Without further ado, here is the list:
The Spiderwick Chronicles 1-4: These books are not worth listing seperately because they are at such a low reading level, but they are cute in places. I'm hooked on the story apparently, which is about three siblings who discover the world is full of fairies (and goblins and elves, etc.) through a field guide left behind by a relative. They're trying to be Lemony Snicket meets Harry Potter, and they're failing miserably, but it'll do for an audio book when I'm bored to death anyway. I'm hooked on finding out how they convince their mom that they are actually seeing fairies, but otherwise, I don't reccommend these.
Eldest by Christopher Paolini: This is the second in the Inheritance trilogy. It's getting better. You can tell the kid is maturing. It still relies a little too heavily on Lord of the Rings mythology, but it had some good surprising moments, and on the whole, I liked it better than the first.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: I finally, after years and years of trying, got through this book. It's fantastic. I liked it better than the movie, which I was addicted to, but it is pure sap. Excellent "chic flick" of a book. It's all about how Matthew and Marilla (brother and sister) adopt an orphan girl (instead of the boy they wanted to adopt). Very heartwarming for the winter months.
The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket: Book the Twelfth is the second to last book in the series (as indicated by the title). This was a very good book. It delves more deeply into whether or not the ends justify the means. It leaves me wondering who the heros of the books will end up becoming. It has all the old elements (Treachery, secrecy, Olaf, big words defined in humorous ways), but there's even more heart to this book than the others. Plus ten to the overall score of the series. I give this the dubious "honor" of best book I read this month.
That's it, kids. Feel free to share your own reads in the comments
Posted by LoWriter at December 1, 2005 02:48 PMThis was a good month for reading. of course, last month sucked, so i guess it's about time i made up for it. :o)
Mistress of Spices by Chitra Divakaruni
Lo said she loved this book. i say i dont like it that much. it was really "floaty" and fluffy. not very concrete and therefore, not much to sink my teeth into. i should have read it in the summertime b/c that's the sort of book it is: beach book. Tilo, a headstrong, talented indian woman is given magical powers through the many spices she sells in her store. this is a love story and a coming of age story. this gets an "Eh..." on the rating scale.
Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
another audiobook by romantic Ms. Binchy. she's a really good storyteller and i love long audiobooks on trips to and from IL & MN. a man and a woman (best friends) have thier lives turned upsidedown when they start up a catering business. lots of twists and turns, lots of characters to enjoy, the obvious enemy who takes all the heat and yes, a happy ending. i like maeve binchy's style, and the narrators always have irish accents. a definite "ahhhh" on the rating scale.
My Life by Bill Clinton
i didnt have a desire to read this when it came out. but it did fly off the shelves for weeks, so when a friend put it onto my brand new ipod, i took a listen. and i loved it. this is a really great book. i am not one for biographys, auto or not, but Clinton did an excellent job telling his story. he also narrates the audiobook, which really gave character to the whole thing. yes, he does gloss over some of his shortcomings (foreign affairs, ahem ahem) but he goes into great detail about whitewater and monica lewinski. i remember the clinton administration vaguely b/c i was only a teenager and very not interested in politics. but i do remember my dad yelling about this and that (he's a republican). listening to this book at this point in my life was a great way to interpret what my dad had been yelling about and how & why things turned out the way they did, politically. the other thing that surprised me was Clinton's respect for the bushs. with all the mudslinging that's going on, it was refreshing to hear a respectful account instead of a snide jab. mind you, it still doesnt change my opinion of Bush.... a great big "hoorah!" on the rating scale.
Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie
same guy who wrote Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. a chinese man who studied fruedian psychoanalysis in france for years comes back to china and consequently goes on a search for a virgin (he himself is a virgin). this is translated from chinese, and i think a lot of the humor was lost in the translation. i dont know much about chinese culture either. so i was confused half the time and most of the time, i thought mr. muo was a dumbass with no likeable qualities. "take it or leave it" on the rating scale.
and now, for more fluff:
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
you know the story. i have it on default audiobook for when i run out of things to think about during rush hour traffic. "i'm a sucker for good chick lit" on the rating scale.
The Mummy by Anne Rice
a mummy - Rameses II - comes to life. he is an intellectual and falls in love with the female protagonist. Rameses' old flame, cleopatra, comes to life to be his antagonist. wow is all i have to say. "it was an entertaining 2.5 hours that i'll never get back" on the rating scale.
hopefully i'll get better books for december. it's not looking hopeful yet: ishmael by David Quinn, a random paul wellstone book that i know is poorly written but i want to know more about him and whatever else gets shoved at me. maybe i'll actually remember to get my copy of the bahatva gita from lo this week?
Posted by: dr gonzo at December 2, 2005 01:55 PMWow! You did read a lot of books this month. They sound like some good picks.
I did love the Mistress of Spices. I'm sorry you didn't like it, but I stand by my opinion. I was very intrigued by her style. I liked how the spice names provided the structure for the book. The spice of the chapter title provides the "flavor" for that period of the main character's life. It reads much more like poetry than fiction, though.
To be fair, I was probably a sophomore or possibly junior in college when I last read it, and my tastes have changed considerably since then. Maybe I just didn't recognize it as fluff back then.
On the other hand, you will notice that I read a lot of fluff. There's too much depression, difficulty, and meloncholy in my real life to add more for entertainment purposes.
Posted by: Lo at December 2, 2005 02:46 PM