I didn't care for this. I felt like the story was really about drinking and eating in restaurants. The author took great care to tell us where the characters went and what they drank. It reminds me of Holden Caufield all grown, and wasting his life in bars and cafes.
Old Man
Amazing. The terse style used in all of his novels actually works when the character is a poor, undereducated old man who spends most of his time alone. Poor old man; at least he got proof of his white whale.
Blooding
Crap! Don't read it. Extremely anticlimactic, with a tone better suited to a children's story (although the subject matter may not be).
I couldn't finish it. I got through the first 80 pages or so, and read about how Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people began. But really, he hates everything. I just started the part about how horrible parliament is, but also how horrible the government would be without parliament. There are tirade against poor and young and old. It's upsetting to read, and it's written in a style that is difficult to follow and full of its own self-importance. In short, it's a train wreck, and I am amazed that anyone who reads this can find it insightful (unless we are speaking of insight into schizophrenia).
(which means huge underwater sea creature, or something "immense in size and power")
I felt like I could follow where the author was drawing his inspirations, and unlike reading James Joyce, it was easier to follow (and I didn't feel like I was constantly missing allusions). The story was eloquently written, and really beautiful.
Typical Vonnegut writing style, jumping back and forth and explaining the story only in pieces. This novel focused on the minute chances that lead to adaptation, and it was like pulling teeth to get the story to continue.
Amazing! There is a wholeness to this story that many of the other recent SF books I've read were lacking despite similar subject. Not to say that all the loose ends were tied, but there was a sense of completion at the ending. His idea of the Gestalt human is one I haven't come across before, but reminds me of my studies of invertebrate colonies (to an extent).
Golden Compass
I watched the movie first. It missed all the good parts! This is in the same style as Harry Potter, but I really think this one is geared more towards the adult end of kid lit. Not nearly as predictable.
I've seen various version of the movie, but I think that reading gives more to the story, particularly at the end when everyone just "knew" information to which they couldn't actually be privy. I was irritated by all the bibliographical-type references; it really halted the flow of the story.
Demolished Man
A little too much like a true crime/detective novel, which I don't like and would never read on purpose. The science fiction portion was well thought out. It was difficult to follow the TP sessions of multiple peepers as they were artistically woven on the page, but that was obviously the point. Despite this book having won the first Hugo award, I don't see anything too special.
I've heard so much about this work over the year, and I did expect more. I often found the author repeating himself. Not knowing much about any history, let alone specific instances of what I consider small scale goings on in Italian principalities, I found most of the examples difficult to follow, and had to refer to the notes section too much.
Putting aside all of the history lessons and repetition, there are some interesting gems of wisdom that are well-reasoned. Not being a prince in any form, modern or historical, I find this book a little useless.
The first thing I noticed was the parallel between this and Homer's Odyssey. The dominant theme is of homecoming, and the characters include Homer, Ulysses, and Helen, all of whom live in Ithaca. The second thing I noticed was the language, after reading a chapter aloud. In more recent novels, people "say" things, and "reply" to things, and "answer" and sometimes a conversation is just recorded, without the extra trappings of who said what to whom. In this book, everyone "said" something. Unfailingly. I thought this might indicate the audience was actually meant to be children (confirmed along with the apparently simple plotline, subject matter, and short chapters), but I think it might be a reflection of the times (during WW2) or the characters themselves. Either way, the diction is simplistic and childish. But then the characters started long philosophical discussions about the meaning of life. All of these factors considered, I believe the author was trying to convey the homecoming theme, but also the coming of age of both characters and country.
Of all the novels I have read, this is the first I can remember being set in and around the first world war. I enjoyed the thick descripton of that event; the small unsavoury details complimented the actual plot line. The extent of the sexuality in the first few chapters almost made me blush! (I was expecting a novel only about the war, but I guess that was part of it as well.)
BNW Revisited
I've been waiting to read this for quite a long time, and it did not meet my expectations at all. I think it has something to do with the length of time elapsed between its writing and the present day. BNW "works" now because it is first and foremost a work of fiction. This novel was the author ruminating on what has and hasn't happened from his book. I wish he would have left a little more of the "why" out; his thoughts seemed to become a too little tangental and highbrow at points. I admit I was lost quite often, and had to return and reread the previous paragraph.
Childhood's End
Great utopian novel. An aspect of the genre I haven't come across before; the utopia being forced upon the citizens by an outside entity.
