Book Review: The Eyre Affair

April 16, 2007

Blech. That's what I have to say about this book by Jasper Fforde. I made myself read it, because I kept thinking it must get better. I read so many Book Bloggers who gave The Eyre Affair good reviews, that I thought there must be something redeeming in it eventually. But, boo. It nearly bored me with too much trying-to-be-clever-ness. The Time Traveler's Wife just handles the whole concept of time travel in such a superior, engaging fashion. I probably would have liked this when I was in my very early 20s, as I thought it was fun to read books that were like a game of wit-matching. Now I laugh at things like, "Mommy, what would happen if I were an evil bunny with red eyes?" Give me a good story. I'm just not in a clever season of life.

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

April 12, 2007

So it goes.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1922-2007

"To whom it may concern: It is springtime. It is late afternoon." Literary giant Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., died today at the age of 84. He was the author of such classics as Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. I became obsessed with Vonnegut in my senior year of college, and I even did an entire independent study class on him. I read every single novel and collection of Vonnegut. I began speaking like him and writing like him. I filled notebooks with his quotations, underlined and starred his works, and urged my friends to read him. I wanted desperately to meet him. I felt, in fact, as if I knew him quite well. He was a profound satirist and an acute reader of human nature. I believe he lived in a constant state of perplexity that humans could have so much beauty and so much cruelty. Kurt Vonnegut wasn't for everyone. Some were appalled by his brusqueness and his often disgusted assessment of humans. To me, he was the voice that spanned many generations.

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center. "

Book Review: The Myth of You and Me

April 6, 2007

April is a good reading month thus far. I love this book by Leah Stewart. The story revolves around Sonia and Cameron, whose 8-year friendship came to an abupt and painful end many years before the story begins. Chapters go between past and present, as the mystery of their history is revealed and the present-day story unfolds. For me, this novel reflected one of those terrifying questions: what would my life be like without my best friend(s)? What does it take to end a friendship? And can you ever fix things? My assessment: good characterization, good dialogue, good story line.

Book Review: When Crickets Cry

April 4, 2007

This was our Book Club selection for April, and I absolutely loved this second novel by Charles Martin. I needed to read 3/4s of it Monday in order to be done for last night's Book Club meeting, and that was pure luxury. (After our day of enrichment classes, I felt totally justified in reading for the rest of the day and evening.) The first 60 pages were somewhat confusing, and we all agreed that he made a few mistakes in his opening chapters; however, as this is his second novel, we allowed Mr. Martin those mistakes because this was just an awesome story of redemption and renewal. Martin's dialogue was good (always a big point for me) and his characters likeable and familiar. I absolutely recommend this book and will search out his first and third books now, as well.

Book Review: The Children's Blizzard

March 30, 2007

It is impossible for those of us who live in mild regions to imagine a storm like the blizzard of 1888, as described by David Laskin in this book. After 5 years in Iowa and 18 in upstate New York, I still can't grasp the ferocity of weather that attacked the Dakotas and other prairie regions in this famous blizzard. Laura Ingalls Wilder actually does a much better job of describing life with constant blizzards in The Long Winter. Laskin spends too much time for my taste on technical weather facts and the ins-and-outs of the Signal Corps. The book is titled The Children's Blizzard because of the hundred or so children who were lost in the blizzard on their way home from school. I'd rather have read more about the families and less about "the vagaries of forecasting." Still, this is an interesting book, which potentially could have been a fascinating book (and might be for someone who is interested in the technical parts of weather).

Book Review: New Stories from the South, 2006

March 20, 2007

I used to be a voracious reader of short stories. Now I generally only consume this genre with the annual New Stories from the South collection, which Randy present to me on my birthday each year. (At this point, Dr. H. is singing "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof in his head--please don't sing out loud in your office, honey!) I don't know why I don't seek out short story collections more often. The short story is an amazing art form and exceedingly difficult to produce well. When I was in graduate school, I had a short-story workshop for one semester with the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley. It was pure torture. She was probably laughing her head off at my feeble attempts to incorporate all the elements of a short story into my pathetic slices of life. (More likely, she was scoffing in a dismissive sort of way.) I sure am glad I only had to take that for one semester! But anyway, I am always determined to read more short stories after finishing this annual collection. It's good for my brain to venture outside of my favored novels every now and then!

Book Review: Queen of Sheba

March 10, 2007

This is the final book in Roberta Kells Dorr's trilogy about the house of David. As I've said in my other two reviews, Dorr does an excellent job of filling out historical and archaeological research. This is the story of the Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon, which takes about a paragraph in the Old Testament. I enjoyed this trilogy very much (although I'm ready to move onto something else now)!