Voices by Ursula LeGuin

This was a really interesting book. It is in the "fantasy" and "young adult" fiction genres. It is about a young girl, born during an occupation of her country. She is conceived as a result of a rape, by the occupiers of her mother, who is dead by the time the story starts. The main story is about dealing with the occupation, learning about the occupiers through her eyes, learning tolerance. But what I liked was the story of the girl, finding herself and finding out who she was. It dealt with the importance of stories and history, and the role of reading/writing in society. It was a pretty quick read, and held my interest throughout. I would definitely recommend it if you like that kind of fiction.

Breaking Dawn by Stepenie Meyer

It was awesome! Those of you not wanting to start the series, knowing that in the 4th book, the author could do something bone-headed, need not worry. It is not like the 7th book of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. All I can say is to dive in and go for it. And when you are finished, email me (SylviatheSU@gmail.com) to tell me what you think and what you think will happen to the characters now. Not giving anything away, but I could see 2 more books, not sequels really, just two more stories about the same characters as possibilities. I can't wait to hear what you guys think.

And, the audiobook is out on Friday for those who prefer to listen.

The Twelve-Year-Old Girl in Me

The fourth book in the Twilight series is coming out on Saturday. I am so excited, I can barely sit still. And EVERYONE around me knows about it! Those of you who read this blog have seen my inept and gushing reviews of the first 3 books, so I am sure you are groaning now. I even took a day off last week and spent about 1/2 of the day reading Stephenie Meyer's (the author's) website and blogs about the books and the movie (coming out 12-12-08). This type of excitement is much like how I felt the first time Zoe, B.P., Phollower, and I went to see Melissa Ferrick. She came out after the concert to sign CDs, shirts, etc. We waited for her, talked to her, and then returned to the car (where Phollower waited) giggling like school girls. In the car on the way home we rehashed what she said, what we said, what happened. Phollower told us we were acting like 12-year-old girls, a comment I (we) have heard many times since then.

Phollower does not mean it in a negative way. He thinks it is cute that I act like that. I have to agree that acting like a 12-year-old girl is alright. To the best of my recollection, as a teenager, I never acted like a teenager. I was pretty serious kid, worried a lot, and never felt comfortable with myself. While I may not always be comfortable with myself now, I do feel comfortable being excited about stuff, showing I am excited. I think part of my comfort comes with the security of knowing, as an adult, the stuff I am excited about will happen. Those things are in my control. But I also know having a husband like Phollower who is so into being happy and relaxed and who is so accepting has gone a long way to helping me be comfortable with showing how I feel on the outside. Spending (wasting) a 1/2 day reading about a fictional book is an indulgence I would never have allowed myself, before Phollower. Finally, I know having great friends who share their emotions with me and who are comfortable with themselves has taught me not to be ashamed of my emotions. So thanks to those of you closest to me, you will all have to endure at least one more post about Twilight (after I read the book, no spoilers of course!)....well maybe 2 depending on how the movie is.

I hope all of you looking forward to the book get some sleep before Saturday!

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

I finished the second book in the Dresden series by Jim Butcher, Fool Moon. It was even better than the first, much more surprising as Knitts promised. I am not going to review each one. I am just going to tell you two things:
1. These books are really good. If you like SciFi or magic-topic fiction, you'll love them.
2. Never ask Knitts for a book recommendation, unless you want to become obsessed with a series. Just kidding! Truly, I am really lucky to have a friend with such good book taste.

The Brief Wondorous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Well I did not finish it since it had to go back to the library before I had time to read the whole book. After about 1/2 of it, I'd say it was pretty interesting. It is about a family from the Dominican Republic who emigrated to America (the Bronx). It seemed mostly to be about the lives of the first generation kids in the family (Oscar and his sister). If I knew Spanish, that may have made the reading easier. I loved the D&D references - the sister was as hard as adamantine and someone was hurt badly, 6d10. It is not every Pulitzer Prize winner that has D&D-speak in it. If I can get it from the library again, I'd be interested in finishing it, but I am not driven to purchase it to finish it.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is the new "adult" sci-fi fiction book by Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series). I don't think what I write here will spoil anything if you are planning to read it. On the surface, you could say that it is a story about an alien invasion of Earth. But it is also a story about friendship and tolerance, it grapples with ethical issues, and it is a pretty good romance too. I really enjoyed it, probably nearly as much as the Twilight series. The writing is excellent as always. The story takes some unexpected turns. I cared about the characters. Stephenie Meyer is very good at directing your allegiances through her writing. Overall, I would definitely recommend it.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

This is the first in what appears to be a long series (maybe 20 books?). The main character is a wizard who works as a PI and is a consultant for the local police department. In this book, he helps solve a series of murders. I can't really tell much else without giving some of the story away. The books were made into a brief series on the SciFi channel, but I did not see that series.

