Summer Reading...Part Deux
Oh yes...more book reviews for you to savor. I need to clean out my files people. So here are a few more in case you are STILL searching for something to read.
I just finished this book this week. It looked so good. I couldn't wait to open it up and get reading. Plus, I have a thing for Iowa...and I've been to Ames. So how could I resist?
From www.thegirlsfromames.com:
"Meet the Ames Girls: eleven childhood friends who formed a special bond growing up in Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eight different states, yet managed to maintain an enduring friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, a child’s illness and the mysterious death of one member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the deep bonds of women as they experience life’s joys and challenges — and the power of friendship to triumph over heartbreak and unexpected tragedy."
I definitely enjoyed reading the story of these eleven women and how they created and maintained their strong and enduring friendship. Learning about each of the women and getting a glimpse at how their friendship has shaped them was fascinating. Especially since they all live in many different states now and have different life experiences. I think that is the beauty of this story...their ability to sustain their friendship over the years and to support one another in a daily way...via group emails, phone calls, and reunions. It is inevitable that you will compare yourself and your friendships to the girls in the book. It definitely causes you to think about your friends, past and present, and inspires you to nurture those friendships. It sure did for me.
A few things that kept it from being a 5-star book:
I didn't enjoy the writing. I felt there was too much of a presence of the author Jeffrey Zaslow. This absolutely did not happen with the other book he co-wrote with Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture, and it disappointed me.
Also, I particularly disliked the organization of the book. A story would be related and then "he" would explain to the reader the meaning of what we just read. I wanted to scream. Rarely are you allowed to draw your own conclusions. Show me!! Don't tell me!! This is a serious pet peeve of mine and his telling nearly drove me nuts. He also constantly interjected psychological and sociological facts. Even though some were interesting...the way it was done made for rough and choppy reading.
Finally, some of the girls did not get as much "page time" as others and that was unfortunate. I finished the book "knowing" some of the girls better than others and some that I did "know" I didn't especially like.
That said, I did actually enjoy the book. Enough so that I went to the website for updates on the "Girls from Ames" and will probably check in on them again. And...if the author decides to write a follow-up book ten years from now I would read it.
I think it would be a fun book club pick and discussion. You can even get one of the "girls" to call into your book club and answer questions for you. Cool huh?
My rating: Good
I actually read this last fall but never got around to writing up a review. It was a book club pick.
From Goodreads:"Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.
Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution."This book, while interesting, was what I will call a "slow burn". It took a while for me to get into it regardless of the intriguing subject matter and the fact that I was reading it autumn which should have really added to the atmosphere of enjoyment but didn't. The story took quite a while to get moving, in the meantime, you are subjected to a taste of Puritanical life in the 1600's and it's underlying gloom. I found myself multiple times being so relieved not to have lived during that particular era.
The characters also are a slow burn...knowing the outcome before hand...I didn't really want to invest much into them for the first half of the novel. Once things start happening though I was invested.
My interest was piqued by the complicated relationship between Sarah Carrier and her seemingly stern and undemonstrative mother, Martha. The evolution of their relationship as they are forced to stand together in the face of despair, extreme injustice, and the mother's strength of conviction and courageous defiance was extremely well written.
I was disappointed that the author did not go into more detail about the history after the Salem Witch Trials and the mysterious book that had to be hidden. I also thought that the format of a letter from Sarah to her granddaughter did not fully flesh out...why do it that way and then not give us something more at the end.
I was left wanting ...especially as the author is a descendant of Martha Carrier.
Additionally, the author makes numerous references to the mysterious past of the father...and why the people fear him and are reluctant to include him in their accusations...even Martha herself has the answers... but his back story never fully gets told. I felt the father's story could have been better developed.
***Wait! I just found out that Kathleen Kent's new book, The Wolves of Andover, is a prequel to
The Heretic's Daughter and tells the story of Martha Carrier meeting Tom and his complicated past. Hmmm...no wonder the author was so vague. But now for the real question...do I care anymore?***
My last issue...the little sister. I hated what happens to her. Ugh. I was invested in her from the beginning and felt let down at the end. Give us a reunion or something to end the gloomy book on a high note.
In conclusion, I thought it was an interesting portrayal of the dark side of human nature and of mass hysteria but not quite up to par with
The Crucible...which I loved.
