When I first learned this was our book club pick for November, I was worried. I mean my book club doesn't have the best track record (The Three WeissmWhen I first learned this was our book club pick for November, I was worried. I mean my book club doesn't have the best track record (The Three Weissmanns of Westport: A Novel, The Magicians, The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal, and The Alchemist are some past book club picks, so that should give you an idea of what I'm dealing with). I was absolutely dreading reading this book, I mean, it's a political mystery and if you happen to know me, I am not much for political anything. Once I started reading it, however, I couldn't seem to put it down. Forget the politics and the bad track record of the book club, this book was funny and engaging (two things I never thought I would say about politics or my work book club). I loved the mystery in this one and couldn't wait to find out who-done-it. Definitely a to-read for anyone who likes mysteries, humor or doesn't like their work book clubs....more
Thanks to reading 2 of Candace Bushnell's books, I am so over (1) New Yorkers in general and (2) hearing them complain about all their stupid little pThanks to reading 2 of Candace Bushnell's books, I am so over (1) New Yorkers in general and (2) hearing them complain about all their stupid little problems.... Oh, I can only afford a 3 million dollar penthouse... oh, I only get to go live in a house in Westport in the summer and all my friends are living in the Hamptons... oh, my husband left me for a younger woman (well, I guess that's a valid complaint). Hey, here's an idea: move to a state where it doesn't cost a fortune to live. There are great places to live outside of New York. Overall, this book was a complete waste of time (much like most of my work's book club books) and I was definitely glad that it was over. Everything about the book annoyed me, the characters, the plot, the setting, the love stories, the complaints, everything. All I can say is, I'm glad it was kinda short because I don't think I could have suffered through one more second. ...more
Honestly, I don't think I would have ever picked up this book had it not been a Book Club pick and I'm not really sure why. I loved Barbie when I was Honestly, I don't think I would have ever picked up this book had it not been a Book Club pick and I'm not really sure why. I loved Barbie when I was younger; I had pretty much everything that Barbie could have and played with her (and her friends) all the time. I guess I just never even considered learning about how she was created.
Surprisingly, this book was actually extremely interesting. True Ruth Handler (Barbie's "mother") was a total b..., the book didn't really focus on Barbie that much (in fact, it probably should have been called Ruth Handler: The Story of Barbie's Mother), and the writing wasn't all that great (I did have a proof copy, so hopefully it was improved by the time the book was published), but overall, I actually quite enjoyed learning about the origins of Mattel and reminiscing about all the toys from my youth, plus scandal always makes any story better, and this book was definitely filled with scandal. Actually, reading this book made me want to go out and read about other toy companies, to see if they faced the same challenges and how they handled them....more
There were some very useful tips in this book, especially if you are struggling to lose weight and are attempting to eat healthier. I think I might evThere were some very useful tips in this book, especially if you are struggling to lose weight and are attempting to eat healthier. I think I might even use some of the rules (i.e., it's okay to eat junk food as long as you make it yourself... I think this will really work for me, because while I LOVE junk food, I'm also lazy, so if I have to make any junk food I eat, I'm likely to eat way less than I do now). My main problem with the book is I feel the author really struggled to get it to be long enough to be publishable; about half the pages have just a picture on them and most of the rules are a short sentence (which also takes up a whole page)... I literally finished this book in an hour, which is great, I guess, because I could move on to another book, but bad for people who bought it. Luckily, I borrowed this one from someone at work, so I didn't just eat $11. I would have been really upset had I bought it, especially since I could have read the entire thing while waiting in line at Barnes and Noble, which is what I would recommend to anyone wanting to read this....more
When I wasn't feeling like a horrible person or getting bogged down by all the little details, this book was actually not that bad. I mean Mother TereWhen I wasn't feeling like a horrible person or getting bogged down by all the little details, this book was actually not that bad. I mean Mother Teresa's life is interesting; she did a lot of good work and was world-renowned, she bypassed religious and national lines, she was, in short, a great person. I think where I had problems with this book was the writing. At times, I felt like I was reading a list of details, rather than a story of someone's life... sometimes it felt like reading a poorly structured resume. To me, it just did not flow very well at all. At one point we would be reading about something Mother Teresa did in the 1950's, the next we were reading about her accomplishments in the 1970's, then we were back to the days when she first entered the religious world. I just think a chronological order of events would have done this book a ton of good. ...more
