Manda's Bookshelf: Catch Up Edition!
How is it possible I haven’t posted about books on LJ since August? Blasphemy!! It’s not like I haven’t been reading them. Yet somehow, I have not spammed my flist with the awesomeness of the written word, and for that I sincerely apologize. I mean, what would you do with yourselves if I didn’t tell you all about the amazing books I’ve read. *snerk*
As I posted on Tumblr at the beginning of the year, I’ve got roughly 200 books on my “to read” list - which is literally the list of books I own, that are sitting on my shelves, physically waiting for me to read them. (I have a problem? What? No, I can’t hear you over the stacks and stacks of my glorious books!) My goal for 2012 is to read through 25% of my backlog, or roughly, about 50 books. Not impossible, but not easy. So, expect to see me talk about books LOTS more this year.
But, what of the books I’ve read since August you ask? Well, here’s a quick roundup, although I may miss a few here and there lol.
1. The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Recommendation: Worth picking up
I got these as a rec from my gf who couldn’t put them down. I tore through the first one. I found it original and an interesting premise filled with some pretty great characters. I won’t spoil anything as these have now been turned into movies which I can’t wait to see. My only complaint is with the last two books, and especially the end of the third book. The author seemed to wander about in Catching Fire and didn’t really focus until the back half of the novel. And the end of Mockingjay annoyed me because it seemed as if the author took the easy way out to resolve a conflict that had driven the entire series. On the whole, however, these were really entertaining, quick reads with good characters, a decent amount of drama, nice action, and a believable plot. Definitely worth picking up.
Rating: Hunger Games - 4 Kermits Catching Fire - 3.5 Kermits Mockingjay - 3 Kermits
2. Land of Painted Caves (Earth’s Children Series)- Jean M. Auel
Recommendation: Unless you’re a diehard fan, don’t bother.
Nothing disappointed me more than this book. The last book in a series that has spanned over two decades, I was really, really hoping this book would bring the story full circle and tie everything together. A brief primer: the series is based around Ayla - a young woman in pre-historic Europe with a gift for healing and dealing with animals. Over the course of the series she meets her one true love Jondalar, they have lots of interesting adventures, and traverse across the continent to go live with Jondalar’s people. Once they arrive Ayla and Jondalar get married and Ayla focuses her gifts of healing and animals into being a badass shaman and they have a kid.
The problem with Auel is that she needs an editor. It’s noticeable from probably the 4th book on, but she gets ridiculously repetitive with information. When a new person introduces themselves, they go through a rigorous process of describing their entire lineage and where they’re from. And since Ayla is the focus of the book, she meets LOTS of new people, and I swear we get a three line description every time of just her lineage, which faithful readers ALREADY KNOW since we read the other books. It doesn’t just happen once, but over and over. Along with the several mentions of how good a hunter she is, how skilled with animals she is, and how much she loves Jondalar.
Land of Painted Caves focuses on Ayla as a sort of “working mom” as she learns to be a shaman and then goes around saving and helping people. And there’s an internal conflict there with Jondalar and his manly pride - something that has universal application to today’s readers. Except here was another problem I had. Auel spent four books telling us over and over and over again how much Jondalar loves Ayla. He’d never hurt her, leave her, etc. etc. So what happens when Jondalar is unhappy because she’s working too much? He goes and shags another woman. Auel tries to pass this off as “not really cheating” because it was condone in that society for a man to get his needs met if the wife wasn’t around. And maybe for other characters I would have accepted that. But not with Jondalar and Ayla. Not after four books of “OMG I can never love anyone but you!” and “I know the village is having this great fertility orgy and its okay for us to shag lots of other people tonight, but the only one I ever want to shag is YOU.”
So between the epic WTF of the characters, the repetition, and the general lack of plot, I was so annoyed with how the series ended that I took all my books and sold them back to the used bookstore. Just staring at them on my shelf pissed me off LOL
Rating: 2 Kermits (and that’s being generous)
3. Possession - A.S. Byatt
Recommendation: Must Read
Have I raved about this book yet? I haven’t? My god, what’s wrong with me?
It’s like if an English professor mated with a romance novelist AND a detective novel and had a baby that was the best parts of all three of them. (Don’t tell me that’s physically impossible, it’s a metaphor, ok? Lol)
I saw the movie - one of the few where Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t annoy me - and loved it. But the book was so much better. Basic plot: Roland, is an English lit grad student doing his thesis on a Victorian poet who according to all the best sources, loved his wife more than life itself even though they never really had a sexual relationship for some reason. He randomly finds in an old notebook of the poet’s a previously uncatalogued draft letter to a woman that is rather intimate and obviously NOT his beloved wife. From there, he joins forces with Maude, another English professor, and they slowly fall in love while they retrace the footsteps of the poet and the mystery woman, another female of the time.
There are flashbacks, and poetry, and amazingly well written prose, and longing looks between Roland and Maude. It’s such a great story, and such a great look into the banality of academic life.
