Books for February
Feb. 28th, 2011 01:48 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderSurprisingly few books read this month. That's what happens when I'm in a middle of a number of books that don't completely catch my fancy, yet are still too good for me to want to give up on them ;-)
The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver, 3.5/5, 528 pages
A fascinating book, but also a very sad book - like a more depressing version of Sliding Doors.
I loved the concept - chapter 1 was an introduction, leading up to the fork in the road, and from then on every chapter was repeated, following first the life of one Irina, then the life of another. I definitely didn't agree with all the choices she made, and at times I just wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up and smell the coffee, but at no time did I find her actions out of character, and while I certainly preferred one timeline to the other, they were both interesting to follow.
I'm usually a sucker for happy endings, but I'm not even sure I minded that this one was ambiguous - even if it did put me in a bit of a melancholic mood for awhile.
The BFG - Roald Dahl*, 4/5, 188 pages
Another old favourite. I first read this in 1990 and have been rereading it regularly ever since. On this read-through I read it aloud to make a recording of it, and loved all of the BFG's made up or jumbled words - even though it was surprising how often I messed them up and said the "right" word instead!
But it's a sweet story of love and acceptance - although somewhat more scary than I originally remembered it. I hope my nieces and nephew won't mind!
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman, 2.5/5, 288 pages
I do feel a bit bad giving the book such a low rating, but am afraid that to me it was just 'OK'. I can easily see its appeal if you're interested in medicine or the Hmong culture, or want to read up on the consequences of cultural clashes and possible ways to circumvent that. But as neither of those were the case for me, what remained was a long and dry book that was vaguely interesting at times, and rather boring and hard to get through at others. I forced myself to finish it, as it seemed like one of those books you "ought" to read, but at 288 pages, it took me almost a month to get through.
I had it recommended to me because I enjoyed "Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader" also by Anne Fadiman, but after reading it, I have to admit that I don't understand the recommendation. The only things the two books have in common are that they were written by the same author and they're both non-fiction. Otherwise they're as different as they could be. And unfortunately - based solely on its literary merit - this one is by far the inferior.
Shelf Discovery - Lizzie Skurnick, 4.5/5, 424 pages
An incredibly charming book! Not having grown up in an English speaking country, I'd read depressingly few of the books mentioned (only 18 in total, actually), but I have my own list of Teen Classics I've Never Stopped Reading, so though I might not recognize the exact books Lizzie Skurnick referenced, I could at the very least recognize the sentiments behind them.
This is the kind of book I wish I had thought of to write myself - full of book reports, it's the perfect kind of reading and writing for a nostalgic re-reader like myself. The only problem is that it made me want to read a huge number of the books mentioned, and unfortunately many of them are either out of print entirely, or utterly impossible to find in Denmark.
I'd probably have rated it 5 stars if I'd known a larger number of the books.
(For people interested, a full list of the books mentioned can be found here).
Dragonsdale - Salamanda Drake, 3.5/5, ~6hrs
I have a hard time figuring out what to write in this review. Parts of the book I LOVED! I really liked Cara, Breena, Woney and Sky, and loved reading about their relationships and the details of dragon flying (DRAGONS! What's not to like?). In atmosphere, the book reminded me quite a lot of Anne McCaffrey's "Harper's Hall" trilogy, which is always a good thing :)
But there were also parts of the book that I really didn't like. An unreasonable father who won't let Cara ride a dragon because he's afraid of her falling to her death, but doesn't stop to consider that he's being hypocritical by continuing to ride himself. A horrible and abusive student whom nobody dares do anything about, because she happens to be the daughter of a VIP. And finally a happy ending through disobedience and wish-fulfilment.
At the end of the day I found more to like than to dislike though, so while some of the aspects really bugged me as they occurred, they had no lasting effect on my opinion of the book.
Deenie - Judy Blume, 3/5, 128 pages
Thanks to Jeff Dunham I can no longer take the word 'scoliosis' seriously, which made me feel really awful while reading this book, as it's absolutely meant as a serious book! Drat that comedian!
That aside I really liked the book. Judy Blume approached a serious subject that not many people know anything about, and made it accessible for her readers. It's hard not to feel sorry for Deenie - first because of her mother, then because of her condition and her mother's reaction to that condition. At least she had an understanding dad, sister and friends, when her mother went off of the deep end.
