The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

Posted by melydia on January 28, 2006 No comment

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean: This is the haunting tale of Marina, a woman who works and later lives in the Hermitage art museum in Leningrad during the long winter of the German siege in World War II. It switches back and forth between her suffering at the museum and her present day self in the Pacific Northwest as an elderly woman whose mind is failing her.

Though I had never read about Russia during this time period, much less the siege of Leningrad, as I read I began to wonder if perhaps I’d heard too many stories from WWII. The hunger and death grew wearisome, with the only real interest of the story coming from Marina’s passionate descriptions of the art in the Hermitage. But things improved, and I left this book happy I had read it. This is one of those books you wander through with only mild interest until the last few scenes, when everything picks up and ties together, and you turn the last page feeling uplifted and truly satisfied.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Maybe Baby edited by Lori Leibovich

Posted by melydia on January 18, 2006 No comment

Maybe Baby, edited by Lori Leibovich: This book, a collection of essays by writers about why they decided to become parents (or not), intrigued me because I am a 26-year-old married woman with zero interest in ever having children. It is not, however, a book I would have picked up while browsing in the bookstore, mostly because I don’t visit the Parenting and Family section.

This book is a little lop-sided. A mere 18% of it is spent on people who made the decision to be childless; the “On the Fence” section is misnamed, as all the articles are about people who want children but for whatever reason do not have them (with the exception of the woman who has already children, but they are not biologically related to her). It should have been titled “On the Verge.”

A few of the essays stick out in my mind. One believes that while she practices it herself, childlessness on a large scale will mean the death of American culture. Another admits to wanting a child mostly because she wants someone who looks like her. Another talks about her son’s diagnosis of autism. But while there were certainly differences, I was struck most by the similarity of the stories. Sure, they’re all writers, but it went beyond that. A large number of them casually discussed their travels to far corners of the world, their liberal political leanings, their abortions, their passion for fine art and wine. Most of them also started their families relatively late – in their 30s or 40s.

Unless you are fascinated by the subject of parenthood, this is not a book to be read all in one sitting. The stories start to run together and more than a few feel tediously familiar. That said, I’m glad I read it; I still don’t want children, but now I understand a little better those that do.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Posted by melydia on January 12, 2006 No comment

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: The Apocalypse is nearing, but the Antichrist has been misplaced, and an angel and demon that have been around since Creation are realizing that they’re rather fond of the world and would prefer if it didn’t end just now. This is a funny book. The bizarre asides, reminiscent of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, are really the best part. I can see now why this book is so popular among fans of humorous fantasy: it’s wonderful. It’s one of the rare books I could see myself reading multiple times.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Saint Vidicon to the Rescue by Christopher Stasheff

Posted by melydia on January 5, 2006 No comment

Saint Vidicon to the Rescue by Christopher Stasheff: Tony Ricci, a computer troubleshooter, is called upon by Father Vidicon of Cathode, patron saint of computers, machines, and anything else susceptible to Finagle, master of perversity and chaos. While Vidicon fights the greater demons, Tony is sent to put out smaller fires, helping people on Earth with their problems. It’s a cute idea, that a self-described fictional saint fixes the inexplicable failures of modern technology, which are caused by actual microscopic beasties like gremlkins and scuttlefish. I was a little confused at first (how did Sandy already know that Tony had fixed the problem?), but once I got used to the regular switch between Tony’s regular life and his adventures with Saint Vidicon, it was a lot of fun. If you enjoy silly sci-fi, it’s a worthy read – if only for the ridiculous (and funny) climax at the PBS station, WBEG.

Books Read in 2005

Posted by melydia on January 1, 2006 No comment

1. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
2. The Golden Ratio by Mario Livio
3. Be Cool by Elmore Leonard
4. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
5. Lamb by Christopher Moore
6. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
7. The Dilbert Future by Scott Adams
8. 1984 by George Orwell
9. Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
10. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
11. Wolfpointe by Rick Buda
12-17. Harry Potter 1-6 by JK Rowling
18. Me, Dead Dad, & Alcatraz by Chris Lynch
19-21. Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
22. And She Was by Cindy Dyson
23. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
24. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
25. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
26. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
27. The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
28. Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott
29. On Writing by Stephen King
30. The Last Juror by John Grisham
31. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
32. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I averaged about one book every eleven days, which is about right for me.

