(no subject)
I'm gonna do that '60 Books in 2006' challenge. Not that I think it will be hard, but just to do it and record everything I read and what I thought of it. So far:
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This was an amazing book. It was extremely powerful and emotionally intense throughout. I zipped through it quickly because I didn't want to put it down. The lives of all the women are threaded together so intricately- the mother/daughter relationships are portrayed realistically. The differences between American and Chinese are highlighted very well- you feel the distance between countries and generations. The language and flow of this book were great- and the movie is very similar. Whether you like the film or haven't seen it, read this.
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Amy Tan is an extremely talented writer, and this book was as great as the last. It takes a bit longer to get through because there is so much plot and emotion packed into the words. The events and characters are so memorable. The pacing is perfect and the story is original. The only thing that ruined it a bit was the very ending. I won't give it away, I just don't think the epilogue was necessary. It was too flowery and stated things that could have just been inferred. The conclusion just wasn't as strong as the rest of the novel. It made you feel like you had gone on a tremendous journey full of hardship and toil and rock-climbing- only to realize that all along there was a path parallel to you called 'Easy Road of Grass and Fluffy Bunnies'
Amy by Mary Hooper. Ok, this book was not good. I didn't expect it to be a classic novel, as it was a short little thing from the teen section, but it definitely lived up to my expectations. The girl was stupid, and the ending was lame as per usual for these 'moral of the story' books. The moral was 'don't be a dumb little bitch and meet up with a guy from the internet who you have known for a week and then go to a secluded beach with him even when you have creepy feelings about him'. It was fine enough to read as a time-passer, but don't expect much substance.
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. This book was interesting. I wasn't sure if I liked the main character at first, which was bad. But I stuck with it and she grew on me. The plot was original, Amy Tan always does a wonderful job of taking the same themes and weaving unique, new stories with them. The writing itself was perhaps not as cinched as it could have been, the plot was not knit together seamlessly at some times, but emotion was so relatable and Kwan was amazing. The ending was so unbelievably powerful, I haven't cried that hard because of a book in a long time. It was a perfect ending, and really tied the whole novel together.
The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan. Overall, I liked this. It was a bit dull to begin with, but when you stick with it, it gets very, very interesting and worthwhile. The mother's story is so emotional and horrifying, it was very well-done. However, at the end it just started getting ridiculous. AND THEN SHE WENT TO JAIL. Uh, what? That seemed a bit much. Like she was trying just to cram some more suffering in there. I did like the story, though it had a slightly predictable ending, it was good.
Lucky by Alice Sebold. By the author of The Lovely Bones, this was a memoir of the author's life, from the point where she was raped and beaten in college. It was definitely an intense read, and easy to forget that you're reading about someone's life. It made me think of Lovely Bones in a whole different way. It was good, but could get a bit mundane during the court proceedings parts and such. Good read, though.
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas. This was really great collection of memories. It's about an Iranian girl, and her life growing up both there and in America. All the mini-stories are really interesting. There were some good messages, but they were subtle, weaved into fun stories and witty commentary. I definitely reccomend it, it just gives a great sense of joy and contentment when you finish it. Makes you smile. :)
The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge. Oh man, I did not have high hopes for this. And boy was it justified! A series of poems from different students' perspectives, about school violence that never really happens. It might have been better if the characters were just not so cliche and dramatic. Did the author just need to shove as many issues as possible into a cast of teenagers? It was like an episode of the O.C.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Wow, uh. This book was unlike any other that I've read. It was crazy, and awful, and amazing. Just, it was dramatic in the most ironic and non-dramatic ways. It was run-on at times and it was hilarious and it put pressure on your heart. It was frightening when I found myself thinking similar to the author in some ways. I definitely recommend this book. It's insane and so clearly from this guy's mind without any format, there's no real organization, just his feelings and they're really, really fantastic.
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. This was an amazing book of short stories. They were all really well written, even if a bit strange at times. You immediately felt like you knew every character, although there were dozens. I liked that she really varied the point of views and plots of the stories. The ones that I enjoyed most were The Isabel Fish, Note to Sixth Grade Self and Stations of the Cross.
Next Summer by Hailey Abbot. Ok. This was the sequel to Summer Boys, and they're basically the teenage equivalent of a beachy romance novel. Not exactly high literature, but whatever. It was entertaining, and that's all I could really ask of it. Except the end was wicked rushed. 'Oh shit, my boyfriend saw me cheating on him. Um. I'll tell him I love him. He emos. We get back together and have sex THE END YAY' Eh, whatever.
