Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Spectacular! In my top five for the year. I related so much to Gilbert’s spiritual and emotional journey. A few years after getting divorced, Gilbert travels for a year in Italy (pursuing pleasure), India (pursuing God), and Indonesia (pursuing balance). She tells the story of this year with wit and poignancy. I aspire to love myself and God as much as she does. Also, I really want to go to Italy and India now.

Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Very good, but then again I haven’t met a Vonnegut book I didn’t like. Wonderful social, artistic and political satire/commentary. I liked the parallels between the characters of Circe and Marilee, and I also loved all the stories of the people in the end painting.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
You may not have heard of this novel, but it’s very good. I think Rowling’s on to something with this wizard stuff.

Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
I was so excited for this 5th book in the Thursday series to come out, and it was definitely worth the wait. It’s not my favorite in the series, but I did enjoy it, especially once the action picked up. Unlike the others, this one SPOILERWARNINGendsonacliffhangerSPOILERDONE. I went to Fforde’s site and found out he is writing Volume 2 of the Thursday series. The first four books are Volume 1, and FAS is the first installment of the next volume, which will also be four books. In FAS, fourteen years have passed since Thursday’s last adventure. SpecOps no longer exists, but Thursday is working with Bowden, Stig, and Spike on underground SpecOps work. Thursday’s also still working in the Book World, and we find out a lot more about how that universe works. And there’s a Cheese Mafia. Of course.

Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer by Chuck Thompson (To be published in December)
It’s rare that I have true mixed feelings for a book. I either like, dislike, or am “eh” on most books. I had a rare love/hate relationship with this one, however. It’s divided into three sections which comprise travel essays on various topics. I hated the first section. Thompson comes off as crass, arrogant, and unoriginal. He expects his first few essays to enlighten the travel reader, but honestly, we all know there are prostitutes in Thailand. And drugs in Tokyo. However, he completely redeems himself in the other two sections. His essays are insightful and interesting, particularly the ones on the travel writing industry, the Philippines, not-so-ugly Americans, and oil. If you do want to read this, I say skip the first section but definitely read the rest.

posted by junipar

I apologize for the lack of updates...I have been reading, but life has gotten in the way so I haven't been reading nearly as much.

The past few books are as follows:

Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell
I believe this was her first published collection of essays. It's quite good if a bit uneven. My favorite essays dealt directly with her life or with American history. I learned a lot about the Trail of Tears that our fabulous public school system failed to teach me.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
I was wary of reading this, not only because of the length (it could certainly have been a couple hundred pages shorter), but also because of all the mixed reviews. However, I really enjoyed it. It's classically suspenseful and beautifully written, frightening but not horrifying. Kostova gives us well-rounded characters and fascinating Eastern European historical background. Apparently the film rights were bought before the book even came out, so I'm wondering how that will be. I'm not sure if it will translate well to screen.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Another book I missed in childhood. It was lovely! It's clever but not complicated. It's a fun, fast read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
RUN RUN RUN and get this book NOW.
I got a signed copy at BEA (the author was very charming) and just finished it last night. This is absolutely one of the most powerful, profound books I have ever read. It is narrated by Death, who tells us the story of Liesel, a young girl sent to live with a foster family outside of Munich during World War II. I'm a bit speechless: that is how good this book is. I'll sum up with Zusak's autograph in my copy: "Jennifer - to life, to death and to colors. Markus Zusak." READ THIS BOOK.

Of course, after reading something so elegant and touching, I decided to go for a bit of a palate cleanser so I picked up my ARC of The Art Thief by Noah Charney. This is a galley that was hyped in Publisher's Weekly, and I was excited to grab a copy at BEA. It's about Europe, art, and thievery, so I figured it would be thrilling. It is not. (Disclaimer: I've only read 20 pages, and I will read 30 more for the sake of the 50 page rule. The copy I have is not the final copy. Although I doubt it's going to magically improve by publication.) It is crap. It's pretentious (the author bio alone screams "I'm a tool! Look at me! Are you looking?!") yet poorly written. The descriptions are highly overwrought, and it's offensive not only to those who may not like modern art, but also to women. ("It's not my time of the month!") The characters are all cliches...the whole book is a cliche, as if it's trying to ride the coattails of The DaVinci Code, which, sadly, is why I can see this being popular. I want to send the author a copy of The Book Thief with a note saying, "THIS is how it's done." It comes out in September. My verdict: don't bother.

posted by junipar

My recent reads are behind the ( cut )

My hero died yesterday. As you lit lovers have probably heard, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. left this world at the age of 84 due to "irreversible brain injuries." It's the first time anyone I worship has slipped away and it's left a bit of a shadow over my day. I want to give him a fitting tribute on this book blog, but what can I possibly say that would give the credit due to such an incredible force? I can only say I hope he left life remembering his famous epitaph:

“EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND NOTHING HURT.” – Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five

Rest in peace, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I will treasure every one of your words, always.

posted by jenza

I completely forgot about The Morning News Tournament of Books until jenza reminded me, and then I completely forgot to post about it. It's already complete, but you can still check out the bracket and previous book showdowns.