My only complaint for this book is that at times you really DID need to be either an English major or very, very familiar with critical theory to get some of the inside jokes and general commentary between all the characters. And even at that, a few things went over my head lol. Still, it’s a great story and wonderfully written.
Rating: 4 Kermits
4. The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman
Recommendation: A bit dated, but worth the read if you’re interested in globalization and business
I saw Friedman on Charlie Rose ages and ages ago talking about this book and thought it sounded very interesting. But, I wasn’t about to drop $30 bucks to buy it, so I waited until it finally hit paperback, and then snagged it at the used bookstore.
First: It’s a very long read at over 600 pages. Friedman really could have used an editor. Second: reading it now, even on it’s 3.0 update, still feels a bit dated after the economic crash of 2008, the political fuckery of the Tea party and 2010, and the slow recovery of 2011-2012. With those things in mind, it was still a very interesting book and at times a frightening glimpse at globalization and what we’re headed for as a country and a world.
Friedman sets out several world “flatteners” that have acted over the last century or so to bring billions of people that much closer. He then illustrates these flatteners with some statistics but mostly anecdotes from some pretty prominent business people in India, China, and America. (This is where being dated has a problem as I can’t read anything with Meg Whitman or Calrly Fiorina talking business without comparing that against their 2010 election trouncings.)
His main point throughout the whole book is that between the internet, cell phones, mobile broadband, developing countries like India with a nationalistic thirst to kick business ass, the people of the First World are in trouble. It won’t be enough anymore just to be an engineer, because the relatively “easy” engineering work will be sent overseas via email for an Indian engineer to do for half the price. For Americans to stay competitive, you’re going to need a lot of special skills to demand the higher wages.
Friedman talks mostly at the macro level - big companies moving supply chains, telecommunications, etc. He doesn’t get into smaller businesses much except when he’s warning of their imminent death because someone in India can do the work cheaper and faster. He talks some about the service industry although I wish he would have delved into that more because I think he missed an opportunity to talk more about the shift in our economy away from goods to services and how that has effected everything.
Generally a good read and definitely worth the time if you’re interested in global economics.
Rating: 3.5 Kermits
5. Namaah’s Blessing - Jacqueline Carey
Recommendation: Definitely worth picking up (Must read if you’re a fan)
Jacqueline Carey has created such an amazing alt-history/fantasy universe with the entire Kushiel series that I am totally in awe. Overall I’ve been less impressed by the last 3 novels, which make up the Namaah series, but that’s probably because I was so in love with Phedra and Melisande from the original 3 books.
The entire series is wonderfully well written, has fabulous characters, and a crap load of research that fills in a world both familiar and distinct from our own. I had to finish the series out and see how Moirin, the descendant of House Courcel, and in a way Phedra, manages to save the kingdom (again) just like her ancestors did. Throughout the series her busband Bao has grown more likable which is good because I couldn’t stand him much to begin with.
My only criticism about the book - and really the series in general - is somehow the OTP couple is always hetero. I don’t know if that’s just how Carey sees this world she’s created, but for some reason throughout the whole series, the main female characters have sweet, sometimes EPIC lesbian relationships, which sadly seem to end in tragedy, betrayal, or less often, friendship (Phedra/Melisand vs. Phedra/Nicola or Moiron/Jehanne). I don’t know why, but all the novels have some aspect of that which is interesting considering the next book…
Rating: 4 Kermits!
6. Saints Astray - Jacqueline Carey
Recommendation: Definitely worth picking up - if you’re a fan lesbian fiction that doesn’t end tragically? MUST READ
And here, Carey manages to pull off what I lamented a paragraph ago. A lesbian main couple who don’t end tragically, but rather, ride off into the sunset of awesomeness. This is the sequel to Santa Olivia so if you haven’t read that book as well you really should. Basic premise being that in a borderdown between Mexico and the US, the US government came in years before during a horrific flu pandemic, and walled all the citizens up into a virtual no-mans land. Officially the town doesn’t exist, except for the people who live inside it and the US Army that guards it. With the walls is Lupe - a by product of government engineering with the strength, speed, and fearlessness of a wolf.
Saints Astray picks up where Santa Olivia left off, and for that reason I won’t spoil anyone too badly, but let’s just say Lupe is a badass, her gf Carmen is hysterical and awesome, and for once, everything ends up exactly as it should be. Yay!
Rating: 4 Kermits
7. The Voice of the Master - Khalil Gibran
Recommendation: as with all Gibran’s stuff - must read
It’s not a particularly long book, but the prose is absolutely stunning, the philosophy with in it gorgeous, and I just loved every second of it. Gibran’s writing has a way of settling my mind and spirit which I just love.
Rating: 5 Kermits!
Ok, that’s enough for now, but there will be more to come! Are any of you on Goodreads? I’d love to compare reading lists hahaha. J