Raising Atlantis reads like a less articulate, not as interesting version of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Given that these two novels came out around thRaising Atlantis reads like a less articulate, not as interesting version of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Given that these two novels came out around the same time and focus on similar themes (uncovering the past's secrets to discover some type of treasure), there is a reason Dan Brown is a much more familiar name than Thomas Greanias. Don't get me wrong, the premise was very interesting; there was a lot of action and adventure, but I just didn't like it very much. For one, some parts of the novel were very hard to understand... 25% of the time, I had no idea what was happening (the writing just wasn't that great). Also, the characters bothered me so much. Now I get that a majority of the time, male characters are made to represent how the author views himself (translation: most of the time they are charming, smart and every woman in existence wants them), but Dr. Conrad Yeats was not charming or smart to me... for the most part, he was extremely annoying... Ooh, I know everything... I'm so awesome that nuns leave their vocation to be with me (or not?)... I can do whatever I want and could care less about the consequences. Even the nun annoyed the crap out of me (a nun!!! and I'm Catholic). She was too damn perfect, and couldn't make up her mind about anything... Ooh, I want to be the wife of Christ, no, wait, I think I like Conrad, I can't decide, let's go green and be extremely annoying to anyone that comes around you... and did I mention, I know every language in existence? Don't even get me started on the end... I mean seriously??? Way to make your slightly decent book seem like a crack addict wrote it. I'm still going to read the rest of the series however... because I am just that much of a masochist....more
In Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, Elizabeth Gilbert researches and contemplates the act of marriage as she is forced into marrying heIn Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, Elizabeth Gilbert researches and contemplates the act of marriage as she is forced into marrying her long time "lover" Felipe by Homeland Security. I love how thoroughly she researches every aspect of love and marriage (and even the baby carriage, or lack thereof). This book spoke more to me than Eat, Pray, Love; I knew what she was talking about and I could totally relate with (almost) everything she had to say. I think anybody who is considering getting married or is already married or is opposed to marriage should definitely read this book. ...more
I loved the idea of this book; it's basically Harry Potter at college and his journey into what I imagine to be a Narnia-like world (I imagine it likeI loved the idea of this book; it's basically Harry Potter at college and his journey into what I imagine to be a Narnia-like world (I imagine it like Fillory because I haven't actually read the Narnia books yet or seen any of the movies). I loved Harry Potter, I love adventures of any kind, I love magic, so what's not to like about this book? I would say, almost everything (except the idea, which gets it the 3 stars). First of all, I feel this could have easily been 4 books or more, and because it was condensed to one book, I thought a lot of the action was lacking. Grossman literally just skims over whole years, years I'm sure would have interesting goings-on at a magic school. Not only that, but when they are at Fillory on their quest, they travel for a whole day in which nothing happens. Frankly, I'm not buying it. They are in a strange new land, with strange half-animal creatures, on a quest to find a crown that will make them queens and kings and nothing happens? I doubt it, I think Grossman just got lazy and didn't feel like writing in more action sequences. Second, his writing style wasn't that great. I had a lot of trouble concentrating on the text. Finally, and worst of all, I felt absolutely nothing for the characters. I was not connected to them at all, I could care less if they succeeded or failed. I wasn't upset when they died. In that regard, Grossman doesn't even come close to Harry Potter status (I literally cried actual tears when characters died in HP, in this book, I felt nothing).
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but I won't read it again or really recommend it to anybody. It would have been a far better book (and probably the next big thing) if it were a series of books written by another person....more
If The Shadow of the Wind, One Hundred Years of Solitude and anything in the John Grisham universe had a Swedish lovechild, that child would be The GiIf The Shadow of the Wind, One Hundred Years of Solitude and anything in the John Grisham universe had a Swedish lovechild, that child would be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The book is entirely consuming and enthralling, so much so that I literally could not put it down. When I was reading it, I lost all track of time and when I wasn't reading it (because unfortunately there are times I have to actually work), I was thinking about it. It even penetrated my subconscious and found its way into my dreams. Words cannot describe how much I loved this book, which greatly surprised me. As with any book that is so immensely popular that it has waiting lists of 100 at the library and everybody (and I mean everybody) talks about it, I was skeptical at first. There have been times in the past when I thought a book was going to be fantastic because of all the hype, and it turned out to truly disappoint me. In fact, I remember when Twilight first got popular and people were saying it's the next Harry Potter. I immediately went out and bought the whole series eager to get another taste of the addictiveness of Harry Potter: long story short, they were wrong. Twilight was horrible and nothing at all like Harry Potter. So when I first learned I had to read this book for the work book club, I was hesitant. Should I really waste my time on a book that will ultimately disappoint me? I was wrong. This book has something for everyone (seriously): a 40 year old mystery, attempted murder, sexual assault, a kick-ass heroine, financial scandal, love affairs. I can't wait to see what's waiting in the remainder of the series :)...more
As far as I'm concerned, this was another hit and miss with my work book club. I don't know how they manage to pick the worst, least interesting booksAs far as I'm concerned, this was another hit and miss with my work book club. I don't know how they manage to pick the worst, least interesting books out there. So far, the only one they have gotten right was The Book Thief, which was awesome. This one reminded me a lot of another book we had to read, The Film Club. Both are non-fiction and talk about how the life of one person changes over a few years. I guess I don't enjoy non-fiction books, but I totally did not feel connected to this at all.
