After two really crappy reads, I got to read a book that was fun and entertaining. Book number five was "Warriors: Into the Wild" by Erin Hunter. This is the first in a series of books about clans of cats living in the forest. It tells the story of Thunderclan cats and their interactions with rival clans, Windclan, Shadowclan and Riverclan.
Rusty, a kittypet, leaves his Twolegplace to join Thunderclan. He begins as a warrior apprentice and struggles with not only his training, but the doubt the other cats have about him not having warrior blood in him. He is a brave and thoughtful cat who wants to prove himself.
There are many characters to keep track of, but it didn't bog down my reading. There was a handy guide at the beginning of the book describing the different cats, their roles in the clan and different places in the forest, including maps.
This is a young reader's series, which makes it an easy read. It is not, however, without tension. There are some battles described in the book that end sadly and really draw you in. The end of the book wraps up part of the plot, but also contains a cliffhanger. I can't wait to get the second book in the series to see what happens to one of the young apprentice cats in Thunderclan.
If you're looking for something quick and easy, but not just fluff, give it a try!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Save Me from This Reading Hell
I purchased Book #4, "Holy Autism" by Daniel Forant, specifically for a book club I am part of. The group votes monthly for a reading selection. The books are put up for voting by their authors. The book with the most votes has a discussion, led by the author. The books are by first-time authors only. This being said, you can't expect to have great literature, but you would expect a good solid try by an author who is confident enough in his or her work to put it out there for us to critique.
The premise of the book is about a woman, Anna, whose autistic daughter Hellen, has been kidnapped because of some kind of secret only she understands regarding Christ and the Church.
What's the secret? I still don't know. The book was impossible to follow. Characters weren't developed, dialogue was confusing and I never knew who was speaking.
The reader is never told who kidnapped Hellen or what her experiences were while she was held captive. Anna is accompanied by a man, Adam, but their relationship is never described and we are not given any background information on either one of them. I never knew why they were in the places they were or how they got there. I never understood how they were connected to the other characters in the book or how they met them.
All in all, the book was horrible. Why did I read it, you might be wondering? Because I felt a responsibility to the group and to the author. I had not voted for it, but it was that month's selection and it was the first book selected since I had joined the group. I wanted to jump right in. Interestingly enough, the day before the scheduled discussion, the author himself pulled out of the discussion, then left the group. The group was left confused by his message and had no one to lead, so the discussion never took place. Officially that is. A few of us had some things to say and created our own discussion.
It was the common assumption that the author knew his work was completely worthless and didn't want to face the criticism. Whether that is the case or not, I for one felt jerked around. I bought his book, struggled through it and tried my best to find something constructive to say in support of him. Then he left the group in a lurch.
In no way do I hold the group responsible. The woman who moderates the group was very shocked by the author's actions and sent a very personal and thoughtful message to the group members. I will try to join them once again for a discussion in the future. However, at this point, I need to read something light and fun. My last two books have been miserable!
The premise of the book is about a woman, Anna, whose autistic daughter Hellen, has been kidnapped because of some kind of secret only she understands regarding Christ and the Church.
What's the secret? I still don't know. The book was impossible to follow. Characters weren't developed, dialogue was confusing and I never knew who was speaking.
The reader is never told who kidnapped Hellen or what her experiences were while she was held captive. Anna is accompanied by a man, Adam, but their relationship is never described and we are not given any background information on either one of them. I never knew why they were in the places they were or how they got there. I never understood how they were connected to the other characters in the book or how they met them.
All in all, the book was horrible. Why did I read it, you might be wondering? Because I felt a responsibility to the group and to the author. I had not voted for it, but it was that month's selection and it was the first book selected since I had joined the group. I wanted to jump right in. Interestingly enough, the day before the scheduled discussion, the author himself pulled out of the discussion, then left the group. The group was left confused by his message and had no one to lead, so the discussion never took place. Officially that is. A few of us had some things to say and created our own discussion.
It was the common assumption that the author knew his work was completely worthless and didn't want to face the criticism. Whether that is the case or not, I for one felt jerked around. I bought his book, struggled through it and tried my best to find something constructive to say in support of him. Then he left the group in a lurch.
In no way do I hold the group responsible. The woman who moderates the group was very shocked by the author's actions and sent a very personal and thoughtful message to the group members. I will try to join them once again for a discussion in the future. However, at this point, I need to read something light and fun. My last two books have been miserable!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Book #3 Was A Big Disappointment!
My third book of the year was "The Poe Shadow" by Matthew Pearl. To sum up how I felt about this book: UGH. What a let-down!
I read Pearl's other two books, "The Dante Club" and "The Last Dickens" and loved both of them. This fell into the same category as the others, a historical novel, so I figured I would love this one as well. Boy, was I wrong!
"The Poe Shadow" talks of the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe and his fan, Quentin Clark, who is determined to find out what really happened to his favorite author and to protect Poe's already tarnished reputation. (Sounds cool, right?)