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. This book of short stories really started out well, I loved the first story. It was well-written and had great emotion. But When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine was amazingly boring, and A Real Durwan sucked pretty badly as well. OH LOOK AT ME I HAVE A CRAPPY MORAL. Shut up. But I absolutely loved Sexy and Mrs. Sen's. They were just wonderful and so full of thought and richness. I also really liked The Third and Final Continent, which was actually on my MCAS, weird.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This was an amazing book. It was extremely powerful and emotionally intense throughout. I zipped through it quickly because I didn't want to put it down. The lives of all the women are threaded together so intricately- the mother/daughter relationships are portrayed realistically. The differences between American and Chinese are highlighted very well- you feel the distance between countries and generations. The language and flow of this book were great- and the movie is very similar. Whether you like the film or haven't seen it, read this.
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Amy Tan is an extremely talented writer, and this book was as great as the last. It takes a bit longer to get through because there is so much plot and emotion packed into the words. The events and characters are so memorable. The pacing is perfect and the story is original. The only thing that ruined it a bit was the very ending. I won't give it away, I just don't think the epilogue was necessary. It was too flowery and stated things that could have just been inferred. The conclusion just wasn't as strong as the rest of the novel. It made you feel like you had gone on a tremendous journey full of hardship and toil and rock-climbing- only to realize that all along there was a path parallel to you called 'Easy Road of Grass and Fluffy Bunnies'
Amy by Mary Hooper. Ok, this book was not good. I didn't expect it to be a classic novel, as it was a short little thing from the teen section, but it definitely lived up to my expectations. The girl was stupid, and the ending was lame as per usual for these 'moral of the story' books. The moral was 'don't be a dumb little bitch and meet up with a guy from the internet who you have known for a week and then go to a secluded beach with him even when you have creepy feelings about him'. It was fine enough to read as a time-passer, but don't expect much substance.
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. This book was interesting. I wasn't sure if I liked the main character at first, which was bad. But I stuck with it and she grew on me. The plot was original, Amy Tan always does a wonderful job of taking the same themes and weaving unique, new stories with them. The writing itself was perhaps not as cinched as it could have been, the plot was not knit together seamlessly at some times, but emotion was so relatable and Kwan was amazing. The ending was so unbelievably powerful, I haven't cried that hard because of a book in a long time. It was a perfect ending, and really tied the whole novel together.
The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan. Overall, I liked this. It was a bit dull to begin with, but when you stick with it, it gets very, very interesting and worthwhile. The mother's story is so emotional and horrifying, it was very well-done. However, at the end it just started getting ridiculous. AND THEN SHE WENT TO JAIL. Uh, what? That seemed a bit much. Like she was trying just to cram some more suffering in there. I did like the story, though it had a slightly predictable ending, it was good.
Lucky by Alice Sebold. By the author of The Lovely Bones, this was a memoir of the author's life, from the point where she was raped and beaten in college. It was definitely an intense read, and easy to forget that you're reading about someone's life. It made me think of Lovely Bones in a whole different way. It was good, but could get a bit mundane during the court proceedings parts and such. Good read, though.
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas. This was really great collection of memories. It's about an Iranian girl, and her life growing up both there and in America. All the mini-stories are really interesting. There were some good messages, but they were subtle, weaved into fun stories and witty commentary. I definitely reccomend it, it just gives a great sense of joy and contentment when you finish it. Makes you smile. :)
The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge. Oh man, I did not have high hopes for this. And boy was it justified! A series of poems from different students' perspectives, about school violence that never really happens. It might have been better if the characters were just not so cliche and dramatic. Did the author just need to shove as many issues as possible into a cast of teenagers? It was like an episode of the O.C.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Wow, uh. This book was unlike any other that I've read. It was crazy, and awful, and amazing. Just, it was dramatic in the most ironic and non-dramatic ways. It was run-on at times and it was hilarious and it put pressure on your heart. It was frightening when I found myself thinking similar to the author in some ways. I definitely recommend this book. It's insane and so clearly from this guy's mind without any format, there's no real organization, just his feelings and they're really, really fantastic.
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. This was an amazing book of short stories. They were all really well written, even if a bit strange at times. You immediately felt like you knew every character, although there were dozens. I liked that she really varied the point of views and plots of the stories. The ones that I enjoyed most were The Isabel Fish, Note to Sixth Grade Self and Stations of the Cross.
Next Summer by Hailey Abbot. Ok. This was the sequel to Summer Boys, and they're basically the teenage equivalent of a beachy romance novel. Not exactly high literature, but whatever. It was entertaining, and that's all I could really ask of it. Except the end was wicked rushed. 'Oh shit, my boyfriend saw me cheating on him. Um. I'll tell him I love him. He emos. We get back together and have sex THE END YAY' Eh, whatever.
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. This book of short stories really started out well, I loved the first story. It was well-written and had great emotion. But When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine was amazingly boring, and A Real Durwan sucked pretty badly as well. OH LOOK AT ME I HAVE A CRAPPY MORAL. Shut up. But I absolutely loved Sexy and Mrs. Sen's. They were just wonderful and so full of thought and richness. I also really liked The Third and Final Continent, which was actually on my MCAS, weird.