Tag Archives: book reviews

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Posted by melydia on September 14, 2012 None comments

Stuart Little by E.B. White (unabridged audiobook read by Julie Harris; 2 hrs on 2 discs): Perhaps I would have felt differently growing up with this book, but as an adult this book struck me as profoundly weird. First off, a human couple give birth to a mouse, and no one seems to think this is at all strange. Their first son is human; their second son is a rodent. What? Anyway, this is basically a collection of Stuart’s various adventures, including boating, substitute teaching, and courting a 2-inch tall human girl. I don’t even know. The ending is left completely open, which I suppose could be inspiring for a young imagination, but I didn’t know it was coming so I was a little confused at the end. Oh well. It was fine, and there were parts that were funny just because they were so strange.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Posted by melydia on September 11, 2012 None comments

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke: I do not read all that quickly, but I managed to inhale all 660 pages of this book in three evenings. I simply could not get enough of the Inkworld. Everybody’s here and everything’s falling apart. Mo may or may not be the Bluejay, Meggie’s heart is conflicted, Fenoglio has lost the power of words, and Orpheus is screwing everything up. I’m actually looking forward to re-reading this trilogy so I can savor it, rather than obsessively reading just one more chapter because I just have to know what happens next. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so completely sucked into a story and I loved every moment of it. Highly recommended.

A note on the trilogy: I read Inkheart and Inkdeath, but listened to Inkspell, read by Brendan Fraser. The other two books had different narrators, but this way I was able to hear Inkdeath with Fraser’s amazing narration in my head.

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

Posted by melydia on September 4, 2012 None comments

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster: Lancaster was living the good life, with a huge Chicago apartment, a huge paycheck, a huge shopping problem, and a huge ego. Then she gets laid off and spends the next couple years unemployed. This sort of major reality check wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining were Lancaster not so unafraid to paint herself in a less than flattering light. And she is hilarious. She writes in such a way that I can completely hear her voice and inflection. The footnotes were often even funnier than the main text. If you’re looking for a fun beach read, this is a good bet.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

and then there were three… by Supriya Bhatnagar

Posted by melydia on August 31, 2012 None comments

and then there were three… by Supriya Bhatnagar: This brief memoir details Bhatnagar’s childhood experiences with the death of her father in 1970s India. Since Bhatnagar now lives in America, she took time to point out little differences in daily life between the two countries. These parts I found most fascinating. Her family’s grief was touching and sad, but honestly I was more interested in her experiences growing up with a single mother who starts her own school. Even better, I got to bring up some of the stuff from this book, such as the “desert coolers”, with my Indian coworker, who’d had similar experiences growing up in Hyderabad. I loved the real personal feeling of the narration, like I was having a conversation ith the author rather than reading her book. I hope to read more by her someday.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Posted by melydia on August 28, 2012 3 comments

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (unabridged audiobook read by Brendan Fraser; 18 hrs 46 min on 16 discs): Meggie and Farid enter the Inkworld in search of Dustfinger and find it much changed from the lands described in Inkheart. A new reader, Orpheus, has started reading people into and out of books. Meanwhile, Mortola and Basta are still on the hunt for Mo. Unlike the previous book, this story takes place almost entirely within the Inkworld, and it is a fantastic place. I wanted so badly to visit, even with all the danger involved. And I fell a little bit in love with most of the characters, most especially the impulsive Farid. And oh, I was so happy to already have the third book on hand to start immediately after this one. Some may find Inkheart a little slow, but Inkspell is anything but. So much fun.

A note on the audio: Fraser made this book come alive. I knew he was a talented narrator, but he made me want to stay in my car longer just to hear what happened next. I laughed, I cried, I squealed in delight. Now I’m sad because he’s only read two books and I’ve listened to them both. I guess I need to watch more of his movies.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Posted by melydia on August 21, 2012 None comments

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson (unabridged audiobook read by Simon Vance; 20 hrs 18 min on 16 discs): This final installment of the Millennium Trilogy finds Lisbeth Salander in the hospital recovering from severe gunshot wounds as Mikael Blomkvist scrambles to uncover the conspiracy that has been quietly ruining her life for the last fifteen years. Unlike the previous two books, this is more of a legal and political thriller, culminating in a gripping and often maddening trial. There is quite a lot of commentary on women’s rights and journalistic integrity as well, making for some thought-provoking passages. The ending was satisfying but realistic. Lisbeth will always be Lisbeth, after all. The side story about Erika Berger’s stalker seemed a bit unnecessary, but it didn’t overshadow the primary plot. This is one of those series I want to go back and read again now that I know how it all turns out, to see if I can spot any clues. Great stuff.

