Well I tried my best. Well I slacked in the first part of the year and tried to catch up, and I came so close but there is just no reading 11 books by the end of the night. I have to get ready to go out and get candy soon so I thought I would wrap it up for now. I am still going to finish, but I am not sure how long it will take me.
Still, 41 books in a year is not too bad.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Book Forty One - Fight Club
I had bought this book for my boyfriend last christmas and I finally got around to reading it. I didn't realize that it was a book before a movie and I really wish that I had the chance to read it before seeing the movie. It was also interesting to read it when already knowing the secret within.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is about. . oy what is it about. It is meant to be viewed as a romance, this comes from the afterword by the author in the end. He also indicates that it was a short story that he stretched out by adding in every crazy and rebellious thing that he and his friends had ever done. He mentions that some of his friends were worried that the book would give people bad ideas, but Palahniuk said that there was nothing that they could think of that people are not already doing, and since the book has been written, people have written to him and confirmed that this is true.
I don't know what else to say about it, I guess that is apt since the first rule about fight club, is. . .
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is about. . oy what is it about. It is meant to be viewed as a romance, this comes from the afterword by the author in the end. He also indicates that it was a short story that he stretched out by adding in every crazy and rebellious thing that he and his friends had ever done. He mentions that some of his friends were worried that the book would give people bad ideas, but Palahniuk said that there was nothing that they could think of that people are not already doing, and since the book has been written, people have written to him and confirmed that this is true.
I don't know what else to say about it, I guess that is apt since the first rule about fight club, is. . .
Book Forty - Heart of the Matter
One of the first books I read for this challenge was Love the One You're With and I have also read a few other books by Emily Giffin. I am getting a bit tired of her repeating the same themes and characters over and over again, which is a shame since I very much like her writing style. I suppose there are a lot of women out there with unhappy marriages since people eat her books up like candy and don't demand anything different.
Heart of the Matter is about a married couple, one of whom is a pediatric plastic surgeon who develops an unhealthy relationship with one of his patient's mothers. There is really not much more to it than that. There is also issues of bored housewives and how easily trust can be destroyed in a marriage.
I think that this will be the last book of Giffin's that I read, unless she decides to change themes, since I am bored with her current path.
Heart of the Matter is about a married couple, one of whom is a pediatric plastic surgeon who develops an unhealthy relationship with one of his patient's mothers. There is really not much more to it than that. There is also issues of bored housewives and how easily trust can be destroyed in a marriage.
I think that this will be the last book of Giffin's that I read, unless she decides to change themes, since I am bored with her current path.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Book Thirty Nine - Living Dead in Dallas
Okay, so this one was really fun to read! I read Dead Until Dark last year. It is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series that has since been made into the HBO series, True Blood. Now that I have read the second book I think that I am finding that the books are a bit better than the show.
It is pretty cheesy entertainment, but it is a big step up from Twilight, so I think it is ok that I am going to be reading the rest of the series toute suite. If you are unfamiliar, the series is about a young woman in Louisiana who reads minds and is dating a vampire. They exist in a world where vampires have come out of the coffin, to use their terminology. There is always, trouble and adventure to be found. In this outing, Sookie and her boyfriend Bill travel to Dallas as Sookie's mind reading ability is out on loan from her local vampires. Trouble ensues and they have to figure out how to get themselves out of it.
Also there has been a murder, Layfayette has been murdered (thank goodness they didn't do that on HBO, that actor is amazing!) and they have to find out the answer to that mystery as well. I am not normally a huge mystery fan, but these books just work for me and I am going to keep on readin' 'em.
It is pretty cheesy entertainment, but it is a big step up from Twilight, so I think it is ok that I am going to be reading the rest of the series toute suite. If you are unfamiliar, the series is about a young woman in Louisiana who reads minds and is dating a vampire. They exist in a world where vampires have come out of the coffin, to use their terminology. There is always, trouble and adventure to be found. In this outing, Sookie and her boyfriend Bill travel to Dallas as Sookie's mind reading ability is out on loan from her local vampires. Trouble ensues and they have to figure out how to get themselves out of it.
Also there has been a murder, Layfayette has been murdered (thank goodness they didn't do that on HBO, that actor is amazing!) and they have to find out the answer to that mystery as well. I am not normally a huge mystery fan, but these books just work for me and I am going to keep on readin' 'em.
Book Thirty Eight - Wasted Beauty
Alright, 2 down 2 to go. Wasted Beauty was really a waste of my time. It took me forever to read this one, with all the stress I had at the time, with having to learn a new job and wake up extra early to take the skytrain too. But I think that I would have probably had the same opinion of this book no matter the circumstances.
