Tag Archives: book review
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review | posted in Words
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I cannot remember a time in my life when I have not loved music and loved to sing. I was raised in an environment where singing, and singing in front of others was pervasive. That being said, other than voice lessons, I have very little formal knowledge of what music is. I do not play an instrument or read music easily, and I most certainly have never been taught how music impacts the brain. Fortunately for me, in Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain Oliver Sacks addresses the latter, and does so in his beautiful flowing style. Somethings I’ve suspected were confirmed. Other pipe dreams, like that I could someday acquire perfect pitch, were dashed, but that is fine because of how fascinating the book was. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in any facet of music or the workings of the human brain.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, brain, brainworm, earworm, hard sciences, little grey cells, music, musicophilia, neuroscience, non-fiction, oliver sacks, review, the arts | posted in Words
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Let me say up front, I did not finish this book. Why am I reviewing it then? Well, because I might return to it at some point. From the first section, I feel comfortable saying that it is a well written story about a relatively interesting pair of women. Why did I abandon it if that’s the case? Well, I have well over 2000 books I want to read and the subject of this one just isn’t one that interested me enough to continue reading. I’ve decided I don’t have enough reading time to finish books solely because it is my habit to do so if I don’t have another compelling reason. In this case, I don’t. Maybe I will return to it another day when I am more interested in the days of the frontier.
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Leave a comment | tags: 2.5 stars, book review, books, did not finish, disappointing, great frontier, may try again, non-fiction, review | posted in Words
Soulless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book brings together so many things I love: kickass female heroines who don’t dress like they belong in a film mockery of an S&M video, food, vampires and other such magical types, love, dirty scenes, and the London Season. Didn’t see that last one coming, did you? Well, it’s true. Gail Carriger manages to fit all these things into Soulless, a book that is more funny than sincere, more romance than steampunk, and less creepy than you might think when you realize what the main couple has to overcome. Basically, I recommend it, despite being skeptical when I picked it up. It’s fun in so many ways.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, aristocracy, book review, books, drinkers of blood, fantasy, gail carriger, london town, never-ending tea time, parasol protectorate, review, romance, soulless, steampunk, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, wolves of the were persuasion, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I spent some time debating whether to give The Name of the Wind 3 stars or 4. I finally settled on 4, in large part because of Patrick Rothfuss‘s incredible language and the phenomenal job Nick Podehl did as narrator. That being said, the book had several pacing issues, a female love interest I find impressively boring and off-putting, and a protagonist I hated for the first third of the book. Despite this rocky going, however, when I finished the book my impression was largely positive. I think this is an excellent book to illustrate the concept that sometimes the whole is greater than the parts. I am definitely looking forward to listening to The Wise Man’s Fear, but will most likely give my ears a week or so sans headphones before doing so.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, bloody spiders, book review, books, boozy, denizens of hell, fantasy, fiction, kingkiller chronicles, kvothe, magical creatures, name of the wind, patrick rothfuss, precocious kiddos, recommended by a friend, review, this way there be dragons, witches & wizards | posted in Words
Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Death of a Cad was a definite improvement on the preceding Hamis Macbeth mystery. M.C. Beaton seems to have found her stride in the genre and the characters are far more developed. We learn more about Hamish and his object of affection, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe. We also receive further proof that both the Scottish Highlands and country houses are dangerous. Also dangerous are artists and pushy fiances. (Naturally, as someone who has read many of the Regency novels the author writes as Marion Chesney I was previously aware of the trouble the latter can bring.) Overall, this was a delightful and light read. I recommend it to any fans of the English mystery genre.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, book review, books, country houses, murder, mystery, never-ending tea time, review | posted in Words
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire proved to be an excellent choice for a non-horror Halloween read. In it, J.K. Rowling sharply continues her addition of darkness to the series. We see Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of the gang returning to Hogwart’s for yet another year. As usual, there are also dark deeds going on, but the focus this year is on the Triwizard Tournament. Despite rules requiring contestants to be 17, Harry naturally ends up in the mix. Adventures ensue. Naturally, there is a giant spider. Why is there always a giant bloody spider? *grumbles* In spite of that, the book is excellent. Also, there is a merciful lack of Quidditch game play by plays.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, bloody spiders, book review, books, children, fantasy, fiction, fooooood, Harry Potter, impending doom, magical creatures, precocious kiddos, re-read potential, recommended by a friend, review, witches & wizards, young adult | posted in Words
The Duke And I by Julia Quinn
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Oh the cheesy Regency romance. What a place it holds in my heart. Perfectly mindless and heartwarming despite the massive amounts of suspension of disbelief required. The Duke And I is the first, but will not be the last of Julia Quinn‘s books I read. It struck a fantastic balance between funny and sweet. In the creation of the hilarious Bridgerton family it added that excellent dynamic of The Overprotective Older Brother and Possibly Crazy Mother that makes these books delightful. I know I’m raving shamelessly. It could be the allergy medication or it could be that this is a fun book. I’ll leave the determination to you.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, aristocracy, book review, books, fiction, friend review sparked interest, historical fiction, re-read potential, review, romance, sweet sweet luuurve, the season | posted in Words
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
I began reading The Maltese Falcon with every expectation that I would enjoy it. I have heard so many comparisons of Dashiell Hammett to Raymond Chandler that anything else seemed impossible. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Try as hard as I can, I cannot see where the brilliance supposedly lies. All of the ingredients are there: beautiful, lying and tragic woman; hard-boiled detective; copious amounts of booze and coffee; evil men slapping the beautiful women in the face. (Seriously, what is up with all the slapping in noir?) Somehow, despite everything, it came off less compelling than a third-rate Alistair MacLean. What’s up with that?
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Leave a comment | tags: 2.5 stars, book review, books, bourbon coffee & smokes, crime, criminals, disappointing, noir, questionable motives, review, the fuck is this the fuck was that, up to no good | posted in Words