Here's the story: Koppel finds a trunk of old stuff outside her building in New York, which she immediately decides to go through (I don't know why). In the junk, she finds a diary that belonged to a girl growing up in the 1930's that spanned her life from the ages of 14-19. Now, I think the book would have been a lot better as just a repeat of the diary... I am nosy after all. What Koppel decided to do, however, was to show some of the entries in the diary and basically repeat what they were talking about. I found it hard to believe that Koppel is a writer for the New York Times. Based on the narrative in the book, she is not a good writer. I was barely interested in the story line, and that's even including the parts talking about sex. The only reason I read it so quickly was (1) it was pretty short and (2) I really wanted to get it out of the way so I could read something better, more worthwhile.
Another work-book-club read, but surprisingly, this one wasn't nearly as bad as some in the past. I would even go so far as to say that I actually reaAnother work-book-club read, but surprisingly, this one wasn't nearly as bad as some in the past. I would even go so far as to say that I actually really liked it. I love how the story was structured, so that each chapter represented a chapter in the "fictional" Manual of Detection that Unwin was given upon his unwanted promotion. The story was full of weird, but interesting, characters (fitting, given the fact that the Agency's nemesis owned a circus) and was extremely well told. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a crazy, unfathomable mystery: in one case, someone actually tried to steal November 12th :)...more
I've heard there was a lot of controversy surrounding Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (especially when the movie came out), but when I reaI've heard there was a lot of controversy surrounding Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (especially when the movie came out), but when I read it, I totally didn't get what the controversy was all about. Maybe it's because I don't read into what the aspects of a story say about the world, an entity or an organization... typically, I just read a story for entertainment. The Golden Compass was extremely entertaining. I had seen the movie before reading the novel, but I still found myself almost on the edge of my seat, quickly flipping through the pages even though I generally knew what would happen. Despite the controversy, I will definitely read the remainder of the series and am looking forward to seeing the movie again....more
This book was fantastic. I absolutely LOVED it. The story is one about a boy who accidentally calls forth a demon. He is forced to live as the demon'sThis book was fantastic. I absolutely LOVED it. The story is one about a boy who accidentally calls forth a demon. He is forced to live as the demon's master for 70 years, always searching for a way to kill his demon. One day he enters a town named Pine Cove, and the story begins. Moore tells each part of the story from a different perspective, and slowly the mystery (and eventually, the solution) unfolds. It is extremely well written and absolutely hilarious. My favorite part? The Pentagon gives MIT a grant to study if an owl-shaped aircraft would be a good weapon. Their results: it would be "an effective weapon, but only if the enemy should ever mobilize a corps of field-mouse-shaped tanks." HAHA!...more
Another work book club book I was more than a little disappointed with. I was excited to be reading a book about movies (hoping to get some ideas abouAnother work book club book I was more than a little disappointed with. I was excited to be reading a book about movies (hoping to get some ideas about movies I should see), but with all the lessons about life, discussions about the symbology of movies and father-son bonding going on there wasn't much left for discussing different types of movies. It literally talked about 10, not something I would call a film club. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind life lessons and bonding some of the time, it just wasn't entirely what I was expecting....more
Ever hear the phrase, "you can't judge a book by its cover"? With this book, that phrase is totally obsolete. I picked this book up mainly because theEver hear the phrase, "you can't judge a book by its cover"? With this book, that phrase is totally obsolete. I picked this book up mainly because the cover caught my eye and the name was intriguing (it's about books). Often when I base my book selection on the appearance of the cover (or the title of the book, see Stuart: A Life Backwards), I am quite disappointed. Not the case here. This book was utterlly FANTASTIC. It's about a boy who loses his mom at an early age, only to find her replaced by a new step-mom and little brother, and sure enough, he begins to harbor feelings of hatred (I can totally relate to this one). He enters this fantastical world where normal fairy tales take on a warped versions of themselves, where you are forced to confront your worst nightmares and a malevolent version of Rumpelstiltskin is waiting to trick you with each move you make. Not only is the novel entertaining in itself, but it also provides lessons on family, love, acceptance, greed and hate. This book was very enjoyable, especially the bonus at the end which contains original versions of all fairy tales mentioned in the book. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading, fairy tales and adventure. ...more
Finally, my work book club picked a book I actually enjoyed reading. I guess it was bound to happen. A wizard detective, murder, demons, black magic, Finally, my work book club picked a book I actually enjoyed reading. I guess it was bound to happen. A wizard detective, murder, demons, black magic, love, lust and a touch of sarcasm made this book a definite must-read, especially for all the mystery fans out there who want to try something just a bit different :)...more
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