You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Books’ category.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is THE best book I have ever read in my life. Although that’s pretty much a sum of the way I feel about this book, I guess I’ll just have to explain further: A group of four children is gathered to go on a top secret, life threatening mission. Each of these witty characters contribute to the story, making the plot very dynamic. Information is constantly twisting and turning around the plot, and the nonstop adventure makes this a book you just can’t put down. I have just started the sequel, and so far it is proving to be just as great! 10 Stars and 5 thumbs up for this series!
– Middle Child
P.S. This book can easily be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
Going back to the classics… I’m reading some jane austen and virginia woolfe. But i am very excited to read Atwood’s newest book The Year of the Flood. HRJ
The book I just finished reading is Wench: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. I began reading this book because of the recommendation of Viselli on the 1330v blog. The book was at times painful for me to get through because of the terrible behavior of many of the characters, but it was also amazing to read because of the loving nature of the group of women portrayed in the book. It provided a new lens for me to understand certain experiences of slavery, namely, that of the house slaves/mistresses of the white slave owners. The main character, Lizzie, is in love with her “owner,” while the other women in the story of similar circumstances, despise the men they are forced to sleep with. Ultimately, each woman finds a different way of coping with her difficult situation and each reaches a different outcome.
Fantastic book. I have thoroughly enjoyed other Margaret Atwood books in the past: cat’s eye, Handmaid’s Tale etc and Oryx and Crake did not dissapoint. She writes science fiction with an uncanny ability to make it feel less bizarre than it is. Oryx and Crake take place in two parallel times: a world characterized by ultra genetic modification and its similocal aftermath. You will encounter humans with blue butts and genitals, pigs designed to harvest human organs but who ultimately develop human intelligence as well, and chickens with no heads but 6 breasts fired into delicious chickie-nobs as the newest KFC. It seems crazy. But, Atwood manages to endow her characters with humanity and personality that makes them relevant to to today’s society. THis frames her outlandish story human compassion, community and capacity but also makes the otherworldly atrocity in Oryx and Crake unsettling even for the contemporary reader. HRJ
This classic sci-fi book by Philip K. dick was a surprise to me. In fact I wasn’t expecting to really become engaged in the story. (I was reading it mostly to become acquainted with the sci-fi cannon.) Yet, luckily for me, I did enter the futuristic world in my mind and enjoyed it quite a bit. The characters explored their own feelings and preconceptions about one another while they were frequently in the process of trying to kill one another. Additionally, most of human love was directed towards owning and taking care of animals which were in short supply after a nuclear(?)disaster had destroyed much of the world. In general, it was a great read.
The other day I read a book I really loved. It was called Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. At the beginning of the book, I was a bit dubious because it focused on the story of this extremely strait laced man in England. Luckily, the author gives us a sense of his inner world which is quite compelling and often funny. The book focuses on his relationship with a local woman who owns a shop in town. This part of the story is wonderful to read as they discover their similar interests (frequently outside the norm of their country village) and develop affection for one another. All together, it’s one of my favorite books.
meierblue
meiergold
meiergreen
meierpink
Meierblue: Books and Other Things We Love (or not) 
Recent Comments