Books I started but couldn’t finish:
* A Void by Georges Perec
* Abuse of Power by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
* One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty [I still plan to give this one another chance]
* Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Posted by melydia on December 15, 2005 No comment

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: I can’t say too much about the plot without giving it all away; much of my enjoyment of the book was from slowly figuring out exactly what’s going on. The story starts with Shadow, a man whose wife is killed two days before he was due to be released from prison. On the plane home, a man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday offers him a job which, upon learning that his best friend – who owned the Muscle Farm where Shadow was going to work – is also dead, Shadow accepts. From there he goes on a crazy journey all over middle America, meeting gods old, new, and otherwise. It was a long book – over 600 pages – but it didn’t drag or jump around in time too much, and things were described well enough that I really felt like I was there. Sometimes I was a little confused as to where it all was going, but the end was satisfying. Now I want to visit some of those old run-down roadside attractions mentioned in the text, especially the House on the Rock.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Chuck Norris

Posted by melydia on December 15, 2005 No comment

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Posted by melydia on December 1, 2005 No comment

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum is flat broke – she was laid off from her job, her car was repossessed, and she’s slowly pawning off everything she owns just to make ends meet. In order to get some much-needed cash, she starts working for her bondsman cousin as a bounty hunter. Her first FTA (Failure-To-Appear) is Joe Morelli, an old sorta-fling from high school. She finds him almost immediately, and he laughs in her face when he learns she’s on his tail, easily and repeatedly slipping through her fingers. From there she meets a couple of smart-mouthed hookers, gets stalked by a rapist/champion boxer, and generally runs into a lot of trouble. I don’t read many mysteries, so it was a little disappointing that I connected most of the dots over a hundred pages before Stephanie did, but it was a light, fast-paced story with a lot of humor and a fair bit of suspense (even if the biggest worry was that someone would walk in and embarrass Stephanie – again). If you want a quick read with some really funny narration, pick this one up, but don’t be surprised if you’re guessing much of the ending by about halfway through.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Last Juror by John Grisham

Posted by melydia on November 30, 2005 No comment

The Last Juror by John Grisham: This is the first Grisham book I’ve ever read, and it is really not a court drama, despite the implications of the title. In 1970, 23-year-old Willie Traynor moves to the small city of Clanton, Mississippi, and buys the local newspaper, which has recently gone bankrupt. Soon after this, a local woman is raped and murdered by Danny Padgitt, son of the “redneck mafia” that is the Padgitt family. The story vaguely meanders around the trial and subsequent fallout over the next several years, but mostly it’s about Willie’s life in Clanton and the people he meets. There are a lot of scenes and even minor characters thrown in just for color. The ending was mostly predictable, with the only major “twist” feeling like it had been plucked from thin air. It wasn’t a bad book – the characters were definitely believable and often entertaining – but from the very beginning I wondered how Grisham would manage to find enough plot to fill the 350 pages. Unfortunately, he really didn’t. In the end, if you enjoy reading about smalltown Southern life, you’ll like this. If you’re looking for an action-packed legal thriller, you probably want to look elsewhere.

PotO in 100 words or less.

Posted by melydia on November 30, 2005 No comment

I copied The Phantom of the Opera (courtesy of thecheshirekat.com) into MS Word and used the AutoSummarize tool, using the “100 words or less” option. This is what it came up with:

Christine replied.

“Christine!”

“Raoul!”

“Listen, Raoul. YOUR LITTLE CHRISTINE.

thought Raoul, furiously. “Christine!”

CHRISTINE.

Of Raoul? “Christine! “Christine!”

“Erik!”

“Christine! Christine! Raoul said:

Enough!” cried Raoul. “I understand, Christine. “Erik! Erik! Raoul implored.

“Raoul! Raoul! Raoul!”

Christine!

“Christine! “Christine! Christine!”

“Christine! Christine!…”

“Christine! “Christine! Christine!”

“Christine Daae’s.”

“Like Christine Daae.”

“Christine! Christine!”

“Christine, Christine, it is I, Raoul!”

Raoul! Raoul! Listen, Christine, darling! “Erik! Erik!” said Christine’s voice. Erik!”

Christine Daae’s voice said:

“Raoul! Raoul!” “Erik! “Erik! “Erik! Erik! “Christine!” cried M. de Chagny. “Christine! “Erik! Erik!”

“Christine! Christine!”

“Erik! Erik!” Erik!”

“Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daae?”

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