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Last book update was November 15th. I've since read 8 more books. Brief notes here:
Evening, Susan Minot
I referred to this book in an earlier entry--my final position on this book istop meh. I'm all for artistic freedom and writers' pioneering their own style, but Susan--use some fucking quotation marks. Or, at least make it obvious to the reader that there's a conversation going on. I mean, some authors can do what Minot tried to do (write conversation within prose without using quotations or other indicators), but not many. And having to reread each page really made me tired of this story before it was halfway done. Also, the movie sucked.
The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta
Good read, though a bit too similar to Little Children; I guess that's because of the suburban setting? I felt the story took too long to come to any fruition and that if the whole job reassignment thing had happened earlier in the story, there may have been better, greater conflict with better, greater resolutions. Overall, not a total waste of time. So, that's good.
Atonement, Ian McEwan
The movie is going to BLOW because this book... Trite but awesome. And trite because, well, there's a twist at the end. But that twist is executed in such a way that you are left spinning, reeling, untwisting. Upon finishing this novel, all I could think of was how it reminded me of Hazzard's Transit of Venus. It's masterfully brilliant. I will be reading more of McEwan soon.
Letting the Body Lead, Jenn Crowell
Crowell alternates between NYC and Iceland in this graduate-student-coming-of-age story, and that's actually a major distraction. The best parts of the book were the two chapters spent telling the tales of the younger guidance counselor (the inspiration for the student's eventual trip to Iceland) and the beleaguered grad student herself. The rest of it was choppy, though interesting. I felt like Crowell was trying to push some personal boundary with this novel, and some of the novel comes off as forced.
Alden Amos's Big Book of Handspinning, Alden Amos
Any spinner that wants to be worth his or her weight in cashmere needs this book. Even knitters could benefit from this book. BBH has not left my bedside table in almost a month. Lucky for me I got my own copy for Christmas--I can return the (I believe) sole copy to the library now.
A Free Life, Ha Jin
I hate to say it, but I think Jin reached his pinnacle with Waiting. Similar to The Pond, A Free Life just putters around a plot and doesn't go anywhere. Yes, the characters are struggling as refugees of Communist China, but the struggle is subdued, weak, and, well, boring. Jin repeats established story lines just a few times too often, which then makes those story lines less an established aspect and more an annoying twinge. I get it already--he's still in love with some woman that used him! Now, create another conflict and propose a fictional solution. Jin remains a few notches above Shreve, but I don't know that I'll be clamoring for his next novel.
A Secret Word, Jennifer Paddock
A quirky story that's balanced between three mismatched friends, thrown closer together the day the girls go out to lunch and unknowingly witness the death of a shared boyfriend. It had potential to go directly downhill, but instead, Paddock manages the three lives of these girls without faltering. Where Crowell failed, Paddock succeeds creating a palpable non-linear story that is neither overbearing nor underdeveloped. Her first novel, I'm eager to read more of her writing.
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
I've seen this book in bookstores and on display at other libraries and didn't feel drawn to it. Then, last week, it sort of just jumped into my bag and came home with me. A seedy, realistic portrayal of what goes on inside, outside, and in-between the big top, this is more than a circus novel. Gruen deftly switches between present and past as Jacob's history is revealed and precious pages aren't wasted on revealing that which we already know (he does, indeed, get the girl). The meat of the story spans only 3.5 months, though at times it seems much shorter; and still, at other times, it feels like a decades-long epic. Very touching ending. I want to read more of Gruen's work and I wouldn't be surprised to see WfE made into a movie.
Evening, Susan Minot
I referred to this book in an earlier entry--my final position on this book is
The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta
Good read, though a bit too similar to Little Children; I guess that's because of the suburban setting? I felt the story took too long to come to any fruition and that if the whole job reassignment thing had happened earlier in the story, there may have been better, greater conflict with better, greater resolutions. Overall, not a total waste of time. So, that's good.
Atonement, Ian McEwan
The movie is going to BLOW because this book... Trite but awesome. And trite because, well, there's a twist at the end. But that twist is executed in such a way that you are left spinning, reeling, untwisting. Upon finishing this novel, all I could think of was how it reminded me of Hazzard's Transit of Venus. It's masterfully brilliant. I will be reading more of McEwan soon.
Letting the Body Lead, Jenn Crowell
Crowell alternates between NYC and Iceland in this graduate-student-coming-of-age story, and that's actually a major distraction. The best parts of the book were the two chapters spent telling the tales of the younger guidance counselor (the inspiration for the student's eventual trip to Iceland) and the beleaguered grad student herself. The rest of it was choppy, though interesting. I felt like Crowell was trying to push some personal boundary with this novel, and some of the novel comes off as forced.
Alden Amos's Big Book of Handspinning, Alden Amos
Any spinner that wants to be worth his or her weight in cashmere needs this book. Even knitters could benefit from this book. BBH has not left my bedside table in almost a month. Lucky for me I got my own copy for Christmas--I can return the (I believe) sole copy to the library now.
A Free Life, Ha Jin
I hate to say it, but I think Jin reached his pinnacle with Waiting. Similar to The Pond, A Free Life just putters around a plot and doesn't go anywhere. Yes, the characters are struggling as refugees of Communist China, but the struggle is subdued, weak, and, well, boring. Jin repeats established story lines just a few times too often, which then makes those story lines less an established aspect and more an annoying twinge. I get it already--he's still in love with some woman that used him! Now, create another conflict and propose a fictional solution. Jin remains a few notches above Shreve, but I don't know that I'll be clamoring for his next novel.
A Secret Word, Jennifer Paddock
A quirky story that's balanced between three mismatched friends, thrown closer together the day the girls go out to lunch and unknowingly witness the death of a shared boyfriend. It had potential to go directly downhill, but instead, Paddock manages the three lives of these girls without faltering. Where Crowell failed, Paddock succeeds creating a palpable non-linear story that is neither overbearing nor underdeveloped. Her first novel, I'm eager to read more of her writing.
Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
I've seen this book in bookstores and on display at other libraries and didn't feel drawn to it. Then, last week, it sort of just jumped into my bag and came home with me. A seedy, realistic portrayal of what goes on inside, outside, and in-between the big top, this is more than a circus novel. Gruen deftly switches between present and past as Jacob's history is revealed and precious pages aren't wasted on revealing that which we already know (he does, indeed, get the girl). The meat of the story spans only 3.5 months, though at times it seems much shorter; and still, at other times, it feels like a decades-long epic. Very touching ending. I want to read more of Gruen's work and I wouldn't be surprised to see WfE made into a movie.
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Date: 2007-12-26 11:01 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-12-26 11:05 pm (UTC)From::-)
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Date: 2007-12-27 02:35 am (UTC)From:I loved Atonement, so I'm wary of the movie, but haven't decided whether or not to see it. I may wait and see what my aunt, who gave the book to me, thinks. I definitely want to read more McEwan over the next year; my aunt highly recommends Saturday.
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Date: 2007-12-27 02:18 pm (UTC)From:Part of me says I need to wait to read it though.. it was so hard on me watching it I can only imagine it would be harder to read it.
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Date: 2007-12-27 02:54 pm (UTC)From: