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October 25, 2007
Books I Read During an Indian Summer
New Total: 132
The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay
by Michael Chabon
My Thoughts: It took me two full months to read this book. And while I certainly understand why it won the Pulitzer prize, much like the Booker Prize winner from a couple years ago "The Line of Beauty", I *appreciated* this book more than I enjoyed it. Frankly, I grew weary of the overall plot arch, and couldn't stay with all of the sub-plots. I should have known when I picked up the book in the store and saw that it was about comics. No matter how much you dress it up, in the end it was still a book about comics.
First Among Sequels: A Thursday Next Novel
by Jasper Fforde
My Thoughts: I have often mentioned my love for the Thursday Next series, and this one was no exception. It certainly wasn't the best (after five books, the quirky alternate universe is losing some of its flavor), but highly entertaining nonetheless. At some point I will get all of these books in paper format (I've only listened to them on audiobook), since I think I might be missing some of the wordplay...
Eye Contact
by Cammi McGovern
My Thoughts: This book was everything that A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime *could* have been. I devoured it in a single sitting and kept thinking about it days later. There were perhaps a few too many characters, and the second half could have been a bit tighter (there were a series of denouements reminiscent of the final Lord of the Rings movie), but overall this was one of my favorite late-summer reads.
Those Who Save Us
by Jenna Blum
My Thoughts: Another WWII book about Jews and Germans, but with a twist--involving rather graphic Nazi sex. In many places, I thought this book was an incredibly compelling look at what people do to survive (and a good story line too), but the flashing back and forth between generations felt too contrived. Whatever its flaws, though, there is no doubt that this would make a GREAT book club selection.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
My Thoughts: This was a book club selection that we ended up abandoning because of time constraints. I read it anyway, and thought that it was an interesting insight into the "liberal peace corps-esque man fights terrorism" mentality. I am leery of biographies that tend to make their subjects towering heros, and by the end I felt some of exasperation that led some of Mortenson's colleagues to distance themselves from his projects. The best analogy I can make is that he's the Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) of the Kyber Pass. One of these days he's going to be killed while pursuing his passion, and while everyone will lament his passing, there will also be a sneaking suspicion that he was asking for it (just a little bit).