As it turns out, Clark is not a very likable character. He is obsessed with Poe's death and doesn't seem to care about anything else in his life. He ignores his work as a lawyer and neglects the girl he is engaged to marry without much turmoil. If he had in fact felt guilty about the people he turned his back on in real life while he was out chasing ghosts, I would have been much more sympathetic. Instead, I had a very hard time feeling sorry for him when all of his troubles came to a climax.
The book was repetitive, which did not help in trying to trudge through it. I did not need to read entire paragraphs over again, however, I was subjected to just that! Because it was so slow moving, I would go days without picking it up. I almost convinced myself, when I was not yet halfway through the book, to just give up on it. What kept me going was the curiosity of how Pearl would play out the circumstances of Poe's death and what a possible answer was to this nearly century and a half old mystery.
I'm not sure it was worth it.
I read Pearl's other two books, "The Dante Club" and "The Last Dickens" and loved both of them. This fell into the same category as the others, a historical novel, so I figured I would love this one as well. Boy, was I wrong!
"The Poe Shadow" talks of the mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe and his fan, Quentin Clark, who is determined to find out what really happened to his favorite author and to protect Poe's already tarnished reputation. (Sounds cool, right?)
As it turns out, Clark is not a very likable character. He is obsessed with Poe's death and doesn't seem to care about anything else in his life. He ignores his work as a lawyer and neglects the girl he is engaged to marry without much turmoil. If he had in fact felt guilty about the people he turned his back on in real life while he was out chasing ghosts, I would have been much more sympathetic. Instead, I had a very hard time feeling sorry for him when all of his troubles came to a climax.
The book was repetitive, which did not help in trying to trudge through it. I did not need to read entire paragraphs over again, however, I was subjected to just that! Because it was so slow moving, I would go days without picking it up. I almost convinced myself, when I was not yet halfway through the book, to just give up on it. What kept me going was the curiosity of how Pearl would play out the circumstances of Poe's death and what a possible answer was to this nearly century and a half old mystery.
I'm not sure it was worth it.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Book #2-Some Red Sox Love!
My second book of 2010 was "Deep Drive" by Mike Lowell, 3rd baseman for the Boston Red Sox. This was actually Lee's book. I had bought it for him last year because Lowell is his favorite player. After he finished it, he gave it to me, proclaiming it a great book that I had to read. Well, it sat on my bookshelf in Wichita, moved to KC with me and sat on my bookshelf here. I added it to my "to read" list on Goodreads.com and told myself I would read it before the start of Spring Training. With the weather being as horrendous as it has been, I knew I needed something to make me think "warm" thoughts and what better way than to read a baseball book? I dove right in with high hopes.
Here is how I reviewed it on Goodreads.com:
If you're a Red Sox fan, this is a book you should read. It's not the best book in the world but it's a great way to get a little more in-depth look at Mike Lowell. Unfortunately, the book didn't flow well. It can be hard to follow because it jumps around chronologically. I would have loved to have seen more stories from the clubhouse, too. There was one tedious detail that really bothered me. It concerns two instances where Lowell was discussing Dustin Pedroia. I've wondered for quite a while just how tall Pedroia is and I thought Lowell had told me. Early on, Lowell says Pedroia is five foot six. Later he says five foot seven. What bothers me is that this discrepancy wasn't caught somewhere in the editing process. If you can overlook this type of error and deal with the switching of the seasons throughout the chapters, give it a go. Mike Lowell is definitely a player who faces his challenges head on.
Now, I didn't go into this thinking I would be reading a fine piece of literature. I just wanted baseball stories. That is exactly what I got. Like I said in the review, if you're a Red Sox fan, read it. You probably already know a lot of what is covered in the book, but you'll get more details about those topics. I was also very interested by his family's departure from Cuba and all that led up to it. If these are the types of things you expect from the book, you won't be let down.
Here is how I reviewed it on Goodreads.com:
If you're a Red Sox fan, this is a book you should read. It's not the best book in the world but it's a great way to get a little more in-depth look at Mike Lowell. Unfortunately, the book didn't flow well. It can be hard to follow because it jumps around chronologically. I would have loved to have seen more stories from the clubhouse, too. There was one tedious detail that really bothered me. It concerns two instances where Lowell was discussing Dustin Pedroia. I've wondered for quite a while just how tall Pedroia is and I thought Lowell had told me. Early on, Lowell says Pedroia is five foot six. Later he says five foot seven. What bothers me is that this discrepancy wasn't caught somewhere in the editing process. If you can overlook this type of error and deal with the switching of the seasons throughout the chapters, give it a go. Mike Lowell is definitely a player who faces his challenges head on.