I'll admit to not knowing the first thing about scoliosis (other than it having something to do with the state of your bones), and had to google "Milwaukee brace" to get a proper idea of what it actually looked like. I can't even imagine what it must be like for a young teen to be told she has to wear that for the next 3 years.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume*, 3.5/5, 93 pages
I've read this more times than I can count, but the last time was at LEAST 15 years ago - if not longer - so I actually remembered very little of it. It was a lot shorter than I remembered though, and I distinctly remembered a scene which turned out not to be from this book at all!
Read for the first time as a tween as undeveloped as Margaret herself, it's definitely a book that resonates with young women - even if sanitary pad technology has come a long way since then, and thank you for that! I'm not sure how much I would have liked it, if I'd read it for the first time as an adult, but I think I would still have been able to see its appeal to a younger audience. It's definitely one of those books I hope don't go out of fashion anytime soon.
...even if I was incredibly amused by the notion that a school would send home letters to 'warn' parents that they'd teach sex ed - I'm pretty sure it's a mandatory part of the syllabus here ;-) Oh, and the completely free assignment would have been completely unheard of at any school I've attended.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - Stieg Larsson*, 5/5, ~22hrs
The last book in Stieg Larsson's excellent trilogy is every bit as good as the two preceding novels. Picking up right where "The Girl Who Played With Fire" left off, this final volume picks up all the loose threads and ties them nicely together. It's my reoccurring problem with suspense novels that they typically end 50 pages too soon, so things aren't properly wrapped up. Fortunately Stieg Larsson does not fall into this trap, and gives his readers a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
Upon rereading, I think this may actually be my favourite of the three - although it's hard to say, as it's so closely connected to #2, that it's occasionally difficult to remember what happens in which book.
4 BSC Books - Ann M. Martin, 700 pages in total.
12 books read - disappointing, and far too few if I want to reach 200 again this year. I'll have to shape up in March ;)
Book of the Month: Shelf Discovery. So charming!
Biggest Disappointment The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It came very close to actually being boring.
Currently Reading: The Last Concubine - Lesley Downer, Daughters of the Blood - Anne Bishop, The Man Who Ate Everything - Jeffery Steingarten, Through the Wardrobe - Herbie Brennan, Alter of Bones - Phillip Carter
The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver, 3.5/5, 528 pages
A fascinating book, but also a very sad book - like a more depressing version of Sliding Doors.
I loved the concept - chapter 1 was an introduction, leading up to the fork in the road, and from then on every chapter was repeated, following first the life of one Irina, then the life of another. I definitely didn't agree with all the choices she made, and at times I just wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up and smell the coffee, but at no time did I find her actions out of character, and while I certainly preferred one timeline to the other, they were both interesting to follow.
I'm usually a sucker for happy endings, but I'm not even sure I minded that this one was ambiguous - even if it did put me in a bit of a melancholic mood for awhile.
The BFG - Roald Dahl*, 4/5, 188 pages
Another old favourite. I first read this in 1990 and have been rereading it regularly ever since. On this read-through I read it aloud to make a recording of it, and loved all of the BFG's made up or jumbled words - even though it was surprising how often I messed them up and said the "right" word instead!
But it's a sweet story of love and acceptance - although somewhat more scary than I originally remembered it. I hope my nieces and nephew won't mind!
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman, 2.5/5, 288 pages
I do feel a bit bad giving the book such a low rating, but am afraid that to me it was just 'OK'. I can easily see its appeal if you're interested in medicine or the Hmong culture, or want to read up on the consequences of cultural clashes and possible ways to circumvent that. But as neither of those were the case for me, what remained was a long and dry book that was vaguely interesting at times, and rather boring and hard to get through at others. I forced myself to finish it, as it seemed like one of those books you "ought" to read, but at 288 pages, it took me almost a month to get through.
I had it recommended to me because I enjoyed "Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader" also by Anne Fadiman, but after reading it, I have to admit that I don't understand the recommendation. The only things the two books have in common are that they were written by the same author and they're both non-fiction. Otherwise they're as different as they could be. And unfortunately - based solely on its literary merit - this one is by far the inferior.
Shelf Discovery - Lizzie Skurnick, 4.5/5, 424 pages
An incredibly charming book! Not having grown up in an English speaking country, I'd read depressingly few of the books mentioned (only 18 in total, actually), but I have my own list of Teen Classics I've Never Stopped Reading, so though I might not recognize the exact books Lizzie Skurnick referenced, I could at the very least recognize the sentiments behind them.
