chapter. A bit manipulative, but effective. It's hard not to get hooked on the series.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Life in District 12 is more luxurious but less satisfying as a Hunger Games victor. Katniss lives with her mother and sister in the Victor's Village now, but she pays for it with constant dread. The Capitol is not happy with her act of defiance at the end of the Games, and she's unintentionally been the spark to light the flames of rebellion in the Districts. Forced to pretend she was motivated by love for Peeta, and faced with the prospect of a sham marriage to keep the Capitol happy, Katniss is torn between him and her best friend Gale, who is also declaring his love for her.
Catching Fire suffers a bit from Middle Book Syndrome. You know nothing major can happen, that'll be saved for the final book of the trilogy. So instead you get a lot of rehashing of the worldbuilding from book one. It's not a bad book, just not as strong as The Hunger Games.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Katniss, Gale, and their families are safe with the rebels in District 13, long thought destroyed by nuclear attack. But Peeta is a prisoner in the Capitol, and with a full-fledged war going on Katniss is expected to become the face of the rebellion, the Mockingjay.
I'm still hashing out what I thought of this. I was not crazy about it, I can tell you that much. Collins is clearly not a romance writer, and I felt the love triangle was handled badly. It would have been a better book -- a better series -- if that aspect had never been introduced. I can't say Mockingjay was boring, but it was not the book I wanted to read to end the series.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennet overhears Fitzwilliam Darcy telling a friend she's not pretty enough for him to want to dance with. He soon revises his opinion, but not before George Wickham has told her all about how Darcy ruined his life. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's sister Jane and Darcy's friend Bingley fall in love, but Bingley's sisters -- one of whom has her eye on Darcy -- want him to marry someone much richer and better connected in society, and drag him away to London before he can propose.
I love this. That is all.
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
Reading C.S. Lewis's non-fiction always makes me feel a bit dense. He references earlier writers I've never heard of, makes connections that would never occur to me, and just when I'm thinking I understand the point he's trying to make with a certain quote, he interprets it in a completely different way and I feel stupid all over again.
Nevertheless, I liked (what I understood of) this book, which is about the different forms of love (friendship, affection, romance, etc.) and how each type affects our relationships with fellow humans and with God.
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Vish Puri is on the case again, this time to discover who murdered Dr. Prakash Jha, a prominent skeptic who devoted his life to unmasking charlatans. Eye-witnesses claim Dr. Jha was murdered by an apparition of the goddess Kali, but certain clues lead Puri to the world of magicians and gurus who perform illusions to support their claims of holiness. Mummyji and Puri's wife Rumpi are busy, too, hunting for a burglar who stole the winnings at their kitty party.
More of the same from the first book -- highly enjoyable, brings Delhi to life, and full of zany likeable characters. I thought the first mystery was better plotted; this one seemed to have a solution pulled out of nowhere, but maybe I'm just slow.
The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
Inspector Vish Puri of Delhi makes his living investigating prospective brides and grooms to make sure they're all they're cracked up to be, so he's always happy when a more interesting case comes along. When he's asked to look into the disappearance and possible murder of a servant girl from Jaipur, Puri and his assistants Tubelight, Flush, and Facecream set their snares to catch a killer. Meanwhile, Puri's elderly Mummyji tries her own hand at investigating after someone shoots at her son while he's out watering his garden.
This is a very enjoyable mystery, with a setting which comes to life on the page. I'm not sure how well the jokes would come across unless you're already somewhat familiar with Indian culture, but I thought they were funny.
Marrying Anita by Anita Jain
Almost 32 and still not married, Anita decides to move to Delhi and try to find a husband the Indian way.
