January 01, 2010 - Book List Part 3

Wish I could say that I was just so busying partying like it was 2009 that I just didn't have the time to post the final part of my book list, but the truth is I just forgot.  Here it is!

September, Part 2:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, 320 pages (*** ½, I didn’t know until I picked it up and saw the Newberry Award sticker that this was a “kid’s book,” but I think that’s a misnomer in the same vein as Harry Potter being a kid’s book. It’s not as in-depth as Harry Potter is (though there’s only one volume, so it’s hard to be as involved as HP), but the characters created are just as fantastical and yet believable. A baby escapes the house where his family has been murdered, crawling into the nearby graveyard where he is taken in by a childless couple who’ve been dead several hundred years, and through the power of the Gray Lady is given the Freedom of the Graveyard, allowing him to interact with the souls residing there, as well as the outside world when it comes calling, and it does, at various points throughout Bod’s (short for Nobody) life. I’ll admit that I got choked up at the ending.)

As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl by John Colapinto, 279 pages (***, In the late 1960’s, a circumcision went horribly wrong, and on the advice of one of the foremost sexual psychology experts in the world, a couple made the very difficult choice of raising one of their twins boys as a girl. The book chronicals the child’s experience from the beginning, culling memories, medical records, and medical journal articles for all sides of the story. But mainly the author relies on the narrative provided by the child affected, as he finally broke his personal silence, revealing himself to the world. The personal side of the story is just as fascinating as the medical protocol established because of it.)

Holding Out by Anne O. Faulk, 528 pages (*** ½, This is a reread from several years ago, but I saved it because it was so good. When the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court fails to be impeached by the U.S. Congress for abuse of his wife that leads her to suicide, Lauren Fontaine gets angry. Then she vows to get justice, enlisting the women of the United States to embark on a sex strike (borrowing from the Greek legend of Lysistrata) until the men who let Larry Underwood off see the error of their ways. The book is humorous, intelligent, and great look at just what sisterhood can do to change “feminism” from a theme of victimization back to power.)

The Good Nanny by Benjamin Cheever, 256 pages (** ¾, An interesting look at the power of guilt, suspicion, and racism and what the consequences of all three put together can be. A hard-working couple from NYC move to the suburbs, but in order to continue with their professional lives, they must hire a nanny to look after their two girls. The nanny appears too good to be true, and as such, the parents start to get suspicious of her, as well as resenting the affection the girls heap on her. What happens because of that is what takes this book from whiny to thought-provoking. When you feel threatened, what are you capable of causing to happen?)

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis, 384 pages (** ¾, As a child I used to play Scrabble with my parents and then make them leave the board as it was upon conclusion so that I could take graph paper and make crossword puzzles out of the completed game. If ever there was a word freak, it was me. Yet, having read this book, I realize now that I am completely normal and sane, as opposed to some of the characters, real-life people, that Fatsis introduces you to. The history of the game and the personal biosketches of the competitors are compelling, but the almost mathematical formulas used in constructing high-level competitive games and the long lists of words that you will only ever encounter on a high-level competitive game were tedious in their descriptions. As interested as I was in the subject of the book, it took a lot for me to slog through it.)

October:

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, 592 pages (*** ½), I’ll give Brown one thing: he can write a page-turner. I read The DaVinci Code a few years ago, so I was out of order, but it doesn’t really matter. The stories aren’t dependant upon each other. However, they are very reminiscent of each other. And now, knowing TDC is the second one, I can see some of the claims by people that it’s a retread. It is. You can see the same race to prove/disprove religion, the benevolent/helpful figure that turns out to be evil, or at least to have his own agenda. There’s even another guy in a wheelchair. I wish I’d read Angels and Demons first because I think it’s the better of the two in a lot of ways, not the least is that I like the main character, symbologist Robert Langdon, a lot more in this one.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, 320 pages (****, A must-read! The staccato and sometimes disjointed sentence structure and thought proceses of the characters might have thrown me off except for the fascinating story that Goolrick weaves. Robert Truitt, a rich man in a northern Wisconsin town, advertises for a “reliable wife” in a newspaper, and Catherine Land arrives, ready to claim the title of Mrs. Truitt and everything that entails. That Catherine has a scathing past and a scheme of her own isn’t really surprising, but the way the story unfolds will keep you guessing. Add on top of the page-turning suspense the undercurrent of sexual tension, frustration, and consummation, and it’s a book that’ll make your blood pulse!)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, 528 pages (***, I’m hesitant to grade the newest Dan Brown “race for the truth” novel this high, but it’s another pretty consistent page-turner, and there was one moment around page 375 when I gasped, a huge piece of the puzzle connecting in my mind before it was revealed. But something is missing from this book that seemed present in the other two. The symbols and the chase are similar in their predecessors, but the ending left me feeling cheated somehow. A “that’s it??” moment. Still, I’m giving the book extra credit just for being based in Washington, DC, one of my favorite cities period.)

Addition by Toni Jordan, 272 pages (*** ¼, Grace, the main character, has been obsessed with number since she was “8-ish”, and numbers rule her world. The number of bristles in her toothbrush, the number of books on any shelf, the number of forks, spoons, and knives she keeps on hand. When she walks, she counts. When she talks, she counts. Her world is regimented and segmented and ruled by the numbers surrounding her. Until she steals a banana from the cart of the man behind her and ends up falling in love with him. Grace’s stream of consciousness, both before and after meeting Seamus, is a fascinating look at the mind of an obsessive-compulsive.)

