by Rhonda Riley (326 pp ebook)
I wanted to like this book but it's tough to recommend. The story begins at the end of WWII and this young woman finds "someone" in mud on her farm. It's never explained but I think we're to conclude it's an alien. Initially the story is pretty interesting and seems on the verge of exploring some interesting issues. But it just turns into an events-in-a-woman's-life (who shacked up with an alien) on the farm. I never really bought the problems as being major problems. The character development is superficial and the primary characters have few flaws. The story doesn't offer any satisfying resolution.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
5. I Am The Secret Footballer
By Anonymous (221 pp)
This is supposedly a peek inside professional football (soccer) from a player who has played at high level clubs in England. Since he's anonymous, we're getting the secret insider view. There are a few interesting bits but by the middle of the book my main takeaway was that the Secret Footballer is a giant weenie and this book is his opportunity to tell everyone how great he is and smarter than everyone (fans, managers, other players, everyone). It was a slog to finish. Do not recommend.
This is supposedly a peek inside professional football (soccer) from a player who has played at high level clubs in England. Since he's anonymous, we're getting the secret insider view. There are a few interesting bits but by the middle of the book my main takeaway was that the Secret Footballer is a giant weenie and this book is his opportunity to tell everyone how great he is and smarter than everyone (fans, managers, other players, everyone). It was a slog to finish. Do not recommend.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
4. The Fifth Wave
By Rick Yancey (434 pp. ebook)
My sister-in-law recommended this book and it wasn't what I expected but it was fun to read. It's a post-alien invasion YA story with some romance and lots of action and violence. Of course it's the first in a series and of course it's being made into a movie. I don't think I'll knock myself out continuing with the series but this was good.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
3. The Twelve
By Justin Cronin (588 pp)
This is second in a series that started with The Passage which I liked a great deal. I was doing okay with this book until about page 300 where I became annoyed. It's a post-apocalyptic scary vampires caused by virus abused by military story and lots of things were happening to lots of people but I had no idea what was going on. As soon as I finished I searched for a wiki to fill in the gaps and the most informative item I found was this which is a lengthy review by a person who hated the book. This person articulates a lot of what didn't work for me: the bad guys are uniformly cartoonishly bad, the good guys ever so good; amazing coincidences; magical parental bonds - everyone who has lost a parent/child is miraculously reunited; even the eye-rolling bit where one character has a mystical relationship with a horse. Nothing original here. Lazy "feels like a first draft written at top speed" writing. Disappointing.
This is second in a series that started with The Passage which I liked a great deal. I was doing okay with this book until about page 300 where I became annoyed. It's a post-apocalyptic scary vampires caused by virus abused by military story and lots of things were happening to lots of people but I had no idea what was going on. As soon as I finished I searched for a wiki to fill in the gaps and the most informative item I found was this which is a lengthy review by a person who hated the book. This person articulates a lot of what didn't work for me: the bad guys are uniformly cartoonishly bad, the good guys ever so good; amazing coincidences; magical parental bonds - everyone who has lost a parent/child is miraculously reunited; even the eye-rolling bit where one character has a mystical relationship with a horse. Nothing original here. Lazy "feels like a first draft written at top speed" writing. Disappointing.
Monday, January 20, 2014
2. About Writing
By Samuel R. Delany (419 pp)
This is kind-of a cheat because I just skimmed the interviews. Delany is a sci-fi writer and has taught at Clarion West (among other places.) As others have said, this is a dense book. Lots of information to think about. But very interesting for a writer.
This is kind-of a cheat because I just skimmed the interviews. Delany is a sci-fi writer and has taught at Clarion West (among other places.) As others have said, this is a dense book. Lots of information to think about. But very interesting for a writer.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
I Ditched Book #2
Normally I don't mention books I give up on and I'm not going to say the title of this one. The only reason I am bringing it up is because I was really excited about this book. And I had a little trouble finding it and wasn't sure I wanted to buy it in hardcover. So I asked the library about requesting materials and filled out a form. And they bought it. And I thought I was so clever getting this book into the library. Then I borrowed it.