The more I think about this book the more I dislike it. As a picture of modern India -- at least a certain segment of the population -- it's interesting, but the whole premise of the book, "finding a husband the Indian way", is a joke since Anita never once tries to do so. She applies her American standards to dating in India, instead, and then wonders over and over why she keeps attracting men who only want one-night stands.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Thousands of years in the future, North America has been all but destroyed by wars and global warming. The surviving land has been divided into thirteen districts and The Capitol, a hedonistic society which requires that once a year a randomly chosen boy and girl from each district be sent to compete in The Hunger Games -- a fight to the death broadcast on national TV, with the last tribute standing becoming an instant celebrity. It's a brutal reminder of the war that led to the tenuous peace they live in now. Katniss Everdeen from District 12 knows her chances aren't good -- she's entered her name in the drawing more than is required in exchange for grain and oil for her family -- but she thinks her little sister, Prim is safe with her name on only one piece of paper in the bowl. Against all odds, Prim's name is the one drawn, and Katniss quickly volunteers to take her place. She and the boy tribute, Peeta Mellark, are whisked off to the Capitol to be groomed and displayed for the Capitol's reality-TV-mad populace before being thrown into the arena to kill or be killed. Just before the Games begin, Peeta drops a bombshell during an interview: He's loved Katniss from afar for years.
It's hard to describe my reaction to this book. Saying, "I loved it!" makes me sound like some bloodthirsty weirdo, and yet, I did. Despite the gore, not because of it. Suzanne Collins's writing style is designed to pull you in and keep you from being able to find a good stopping place, with cliffhanger suspense at the end of every chapter. A bit manipulative, but effective. It's hard not to get hooked on the series.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Life in District 12 is more luxurious but less satisfying as a Hunger Games victor. Katniss lives with her mother and sister in the Victor's Village now, but she pays for it with constant dread. The Capitol is not happy with her act of defiance at the end of the Games, and she's unintentionally been the spark to light the flames of rebellion in the Districts. Forced to pretend she was motivated by love for Peeta, and faced with the prospect of a sham marriage to keep the Capitol happy, Katniss is torn between him and her best friend Gale, who is also declaring his love for her.
Catching Fire suffers a bit from Middle Book Syndrome. You know nothing major can happen, that'll be saved for the final book of the trilogy. So instead you get a lot of rehashing of the worldbuilding from book one. It's not a bad book, just not as strong as The Hunger Games.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Katniss, Gale, and their families are safe with the rebels in District 13, long thought destroyed by nuclear attack. But Peeta is a prisoner in the Capitol, and with a full-fledged war going on Katniss is expected to become the face of the rebellion, the Mockingjay.
I'm still hashing out what I thought of this. I was not crazy about it, I can tell you that much. Collins is clearly not a romance writer, and I felt the love triangle was handled badly. It would have been a better book -- a better series -- if that aspect had never been introduced. I can't say Mockingjay was boring, but it was not the book I wanted to read to end the series.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennet overhears Fitzwilliam Darcy telling a friend she's not pretty enough for him to want to dance with. He soon revises his opinion, but not before George Wickham has told her all about how Darcy ruined his life. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's sister Jane and Darcy's friend Bingley fall in love, but Bingley's sisters -- one of whom has her eye on Darcy -- want him to marry someone much richer and better connected in society, and drag him away to London before he can propose.
I love this. That is all.
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
Reading C.S. Lewis's non-fiction always makes me feel a bit dense. He references earlier writers I've never heard of, makes connections that would never occur to me, and just when I'm thinking I understand the point he's trying to make with a certain quote, he interprets it in a completely different way and I feel stupid all over again.
Nevertheless, I liked (what I understood of) this book, which is about the different forms of love (friendship, affection, romance, etc.) and how each type affects our relationships with fellow humans and with God.
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Vish Puri is on the case again, this time to discover who murdered Dr. Prakash Jha, a prominent skeptic who devoted his life to unmasking charlatans. Eye-witnesses claim Dr. Jha was murdered by an apparition of the goddess Kali, but certain clues lead Puri to the world of magicians and gurus who perform illusions to support their claims of holiness. Mummyji and Puri's wife Rumpi are busy, too, hunting for a burglar who stole the winnings at their kitty party.
More of the same from the first book -- highly enjoyable, brings Delhi to life, and full of zany likeable characters. I thought the first mystery was better plotted; this one seemed to have a solution pulled out of nowhere, but maybe I'm just slow.
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