Now, I didn't go into this thinking I would be reading a fine piece of literature. I just wanted baseball stories. That is exactly what I got. Like I said in the review, if you're a Red Sox fan, read it. You probably already know a lot of what is covered in the book, but you'll get more details about those topics. I was also very interested by his family's departure from Cuba and all that led up to it. If these are the types of things you expect from the book, you won't be let down.
Monday, January 4, 2010
One book down, 29 more to go!
I finished my first book of 2010 in just 3 days. Which, for me, is awesome. I can get so easily distracted by the other things that I "need" to do, I find it hard to stay focused on reading for a long period of time. This book made it easy though.
Book #1 of 2010 was While I Was Gone by Sue Miller. I have had this book for probably 10 years and had just never read it. It's been so long since I bought it that I couldn't even remember what the premise of the book was! It was, I quickly found, a wonderful surprise. It read quickly and easily. It kept me enthralled and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
While I Was Gone is about a middle-aged woman, Joey, and the obsession that she develops when a friend from her past re-enters her life. The friend loosens many old memories from the recesses of her mind. Some of the memories are warm, memories about a time in her life when she was freer. Other memories were disturbing, like the death of her roommate that brought that time in her life to an end.
The book delves into the relationships she has with different people in her life; relationships with her husband, children, coworkers and friends. It also explores how Joey feels about her life now, her conflicting feelings of contentedness versus her feelings of disconnect.
I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends. If you have read it already, let me know how you felt about it as well. Just remember to add a spoiler alert if you are going to reveal anything!
Book #1 of 2010 was While I Was Gone by Sue Miller. I have had this book for probably 10 years and had just never read it. It's been so long since I bought it that I couldn't even remember what the premise of the book was! It was, I quickly found, a wonderful surprise. It read quickly and easily. It kept me enthralled and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
While I Was Gone is about a middle-aged woman, Joey, and the obsession that she develops when a friend from her past re-enters her life. The friend loosens many old memories from the recesses of her mind. Some of the memories are warm, memories about a time in her life when she was freer. Other memories were disturbing, like the death of her roommate that brought that time in her life to an end.
The book delves into the relationships she has with different people in her life; relationships with her husband, children, coworkers and friends. It also explores how Joey feels about her life now, her conflicting feelings of contentedness versus her feelings of disconnect.
I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends. If you have read it already, let me know how you felt about it as well. Just remember to add a spoiler alert if you are going to reveal anything!
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010 Reading Goal
I'm not one to make resolutions, but I was very recently inspired by a person I follow on Twitter, @mamajoan. She mentioned that by the end of 2009, she would have read 43 books that year. "Wow," I thought. "She really loves to read and must make time for it." That's my problem. I don't make reading a priority like I used to. That, however, is going to change this year.
I decided to see how many books I could read in 2010. I soon realized that I was not really challenging myself at all by saying that. Would I get to December 31, 2010 and only have read 5 books? Then what? I would have seen the goal as a complete failure. I knew I had to set a number to read and hold myself accountable for it. At first I thought 20 books sounded reasonable, but I really want to push myself. So the official goal is to read 30 books in 2010. Along with that, I will add a goal of writing 30 blog posts. One to review each book I have read.
Another of my Twitter friends, @paulrharvey3, had mentioned a website, goodreads.com, so I checked it out. It's a pretty cool site that allows you to keep track of books you are reading, books you have already read and books you want to read. You can search for books and read reviews from other readers. I'm going to use this site to help track my reading through the year. If you want to follow along on that site, I'm BoSoxAmy there as well.
Now, not all of what I will read this year will be challenging. I like to alternate what I read, so don't be surprised if what I have read is complete fluff. I think it's nice to stick in a quick, easy read after I have read something substantial or emotionally draining. It's fun to read something silly now and then!
Feel free to send recommendations for books or to add your own reviews if we happen to read the same thing. I'd love to have friends join me on this journey!
I decided to see how many books I could read in 2010. I soon realized that I was not really challenging myself at all by saying that. Would I get to December 31, 2010 and only have read 5 books? Then what? I would have seen the goal as a complete failure. I knew I had to set a number to read and hold myself accountable for it. At first I thought 20 books sounded reasonable, but I really want to push myself. So the official goal is to read 30 books in 2010. Along with that, I will add a goal of writing 30 blog posts. One to review each book I have read.
Another of my Twitter friends, @paulrharvey3, had mentioned a website, goodreads.com, so I checked it out. It's a pretty cool site that allows you to keep track of books you are reading, books you have already read and books you want to read. You can search for books and read reviews from other readers. I'm going to use this site to help track my reading through the year. If you want to follow along on that site, I'm BoSoxAmy there as well.
Now, not all of what I will read this year will be challenging. I like to alternate what I read, so don't be surprised if what I have read is complete fluff. I think it's nice to stick in a quick, easy read after I have read something substantial or emotionally draining. It's fun to read something silly now and then!
Feel free to send recommendations for books or to add your own reviews if we happen to read the same thing. I'd love to have friends join me on this journey!
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