Oh my. I don't even know where to start. The narrative style is a bit different but I got over that. Have you ever had a friend tell you about an event you missed and it's like, "Roger was there and his roommate Vernon. Vernon brought his girlfriend Peggy and her friend Sandy. My old roommate Winnie was there with her brother Fritz and his friend Craig and Craig's girlfriend Daisy" and after awhile your eyes glaze over because you can't keep them all straight and you don't have enough information about the people to even care? I was determined to slog through but just for kicks I checked the book reviews at major online book retailer. There were a few generic 5 star reviews and about a dozen 1 star reviews that said they kept hoping something would happen or the book would get better and it never did. It's on its way back to the library. Sorry taxpayers for getting the library to buy a crappy book.
Oh my. I don't even know where to start. The narrative style is a bit different but I got over that. Have you ever had a friend tell you about an event you missed and it's like, "Roger was there and his roommate Vernon. Vernon brought his girlfriend Peggy and her friend Sandy. My old roommate Winnie was there with her brother Fritz and his friend Craig and Craig's girlfriend Daisy" and after awhile your eyes glaze over because you can't keep them all straight and you don't have enough information about the people to even care? I was determined to slog through but just for kicks I checked the book reviews at major online book retailer. There were a few generic 5 star reviews and about a dozen 1 star reviews that said they kept hoping something would happen or the book would get better and it never did. It's on its way back to the library. Sorry taxpayers for getting the library to buy a crappy book.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
1. The Goldfinch
By Donna Tartt (5 million pp.)
You can't imagine how much it pains me to not be in love with this book. It's terrific writing and a great story but it is just way too long. Every bit drags on. Every time the scene changed, I would get swept up in the story again only to find myself wondering why we weren't getting anywhere. By the end I was so resentful of the slow pace, I didn't care what happened. I think there's an amazing 500 page in there. It's about a boy who the victim of a terrible event and comes into possession of a famous painting.
You can't imagine how much it pains me to not be in love with this book. It's terrific writing and a great story but it is just way too long. Every bit drags on. Every time the scene changed, I would get swept up in the story again only to find myself wondering why we weren't getting anywhere. By the end I was so resentful of the slow pace, I didn't care what happened. I think there's an amazing 500 page in there. It's about a boy who the victim of a terrible event and comes into possession of a famous painting.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The 2014 Book List Starts Here
I don't even know why I do this. I told myself I wasn't going to do reading goals this year. But now that I'm sitting, here, I can't help it.
I read 37 books in 2013. I wish it was more but given all the other stuff I do and stuff I read that doesn't get counted, I guess it's not that bad. I also kept track of pages read with the idea of reaching at least 15K and I made it to 13K. Again, not counting the other stuff. I gave up on several books and I have a bunch of half-read things sitting in my room. I intended to finish them up by the ended of the year but became side tracked by Book #1 for 2014 which monopolized all of my reading time.
I gave up several magazines but in exchange we just subscribed to the New Yorker so I imagine my book total will look pretty similar at the end of this year.
I read 37 books in 2013. I wish it was more but given all the other stuff I do and stuff I read that doesn't get counted, I guess it's not that bad. I also kept track of pages read with the idea of reaching at least 15K and I made it to 13K. Again, not counting the other stuff. I gave up on several books and I have a bunch of half-read things sitting in my room. I intended to finish them up by the ended of the year but became side tracked by Book #1 for 2014 which monopolized all of my reading time.