Breaking the Devil’s Heart by H.A. Goodman

Posted by melydia on August 14, 2012 None comments

Breaking The Devil’s Heart by H.A. Goodman: When you die, the very good people become angels and the very bad people become demons, but if you’re just mostly good you may be given the option of becoming an Observer. Contrary to their title, Observers are more like hands-on angels in the battle between good and evil. Stewart and Layla are two such Observers, on a mission to discover the secret behind the Formula, some sort of evil-making product demons peddle to conflicted humans. After touring parts of both heaven and hell and receiving rather puzzling answers to their queries, Stewart and Layla come upon what may be the answer they seek. And you know, I really enjoyed the story up to this point (save the intensely gooey relationship between Stewart and Layla, which often left me gagging). I love heaven versus hell stories in general, I like the concept of Observers, and the role of Time/Fate was intriguing as well. But then there was this strange twist ending. I really did not understand what happened. I’m willing to accept that maybe I just missed something obvious, because the lead-up was pretty good. Either way, I’ll be curious to see what else Goodman cooks up for this universe. It certainly has a lot of potential.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Hey Canada! by Vivian Bowers and Milan Pavlovic

Posted by melydia on August 10, 2012 None comments

Hey Canada! by Vivian Bowers and Milan Pavlovic: Alice, Cal, and Gran are taking a road trip across Canada, visiting every province. Their journey is documented primarily by Alice (“reporting from the backseat”) with tweets, poems, and other interjections from Cal and Gran interspersed. I loved the often subtle humor (especially Gran’s selective deafness) and I found the brief overview of each province both informative and enticing. Aside from a quick trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls almost two decades ago, I’ve never visited our northern neighbors, and this book made me want to. I don’t know how much a Canadian child would get out of this text, but this ignorant American thought it was just delightful.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Best of Shrdlu by Denys Parsons

Posted by melydia on August 7, 2012 None comments

The Best of Shrdlu by Denys Parsons: Though I thought this was going to be a book about unfortunate typographical errors, it’s more than that. These are excerpts from books, magazines, and even short stories where the author’s intended meaning has somehow gone awry, whether due to misprint, mixed metaphors, unfortunate word choice, or subject matter. That last took me a while to get, because there are indeed a number of stories that appear to be exactly as printed, and are just so unusual as to be amusing. I will admit that I did not find the humor in all of them, and at times I was frankly puzzled before deciding to write it off to some unintentional double entendre that only makes sense if you’re familiar with the most obscure British slang. All the same, it was good for the occasional giggle.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

Posted by melydia on August 3, 2012 None comments

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (unabridged audiobook read by Stephen Hoye; 14 hrs on 12 discs): Our story begins with the 1527 sack of Rome, and famous courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini is readying her household for the soldiers’ arrival. She and her dwarf companion Bucino, who narrates this tale, flee to Venice to start their lives over again. The description pulls no punches, as it were, laying it all bare without nary a euphemism in sight. But it’s not just crudeness and filth that is described this way, but great beauty and purity is as well. All in all, a sumptuous presentation of Renaissance Italy as told through the eyes of a cranky dwarf. I wish there had been more plot – I would have liked to know more about what happened to the Jew and the Turk, for example, and that more ends had been tied up by the end – but I suppose that isn’t always possible with first-person narration, and the looseness of the story did make it feel more realistic. I especially appreciated the historical notes at the end, explaining which characters were based on real people and where things deviated from fact. It appears there’s nearly as much history as fiction in this historical novel. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more by Dunant.

A note on the audio: Hoye was just okay. He didn’t really do any distinct character voices, which is fine, but he also didn’t pause enough between speakers so sometimes dialogue ran together and I lost track of who was speaking. And while I roll my eyes at people who insist on British accents for any English-language film not taking place in America, this book probably would have sounded better read by an Englishman. It seems to have been written with that cadence in mind.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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