Don't Sleep
At times the author got too technical, and it was difficult for the linguistic laypeople like myself to read. But the anecdotes are funny and poignant, and I felt like despite all the technical info, I learned something from having read this.
The part that I disliked the most was the epilogue. Every loose end was tied up. It was like a high school movie, where each character is given a blurb that explains how their lives continued So and so did this. So and so were married, and have 2.5 children and a white picket fence. The story was about trying to rebuild after an apocalypse, and I think that loose ends and uncertainty would better suit that setting, because it would also provide hope. Interwoven through the story was the question of whether these people could learn from the mistakes of the former world, and become better. Does a tidy little package leave room for the same sort of hope?
Twilight (and its friends) was a great way to relieve the exam tensions. As a general rule, I try to avoid series. I know other people eat them up, but I like books that can stand on their own.
The Spirit is a good exploration of the relationship between culture and healthcare. So many points through the book, she used the phrase "And no one bothered to ask..." how or why the Hmong family was acting the way they were. It's incredible. I find fault with the way the author introduced the personal story of this one family interspersed with more general history. The personal story finished first, and I felt like the story was over halfway through! It could have been planned to have more symmetry (if that's the right word).
Buyology was terrible. I read the first two chapters, and only included it to warn people NOT to do the same. Th guy simply doesn't know how to write, and at times is too technical (with topics he doesn't seem to understand) while at other times is not technical enough, leaving a relatively informed reader confused. I doubt he considered his audience; people interested in this topic will generally be people with some prior knowledge. I was also irritated that he summarized his own and other people's research.
Everything is always doom and gloom with these Russians! It's amazing. And they feel the need to flesh out every single character to the fullest, regardless of their importance to the plot. As for the story itself, the character seemed so detached from what was happening, everything seemed to surreal. Or he would start feeling it all too much and become overly dramatic. I wish there was a balance, and I'm rating it a 4 out of my annoyance with the character's personality.
Subtle Knife
I love these stories!
Sun Also Rises
I didn't care for this. I felt like the story was really about drinking and eating in restaurants. The author took great care to tell us where the characters went and what they drank. It reminds me of Holden Caufield all grown, and wasting his life in bars and cafes.
Old Man
Amazing. The terse style used in all of his novels actually works when the character is a poor, undereducated old man who spends most of his time alone. Poor old man; at least he got proof of his white whale.
Blooding
Crap! Don't read it. Extremely anticlimactic, with a tone better suited to a children's story (although the subject matter may not be).
Mein Kampf
I couldn't finish it. I got through the first 80 pages or so, and read about how Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people began. But really, he hates everything. I just started the part about how horrible parliament is, but also how horrible the government would be without parliament. There are tirade against poor and young and old. It's upsetting to read, and it's written in a style that is difficult to follow and full of its own self-importance. In short, it's a train wreck, and I am amazed that anyone who reads this can find it insightful (unless we are speaking of insight into schizophrenia).
Leviathan
(which means huge underwater sea creature, or something "immense in size and power")
I felt like I could follow where the author was drawing his inspirations, and unlike reading James Joyce, it was easier to follow (and I didn't feel like I was constantly missing allusions). The story was eloquently written, and really beautiful.
Galapagos
Typical Vonnegut writing style, jumping back and forth and explaining the story only in pieces. This novel focused on the minute chances that lead to adaptation, and it was like pulling teeth to get the story to continue.
Idiot
Amazing! There is a wholeness to this story that many of the other recent SF books I've read were lacking despite similar subject. Not to say that all the loose ends were tied, but there was a sense of completion at the ending. His idea of the Gestalt human is one I haven't come across before, but reminds me of my studies of invertebrate colonies (to an extent).
Golden Compass
I watched the movie first. It missed all the good parts! This is in the same style as Harry Potter, but I really think this one is geared more towards the adult end of kid lit. Not nearly as predictable.
Carrie
I've seen various version of the movie, but I think that reading gives more to the story, particularly at the end when everyone just "knew" information to which they couldn't actually be privy. I was irritated by all the bibliographical-type references; it really halted the flow of the story.
Demolished Man
A little too much like a true crime/detective novel, which I don't like and would never read on purpose. The science fiction portion was well thought out. It was difficult to follow the TP sessions of multiple peepers as they were artistically woven on the page, but that was obviously the point. Despite this book having won the first Hugo award, I don't see anything too special.
