Fish, by L.S. Matthews suffers from a case of non-identification. You have no idea if the author is male or female (the copy I had from the library didn’t have the usual dust jacket with information about the author), and you have no idea whether “Tiger”, the main character, is male or female. For some reason, this bothered me. The book’s simple enough: a family of aid workers in a war-torn country need to get out and into a country friendly to their country (the countries aren’t identified, either), the border’s closed at one entry and so they have to climb over a mountain to another entry. The fish of the title is one Tiger picked up and carries throughout the journey. Which actually doesn’t take too long. Or is too hard. It’s not a walk in the park, but it’s not really devastating either. I think the book was supposed to be written as a metaphor for hope and faith and resilience. But I just didn’t get it.
Author: booknutgirls
E. L. Konigsburg
On Amira’s recommendation, I checked out a couple more of E. L. Konigsburg’s books from the library. Sometimes I wonder how I miss this stuff…
I really liked both books — A View from Saturday and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth. But I think I liked Saturday better. It’s a good little story about kindess and change and discovery. Worth the Newbery it won. Elizabeth is an interesting, if a bit unusual, story about friendship. I really liked the end.
Life of Pi
Every once in a while, you read a book you can truly call absolutely fabulous. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel was one of those, at least for me. A simple story: 16-year-old Pi and his family, and some of their zoo animals, are on a cargo ship headed from Pondicherry, India to Canada, where they planned to immigrate. The ship sinks. Pi find himself in a lifeboat with an injured zebra, an orang-utan, a heyena and a Bengal tiger. The tiger finishes off the other animals, and Pi finds himself alone with the tiger. And survives. For 227 days. The introduction to the story has a character saying the story will “make you believe in God.” I’m not sure about that. It did engross me, thrill me, amaze me and fill me with wonder. I couldn’t put it down.
Historical Fiction
I’m generally an escapist reader; I tend not to read to learn. Historical fiction is a good compromise: good stories to satisfy that side of me, while I feel like I’ve “learned” something in the end.
The Great Turkey Walk and Oh, Those Harper Girls!, Kathleen Karr
Fun little books, set in Texas. I liked Turkey Walk better.
The Examination, Malcom Bosse
Perhaps it’s my interest (however vague) in China, but I really liked this book. The plot is essentially two brothers traveling to the state-run examinations. It doesn’t sound very exciting, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s well-written, the history is interesting (if one was ever vaguely interested in Confucian or Taoist thought, this is a good book), and the ending is just perfect (which says a lot).
Mary, Bloody Mary, Carolyn Meyer
A good bit of historical fiction. Interesting characters, interesting plot, well told.
The King’s Fifth, Scott O’Dell
A fascinating story about Spanish explorers in America and their obsession with finding gold. Really interesting and really well-told.
When My Name was Keoko, Linda Sue Park
About Korea during World War II, while it was occupied by Japan. Not a whole lot of story, but I was fascinated by the details of life in Korea during the occupation. (Russell didn’t find it interesting at all, though.)
An Acquaintance with Darkness, Ann Rinaldi
Good historical mystery, set right after the Civil War. Deals with “body snatching” by the physicians at the time and their desire to know the anatomy of the body.
The Coffin Quilt, Ann Rinaldi
Set in the hills of West Virginia and Kentucky and looks at the Hatfield-McCoy feud in the 1880s. I didn’t know anything about this feud (though Russell had heard of it), but the book was a fascinating look on grudges, revenge and hatred and what it can do to a family.
The Outlandish Knight, Richard Adams
Interesting, though I got lost with all the detailed English History.
Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood
Fascinating story about a convicted murderer and the “reason” why she killed. Based on a real case in the 1800s.
Pop Fiction
Pop Fiction: anything that makes the NY Times best seller list. I hardly ever read them. Too many books I’ve haven’t read yet that are so much better.
Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
A note on Dan Brown: he’s not a good writer. I think one ends up liking the first book you read by him, and then realizing that he’s a bad writer and can’t even tell a decent story. I liked this one because I read it before DiVinci Code. It’s a decent thriller, but not a good book.
