Started: 7/28/07
Finished: 7/30/07
Year: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb: No printed blurb on e-book copy-a Long Island girl loses her grandfather and she tries to overcome it.
Opinion: A great concept but some little things didn't work (subway directions). Hard to believe that the main character would have gotten involved in what she did get involved with. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter
Started: 7/27/07
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1990
Pages: 226
Genre: Writing help
Grade: B
Reason for reading: improve writing skills
Blurb (from back cover): "What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse."
Opinion: Some really good ideas in sparking some writing. I'm sure that I'll be using some of them in the future.
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1990
Pages: 226
Genre: Writing help
Grade: B
Reason for reading: improve writing skills
Blurb (from back cover): "What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse."
Opinion: Some really good ideas in sparking some writing. I'm sure that I'll be using some of them in the future.
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Started: 7/19/07
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1982 (this edition), 1844
Pages: 720
Genre: Classic
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book,
Blurb (from back cover): "Dumas's tale of swashbuckling and heroism follows the fortunes of d'Artagnan, a headstrong country boy who travels to Paris to join the Musketeers-the bodyguard of King Louis XIII. Here he falls in with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the four friends soon find themselves caught up in court politics and intrigue. Together they must outwit Cardinal Richelieu and his plot to gain influence over the King, and thwart the beautiful spy Milady's scheme to disgrace the Queen. In The Three Musketeers, Dumas breathed fresh life into the genre of historical romance, creating a vividly realized cast of characters and a stirring dramatic narrative."
Opinion: A fairly decent classic. I can see why it has survived all of these years. However, the title is very misleading.
Finished: 7/27/07
Year: 1982 (this edition), 1844
Pages: 720
Genre: Classic
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book,
Blurb (from back cover): "Dumas's tale of swashbuckling and heroism follows the fortunes of d'Artagnan, a headstrong country boy who travels to Paris to join the Musketeers-the bodyguard of King Louis XIII. Here he falls in with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the four friends soon find themselves caught up in court politics and intrigue. Together they must outwit Cardinal Richelieu and his plot to gain influence over the King, and thwart the beautiful spy Milady's scheme to disgrace the Queen. In The Three Musketeers, Dumas breathed fresh life into the genre of historical romance, creating a vividly realized cast of characters and a stirring dramatic narrative."
Opinion: A fairly decent classic. I can see why it has survived all of these years. However, the title is very misleading.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Critic by Peter May
Started: 7/16/07
Finished: 7/19/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 289
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Gil Petty, the world's number one wine critic, had gone missing during a tasting tour of the little-known wine region of Gaillac. Four years aga, his body was discovered strung up on a cross in a vineyard in southwest France.
"Dressed in the ceremonial crimson robes of the Brotherhood of the Order of the Divine Bottle, the semi-decayed body had been preserved in red wine before being planted like a scarecrow among the heavily-laden vines. His murderer was never found.
"Petty's influence was powerful. A single good review meant overnight success for a winemaker; a single bad one spelled ruin.
"But possible clues in Petty's reviews are locked behind the seemingly unbreakable code he invited to keep them secure from prying eyes prior to publication. Advance information would have brought rich rewards for wine speculators. Secrecy was essential.
"Scots exile and former forensics expert Enzo Macleod reopens this well-chilled cold case to discover that the genteel world of winemakers hides a business driven by greed, envy, and desperation.
"In the idyllic vineyards, Enzo finds no shortage of possible killers, includng local winemakers, The Brotherhood of the Divine Bottle (an ancient society dedicated to promoting Gaillac wine), and Petty's daughter, Michelle.
"Enzo fortified by copious quantities of wine, hunts an elusive murderer who is quite prepared to kill again."
Opinion: A fairly strong mystery-wasn't quite sure whodunit until the end. Well written. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com
Finished: 7/19/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 289
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Gil Petty, the world's number one wine critic, had gone missing during a tasting tour of the little-known wine region of Gaillac. Four years aga, his body was discovered strung up on a cross in a vineyard in southwest France.