Prince
I've heard so much about this work over the year, and I did expect more. I often found the author repeating himself. Not knowing much about any history, let alone specific instances of what I consider small scale goings on in Italian principalities, I found most of the examples difficult to follow, and had to refer to the notes section too much.
Putting aside all of the history lessons and repetition, there are some interesting gems of wisdom that are well-reasoned. Not being a prince in any form, modern or historical, I find this book a little useless.
Magician's Nephew
I've always loved Narnia storis, but had never even heard about this one until recently.
Human Comedy
The first thing I noticed was the parallel between this and Homer's Odyssey. The dominant theme is of homecoming, and the characters include Homer, Ulysses, and Helen, all of whom live in Ithaca. The second thing I noticed was the language, after reading a chapter aloud. In more recent novels, people "say" things, and "reply" to things, and "answer" and sometimes a conversation is just recorded, without the extra trappings of who said what to whom. In this book, everyone "said" something. Unfailingly. I thought this might indicate the audience was actually meant to be children (confirmed along with the apparently simple plotline, subject matter, and short chapters), but I think it might be a reflection of the times (during WW2) or the characters themselves. Either way, the diction is simplistic and childish. But then the characters started long philosophical discussions about the meaning of life. All of these factors considered, I believe the author was trying to convey the homecoming theme, but also the coming of age of both characters and country.
Birdsong
Of all the novels I have read, this is the first I can remember being set in and around the first world war. I enjoyed the thick descripton of that event; the small unsavoury details complimented the actual plot line. The extent of the sexuality in the first few chapters almost made me blush! (I was expecting a novel only about the war, but I guess that was part of it as well.)
BNW Revisited
I've been waiting to read this for quite a long time, and it did not meet my expectations at all. I think it has something to do with the length of time elapsed between its writing and the present day. BNW "works" now because it is first and foremost a work of fiction. This novel was the author ruminating on what has and hasn't happened from his book. I wish he would have left a little more of the "why" out; his thoughts seemed to become a too little tangental and highbrow at points. I admit I was lost quite often, and had to return and reread the previous paragraph.
Childhood's End
Great utopian novel. An aspect of the genre I haven't come across before; the utopia being forced upon the citizens by an outside entity.
Don't Sleep
At times the author got too technical, and it was difficult for the linguistic laypeople like myself to read. But the anecdotes are funny and poignant, and I felt like despite all the technical info, I learned something from having read this.
Eternity Road
The part that I disliked the most was the epilogue. Every loose end was tied up. It was like a high school movie, where each character is given a blurb that explains how their lives continued So and so did this. So and so were married, and have 2.5 children and a white picket fence. The story was about trying to rebuild after an apocalypse, and I think that loose ends and uncertainty would better suit that setting, because it would also provide hope. Interwoven through the story was the question of whether these people could learn from the mistakes of the former world, and become better. Does a tidy little package leave room for the same sort of hope?
But, Anne is Canadiana! It's an institution! How can you be well read if you don't count the charming children's story of a spunky orphan?
Twilight (and its friends) was a great way to relieve the exam tensions. As a general rule, I try to avoid series. I know other people eat them up, but I like books that can stand on their own.
The Spirit is a good exploration of the relationship between culture and healthcare. So many points through the book, she used the phrase "And no one bothered to ask..." how or why the Hmong family was acting the way they were. It's incredible. I find fault with the way the author introduced the personal story of this one family interspersed with more general history. The personal story finished first, and I felt like the story was over halfway through! It could have been planned to have more symmetry (if that's the right word).
Buyology was terrible. I read the first two chapters, and only included it to warn people NOT to do the same. Th guy simply doesn't know how to write, and at times is too technical (with topics he doesn't seem to understand) while at other times is not technical enough, leaving a relatively informed reader confused. I doubt he considered his audience; people interested in this topic will generally be people with some prior knowledge. I was also irritated that he summarized his own and other people's research.
Would you also count a book read if you saw the movie version?
For Crime and Punishment:
Everything is always doom and gloom with these Russians! It's amazing. And they feel the need to flesh out every single character to the fullest, regardless of their importance to the plot. As for the story itself, the character seemed so detached from what was happening, everything seemed to surreal. Or he would start feeling it all too much and become overly dramatic. I wish there was a balance, and I'm rating it a 4 out of my annoyance with the character's personality.