Tournament of Books 2007


posted by junipar

Friends, I find myself stuck in a terrible book rut, at the worst possible time - in the lovely warmth of spring - so I ask you to please take pity on me. There is no feeling on earth quite like the one you get with a soft breeze playing at the window, the smell of clean sheets, and a pillow propped under-head "just so" while you immerse yourself in the pages of a captivating story. And while the weather has certainly been agreeable as of late, my problem lies in finding just the right book.

The spring weather brings to my mind certain kinds of literature. I associate the warmer seasons with lighter reads - classic romance a la Jane Austen, clever sci-fi-ish novels from Jasper Fforde or Connie Willis, or a great coming-of-age story like "I Capture the Castle". This month, I've tried to wrap my head around several books including "Red Azalea" for our next book club, a re-read of "Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets" to prepare for the series-end in July, and most recently, Andrea Smith's debut, "Friday Night at Honeybee's," but none of these seem to be working for me.

And so, I turn to you friends (and strangers!) to recommend something that will satisfy my spring reading urges. I want something that is so good I'm still thinking of the characters the next day when I go to work. I want something so good that I start setting aside pockets of time, just to read the next few pages. Help me find something!

posted by jenza

Pride and Prejudice Tops British Reads

I'm currently re-reading Emma, and while it's slow-going, I still love it. The fact that I can remember so much of the characters and plot after ten years speaks highly of Austen. How her characters resonate so well in the 21st century says volumes about the universal human experience. *I* obsess and worry over the *exact same things* Emma does. Craziness! Love it.

In other reading news, I finished The Book of Lost Things which blew my mind. It is so, so good. A boy's journey of grief is intertwined with dark re-tellings of fairy tales in this witty, clever novel by John Connolly. I cried at the end, and I rarely cry while reading. Best book of 2007 so far.

I also re-read Stardust by Neil Gaiman, because I wanted a bit more fantasy after Connolly. The film version is also coming out this year. It's a wonderful book, but I just couldn't get as into it this time as I did when I first read it. I think some books are meant to be read only once, or only at certain points in our lives in order for us to fully enjoy them. Still, I recommend it and am looking forward to the movie.

Finally, I finished Save Your Own by Elisabeth Brink, our March book club selection. It pretty much sucked sweaty goat balls. The story is unoriginal. Of course there is nothing new under the sun, but there is always a unique way of looking at things, and Brink's story of a naive PhD student discovering herself in the real world has been told. Many times. Often on Lifetime. And, and! The main character changes--CHANGES!--a man. All of a sudden this skirt-chaser wants to settle down because the main character (whose name I have already forgotten) is "so different from other girls." I roll my eyes as I type. I'm also pretty sure from the description that this around-the-way dude has a mullet.

And that brings us back to Emma and one of my literary boyfriends, Mr. Knightley. Mmm, Mr. Knightley.

posted by junipar

Four books down...eleventy billion gajillion to go. So far in 2007, I've read:

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace.
Eh. It was not nearly as good as the film, which in most cases is rare. It read like a first draft; it kept me entertained but ultimately I didn't care about any of the characters. There was no through-line or anything that captured me in a way that made me want to keep reading.

The Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand. This play didn't suck nearly as hard as I expected it to. It was melodramatic but held my interest, and Rand's crap philosophy didn't show through too much, so I was able to get through it without rolling my eyes.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. This book of short stories won the Pulitzer, and it is completely deserving of it. I love reading about Indian culture, and Lahiri is an amazing wordsmith. Which lead me immediately to read her novel....

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. So, SO good. The main story is about a boy named Gogol, growing up in America with Indian parents. These characters are some of the best written I've read lately. The way Lahiri portrays America versus India, men versus women, old versus new, freedom versus fatalism is just brilliant. I'm looking forward to the film version, coming out in March (I believe).

I'm currently reading The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, which I can hardly put down.


posted by junipar

Need a short, witty summary of a classic? Go here. I admit Christmas Carol made me laugh out loud.

posted by junipar

junipar recently posted her 2006 reading summary and her goals for 2007. I considered responding in a comment to her entry, but decided I have too much to say in reply. And so, a new entry.

Like junipar, I did really well this past year. I resolved to read 35 books and I ended up at 42 - much higher than any other year that had no required-for-school reading. I also managed my other 2 goals: finishing off Jane Austen's novels and finally getting through that darned Slaughterhouse Five.

I managed to read a nice range of books this year - some Chick Lit, Children's, Classics, Non-Fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Travel mixed in there with the usual Fiction - and I had many favorites. I Capture the Castle, Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry, To Say Nothing of the Dog, The Doomsday Books, and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe rounded out my top 5 brand new reads, and The Giant's House, a re-read for book club, was just as satisfying the second time around.

I debated about my numbers for the new year because I wanted to push myself to be a better reader, but I didn't want to set my goal too high else I would be upset with myself for not reaching it. I finally decided on 45 books, which will most likely be do-able, as 7 of them will likely be Harry Potter books (I hope to re-read the first 6 in anticipation for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - woot woot).

As for other goals, I really, really want to read some Graham Greene, work my way through The Chronicles of Narnia, and knock off a couple more from the New York Times list of Top 100 Novels.

Of course, I will keep you posted on my progress here. I'm almost done with book #1 for the year - a re-read of Pride & Prejudice. Oh, how I love Mr. Darcy!