I gave up several magazines but in exchange we just subscribed to the New Yorker so I imagine my book total will look pretty similar at the end of this year.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
37. The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green (313 pp)
I didn't really read this book in one day. I finished Verona the day before yesterday but forgot change the date when I posted. I read this in two days. This is a YA romance about teenagers with cancer. There is no reason a book like this should work as well as it does and obviously from the set up you know there is no way you are going to get of this without a box of tissues at your side. It's one of those stories that is as brilliantly funny as it is sad at the same time. And instead of hating the writer for doing this do you, you feel content in your sadness. I was thinking about leaving a quote but I'm afraid it might not work out of context. Recommend.
I didn't really read this book in one day. I finished Verona the day before yesterday but forgot change the date when I posted. I read this in two days. This is a YA romance about teenagers with cancer. There is no reason a book like this should work as well as it does and obviously from the set up you know there is no way you are going to get of this without a box of tissues at your side. It's one of those stories that is as brilliantly funny as it is sad at the same time. And instead of hating the writer for doing this do you, you feel content in your sadness. I was thinking about leaving a quote but I'm afraid it might not work out of context. Recommend.
36. A Season With Verona
By Tim Parks (447 pp)
This is a terrific book that very few people that I share books with would appreciate. It's written by a British man who ends up living in Italy and following the soccer team in Verona. He decided to attend every home and away game for one season and write a book about it. It's about soccer fan culture in Italy. I LOVED it. At 447 pages it's very long and it felt long at times. But the soccer season is both long and not long enough. I went to my last match on November 24 and already have the pre-season matches in February on my calendar. Here's a quote that perfectly captures it: "Everybody is yearning for that stupid excitement of waiting for a goal, for or against, trembling on the edge of our seats, on the edge of euphoria or disappointment." I have to add, however, that near the end there is a scene of horrifying sexual harassment that goes on forever and was so disturbing I had to skip over it because it threatened to derail my feelings about the entire book. Overall for soccer fans: huge recommend.
This is a terrific book that very few people that I share books with would appreciate. It's written by a British man who ends up living in Italy and following the soccer team in Verona. He decided to attend every home and away game for one season and write a book about it. It's about soccer fan culture in Italy. I LOVED it. At 447 pages it's very long and it felt long at times. But the soccer season is both long and not long enough. I went to my last match on November 24 and already have the pre-season matches in February on my calendar. Here's a quote that perfectly captures it: "Everybody is yearning for that stupid excitement of waiting for a goal, for or against, trembling on the edge of our seats, on the edge of euphoria or disappointment." I have to add, however, that near the end there is a scene of horrifying sexual harassment that goes on forever and was so disturbing I had to skip over it because it threatened to derail my feelings about the entire book. Overall for soccer fans: huge recommend.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
35. Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
By James Tiptree, Jr. (508 pp)
This is another one of those short story collections I've had for several years, reading a few stories here and there. I noticed I was about 2/3rds through and decided to hunker down and finish it. Tiptree is really Alice Sheldon. I discovered a Tiptree story called "The Women Men Don't See" in a giant science fiction collection I read a number of years ago. I still love it and re-read it fairly often. The stories in the collection are good but really grim endings so it's kind of a slog to read one story after the other. Many I should re-read since I think I missed something. Lots of vivid images that stick with you. Recommend.
This is another one of those short story collections I've had for several years, reading a few stories here and there. I noticed I was about 2/3rds through and decided to hunker down and finish it. Tiptree is really Alice Sheldon. I discovered a Tiptree story called "The Women Men Don't See" in a giant science fiction collection I read a number of years ago. I still love it and re-read it fairly often. The stories in the collection are good but really grim endings so it's kind of a slog to read one story after the other. Many I should re-read since I think I missed something. Lots of vivid images that stick with you. Recommend.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
34. The Shining Girls
By Lauren Beukes (368 pp)
It says on the book jacket that this is Time Traveler's Wife crossed with Silence of the Lambs. I'd say just Silence of the Lambs with time travel. Creepy and hard to put down. Recommend.
It says on the book jacket that this is Time Traveler's Wife crossed with Silence of the Lambs. I'd say just Silence of the Lambs with time travel. Creepy and hard to put down. Recommend.
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