Tag Archives: book reviews

Naked by David Sedaris

Posted by melydia on February 27, 2009 None comments

Naked by David Sedaris: As with all of Sedaris’s books, this is a collection of autobiographical essays, mostly humorous. To be honest, this wasn’t one of his better books. A lot of the stories felt simply too long and drawn out, as if they could have been split into two stories about two different things. I should also note that the stories are more sequential, so that things make the most sense when read in the order they are presented in the book. This wasn’t a bad book, to be sure; I laughed in quite a few places. It just isn’t as strong a set of tales as those found in his other books. Recommended for Sedaris fans, but if you’re new to this author, you’d probably be better off trying out something else.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh

Posted by melydia on February 19, 2009 1 comments

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh: Most people are familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem which describes a right triangle: a^2 + b^2 = c^2. However, what you may not know is that Pierre Fermat claimed back in the 1600s to be able to prove that a^n + b^n = c^n has no whole number solutions for n > 2. Trial and error suggests this to be true, but for over 350 years, no one could prove it. This is the story of the equation and those who worked towards the eventual solution in the early 1990s, from Pythagoras through Andrew Wiles, who published the final proof. His proof is complicated enough that I suspect Fermat’s proof was flawed, but it makes for a surprisingly engrossing read all the same. There are tons of names and personal stories in this book, and though they often feel tangential, every single person discussed has great bearing in one way or another on the solving of Fermat’s Last Theorem. One doesn’t usually equate mathematics with drama or suspense, but both are present here. Definitely recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in math or history.

Note: The UK version of this book, which I have, is titled Fermat’s Last Theorem. The American version is called Fermat’s Enigma. There is also another book called Fermat’s Last Theorem which was written by Amir D. Aczel. Confusion abounds.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Posted by melydia on February 18, 2009 None comments

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Maybe this is one of those books that really is better to be gone over in literature class, or maybe I’m just slow, but I sure didn’t understand much. The prologue was sheer brilliance; after that things just got weird. A nameless African-American narrator describes his journey from ambitious college student to disillusioned hermit, encountering a series of bizarre characters along the way. From reading other reviews I understand that most of these characters are meant to represent certain groups or archetypes, but aside from the communist Brotherhood I missed the references. I’m not sure that mattered, though, after reading the epilogue, which just rehashed the points I did grasp. I tried to just go with the flow but far too often my response to this book was, “Wait, what?”

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Tickled Pink by Rita Rudner

Posted by melydia on February 12, 2009 None comments

Tickled Pink by Rita Rudner: The subtitle, “A Comic Novel,” should have been left off the cover. I was expecting a laugh-a-minute romp, which this is not. It’s the story of two girls who run away to New York to make a better life for themselves: Mindy the dancer-turned-comedian (more or less Rudner in disguise) and Ursula the ubergorgeous model. There is quite a bit of humor, mainly in the form of one-liners, most of which are likely far funnier on stage than in print. Most of the drama comes from misunderstandings and people not talking to each other, which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to plot devices. The final few chapters felt forced, as if Rudner got stuck and decided she needed a disaster or two in order to wrap things up. It’s not a bad book, just not a very good one. I suppose die-hard fans of Rudner’s stand-up comedy may enjoy this (and indeed, her routines are pretty funny), but readers unfamiliar with her will probably want to pass this one by.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sun Monk Kidd

Posted by melydia on February 5, 2009 2 comments

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: It’s hard to describe this book without going into a lot of detail. It’s more or less about Lily, a teenager living in 1960s South Carolina, and her dealings with race, prejudice, and the death of her mother. It’s a sweet and gentle story of acceptance and forgiveness. A touch predictable, but not exasperatingly so. All in all it’s just a nice little tale.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg

Posted by melydia on February 1, 2009 None comments

Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg: Like, I suspect, most people who read this book, I picked it up out of a love for Goldberg’s books on writing, most notably Writing Down the Bones. In those books she emphasizes freewriting and original detail far more than standard stuff like plot, character, and revision, and it is quite evident in this debut novel. Nell is a hippie living near Taos, New Mexico; this is the story of her journey to becoming an artist. The language is vibrant and the metaphors unforgettable, but the story and dialogue often fall flat. Nell is a total brat for about the first half of the book, which was long enough that I didn’t really care much what happened to her by the end. That said, I cannot overemphasize the gorgeousness of the prose. Sure, the story is about Nell, but mostly it is a love letter to New Mexico. It made me long for the desert. Hopefully Goldberg’s later novels have improved character and story without losing the fantastic imagery.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Posted by melydia on January 31, 2009 1 comments

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler: A clever little book about – you guessed it – a book club which reads all six of Jane Austen’s novels. Ignore the back cover blurbs; you will enjoy this far more if you’re already an Austen fan. The original characters are cute, but by and large it’s written for Janeophiles.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Time and Again by Jack Finney

Posted by melydia on January 23, 2009 1 comments

Time and Again by Jack Finney: Though the story is about time travel, this is not what one would commonly consider a science fiction novel. Simon Morley, a bored illustrator living in 1960s New York, joins a top secret government program that sends him back to 1882. Rather than your standard time travel machine, temporal distances are covered through self-hypnosis and a bunch of hand-waving involving vague references to Einstein. But never mind all that. Since the narrator is from modern times, his descriptions of New York of over a century ago emphasize the sorts of things historical fiction would not: the little differences in everyday life, the future locations of certain buildings, that kind of stuff. In terms of nostalgia, it’s simply wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about life in the late 19th century. Unfortunately, at the end it becomes tiresomely preachy, obsessing over the “good old days” that, as any historian knows, never really existed. The loose ends are also a little too neatly tied up, but by and large the book is a fun look at how people really lived back in the day.

I listened to this on audiobook, then discovered the book has sketches and photographs. Perhaps if I’d looked at the paperback copy on my shelf I would have noticed that it was specifically listed as an “illustrated novel” but that’s what I get for not paying attention.

Note: this book was never made into a movie. That was Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson. The confusion is understandable; both use self-hypnosis as a means of time travel, and both involve romance that spans the decades.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Give Me a Break by John Stossel

Posted by melydia on January 21, 2009 None comments

Give Me a Break by John Stossel: This is a quick read. I enjoyed Stossel’s conversational tone and his no-nonsense way of addressing the issues. And in general I agree that government needs to shrink, lawsuits need to be reduced, and there’s no virtue in being a victim. His anecdotes were a mixture of humorous and maddening, as most stories of government stupidity are. Unfortunately, I don’t see this book as convincing anyone with firmer beliefs than the most tenuous of fence-sitters. As a reporter, Stossel knows how to break down complex issues into bite-sized chunks. Unfortunately, that means his evidence is a collection of soundbites from interviews rather than papers and studies you can go look up yourself. Interviews are a good source of information, but I am always wary of nonfiction books lacking a bibliography or at least a “further reading” section.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Posted by melydia on January 15, 2009 None comments

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz: The third of the books about Odd Thomas, a man who sees the lingering dead, witnesses demon-like creatures that thrive on violence, and can find anyone via “psychic magnetism.” Here, Odd is on sabbatical at a local monastery, figuring there shouldn’t be much death or violence in the area. Of course he’s wrong, or we wouldn’t have a story. But he’s wrong in a terribly contrived and unconvincing way. I guess I probably should have stuck with the first book and not bothered with the others, but Koontz does occasionally churn out a real gem (like, for instance, the first Odd Thomas book) and hope springs eternal. But the characters were flimsy, not to mention the preachy theology mixed with the obnoxiously earnest pseudoscience really got on my nerves. The whole thing felt really forced.

I know I shouldn’t get irritated with an author for using quack science to further the plot of a novel that already starts with a pretty outrageous premise, but it still annoys me because so many people think it’s true. Say it with me now: human will does not alter reality, even on a subatomic scale. Sure, it makes for an easy out in fiction, but I’d much rather people gave it up entirely.

All in all, I think I’ll skip any further Odd Thomas books, as there are sure to be more, unless someone recommends it highly. I’m tired of being disappointed.

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