Category Archives: book reviews

What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard P. Feynman

Posted by melydia on June 16, 2008 None comments

What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard Feynman: This was the first Feynman book I’ve ever read, a fact which is a touch embarrassing given that I have a degree in Physics.  It was also probably not the best book to start with, since it is possibly the last book he ever wrote (it was published posthumously).  All the same, I thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to pick up everything else he’s written.  The first part is a variety of stories from his life about his childhood, his first wife, etc.  The second and longer part is about the investigation of the Challenger explosion.  Having been too young at the time to understand more than that a horrible tragedy had occurred, the descriptions of Feynman’s attempts to get to the bottom of things are riveting.  He’s funny, brilliant, and a touch egocentric, and it all makes for a delightful read.  Highly recommended.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

Posted by melydia on June 15, 2008 None comments

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz: First and foremost, this was a refreshing change from your Standard Koontz Novel (that is, one long chase scene as the main character desperately tries to figure out what’s going on). The story revolves around three groups of people: Agnes, her amazing son Barty, and her two eccentric brothers; Celestina and the charming child Angel; and the psychotic Junior and his pursuer, Detective Vinadium. The connection between all the characters is not clear at first, but everything does get tied up in the end. Some of the pseudoscience was a touch painful, and the last couple chapters felt really rushed and more than a little bit contrived, but all in all I liked it. The characters were delightful. It’s these sorts of books that keep me coming back to Koontz time after time. I just wish he was a bit more consistent in quality.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Invisible Heart by Russell Roberts

Posted by melydia on May 8, 2008 None comments

The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts: I’ve said before that the highest praise I can give any book is that it made me think. This is one such book. It is ostensibly the story of a romance that blossoms between two high school teachers, but really it’s one big lesson in economics. Sure, some of the conversations feel a bit forced in order to get the point across, but even so I found myself unable to put it down. It challenged my beliefs and made me ruminate on issues I’d never considered. I can’t say I agree with all of the points made by the characters – on either side of the argument – but it definitely brought up some sticklers that will leave me pondering for quite some time.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I’m Kissing You Good-bye! by Cynthia Heimel

Posted by melydia on May 7, 2008 None comments

Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I’m Kissing You Good-bye! by Cynthia Heimel: This collection of columns is at once funny, exasperating, and disheartening. I found it difficult to read large amounts in a single sitting; the rage against society expressed in some of the essays was simply exhausting. I also am not nearly as enamoured of the Baby Boomers as the author, nor do I believe that any one political party is the cause of or answer to all of my problems. But there is more than enough humor and wisdom in these pages to quiet my complaints. I’m not sure I’ll go out of my way to seek out any more books by Heimel, but I enjoyed this one.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville

Posted by melydia on February 27, 2008 None comments

A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville: This is my third Neville book (of three, as far as I can tell) and I think it’s probably my second favorite (with The Eight being the clear winner). All of these books have followed strong, intelligent women dealing with high-risk situations. There is also another plot, which takes place hundreds of years earlier, that somehow relates to the modern storyline. In this case, we have Verity Banks, a vice president of Bank of the World (Neville worked for Bank of America; perhaps there is a parallel here?), continually fighting with her chauvenistic management who dismiss her suggestions unless they can somehow claim them as their own. Fed up, she decides to demonstrate how faulty their computer security is by temporarily stealing money herself. Enter Zolan Tor, Banks’s brilliant former mentor, who decides that he wants to play too, and can do it better. So they make a bet. The historical side story is about the Rothschild family some 200 years ago, who apparently have a lot to do with why banking is the way it is. I couldn’t quiet follow it, and I don’t think it added anything to the story. The modern thread, on the other hand, was a real page-turner. I just couldn’t put it down. Banks and Tor had a wonderful chemistry, and the other characters were a blast. My favorite was Lelia, the French Russian dame who spoke no language well and thus several broken languages at once. I would certainly recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun thriller, but if you only read one Neville book, I’d still have to steer you towards The Eight.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Posted by melydia on February 7, 2008 None comments

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: For centuries, the study of English magic has been entirely theoretical. Spells have not actually worked in three hundred years or more. Enter Mr. Norrell and later his apprentice Jonathan Strange, who work toward the return of practical English magic at the turn of the 19th century, with somewhat unexpected consequences. I loved this book, but I will be the first to admit it’s not for everyone. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul. And I do mean long: almost 800 pages (though there are a fair number of poorly drawn illustrations thrown in for no discernable reason other than to add heft). It’s also not the sort of story where you can grasp the gist of the plot from the first couple chapters. Rather, you have to simply enjoy what you are presently reading and trust the basic arc of the story will become clear in time. It does, but there are a lot of seemingly spurious asides that don’t appear to have much to do with anything for quite a long time. It’s written more like a history, complete with footnotes, with the author writing with the voice of a contemporary of most of the events described. I found this angle charming and quite convincing, to the point where I almost forgot that people like Martin Pale and John Uskglass never really existed. I will definitely be on the look-out for Clarke’s future novels.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Ticktock by Dean Koontz

Posted by melydia on December 28, 2007 None comments

Your typical Dean Koontz story: Ordinary Man finds ordinary life turned upside down out of nowhere by Pure Evil, in an event that is usually inexplicable and/or random. Most of book involves Ordinary Man being chased by Pure Evil. Along the way he finds or confirms his True Love. In the end, Pure Evil is destroyed, Ordinary Man is (re)united with his True Love, and everything ends happily.

In Ticktock, Vietnamese-American Tommy Phan discovers a strange ragdoll on his doorstep which turns into a demon trying to kill him. Most of the book is spent on Tommy and his newfound love Del fleeing from said demon. Del is extremely mysterious in what I suppose was meant to be an amusing way, but I thought she was really obnoxious, and I couldn’t figure out what Tommy saw in her. On the other hand, I loved Tommy’s mother.

Yes, the story is a tad silly (Del’s secrets, when finally revealed, are even sillier), but it’s Koontz. If you like Koontz, you’ll like this one. It’s a fun, light read.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Posted by melydia on November 11, 2007 None comments

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: This is really two books. One is the story of Daniel Burnham and the construction of the World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago world’s fair. The other is about serial killer H. H. Holmes. Other than time and place, the two stories have almost nothing in common, but this doesn’t distract from the book as a whole. This is nonfiction written like a novel, with vivid details and memorable characters. I was completely sucked in, perhaps all the more because I knew it was true. I never realized just how much modern popular culture stems from this fair. The story of Holmes was fascinating as well, to the point where I’m kind of surprised I’d never heard of him. Definitely recommended to anyone with an interest in this time period.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Not a Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider

Posted by melydia on October 16, 2007 None comments

Not a Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider: This memoir about the author’s experiences at an eight-week camp in the summer of 1974 is not one I would have read had I not won it in a contest, but it was a nice story. The author spends most of her time in the woods bemoaning her unpopularity and chasing boys, which is made more interesting with a thorough sprinkling of amusing anecdotes. While I don’t expect this quick little read to appeal to anyone who was never a 13-year-old girl or a camper, it was a pleasant diversion.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Thinner by Stephen King

Posted by melydia on October 14, 2007 None comments

Thinner by Stephen King: It’s a painfully simple concept for a story: overweight man runs down gypsy, man’s judge friend gets him off, gypsy’s father curses man, man begins to lose weight at a horrifying rate, man hunts down gypsy’s father to get curse removed. Considering all the stuff up to and including the man getting cursed happens before the book even begins, there is definitely not enough story here to fill 300+ pages. It all feels like padding – the altercation with the doctor, the stories of the judge and police chief, even the lengthy bit of tracking down the gypsy caravan. It would have been much better as a short story. I hear the movie is good, which makes sense – this is something that could easily be condensed into a 90-minute film without losing anything. (Though I hear the ending is different, which is a shame since that was one of the few parts of the book that didn’t drag on endlessly.)

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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