Here's the book list. I didn't add authors because I'm lazy, and I didn't feel like it. I can't remember who wrote what, anyway. Mostly, I read a lot of books with pictures this month, but I enjoyed it. Hopefully you do, too.
Strata: This was an early Pratchett novel that really had much more to do with the origins of earth and the existence of faith than I expected. It was very interesting because it followed three characters who came from a society where extraordinarily long life was almost a given due to scientific advances in gene therapy. They visit what I can only believe was the prototype for his disk world novels. These three characters come from a society that builds planets. I was fascinated. It was remarkably serious for Pratchett.
Persepolis: This began my graphic novel month. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time. It's a graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. I found it incredibly accessible, and it was a unique story.
Me Talk Pretty One Day: This is a collection of essays by David Sedaris. Most of them center around speech or "voice" (which I am using in the literary sense), whether it be about his early speech impediment, his time doing performace art while on drugs or his move to France and his language acquisition challenges. The stuff about France and him trying to learn French was pretty funny, particularly the line "I see you again yesterday." It's all about how he has the vocabulary of a small child in France and how everybody views him as a stupid foreigner. It was fantastic.
Creature Tech: This was another graphic novel recommended to me as a nice follow-up piece to Blankets from last month. Creature Tech is all about finding faith, and as far as my limited thinking capacity today can tell, living for other people and accomplishing something greater than professional success. I liked it. I wish there was more.
Anne of Avonlea: I liked this a lot, but it is, once again, a chick flick of a book. It's all about Anne teaching school in her home town, and it never fails to make me homesick.
Anne of the Island: This book had a little more spice than the first two in the series. It's all about Anne's days at college and how most of the women from her hometown discourage her. It's also about her finding the love of her life (after spending a good deal of time being stupid about it). I would have to say that this is my favorite "Anne book" so far.
The Christkindle's Gift: I am rather embarrassed to admit I read this bok, but I am keeping a precise list, so admit it I shall. This is a book my grandma gave me for Christmas. Like every book my grandma has ever given me for Christmas, with the exception of David Balfour and Black Beauty, it is a Christian romance novel. Nuff said. When I was sixteen, this was not a problem, but now they make me want to vomit. I could elaborate on the holes in the plot, the errors in the history, the lack of a credible setting, the preachy tone, and the little "lessons" that are clearly an agenda, but you should probably know that already. It was not as bad as some Christian romance, and I always read them and tell my grandma I loved them because I don't want her to feel badly.
Same Difference: This was another graphic novel, and I agree with the person who recommended it to me (yay Carl!). The title story is incredibly good and focuses on returning to your home and finding everyone the same or different in the same way they always were. Basically, it's about being 20 something and regrets and the lack thereof and forgiveness. It's also about being an Asian American. The rest of the book is pretty hit and miss. Most of the rest of it comes off as sort of whiney, but the title story is worth the read.
Mind Riot: This graphic novel is a collection of various artists' reflections on adolescence. It was pretty interesting. Some selections were better than others, but all had an introduction by the author, so you wound up getting a good background understanding of why someone would make a particular choice. I think the look inside the minds of the authors wound up being my favorite part of the whole book.
Only You Can Save Mankind: This is another Pratchett number that reminded me a lot of Ender's Game, and myabe this is what he is trying to spoof. In fact, I think so because the next one in the series is Johnny and the Dead (e.g. Speaker for the Dead from the Ender series). It's part of Pratchett's young readers collection, and it's about this kid who's playing a video game only to find out that he's fighting real aliens who then surrender to him. He has to find a way to save them from the other gamers. It was, once again, rather serious for Pratchett. It has some pretty funny moments, and I really liked the dream sequences.
Well, kids, that's it for the reads. Feel free to share your own in the comments.
Posted by LoWriter at February 1, 2006 03:27 PMi love david sedaris! check out Naked next... i was rather disapointed with his later stuff, mostly cuz i had been reading the New Yorker frequently enough to have caught 80% of the stories published in the most recent books, and also b/c he turns into more of an unattractive cynic instead of the loveable cynic i gaffawed with in Naked and MTPOD.
i'll have to check out Same Difference. can i borrow it from you?
my list for january:
memoirs of a geisha by arthur golden
i really enjoyed this book. GREAT story/plotline and details. exactly as it sounds: an old woman "recounts" her story of becoming a geisha in old kyoto. now i need to catch the movie and make fun of the fact that they have chinese actresses playing japanese women...
anne of green gables by l. m. montgomery
i'm behind lo, but who cares!!?? i love the anne books, and am happy to have discovered them on iTunes as audiobooks. i love this book cuz it makes me remember my own childhood and how much i used to live in my imagination.
the girl in the flammable skirt by aimee bender
short story collection. very surreal stories, bordering on hallucinatory sci-fi. some were absolutely wonderful and poignant. some were so-so. if you want a fabulous, out-there read, check it out.
the jane austin book club by karen joy fowler
i had heard fowler's name thrown around my office for years, and i figured i should check her out. this book is written in an austinesque form, with austenisque characters and an austinesqe plot, on purpose. it pulls it off alright, but as a person who was never a true austin fan, it was a bit boring. good character development, though, and a happy ending.
