November Book Review
Time flies when life is underway. Here we are, mid December, for the November book review.
I managed to read only two books in November. The first was an 800+ epic novel about the demise of mankind. The Passage, by Justin Cronin, was recommended to me by two friends who read very different things. So that piqued my interest.
If you’ve ever read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy you’ll understand when I say that I loved and hated The Passage in equal measure. Sometime in the not too distant future (2015, maybe?), a military experiment on humans goes awry (to say the least), and a dozen “virals” (basically, vampires) spread across the country, either killing people or transforming them. Flash forward about 100 years to a colony of descendants of people who survived the initial onslaught, making a life the best way they know how, wondering if there’s any way to take back what they once had.
I think the author is very clever in the use of the word “virals.” We are all sensitized to this word. Viral, virus, infections, antidotes – we live with this language in our daily life, and some general fear of what might happen if there was some sort of a “viral outbreak” that could not be contained. This book is less about the vampires and more about what life is like because of the viral outbreak. A clever way to induce a little anxiety and fear in real time.
And, one of the main characters is a young girl about the age of six. As the mother of a seven year old, this triggered anxiety on a number of levels. This was one of those books where I thought, “maybe I should put it down…” but was then so sucked in that I couldn’t.
The Passage is the first in a trilogy of books. The second, called The Twelve, will come out in 2012. It takes you back to the initial days, weeks, months and years after the outbreak. I’m sure I will read it with as much interest and dread as I read the first one.
My only other book in November was The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke. Talk about a change of pace. This work of children’s fiction is about a group of orphaned children who band together in Venice, to make a life the best way they can. The are led by a young man who calls himself the “thief lord”, who is much more than he makes himself out to be. They are chased by a detective who becomes their protector, and fall into an adventure that leads them to a much different and better life.
I have always enjoyed Cornelia Funke’s books. Dragon Rider is one of the best books ever – read it to your children, or have them read it if you haven’t already. And I loved the Inkheart series. But The Thief Lord didn’t hold the same power or magic as those other works. The characters were sweet, but the plot was fairly predictable.
On a related note, a friend introduced me to goodreads.com, and online book management system you can use not only to track what you’re reading, but also see what friends are reading (invite them to join!) and get recommendations of books similar to ones that you’ve liked. I’ve used shelfari.com for years, but have switched over to goodreads.com because of the recommendations piece. When I rate a book that I’ve read, it gives me recommendations for similar books. Check it out! And if you join, invite me to be your friend.
Happy reading to you over the holidays. Keep in touch: lori@alaskafamily.net.
October Book Review
Wow – it’s mid-November, and I’m just now getting around to the October book review. There’s a very good reason for this – a book called The Passage, by Justin Cronin. I started it late October, and just finished this 750+ page epic novel almost two weeks into November! Ah, but you’ll need to wait for the November book review for more details.
I read three books in October – three really interesting and different books. First up, Atonement, by Ian McEwen.
A friend saw this book in my possession and said, “oh no! You’re not really trying to slog your way through that book, are you?” Her comment didn’t surprise me at all. Because that’s really what the first 2/3 of the book felt like – one long, slog through literature. The pace was disturbingly slow, the detail, crushing. And then, well, the story picks up. And the detail you slogged through adds richness and depth to the remainder of the tale. The last few chapters were worth every second of time spent on the first dozen or more. I’m not really telling you what the book was about, but you can read reviews for yourself on Amazon. I highly recommend Atonement, and I hear there’s a pretty good movie based on the book.
I’ve been thinking about re-reading The Time Traveler’s Wife. I rarely re-read books, but something has compelled me to keep a copy of this book on my shelf. I started wondering if the author, Audrey Niffenegger, had written any other books. As it turns out, she wrote a novel that was published before The Time Traveler’s Wife. It’s called, Her Fearful Symmetry. This was the second book I read in October.
If you remember, The Time Traveler’s Wife stretches you to embrace some mystical concepts. Her Fearful Symmetry does the same. How do the bonds that connect us in this life bind us in the next? What lies beyond life? How do we “move on?” There are a lot of themes around the concept of moving on, which I thought were masterful. There’s a great line near the end: “Here it comes…here’s the future…and here it is again.” Ah, so true! I really liked this spooky, quirky book, perhaps more than The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Finally, I want to tell you about Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler. This was recommended to me during one of my “Hey! Whatcha reading?” facebook posts. A story about family dynamics, this book reminded me that people are complicated and life is messy, yet beautiful things come from it if one can only make the time and space to see those things. Anne Taylor has written a lot of books, and I find that I am often polarized in my reviews of her work. I absolutely loved The Accidental Tourist. I did not enjoy Back When We Were Grownups. But I have to say that Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant goes in the “like” column for sure. Thanks, Lisa!
Got a recommendation? Want to share your thoughts on any of the books I mentioned here? Email me at lori@alaskafamily.net. I love sharing book thoughts!
September Book Review
I correspond with many of you on the subject of “what we’re reading.” I love swapping book ideas, and many of you have provided me with great recommendations. So I thought it might be fun to blog a little bit about my recent reads.
I’m not sure what happened in September, but I got a lot of reading done. I don’t usually read four books in one month. Here’s a recap with some brief, non-spoiler reviews.
I’m a fan of Ann Patchett, so imagine my surprise when I found a work of nonfiction by the famed author of Bel Canto and other terrific works of fiction. As it turns out, Truth & Beauty is not her only memoir, but the first I’ve read. It’s a story of her friendship with author and poet Lucy Grealy. Theirs was a fierce friendship, but Lucy’s story is not a happy one. And as it turns out, Lucy has her own memoir, Autobiography of a Face. I read that after I read Truth & Beauty. And if you choose to read both stories, I recommend that you read them in the same order. Lucy’s memoir is mostly focused on her younger years, from the time she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma, which claimed her jaw (and years of her life) through her college years. Ann’s memoir picks up from college through adulthood. While my recommendation is to read them out of order chronologically, I think Ann’s description of Lucy’s adult life lends the reader a different perspective of Lucy’s portrayal of her childhood. I recommend both books.
Next up was my book club book, The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman. The subject matter was relevant and interesting – a failing newspaper in the 21st century. It has a whole host of interesting characters. And if you’re a fan of short stories, this is a book for you! Because although this is billed as a novel, it feels more like a series of short stories. My book club gave it middle-of the-road ratings, and I feel about the same.
My final book of September was a doozy – over 600 pages – The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Kings and queens, war, family, betrayal, murder, sex, intrigue. This book has it all – over 600 pages of it all! It’s always fun to read the interview with the author at the end and understand how she pieced together the history and the fiction. Did I mention it was over 600 pages? I read about half it in two days – got really sucked in. And then it just got a little long. But overall, a good read.
October is gearing up to be a fascinating month, so stay tuned. And stay in touch! If you have books you’d like to recommend or want to share your thoughts on any of these books, please email me at lori@alaskafamily.net.