Can't Stop Book Blogging
Books Read in 2008
2009
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
2. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
4. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
#69: Book for work
I’m sad I can’t review this book because I really really liked it, and I read another book by this author earlier this year (again for work) that I didn’t love so much, so this was a welcome surprise, kind of unexpected but really wonderful.
#68: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
I picked up this little novella at work and breezed through it (it’s only 120 pages long); it might interest you to know that it was written by Alan Bennett, the author of The History Boys, which should really tell you all you need to know about The Uncommon Reader, like for instance it’s charming and clever and makes the frosty Queen of England seem somewhat adorable, like you wouldn’t want her to be your grandmother but maybe you’d like to hang out with her one day and talk about books, now that she’s so into reading I mean, because she really likes the novels of Nancy Mitford (so do I) and she likes to gossip about all the Mitford girls (so do I), most all of whom are dead by now, and she calls herself “one”, as in “One does seem to be reading a lot lately, doesn’t one?” which I don’t do but which strikes me as very Cedric Hampton of her, and God knows I love me some Cedric Hampton.
“ What she was finding also was how one book led to another, doors kept opening wherever she turned, and the days weren’t long enough for the reading she wanted to do.
Alan Bennett, The Uncommon Reader
100 notable books of 2008
(via paperbackgirl)
I’ve read literally none of these, but I own quite a few of them, including that new translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, weirdly enough.
#67: Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Despite what a big reader I am and what a prolific writer Jodi Picoult is, in the Venn diagram of books our paths never really crossed until a few days ago, when I borrowed Plain Truth from a friend of mine who is a big Picoult fan and has a whole slew of titles from the author’s backlist lining her shelves. (I’ve decided to abandon the one-sentence reviewing thing, as it’s hard to keep up and doesn’t give me as much room as I’d like.) I devoured Plain Truth in its entirety during two three-hour plane rides and one four-hour layover, and I have to say that I really liked it. It had the same pastoral feel as Pulitzer Prize-winning A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, and if it’s not necessarily as thematically deep and emotionally resonant as that novel, at least it has an original plot (Smiley steals hers from King Lear), not to mention a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Amish. Picoult is a good writer, and although her plots sometimes veer towards the dramatic (there’s a reason why they’re always being made into Lifetime movies), there’s at least an emotional core to ground them.
#66: Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Danny Danziger
Okay, the truth is that I liked this book well enough, but I only have so much patience for the sort of people who work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, because, as you can probably imagine, they’re all ancient, hyper-educated, mostly Caucasian, mostly men, mostly priviledged (especially the trustees—oh, the trustees are the worst, because they’re millionaire art collectors who grew up in fancy Park Avenue apartments or France or some bullshit) snobs, and while some of them are likable and interesting (even Phillippe de Montebello, the director of the Met), it’s kind of infuriating to read about all these people who went to Harvard and talk about how you have to be independently wealthy to work at the Met because museum salaries just don’t cut it, etc. etc. cry me a river why don’t you!
#65: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
I’m not much for zombies usually, but there’s been so much buzz around Carrie Ryan’s debut YA novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, that when the opportunity came up to borrow an ARC I jumped on it and pretty much devoured the whole thing in a day and a half, and while I think that there are some things that could be improved upon—Mary, the narrator, was very well-developed, but her relationships with the other characters, particularly her best friend and her love interest, Travis, were a little spotty—it was a terrifying, sad book, which are my absolute favorite kind, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of what Ryan has in store for Mary, or at least her world.
#64: Smart Girls Like Me by Diane Vadino
At first when I was reading Smart Girls Like Me I was frustrated, because I thought the writing was only passable, the characters were unsympathetic and boring, and I found the narrator irritating and self-involved AT BEST, but I stuck with the novel out of sheer stubborness, as I am wont to do, and I soon fell into the groove of the story, finally appreciating what Vadino was trying to accomplish, and I while I would not list Smart Girls among my favorite novels or anything, I think it is a good novel that could’ve used a little bit more fine tuning and editing.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Belle and Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books
Our aspirations are wrapped up in books
Our inclinations are hidden in looks
