The Books We Read » America

Water for Elephants A Novel by Sara Gruen

Cindi — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:59:05 +0000

I really enjoyed this book and I gave it four stars on goodreads, but I think I would have preferred 3.5. I have read a few books in a row that really didn’t do it for me so Water for Elephants was a welcome change by comparison. Water for Elephants opens the door to the world of travelling train circuses in depression era America. What a rich subject to base a historical fiction novel on, so four stars at least for the premise. Broken down to it’s essential parts this book is basically a romance, but don’t let that deter you from reading it. The novel pulled me in and I read it in one sitting.

I felt the protagonist Jacob was well written and well rounded, but not all the characters received the same careful attention. I was disappointed in the love interest Marlena, and was slightly annoyed at her lack of dimension. Jacob is instantly and completely in love with her, but her descriptions go no deeper than ‘beautiful’ and ‘good with animals’. As my husband so eloquently asked me after watching Twilight for the first time, ‘why are these guys so in love with her’? I don’t quite have the answer to that question, but as the story unfolds it is a great ride with the perfect twist at the climax.

The story is told alternately by Jacob as an old man in an old folks home, and Jacob in the first person as the events unfold. I think this idea has been done before and I’m not really a fan of it, but I liked the way the author portrays his life and thoughts as an older man. I especially liked the ending and thought ‘why the heck not?’ As much as I don’t think the ending is likely, I read books for fun and would have been disappointed by a more realistic ending. This book has some language, a moderate amount of sex, and some violence. Also violence towards animals.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Cindi — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:57:07 +0000

I would suggest reading this novella for Twilight fans. It is an interesting glimpse into the outside world of Twilight vampires we never get to see in sheltered Forks, WA. That aside, I still don’t know what makes Bree so special someone would be compelled to write a spin off novella about her. Whatever Stephenie Meyer felt about her didn’t translate through for me. Maybe it was the atrocious writing that got in the way. From simplistic internal dialogue to horrible actual dialog this book has it all. Read it to say you’ve read it. Read it deepen your understanding of the Twilight universe. You probably won’t be reading it to enjoy the poetic wonders of the written word.

Under the Dome a novel by Stephen King

Cindi — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:14:48 +0000

Here is my take on Under the Dome: it’s quite long and a little disappointing at the end. There you go, a review in one sentence. Under the Dome is a novel about a town in Maine that suddenly and inexplicably has an impermeable ‘dome’ placed around it. It is a wonderful depiction of how a community might change if it was cut off from the outside world. The large cast of characters consists of the good meaning level headed citizens, the power hungry and corrupt citizens, and the citizens in between that aren’t as important and don’t get their own story lines. I felt a great sense of scope and imagery as we are introduced to the town and the well rounded but predictably flawed characters in the novel.

I thought the timeline was a little bit ambitious. This 1000 page book covers a town that goes from normal to melt down in just under a week. I felt the hoarding would have started much sooner. I also felt the military forces outside waited too long and missed opportunities to influence the town’s events when they realized they could no longer control the municipal government. I had a hard time believing things could go so bad so fast, and I consider myself fairly jaded when it comes to what people are capable of. That being said, the short timeline does mean the book is action packed and the pace remains steady.

I felt the good guys spent a lot of time doing stuff that wasn’t helping the main issue, wich was getting rid of the dome. Even after Barbie is given an order to find out what is generating the dome, he seems to get caught in side plots and putting out proverbial fires that would all be moot if they could get rid of the dome. Wouldn’t that be your first priority? I felt the revelation of the cause of the dome was kind of stupid. I also felt that Julia and Barbie’s pivotal moment stories were sort of incomparable. Really Julia? Your shame is on the same level? Your story is the one that matters most?

All in all this book is well written, exciting, and enjoyable. It felt like a warm hug from an old friend reading Stephen King again after so many years. You know, an old friend that likes to swear a lot and kill people in horrible ways. Read it with caution if you don’t like language, sex or violence.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen

Cindi — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:59:15 +0000

Oh, post apocalyptic novels, how I love thee. What kind of phase is this? I can’t seem to get enough. (I am getting killer tips for prepping and food storage though, ha ha.) One Second After covers the fall of American civilization as we know it after an electromagnetic pulse blast (or EMP.) The book follows John Matherson, an ex military man who currently teaches history at the local college, his family, and their small city in North Carolina. The effects of an EMP blast would fry any electronics in a very large radius including car electronics, home electronics, national power grid, communications, etc etc.

Imagine America suddenly being thrust back into the nineteenth century. Everything is very quickly in short supply as the massively fragile web of distribution across the country goes down. Neighbors turn on neighbors and martial law is enforced. Tough decisions are faced as John increasingly takes on a more prominent roll in the community and tries to navigate crime, punishment, outside threats, starvation, and the increasingly dire prognosis for his diabetic daughter. I found this novel balanced with just the right amount of large scale crisis and drama while dealing with everyday impact and personal choices. Not to sound like a horrible human being, but I found this scenario quite frightening just for the fact that no people are actually killed from the high altitude EMP blast. While most post apocalyptic books wipe out a LARGE percentage of the population in the initial attack, with an EMP everyone survives and will have to struggle through the second stage of the catastrophe and resulting die off. I noticed the film rights were sold to Warner Brothers so I will keep an eye out for the eventual release of the movie.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Cindi — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:26:51 +0000