The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal. Everyone should read Stendhal at some point in their life. I liked how in this translation the main character's name is spelled "Fabrizio" and it made me think "Febreze-eo." Also, it would be nice if the folks behind Barnes & Noble Classics could maybe try copyediting the books they print.
The Age of Wire and String by Ben Marcus. Very weird collection of "stories." "The Food Costumes of Montana" was the moment when I decided for sure that I liked the book.
Agile Web Development with Rails. Less said about this one the better--good for what it is but not that exciting.
On the Pleasure of Hating by William Hazlitt. Somehow I thought the title essay would be lighthearted and fun. It wasn't. On the other hand I was surprised to find his political essays held far more contemporary relevance than I'd have imagined.
And, while technically not a book, I finally got a copy of Sufjan Stevens' Come on Feel the Illinoise. It's one of the most astonishingly wonderful albums I've ever heard.
Posted by: the happy few at February 2, 2006 02:42 PMMake sure to check out "The Watchmen." a truly facinating graphic novel.
Posted by: rhett at February 2, 2006 08:58 PMI think Lo has already read The Watchman, but I could be wrong.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
(sorry if I spelt the Author's name wrong) A good read, albeit not as good as Harry Potter, although probably as good as the worst Harry Potter book (you know who you are #6). I am not going to explain what happens in these books, it's a pretty simple prozaic story which takes a lot from LOTR and Dragonriders of Pern. If you've read both of these, you will probably guess most of the plot 'twists'.
Eldest, sequel to Eragon, as the author was older this is a better read and slightly more imaginative. However, I would like to point out that I can tell how old the author is in both these books, probably because I've been through those time periods in my life and they DEFINETLY reflect both of them. Also again NOT surprised by most of the plot twists. Enjoyable fluff read.
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
Hilarious! I had been wanting to read this for a while and got it for Christmas. She takes on making all the reciepes out of 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child' and wrote a blog while she was doing it. This is more of a narritive of her life during that time, she does use the f word regularly, which personally I do find hilarious. Especially when she talks about how people on her blog complained about her using the F word and how they always used asteriks to say it (ie why do you have to say f*** so much?) Ok maybe this is funnier if you have read the book, but it is a definate reccommended reading.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
I didn't read this because I had already seen the movie, I read it because it was reminded me of Lo when I read the back cover. (you must never double cuff the pants. It's tacky. There will never be a time when this will not be tacky.) Doesn't that remind you of Lo? Perhaps I am the only one. It sure made me miss growing up though, a good book for girls of all ages (boys probably not so much).
That's it!
Posted by: 10lees at February 3, 2006 09:50 AMok, who hasnt read the watchmen yet?? huh? how many am i buying for birthday presents this year??
Posted by: dr gonzo at February 3, 2006 12:57 PMI have not, in fact, read the Watchmen although I have heard good things from numerous people. I really do want/need to read it.
I also wanted to read Julie and Julia.
I wish I had written a book called the Pleasure of Hating. That's just such a kick ass title. Also, I have heard phenomenal things about Feel the Illinoise, so I consider it book list worthy.
Finally, yay on reading Anne of Green Gables. Now I don't feel like such a loser. Once, in DT's class, he asked us all to tell what we had read over the summer, and I said that most of my reads had been "pretty light and fluffy." He was not ammused. Not everybody gets me.
Posted by: Lo at February 3, 2006 03:22 PMyeah, he did that to me too. but what else are you going to read over the summer when during the school year you read at least one heavy classic novel a week, plus essays and whatnot. your brain needs a break!
Posted by: dr gonzo at February 4, 2006 11:22 AMI'm pretty sure DT's brain never needed a break a single day in his life. That man was so dull. That's the only class that I kick myself over daily. Why why why didn't I take contemp lit instead???
Posted by: Lo at February 6, 2006 07:55 AMyeahhhhh, joey was way better... ;o)
Posted by: dr gonzo at February 6, 2006 10:03 AMHands down. Is that even a contest? I'll never forget how Joey used to come in reading something out loud, throw all his stuff on the table, and continue reading until the end of his passage and then look up with this satisfied smile and tell us why the passage was amazing.
I loved those classes.
Posted by: Lo at February 7, 2006 02:27 PM