This is the kind of book I wish I had thought of to write myself - full of book reports, it's the perfect kind of reading and writing for a nostalgic re-reader like myself. The only problem is that it made me want to read a huge number of the books mentioned, and unfortunately many of them are either out of print entirely, or utterly impossible to find in Denmark.
I'd probably have rated it 5 stars if I'd known a larger number of the books.
(For people interested, a full list of the books mentioned can be found here).
Dragonsdale - Salamanda Drake, 3.5/5, ~6hrs
I have a hard time figuring out what to write in this review. Parts of the book I LOVED! I really liked Cara, Breena, Woney and Sky, and loved reading about their relationships and the details of dragon flying (DRAGONS! What's not to like?). In atmosphere, the book reminded me quite a lot of Anne McCaffrey's "Harper's Hall" trilogy, which is always a good thing :)
But there were also parts of the book that I really didn't like. An unreasonable father who won't let Cara ride a dragon because he's afraid of her falling to her death, but doesn't stop to consider that he's being hypocritical by continuing to ride himself. A horrible and abusive student whom nobody dares do anything about, because she happens to be the daughter of a VIP. And finally a happy ending through disobedience and wish-fulfilment.
At the end of the day I found more to like than to dislike though, so while some of the aspects really bugged me as they occurred, they had no lasting effect on my opinion of the book.
Deenie - Judy Blume, 3/5, 128 pages
Thanks to Jeff Dunham I can no longer take the word 'scoliosis' seriously, which made me feel really awful while reading this book, as it's absolutely meant as a serious book! Drat that comedian!
That aside I really liked the book. Judy Blume approached a serious subject that not many people know anything about, and made it accessible for her readers. It's hard not to feel sorry for Deenie - first because of her mother, then because of her condition and her mother's reaction to that condition. At least she had an understanding dad, sister and friends, when her mother went off of the deep end.
I'll admit to not knowing the first thing about scoliosis (other than it having something to do with the state of your bones), and had to google "Milwaukee brace" to get a proper idea of what it actually looked like. I can't even imagine what it must be like for a young teen to be told she has to wear that for the next 3 years.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume*, 3.5/5, 93 pages
I've read this more times than I can count, but the last time was at LEAST 15 years ago - if not longer - so I actually remembered very little of it. It was a lot shorter than I remembered though, and I distinctly remembered a scene which turned out not to be from this book at all!
Read for the first time as a tween as undeveloped as Margaret herself, it's definitely a book that resonates with young women - even if sanitary pad technology has come a long way since then, and thank you for that! I'm not sure how much I would have liked it, if I'd read it for the first time as an adult, but I think I would still have been able to see its appeal to a younger audience. It's definitely one of those books I hope don't go out of fashion anytime soon.
...even if I was incredibly amused by the notion that a school would send home letters to 'warn' parents that they'd teach sex ed - I'm pretty sure it's a mandatory part of the syllabus here ;-) Oh, and the completely free assignment would have been completely unheard of at any school I've attended.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - Stieg Larsson*, 5/5, ~22hrs
The last book in Stieg Larsson's excellent trilogy is every bit as good as the two preceding novels. Picking up right where "The Girl Who Played With Fire" left off, this final volume picks up all the loose threads and ties them nicely together. It's my reoccurring problem with suspense novels that they typically end 50 pages too soon, so things aren't properly wrapped up. Fortunately Stieg Larsson does not fall into this trap, and gives his readers a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
Upon rereading, I think this may actually be my favourite of the three - although it's hard to say, as it's so closely connected to #2, that it's occasionally difficult to remember what happens in which book.
4 BSC Books - Ann M. Martin, 700 pages in total.
12 books read - disappointing, and far too few if I want to reach 200 again this year. I'll have to shape up in March ;)
Book of the Month: Shelf Discovery. So charming!
Biggest Disappointment The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It came very close to actually being boring.
Currently Reading: The Last Concubine - Lesley Downer, Daughters of the Blood - Anne Bishop, The Man Who Ate Everything - Jeffery Steingarten, Through the Wardrobe - Herbie Brennan, Alter of Bones - Phillip Carter
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Date: 2011-03-01 03:18 am (UTC)And, yes, I believe it is common practice even now where I live to send notes home to tell parents that kids are going to start having sex ed. I think the parents can pull their kids out of that particular hour, should they wish.
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Date: 2011-03-02 08:58 am (UTC)