My rating: Interesting
Another book from last fall that I never got around to reviewing. I LOVED IT!! This was not my first reading of the book. I read it in high school in my British Lit class...BEST CLASS EVER. Who cannot enjoy this book given it's origin? Mary, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and a few others are all hanging out at a villa on Lake Geneva during the summer of 1816 and having been inspired by a reading of
Fantasmagoriana, a collection of German ghost stories and Lord Byron famously utters:'"We will each write a ghost story..." and his proposition was acceded to."' (from the author's introduction pg. vii)
Hello! I'm in. That captured my attention right away as a high school student with a love for Lord Byron (having written several papers on his dark and troubled genius) and he continues to enthrall me as an adult. Needless to say I found the book even more spectacular now and loved peeling away even more layers of symbolism. Truly the book is open to your own interpretation.
I loved the dark, brooding, and yet beautifully written romantic prose. I still marvel that Mary Shelley wrote this as a such a young woman and yet it has a depth and grasp of philosophical ideas on the nature of man that put the youth of today to shame.
The nearly unmentioned subtitle of the book, “The Modern Prometheus,”is not included in all versions of the book. It's many allusions are open to all kinds of interpretation...the most common is it's warning of the danger of man "playing God"...as technology still abounds at break neck speed and our quest for knowledge continues the novel still rings true.
On another level it is about the nature of man. Who is the monster? The creator or the creation? I love the look that it gives us of human nature at our most raw and basic form. How ironic that the "monster" is instinctively good until it suffers the pangs of alienation and is lead to commit his heinous crimes. It gives great insight into our society. It is how we treat one another...and the outsider...that matters. The novel can be interpreted on many levels and that is what makes it so thought-provoking and relevant.
I love the romantic period. I love a Gothic tale. I loved this...twice.
My rating: Excellent
I cannot even fully write or express my love of this series so why even try. If you haven't read the Outlander series...Do it now!! You have all summer to read "the books" as we call them around my house. 100% escapism at it's best.
My complaints...she only cracks out a book every four years. I've been reading this series for over 20 years. Over twenty years people!! That is a HUGE investment. Come on...I just want to know what happens to Jamie and Claire!! My other complaint...the good stuff is saved for the last 1/3 of an extremely long...although enjoyable...over 1,000 page book. She has done this for the past four books or so and then you are left hanging for another four years.
My rating: Excellent...but she could speed this series up a bit.
Well friends I leave you on a low note. I enjoy Glenn Beck. I really do. I enjoy listening to his radio program but I did not enjoy this book.
From goodreads.com:
"This novel by conservative pundit Glenn Beck centers its concatenations firmly around the Overton Window. What, you wonder, is the Overton Window? It is the political theory that proposes that the range of acceptable political ideas is widened by the introduction of new, less acceptable fringe ideas. "
The story is centered around the idea of the Overton Window.
From Wikipedia:
I think you can find examples of this very idea everywhere you look in today's world. I do feel that government and big business conspire to manipulate. This book tells the story of why and how that happens. That is it's one redeeming quality. The subject matter and ideas presented are interesting. Especially if you enjoy conspiracy theories and political intrigue. (I do.)
The bad part. It is horribly written. I do mean HORRIBLY written with uninteresting and stereotypical characters. The dialogue is painful. It seriously it made me laugh and not in a good way.
Stick to writing political non-fiction Glenn. You do not have the skills to write novels. If you can wade through the terrible writing...go for it...but I barely could. I couldn't wait for it to be over.
My Rating: Interesting subject matter...truly terrible writing.
I just finished this book. Why oh why do I do it? Why do I read celebrity memoirs? I never like them and I end up being seriously bugged by the actor/actress who wrote it. This one was no different.
and this movie:
I read this one and the one below for something to read with my kids.
I love sharing books with my children...the whole family for that matter...and I love it when I find something that all of us can enjoy aka The Harry Potter Series. This series...not so much. I think that if I didn't always compare everything to Harry Potter I might have liked the series more. I did love sharing mythology with my children...brilliant concept!! So although this series did not hold my attention, my children enjoyed the books and they are the intended audience...not me.
I enjoy the Pioneer Woman's blog and her recipes. They are really good. I wish this book was good but it isn't. I like a good love story. I enjoy finding out how people met and fell in love. But not for page after page of a cheesy novel. Yes, we get it. He is a hot cowboy...he has muscles...he looks good in his wranglers. But do we need to read it multiple times in every chapter? The writing is not great...her voice and personality come across better on her blog.