The Help follows three women, two Black maids and one White woman in Mississipi in the racially heated 1960′s. It is well written and full of emotion. I really enjoyed reading their stories and read it in one sitting. I was a little concerned about a White author talking in a Black voice but Stockett does a fairly good job and addresses the issue in the author’s afterward. I feel the book could have been a little more well researched if it wants to qualify as historical fiction. The inconsistencies didn’t take away from the story though. The characters were great and following their struggles and injustices was very moving. I thought there might be more of an intense climax, but I think it strikes the right tone. It is a great debut novel and I would recommend it for anyone who loves chick lit historical fiction.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Cindi — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:36:52 +0000

East of Eden follows two generations of the Trask family as well as the Hamiliton family in the Salinas valley in California, and basically covers from the American civil war to world war I. It feels like a very ambitious novel. I think this book has everything but the kitchen sink all stirred together. I think the saying do one thing and do it well should have been applied with some constructive editing. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is wonderful, beautiful, descriptive, flowing, and filled with meaning and truth. There are also parts so devoted to description and personal musing that do nothing to further the plot that you might get lost in them and not make it out. In some senses the book combines an allegorical interpretation of the biblical story of Cane and Able with musings on human nature, rejection, the choices we make for good or evil, and how the absence and abundance of love shape us.
I enjoyed the characters and their interaction. I believe he tried very hard to portray pure evil in the character of Cathy, but never quite nailed it. I felt Adam was a cardboard cut out of a character for much of the novel. I loved the Hamilitons and would have liked to have spent more time in their own family story. Actually, If I could make a suggestion, I would suggest he split this enormous novel and give the Hamiliton’s their own book.
The philosophical dialogues were my favorite part. I would have liked to stay up late with these characters and get into some deep discussions. I think I was most disappointed in this book because it had so much potential and never quite made it for me.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Cindi — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:01:14 +0000

Alas Babylon follows a group of survivors in a small town in Florida after the USA and USSR launch their nukes in a MAD war. I liked this book. On one hand I thought it felt dated, and on the other hand I really enjoyed peeking into the mindset of 1960 and the cold war era. I like post-apocalyptic books in general and this was no exception. I will give the writing a 3 out of 5 and the accuracy a 3 out of 5, but the story as a whole worked quite well. It follows the situations which might start a nuclear war, through the effects of the war, and how the survivors make due, come together, and manage to survive (or not survive in some cases). I thought it had a lot of practical information without being boring, and I liked some of the creative ways the survivors solved their problems. There are a few themes dealing with race and gender roles, but it was published in 1959 and I was expecting that. I also liked how the characters grew and discovered new purpose to their lives, and also the realization that after a nuclear event on this scale it wouldn’t really matter who had won the war.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Cindi — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:41:34 +0000

I enjoyed this book. The Hunger Games is a very quick read and a real page turner. Set in a near future dystopia after the fall of the United States of America, a young girl and boy from the 12th district in the nation of Panem must compete in a death match type game where the last one standing wins.

Is the concept original? Um, no. Was the romance good? Yes, in a young adult sort of way. The writing is great, the characters are fine, and the pacing is crisp. There is plenty of action and enough soul searching and moral dilemmas to keep it interesting past the surface. My main problem with the book is the author’s view of the future, especially surrounding the politics and government in the book’s post apocalyptic time and place. I know it is a work of imaginative science fiction, I just felt it lacked substance and credibility. (As a pet peeve there was one part right near the beginning where Katniss puts on her boots, and then pulls on her pants. ??? How often do you put your shoes on before getting dressed? Sorry to point this out; I don’t know why I noticed this.) Also, you don’t have to give everyone funky names because your book is set in the future. Most names in circulation today predate the bible. Now that I’m done complaining, feel free to check it out. I found it very entertaining and the end will leave you wanting more.

Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Cindi — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:24:57 +0000

This book follows two sisters as their lives change through tragedy and the decline of the world as we know it. Have I mentioned before I’m an apocalypse junkie? This book is a fairly easy read. It isn’t split into traditional chapters but flows more as a diary. I think the author did a great job of building the relationship between the sisters; allowing them to be separate people while tying them with an inseparable bond. The challenges faced are both common and uncommon for a book with apocalyptic undertones. Their demise of civilization is more of the slow, solitary, isolated kind. I really enjoyed the descriptions of saving and keeping and finding it hard to let go as everything dwindles and eventually runs out. I enjoyed where the author was leading the book, as the material things we come to depend on seem less and less important. However, I wasn’t totally convinced or in love with the ending. It wasn’t horrible, or unexpected, but I wasn’t crazy about it. I think the ‘what if’ hoarder in me could never take that leap. There were some brief love scenes that were fairly tame, and one small love scene between the sisters (which sounds more racy than it was).

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Cindi — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:23:38 +0000

I was immediately pulled in by this book and the complex cast of characters. Why was I drawn in? Partly because of the difficulty of getting into the book in the beginning. Still I felt there was something great waiting for me if I kept at it. I am so glad I took the time. Each chapter is written from a different persons voice and perspective, and the language carries a heavy flavor of rural turn of the century. Beneath that runs an intimate story of the relationships between family members, friends, and strangers. Most of the characters are very hard to like, but the perspective of the character’s actions often change as you follow their inner psychological musings and hear their actions through other voices that are carrying the plot. The story follows the Bundren family as their mother passes away and they undertake the journey to Jackson to bury her. I haven’t read many books that focus on family and sibling relationships, and these characters are so different and interesting. Interesting not because they are fantastic people, or doing amazing things, or even surviving amazing events, but interesting because the contentions and histories and secrets they hold all ring true. The imagery and symbolism give the text depth and flavor. As you become accustomed to the writing it almost feels like every passage was carefully chosen and holds meaning. I felt like I was listening to real people, and to me that means the author did exactly what he should. This is the first book by Faulkner I have read but I will be looking for more.