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, 384 pages (** ¾, Take Cooperstown, NY and all of its baseball/Last of the Mohicans lore, change it’s name to Templeton, throw in a Loch Ness like monster, and a potentially pregnant grad student who’s been inseminated by her advisor, and you get a lot of different monsters in Templeton. As Willie, the main character returns home, lost, she discovers that the father she’d grown up knowing about (and it was one of three possible men) is not really that person or persons at all. On a search to discover her father’s identity by using clues from her own family history, Willie unveils more than just the story of herself, but the story of Templeton. I was intrigued and wanted to get to the conclusion, but the story drug a little. The saving graces were the diary entries, letters, and accounts from Willie’s ancestors.)

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult, 512 pages (** ½, I knew how this book was going to end after the first
ten pages. Why? Because while Jodi Picoult is a good writer, she is not original. She changes characters, locations, and situations, but the general themes rotate throughout her books. It’s like spinning a wheel, and for this book you land on the “sick child, courtroom, other child in emotional crisis, twist at the end” combination. And the quote-unquote “sucker punch” at the end of the book comes nowhere close to the one at the end of My Sister’s Keeper. Read that one instead.)

November:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, 560 pages (* ¾, I put off seeing the movie when it came out because I wanted to read the book first. I finally got around to it, and I was very disappointed. The concept is imaginative and intriguing. The excution left me confused, annoyed, and a little robbed. I felt as though I’d seen this before, and I think it’s because JK Rowling has already patented the traveling back in time to watch yourself in another era. I wanted to be moved by Henry and Clare’s story, but I was really just left with an “eh” feeling.)

The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen, 370 pages (*** ¼, The end of the mystery that pervades the book (Who is the West End Slayer?) wraps up just a tad too quickly, with not enough hint ahead of time for my taste, but the rest of the book is completely engaging. And that’s saying a lot for a book about a serial killer, extreme poverty, grave robbing, and autopsies!)

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, 576 pages (***, A re-read in preparation for the movie, which will probably only result in my being disappointed by the movie since in the two hours since I finished re-reading I’ve already yelled at a commercial, “That didn’t happen!”)

The Race by Richard North Patterson, 336 pages (*** ½, When I was eleven I decided I wanted to be President. This novel, among other things, is proof to me that while I might do an excellent job in the position, there’s no way that I have the stomach, the mind-turning, soul-selling ability to get it. Corey Grace, a senator from Ohio (imagine a Republican Barak Obama only white), decides to run for President, pitting him against an overly ambitious senator from Pennsylvania and a televangelist who labels himself as God’s candidate. The book is incredibly insightful into current politics and what it takes to win. The truth of it all makes you want to shower upwards. There’s a heavy influence on the role of racism and homophobia in the Republican party and politics in general as Corey deals with the “demons” of his past and present. A few crazy terrorist actions, clearly existing only as plot movers, are what keeping this from getting a better grade.)

December:
Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin, 339 pages (** ¾, Giffin’s books are easy to burn through, but this one took more time for me to get into any than any of her others. Ellen, the main character, suddenly sees an ex-boyfriend while crossing a street, and that chance encounter leads her to question the decisions she’s made since their devastating (at least for her) breakup. Faced with the temptation of what could have been versus the picture-perfect present that feels a little too stifflingly perfect, Ellen faces a choice between Leo, her past love, and Andy, her husband. I didn’t really feel all that sympathetic for Ellen and wanted to yell at her quite a few times. It’s one thing to wonder “what if”; we’ve all done it. It’s quite another to actually jeopardizes the life you currently have to seek the answer.)

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, 177 pages (****, A perennial favorite! A must-read every holiday season! Don’t ever watch the movie version with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. It doesn’t even come close.)

The Penny by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Beford, 243 pages (***, A teenager’s life is changed when she stoops to pick up a penny, starting off a chain reaction that affects not only her life, but the lives of those around her in a myriad of ways. She learns forgiveness, self-worth, and strength, as well as God’s work to get her to each of those places. The religious overtones of the book were not as good as the real meat of the story, almost like a gauzy drape over the top. But the real struggles of Jenny as she tries to overcome abuse and forge a friendship with an African-American girl in 1950’s St. Louis is much more compelling.)

A Cup of Comfort for Christmas edited by Colleen Snell, 307 pages (*** ½, I try to read at least a little bit of this book each year to get myself in the Christmas spirit. Though it didn’t accomplish that this year, it did make me cry to the point of getting a headache. I’m a huge sap, and I love the holiday and the spirit of giving that naturally comes with it. This book just personifies the big and little ways that the Christmas spirit can work its magic in all of us by sharing stories from readers about particular Christmas memories. If you want a good dose of the holiday spirit, or just a good cry, definitely pick this one up.)

Random Thoughts:

1.  I have no desire to cook today whatsoever.  None.  Lunch was an english muffin with peanut butter, and even that was late because I just didn't even want to use the toaster.

2.  I'm watching The Biggest Loser: Season 3 marathon on Bravo, and I didn't realize what a crappy host Caroline Rhea was until now.  God bless Alison Sweeney!

3.  Two more days before I return to work and have to balance that along with eating well and starting the 5K training.  I need to write down a plan of attack or this is never going to work!