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
An interesting tale of a Geisha in post-WWII Japan. Been too long since I’ve read it to really remember much, though I do remember liking the book.
A Painted House, John Grisham
A pretty accurate telling of the life of a cotton farmer in Arkansas. I read this because it takes place where we live right now. The only real complaint is that his 7-year-old narrator doesn’t act like a 7-year-old (he acts like he’s 11 or 12). But other than that, it’s a good story decently told.
The Nanny Diaries, Emma MacLauglan and Nora Kraus
Not an especially good book, but a guilty pleasure. Made me feel superior to all those snobby rich New York people because I, at least, am a good mom.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
A good premise: the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch’s point of view. Turns out the Wizard and the Witch of the East were the “wicked” ones because both abused their power. Anyway, it kind of gave out to the end
when he had to fit the story to the original.
America’s Women
Every so often, I read a non-fiction book that entertains me while it educates. America’s Women by Gail Collins was one of those. It’s a basic portrait of women’s lives from pre-colonial times to the present. Yes, she highlights the women who made names for themselves — Elizabeth Stanton, Abigial Adams, Annie Oakly, Eleanor Roosevelt — but this book is so much more than that. It’s a view of what life was like for a Puritan woman, or a Victorian woman, or a slave woman, or an immigrant woman. It made me very glad that I didn’t give birth in the early 19th Century. I admired those who endured hardships, who tried to make the world a better place. It reminded me of the need to keep journals and correspondence with other women. Most of all it made me proud to be a woman. An excellent book.
Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Truth be told: I’m a geek. I’m one of the few women I know (I run in a limited circle here in Jonesboro) who loves the Lord of the Rings, who will read science fiction and fantasy and books about magic and not think it’s weird or unusual. After I went through an Agatha Christie phase in junior high where I read everything she wrote (or at least everything the library had), I discovered fantasy. I was hooked. (At one point, I was reading all the Star Wars/Star Trek fan fiction. Thankfully, I realized it was a huge waste of time.) I read to escape (I’ve said that before) and sci-fi/fantasy is one of the best means to escape real life.
Books that aren’t here that I’ve read in the past, but need to re-read: Douglas Addams Hitchhiker’s series; the Isaac Asimov Foundation series, Moreta by Anne McCaffery, and probably many others that I can’t think of right now.
Deerskin, Robin McKinley
Read this ages ago, so I don’t really remember what it’s about. I do remember that she used new-agey Goddess healing as a plot device, and that I liked it (it’s Robin McKinley, after all).
Dragonflight and Dragonquest, Anne McCaffrey
The first two of the Pern dragon series. And they’re quite interesting — good storylines, heroic adventures. The final book, White Dragon, sucked. I think you can get away with reading the first two of the series and not finish it out…
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula LeGuin
Many people really like this book. I just found it to be so-so. I tried reading the second book in the series and was bored.
Four Ways to Forgiveness, Ursula LeGuin
Interesting. But not what I was expecting.
The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula LeGuin
I think, out of all the books I’ve read by her, I like this one the best. She is good at not giving you quite what you expect out of a science fiction book, but it’s still intriguing. This one is about power and the abuse of it,
under the guise of a hypnotherapist “helping” a patient who’s dreams really do come to pass. A good book.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Douglas Adams
A funny little book, though for the life of me, I don’t understand the ending.
A Long, Dark, Teatime of the Soul, Douglas Adams
Another “Dirk Gently” book – better than the first one, I think. Funnier, and the ending makes sense this time.
Curses, Inc. and Other Stories, Vivian Vande Velde
An amusing collection of “witch” stories (though I think I would call them “spell” stories). My favorite was “To Converse With the Dumb Beasts”.
The Silver Crown, Robert O’Brien
My niece Sarah recommended this to me, and I found it to be a very interesting premise. It’s not very often that the magical and the real are intertwined so believably.
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories, Robin McKinley
Good fantasy short stories. Includes ones based upon The Hero and the Crown.
Spindle’s End, Robin McKinley
Great take on Sleeping Beauty
Redwall, Brian Jacques
I have to admit, I picked up this book because I was interested in the cartoon version they advertised on PBS several years ago. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book; I couldn’t put it down. I know there’s tons of books in the series, but I haven’t bee interested in reading any of the others.
Boy Books
Okay, so while I only have girls, I don’t only read books for girls about girls. I like a good action adventure and science fiction as well. Though, I have to admit, that the whole gender disction in books is pretty lame. A boy can like Little House on the Prairie (as my husband found out, though he never read it as a boy) as well as girls liking Dragon Lance or Isaac Asimov. Things are the way they are, though.
Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks
A great boys book. Good lessons on the value of life.
Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer
Not very well written (Harry Potter’s written better, and that’s not saying a whole lot), but the world he has created is fantastic. That, and it’s interesting to be rooting for the “bad guy”.
The House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer
From the cover and dust jacket description, I thought it would be kind of spooky-weird. But I was wrong. It’s about a boy – a drug lord’s clone, actually. In this future, clones are present, but considered beasts, a lower class than humans, and not to be touched, treated or accepted. The book follows the boys life from birth through age 14, and the adventures, trials and his… well, read it and find out. It’s a captivating book and the ending’s terrific.
Point Blank and Stormbreak, Anthony Horowitz
About a teenage “James Bond”esque, unwilling spy. The first book was super-cool: the “I just can’t believe this is happening!” type. The second was less so, and by the time the I read the third one, I had been there, seen that. A one-hit wonder series, but the first one is a lot of fun.
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
I never read this as a kid (again, it’s a “boy book”) but I sure had fun with it as an adult. It’s the classic pirate story; it’s a grand adventure!
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
I have to admit: I refused to read this as a girl because, well, it’s a “boy book”. When I did get around to reading it as an adult, I enjoyed the time I spent with this book thoroughly. It truly is a classic children’s story: adventure, mystery, greed, war, happy endings. What more can you ask for? (I’m going to try and encourage my girls to read this one… we’ll see how successful I am!)
The Darksword Trilogy, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman
One series I did read as a teenager… it’s okay, but not as good as I remembered it being.
Dealing With Dragons
I finished this a bit ago, but was waiting until I got around to finishing the rest of the series — it’s one of four books in The Enchanted Forest series by Patricia Wreade. However, I’ve gotten sidetracked by another book, and I figured I needed to type this one up before I forgot what I thought about it.
I liked it. A friend of mine years ago put this one in my hand and I remember liking it then, but I didn’t remember much else. It’s not a deep or profound book. The plot is: Princess Cimorene who hates being a proper princess and runs away to become the princess of a dragon. That’s about as deep as it gets. But if you know your fairy tales, it’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of references to all sorts of princess (and other) tales, and it’s also a good “strong girl speaking her mind and doing what she thinks rather than what she’s told” books.
By the way, my 8-year-old daughter thought it was great, too.
Messenger
A side note before I get to the book: I tried, during our last book group, to convince the women who come to read this book. I also tried to convince them that LOTR was not a “fantasy” book but rather a significant work of fiction, and history and a meaningful epic for our times. They kept responding, “But it has trolls and elves and magic, right?” “But it’s not ‘real’, right?” “I just don’t read that sort of stuff.”
Well, they’re missing out.
Messenger, by Lois Lowry, is a powerful, wonderful, simple, eloquent tale. It’s set in the same “world” as The Giver and is meant to tie that book and Gathering Blue (which I haven’t read, but will as soon as I find it) together in one cohesive story. My friend, Janice, thought highly of this book. She also thought highly of Lois Lowry, as do I. She’s one of those writer’s who surpasses the “good” label and makes it into the “I don’t think she’s ever written a bad book” category.
A highly recommended book. Even if you haven’t read The Giver and don’t like “made-up” worlds.
The Book Nut 