"Dressed in the ceremonial crimson robes of the Brotherhood of the Order of the Divine Bottle, the semi-decayed body had been preserved in red wine before being planted like a scarecrow among the heavily-laden vines. His murderer was never found.
"Petty's influence was powerful. A single good review meant overnight success for a winemaker; a single bad one spelled ruin.
"But possible clues in Petty's reviews are locked behind the seemingly unbreakable code he invited to keep them secure from prying eyes prior to publication. Advance information would have brought rich rewards for wine speculators. Secrecy was essential.
"Scots exile and former forensics expert Enzo Macleod reopens this well-chilled cold case to discover that the genteel world of winemakers hides a business driven by greed, envy, and desperation.
"In the idyllic vineyards, Enzo finds no shortage of possible killers, includng local winemakers, The Brotherhood of the Divine Bottle (an ancient society dedicated to promoting Gaillac wine), and Petty's daughter, Michelle.
"Enzo fortified by copious quantities of wine, hunts an elusive murderer who is quite prepared to kill again."
Opinion: A fairly strong mystery-wasn't quite sure whodunit until the end. Well written. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com
Monday, July 16, 2007
Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse translated by John Bester
Started: 7/11/07
Finished: 7/16/07
Pages: 300
Year: 1969
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf (got it from a bookbox)
Blurb (from back cover): "Black Rain is centered around the story of a young woman who was caught in the radioactive "black rain" that fell after the bombing of Hiroshima. Ibuse bases his tale on real-life diaries and interviews with victims of the holocaust; the result is a book that is free from sentimentality yet manages to reveal the magnitude of the human suffering caused by the atom bomb. The life Yasuko, on whom the black rain fell, is changed forever by periodic bouts of radiation sickness and the suspicion that her future children, too, may be affected.
"Ibuse tempers the horror of his subject with the gentle humor for which he is famous. His sensitivity to the complex web of emotions in a traditional community torn asunder by this historical even has made Black Rain one of the most acclaimed treatments of the Hiroshima story."
Opinion: Kinda confusing while reading it to determine which narrator was speaking. Interesting story overall.
Finished: 7/16/07
Pages: 300
Year: 1969
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf (got it from a bookbox)
Blurb (from back cover): "Black Rain is centered around the story of a young woman who was caught in the radioactive "black rain" that fell after the bombing of Hiroshima. Ibuse bases his tale on real-life diaries and interviews with victims of the holocaust; the result is a book that is free from sentimentality yet manages to reveal the magnitude of the human suffering caused by the atom bomb. The life Yasuko, on whom the black rain fell, is changed forever by periodic bouts of radiation sickness and the suspicion that her future children, too, may be affected.
"Ibuse tempers the horror of his subject with the gentle humor for which he is famous. His sensitivity to the complex web of emotions in a traditional community torn asunder by this historical even has made Black Rain one of the most acclaimed treatments of the Hiroshima story."
Opinion: Kinda confusing while reading it to determine which narrator was speaking. Interesting story overall.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble
Started: 7/5/07
Finished: 7/11/07
Year: 2004
Pages: 325
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you should read
Blurb (from back cover): "On the cusp of a trip to Korea, Barbara Halliwell receives an unexpected package with no return address. Inside she finds a centuries-old memoir by a Korean crown princess that details the mysteries of the Korean court as well as the dramas that left the princess childless and her husband dead by his own hand. In Seoul, the intriguing Dr. Oo takes Barbara through the courts themselves, an experience that leaves her as enchanted by him as by the mysterious life of the princess. She returns to England spellbound, wondering whether her life can ever return to normal-whether she truly wants it to."
Opinion: The beginning started off slowly then kinda picked up. Do I feel better now that I read this? Not really. Do I feel that it's worthy of being one of the 1001? Maybe-it was good writing.