There is no way to vent my frustrations without giving away the plot, so if you are not interested stop reading here.
Wasted Beauty by Eric Bogosian is about a girl who gets stranded in the city, instantly becomes a successful model, her brother instantly becomes a lunatic and gets locked up, and a Doctor just happens to treat the brother and starts a love affair with the model then we are forced to read all about whether or not he should stay in his boring marriage. It was unrealistic, tedious and didn't go anywhere. There was little plot or anything to keep my interest. I am quite happy I am done with reading it.
There is no way to vent my frustrations without giving away the plot, so if you are not interested stop reading here.
Wasted Beauty by Eric Bogosian is about a girl who gets stranded in the city, instantly becomes a successful model, her brother instantly becomes a lunatic and gets locked up, and a Doctor just happens to treat the brother and starts a love affair with the model then we are forced to read all about whether or not he should stay in his boring marriage. It was unrealistic, tedious and didn't go anywhere. There was little plot or anything to keep my interest. I am quite happy I am done with reading it.
Book Thirty Seven - Kiss Me Like a Stranger
I am a bit of a creature of habit, if I like something an author has written, then I seek them out for more. I guess that is not such a surprise, but I have never read this many books in a year before so this is all fairly new. I think the last time I even came this close was when I was a teenager, reading really is something that I really enjoy and I am going to keep up with the reading after this is over, we will see how many I can get done next year.
So earlier I reported back on The Woman Who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder so I decided to read his autobiographical oeuvre, Kiss Me Like a Stranger. This takes us through the life of Wilder, and it really highlights the golden era that he come of age in and highlights the differences that exist in the craft of acting today.
Wilder is a talented writer and the book flowed very well through its pages. This one was twice the length of the previous novel that I read of his, but it flew by as if it was a good conversation with a new friend. We see how he made his way in the entertainment business and the women he loved and lived with along the way. He has always appealed to me, having grown up watching him in Willy Wonka, and knowing more about him has only confirmed my instincts that he is overall a very good man.
So earlier I reported back on The Woman Who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder so I decided to read his autobiographical oeuvre, Kiss Me Like a Stranger. This takes us through the life of Wilder, and it really highlights the golden era that he come of age in and highlights the differences that exist in the craft of acting today.
Wilder is a talented writer and the book flowed very well through its pages. This one was twice the length of the previous novel that I read of his, but it flew by as if it was a good conversation with a new friend. We see how he made his way in the entertainment business and the women he loved and lived with along the way. He has always appealed to me, having grown up watching him in Willy Wonka, and knowing more about him has only confirmed my instincts that he is overall a very good man.
Book Thirty Six - The Wentworths
This past Monday I started a new job so I have been quite busy, but I am taking public transit so I have time to read, but not so much time to come to blogger and post reviews. I have 4 books to write up today so I will do my best, but
Since I enjoyed Point Dume so much I made a point to seek out The Wentworths by Kate Arnoldi. It didn't affect me as deeply as Point Dume but The Wentworths was still an enjoyable read. The book offers us up a quirky wealthy family and lets us have a glimpse into what their lives are like. It begins with the black sheep being arrested while cross dressing and finishes with a bang.
Although there is not a whole lot of lot involved, the Wentworths are an interesting bunch and it was nice to be a fly on the wall of their world. Arnoldi is a talented writer and I would read other works of hers if I come across them.
Since I enjoyed Point Dume so much I made a point to seek out The Wentworths by Kate Arnoldi. It didn't affect me as deeply as Point Dume but The Wentworths was still an enjoyable read. The book offers us up a quirky wealthy family and lets us have a glimpse into what their lives are like. It begins with the black sheep being arrested while cross dressing and finishes with a bang.
Although there is not a whole lot of lot involved, the Wentworths are an interesting bunch and it was nice to be a fly on the wall of their world. Arnoldi is a talented writer and I would read other works of hers if I come across them.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Book Thirty Five - Escape From Amsterdam
When I picked this book up I thought it referred to the actual city of Amsterdam (I often try not to read too much about the book so as not to ruin it for me) but what the title actually refers to is a theme park in Japan. Our protagonist, Aozora is deeply in debt and needs to find his sister to claim an inheritance. This takes him on an adventure involving many colorful characters and Japanese settings.
What I found intriguing is that the author of this book, Barrie Sherwood is (obviously) not Japanese. He is the son of missionaries and grew up in many places, including Japan and even my city, Vancouver and my parents' hometown, Penticton. He captures the Japanese style and the culture very well.
From beginning to end, Escape From Amsterdam is a fairly fast paced, intriguing tale of a brother trying to rescue his sister from a life that is challenging and dangerous. