Long-overdue book post
Left out: books I've read for school
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Marc Haddon: After many recommendations, I finally got around to reading this. The narrator, an autistic teenager, is an interesting twist on a plucky hero: he *is* clever and brave, but not in the usual ways, and the reader's perspective is never entirely in line with his, as he meticulously describes the social cues he cannot interpret.
Now is the Time to Open Your Heart by Alice Walker: The story of middle-aged black woman who goes on two journeys to try to find herself: a rafting trip down a river and a trip to South America to take hallucenogenic drugs. Kind of new-agey and inspirational, but full of odd characters.
Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett: A plucky-girl-saves-world tale with bizarre turns in the traditional Prachett style. The wee free men are a race of tiny, bellicose pixies who feature prominently in her attempt at said world-saving, while rescuing her bratty younger brother along the way.
Candyfreak by Steve Almond: A combination of a treatise history and current struggle of small-time American candymakers and the author's personal recollections on his childhood as a "candyfreak" and his adult angst. It contains lots of interesting facts and a few good stories, but doesn't live up to my expectations of a Bill-Bryson-esque narration of candy's life in America, and the personal anecdotes were not regular or well-written enough for me to develop sympathy for the aforementioned authorial angst.
Fluke by Christopher Moore: This book starts out weird, with a famous whale researcher believing he's having hallucinations, and only gets weirder. There is no way to explain without spoilers, so let's just say it gets very surrealistic and has a strange and dazzling ending. Also, it's intermittently hilarious.
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde: I've been working my way through the Thursday Next series out of order. Like the others, this one features a rapidly moving plot, the engaging cast of the narrator and her family, and bizarre literary turns to boot.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman: Surprisingly dark for something alleged to be young adult fiction, this is the first in a trilogy of epic good-and-evil proportions. It has a legion of plot twists and beautifully depicted characters on both sides of the story.
Hidden Kitchens by Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva: This is an NPR production by "the Kitchen Sisters," who sought out hidden and unusual kitchens all across America, all with the goal of showing the role of food in community. This made a fantastic audiobook: music, interviews, and recordings from the "hidden kitchens hotline" all combined in polished NPR style. Now I want to have more dinner parties!
A Bit on the Side by William Trevor: A short story collection, so hard to sum up! Mostly set in Ireland in various historical periods, the stories are all well-crafted and self-contained. Most are driven entirely by character -- no plot surprises here -- and tend towards a darker view of the world.
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd: Another midlife crisis story, this one about a woman who goes back to her childhood home to care for her mother, who apparently randomly takes to self-mutilation, and discovers secrets of both herself and her past. Like Kidd's other books, this one contains a full cast of uppity women.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris: Classic Sedaris -- somehow both poignant and incredibly funny. This focuses on stories of his misbegotten youth and the earlier days of his partnership with Hugh. The title comes from one of a number of stories about his attempts to learn French.
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Marc Haddon: After many recommendations, I finally got around to reading this. The narrator, an autistic teenager, is an interesting twist on a plucky hero: he *is* clever and brave, but not in the usual ways, and the reader's perspective is never entirely in line with his, as he meticulously describes the social cues he cannot interpret.
Now is the Time to Open Your Heart by Alice Walker: The story of middle-aged black woman who goes on two journeys to try to find herself: a rafting trip down a river and a trip to South America to take hallucenogenic drugs. Kind of new-agey and inspirational, but full of odd characters.
Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett: A plucky-girl-saves-world tale with bizarre turns in the traditional Prachett style. The wee free men are a race of tiny, bellicose pixies who feature prominently in her attempt at said world-saving, while rescuing her bratty younger brother along the way.
Candyfreak by Steve Almond: A combination of a treatise history and current struggle of small-time American candymakers and the author's personal recollections on his childhood as a "candyfreak" and his adult angst. It contains lots of interesting facts and a few good stories, but doesn't live up to my expectations of a Bill-Bryson-esque narration of candy's life in America, and the personal anecdotes were not regular or well-written enough for me to develop sympathy for the aforementioned authorial angst.
Fluke by Christopher Moore: This book starts out weird, with a famous whale researcher believing he's having hallucinations, and only gets weirder. There is no way to explain without spoilers, so let's just say it gets very surrealistic and has a strange and dazzling ending. Also, it's intermittently hilarious.
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde: I've been working my way through the Thursday Next series out of order. Like the others, this one features a rapidly moving plot, the engaging cast of the narrator and her family, and bizarre literary turns to boot.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman: Surprisingly dark for something alleged to be young adult fiction, this is the first in a trilogy of epic good-and-evil proportions. It has a legion of plot twists and beautifully depicted characters on both sides of the story.
Hidden Kitchens by Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva: This is an NPR production by "the Kitchen Sisters," who sought out hidden and unusual kitchens all across America, all with the goal of showing the role of food in community. This made a fantastic audiobook: music, interviews, and recordings from the "hidden kitchens hotline" all combined in polished NPR style. Now I want to have more dinner parties!
A Bit on the Side by William Trevor: A short story collection, so hard to sum up! Mostly set in Ireland in various historical periods, the stories are all well-crafted and self-contained. Most are driven entirely by character -- no plot surprises here -- and tend towards a darker view of the world.
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd: Another midlife crisis story, this one about a woman who goes back to her childhood home to care for her mother, who apparently randomly takes to self-mutilation, and discovers secrets of both herself and her past. Like Kidd's other books, this one contains a full cast of uppity women.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris: Classic Sedaris -- somehow both poignant and incredibly funny. This focuses on stories of his misbegotten youth and the earlier days of his partnership with Hugh. The title comes from one of a number of stories about his attempts to learn French.