jessmonster's saturday review of books
A little hodgepodge this week. I recently realized that in the period of a week, I'd started and finished five books, and finished two others that I'd started earlier.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy won a Newbery Honor this year and was better than Kira-Kira, which won. Both dealt with some heavy issues, but this one captured my imagination in a way Kira-Kira could only dream of.
The Chocolate War - let's just say that I finally finished listening to it on tape. It was good but I never really liked it. I would, however, recommend it to people like my brother.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Enjoyed it like a nice slice of chocolate layer cake. My only real complaint is that it can't stand on its own. It is, of necessity, heavy on backstory and furthering the series at the expense of its own plot. Was there one? I'm not sure. Goblet of Fire, someone could pick that up and enjoy the story for its own sake and let the 'series plot' stuff go over her head. This one...well, it couldn't really be anything else. But CS Lewis, who gave us my all-time favorite series, still managed to make the books stand on their own. So it's not like it can't be done.
Holes. I guess I missed this one being in college. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can now recommend it at work, which is the excuse for all these books (shh, don't tell anyone).
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader - perfect for people who love books and love reading about people who love books. Favorite quote, after discussing PC translations of scripture and how clunky they are: "I'm not sure I want to be embraced by an Almighty with so little feeling for poetry."
An adult book! And here's another one! In the Currently Consuming Category:
Housekeeping - I love the language and style, but I don't feel compelled to keep reading. When I do, though, it's just right. And the library copy I have is very nicely thumbed through and curling up at the corners.
And back to the juv section with...Midnight for Charlie Bone. This is my 'listen to on the way to work' book and it's great for distracting me from traffic jams and crazy drivers. As the SLJ review says, "Many aspects of the book are not fully thought out, making it less compelling than it might be." But the characters are very appealing, and the reading is great - I hear the voice in my head constantly now.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy won a Newbery Honor this year and was better than Kira-Kira, which won. Both dealt with some heavy issues, but this one captured my imagination in a way Kira-Kira could only dream of.
The Chocolate War - let's just say that I finally finished listening to it on tape. It was good but I never really liked it. I would, however, recommend it to people like my brother.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Enjoyed it like a nice slice of chocolate layer cake. My only real complaint is that it can't stand on its own. It is, of necessity, heavy on backstory and furthering the series at the expense of its own plot. Was there one? I'm not sure. Goblet of Fire, someone could pick that up and enjoy the story for its own sake and let the 'series plot' stuff go over her head. This one...well, it couldn't really be anything else. But CS Lewis, who gave us my all-time favorite series, still managed to make the books stand on their own. So it's not like it can't be done.
Holes. I guess I missed this one being in college. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can now recommend it at work, which is the excuse for all these books (shh, don't tell anyone).
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader - perfect for people who love books and love reading about people who love books. Favorite quote, after discussing PC translations of scripture and how clunky they are: "I'm not sure I want to be embraced by an Almighty with so little feeling for poetry."
An adult book! And here's another one! In the Currently Consuming Category:
Housekeeping - I love the language and style, but I don't feel compelled to keep reading. When I do, though, it's just right. And the library copy I have is very nicely thumbed through and curling up at the corners.
And back to the juv section with...Midnight for Charlie Bone. This is my 'listen to on the way to work' book and it's great for distracting me from traffic jams and crazy drivers. As the SLJ review says, "Many aspects of the book are not fully thought out, making it less compelling than it might be." But the characters are very appealing, and the reading is great - I hear the voice in my head constantly now.
posted by Jess at 8:54 AM
1 Comments:
I adore that Anne Fadiman book. The chapter when she admits that she didn't feel fully married to her husband until they merged book collections was great. If you like her style of writing, check out her other book (only one I know of), The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Really compelling book about cultural barriers to quality healthcare (I know, it doesn't sound compelling but it is.)
And I felt the same way about Housekeeping. It got so much hype after her new book was published that I expected to just devour it, and it was just a well-written little book that didn't do a whole lot for me.
Am only 9 chapters into HP but I agree with you so far.
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