Finished: 7/11/07
Year: 2004
Pages: 325
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: booksfree.com, one of the 1001 books you should read
Blurb (from back cover): "On the cusp of a trip to Korea, Barbara Halliwell receives an unexpected package with no return address. Inside she finds a centuries-old memoir by a Korean crown princess that details the mysteries of the Korean court as well as the dramas that left the princess childless and her husband dead by his own hand. In Seoul, the intriguing Dr. Oo takes Barbara through the courts themselves, an experience that leaves her as enchanted by him as by the mysterious life of the princess. She returns to England spellbound, wondering whether her life can ever return to normal-whether she truly wants it to."
Opinion: The beginning started off slowly then kinda picked up. Do I feel better now that I read this? Not really. Do I feel that it's worthy of being one of the 1001? Maybe-it was good writing.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
By Their Father's Hand by Monte Francis
Started: 7/1/07
Finished: 7/5/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 285
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Neighbors were unaware of what went on behind the tightly closed doors of a house in Fresno, California-the home of an imposing, 300-pound Marcus Wesson, his wife, children, nieces, and grandchildren. But on March 12, 2004, gunshots were heard inside the Wesson home, and police officers responding to what they believed was a routine domestic disturbance were horrified by the senseless carnage they discovered when they entered.
"By Their Father's Hand is a chilling true story of incest, abuse, madness, and murder, and one family's terrible and ultimately fatal ordeal at the hands of a powerful, manipulative man-a cultist who envisioned vengeful gods and vampires, and totally controlled those closest to him before their world came to a brutal and bloody halt."
Opinion: Some obvious mistakes in the book but a decent story. Can tell that it's a debut novel. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
Finished: 7/5/07
Year: 2007
Pages: 285
Genre: True Crime
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Neighbors were unaware of what went on behind the tightly closed doors of a house in Fresno, California-the home of an imposing, 300-pound Marcus Wesson, his wife, children, nieces, and grandchildren. But on March 12, 2004, gunshots were heard inside the Wesson home, and police officers responding to what they believed was a routine domestic disturbance were horrified by the senseless carnage they discovered when they entered.
"By Their Father's Hand is a chilling true story of incest, abuse, madness, and murder, and one family's terrible and ultimately fatal ordeal at the hands of a powerful, manipulative man-a cultist who envisioned vengeful gods and vampires, and totally controlled those closest to him before their world came to a brutal and bloody halt."
Opinion: Some obvious mistakes in the book but a decent story. Can tell that it's a debut novel. For a more complete review, check out MyShelf.com next month.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Borderliners by Peter Hoeg
Started: 6/28/07
Finished: 7/1/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 277
Genre: Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "They're refugees from orphanages and reform schools, children in danger of being institutionalized for not fitting in. Borderliners. Now they've been given one last change: transfer to an exclusive private academy whee they will be integrated with normal, privileged students. What they don't know-yet-is that they are subjects of a secret experiment in social Darwinism. All they have is time, every moment of which is rigidly managed by their Dickensian academy. For Peter and his newfound friends, August and Katarina, the only escape from the draconian present in in re-creating time and space for themselves in an insidious rebellion that is both revolutionary-and suicidal.
Opinion: Started off slow, picked up, and then fell flat. An interesting concept but I'm not crazy in how it was done.
Finished: 7/1/07
Year: 1995
Pages: 277
Genre: Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed it off the TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "They're refugees from orphanages and reform schools, children in danger of being institutionalized for not fitting in. Borderliners. Now they've been given one last change: transfer to an exclusive private academy whee they will be integrated with normal, privileged students. What they don't know-yet-is that they are subjects of a secret experiment in social Darwinism. All they have is time, every moment of which is rigidly managed by their Dickensian academy. For Peter and his newfound friends, August and Katarina, the only escape from the draconian present in in re-creating time and space for themselves in an insidious rebellion that is both revolutionary-and suicidal.
Opinion: Started off slow, picked up, and then fell flat. An interesting concept but I'm not crazy in how it was done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)