The book is filled with interesting characters who I really came to like. There are few torn allegiances - you know who you are supposed to like and who not, although I can think of one or two characters who were tough to decide about. The plot is not particularly surprising, so I had an idea what the story was from about 70-100 pages in. But that did not make it any less interesting or engaging. Since I became interested in the characters, I wanted to know how things turned out for them. And the writing is nice - plenty of action, good description (but not overwhelming), and clear. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and I am looking forward to reading the next one (or 19).

Book MEME

I saw this MEME at Just Eat Your Cupcake's blog and really liked it. So I decided to try my hand at answering the questions.

1) One book that changed your life
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - I read this book as a junior in college for the first time. I started on a Friday night and read all in one night, through the sound of friends knocking on the door to go out, without getting tired. I am still not sure exactly what spoke to me so strongly in this book. I think it was the main character's strength, her ability to move through anything in her life. I think this was the first book I ever read which inspired me. I ended up writing my senior honors thesis on the book and Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on the Road, discussing Hurston's voice and her sense of self. Working on that thesis changed my life, helped me figure out who I was and that it was ok to go after what I wanted in life.

2) One book that you had read more than once
I seldomly read books more than once. After I know what is going to happen, I tend to lose interest. I am not sure what makes a book qualify for the club of "more than 1x reading" for me. I read all of the Harry Potter Series more than once. And I read the Gunslinger Series by Stephen King more than once (some more than twice), all except the last one. That one would be too hard to read again. Maybe the series draw me for a second reading since I have more time to "know" the characters.

3) One book you would want on a desert island
I liked "Just Eat Your Cupcake"'s answer, a book about surviving on a desert island. Very practical! But since I can't really take her answer, I am not sure what to say. I can not imagine living with just one book. I am too changeable to be happy with just one. Please tell me I can take a trunk of books!

4) Two books that made you laugh
Again, I agree with "Just Eat Your Cupcake." Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris is a laugh-out-loud riot. I loved that book. I also loved listening to it on CD. His voice makes it even more hysterical.

My two answers are:
1)The Areas of my Expertise by John Hodgman. He is the guy who plays the PC on the Mac commercials. This book is absolutely hysterical, especially if you like his humor on The Daily Show.
2) Straight Man by Richard Russo. There were places in that book that made me laugh until I cried. For those who have read it, "Orshe" was the funniest character name I think I have ever read.

5) One book that made you cry
So many books make me cry, it is hard to choose just one. For some reason, I feel things more strongly when reading, than in a TV show or movie. One wonderful book that made me cry but I could not stop reading was Hummingbird House by Patricia Henley. The book I read a few weeks ago - The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins also made me cry in places.

6) One book you wish you had written
I don't know if there are particular books I admire enough to wish I had written them, but there are definitely authors' writing styles I admire. I love Amy Tan's writing style; it is so personal and engaging. I envy Michael Chabon's descriptions. For example, from The Yiddish Policemen's Union, "The clock on the hospital wall hummed to itself, got antsy, kept snapping off pieces of the night with its minute hand." I don't think I will ever forget that line. You can hear the clock in it. Absolutely wonderful! That is what I wish I could do.

7) One book you wish had never been written
Middlemarch and Bleak House - mostly because I had to suffer through these in college. I am not a huge fan of this literature period in general.

8) Two books that you are currently reading
I have not found a book I want to read since I finished the three Twilight Series books. I am actually reading the third book in the series, Eclipse again since I read it so fast the first time. I want to be sure I did not miss anything.
I can not read two books at once, so even if I had one answer for this question, I would not have two. I am sure I will start something new soon. I am open to suggestions!

9) One book you have been meaning to read
Lucky Man by Richard Russo - maybe I'll get to this one next, if it ever comes back into the local library! :)

New Moon and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

I am going to review these two together since I read them one right after another. These are the 2nd and 3rd book in the Twilight series (reviewed the first book last week). I am not sure what else to say except these are excellent, even better than the first book. My recommendation would be to buy all 3 books, take a couple days off, and use them as a vacation. You won't regret it. I am actually depressed to be done with them. I miss the characters, especially the vampire, Edward, who is smolders off the page. I have not been this depressed since I finished reading The New Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This book is the first in a series. It is considered "young adult" fiction, but I thought it was a good adult fiction book.

Brief plot overview (no spoilers): This is a series about vampires. That should be all I need to say to get B.P. and Zoe to read it! It is set in high school, but very little of that crap we may recall from high school is going on. It is a love story.

I have always had a thing for vampires. As a kid, if it had Dracula in it, I read it or saw it. There is just something so appealing about vampires. The main vampire in Twilight is very appealing, to the point of making Dracula seem ugly and uncouth. I would have begged to be bitten to spend my life with the main vampire in this book.

Review: I loved it, maybe even more than Harry Potter. That should either cause Nate and Knitts to read it or never speak to me again. I read it in about a day and a half, could not put it down. For young adult fiction, it was pretty erotic. Now before Zoe, Tysgirl, and Limpy get all riled up, there was no sex in it. This may have you (or more specifically, them) asking, "Well what was erotic then?" My answer: the descriptions of falling in love. I remember falling in love with Phollower as being distinctly different from any other experience, and the descriptions in this book reminded me of that. I don't know if you all went through this or not with your significant other. But sometimes I'd get dizzy when he kissed me or touched my face or my heart would flip-flop when I looked at him. I still have those experiences, not every time he kisses me, but still sometimes. Sometimes when I look across the room at him at a get-together with friends, my heart does flip-flops at how remarkable it is that he is my husband. Maybe it was different with him because I knew he was the one, from very early in our dating relationship. Either way, I really enjoyed her descriptions of them falling in love. And the plot has a fair amount of action, keeping it going.

I can't wait to read the second in the series. Phollower went out a bought it for me today. So sweet. My favorite scene was the one where the two main characters are on their first date, sitting in the sun in the meadow. So romantic. As always, if you read it (or have read it), let me know what you think and what your favorite scene was. But if you've read the next two books in the series, NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins

I just finished this book and wanted to post my review right away.

The quick plot overview, no spoilers: The main character is a writer, who wrote a biography of a photographer (Edward Curtis). The narrative moves between the past and present. The writer's past, the writer's present, the life of the photographer. It is a tale of relationships, fathers and children, husbands and wives, told partially through pictures - those from her life and those taken by Edward Curtis.

The review: I loved it. Her writing is superb. Her voice is strong and the characters are very real. The mix between the fiction and non-fiction is so seamless, it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. I personally love that feel. The narrative felt like it had really happened, as if the writer had lived the story. She allows you to see into her characters, so you understand them, forgive them for their faults, so to speak. The symmetry of the narrative is a bit too perfect, but works in the narrative. If you like historical fiction or books about relationships, I highly recommend it.

If you read it, let me know what you think.

Jesusland by Julia Schrees

This will be a short post about this book, mostly to explain how it disappeared from the "Currently Reading" without a review. I did not finish it. Her writing is excellent. Her voice is engaging. It feels like she is talking to you. But the subject matter is so disturbing. Her parents were so abusive and manipulative. It was too hard to read. The account of race relations (or really lack thereof) in rural Indiana is a tough read as well. If you can handle the subject matter, I imagine you would find it an interesting read. I commend the author for having the courage to write so unflinchingly about what happened to her and her brother as teenagers. I hope she has found a better place and has better people in her life now.

Book Review: Intuition

I don't know if anyone wants to read book reviews, but I like to know what people think of books, so I am going to do them from time to time. This is of the book I just finished, Intuition by Allegra Goodman. I would give it a rating of fair to good.

A small plot summary (no spoilers): This book was set in a cancer lab examining ways to cure cancer using mice. The main problem in the book was the question of research integrity.

The good: The characters were exceedingly well developed. I really cared about what would happen. For that reason, I found it hard to put the book down once I started reading. The fundamental questions the book dealt with were important and interesting to me. In addition to the main issue (research integrity), there were many interesting side issues regarding supervision of students and postdocs, mentoring from researchers at later levels of their careers, the research process (when to publish, how much to extrapolate from data).

The bad: The storyline was obvious to me. I could see where she would end up. However, she tried to hide it by obscuring details (or leaving them out). It was hard to tell which she was trying to do. I do not like it when all of the relevant facts are not presented or when the way something ends up is not clear from the premise laid out in a book. I think she would have been better served by a less obvious ending.




SPOILERS FOLLOW
To better explain my point about the plot: Two of the postdocs were dating, then broke up. One of them made a big discovery, became famous. The other was jealous and tried to find evidence that the first had falsified data. In the end, (about 20 pages from the end of the book), the postdoc admitted to leaving some of his animals out of the data he published. But this is an animal lab. I can only imagine all of the animals are accounted for. Data for 13 of them could not simply vanish without a trace. And there was no discussion of the fact that the data or whereabouts of 13 mice were unaccounted for. I do not believe that would be tolerated. I know in my lab, if 13 subjects' data (humans in this case) were to disappear someone would be answering hard questions.

But the kernel of a good story was there. The author brought up the way "intuition" in research can lead you to false conclusions, that you must follow the data. It does happen where one researcher will not believe another's data, for whatever reason. Most often, the data is fine. It is the researcher's belief, "intuition," that the other did something wrong which is false. And that is an important point. I kept hoping that would be the point of the book. It is rare where data are actually falsified, at least in my experience.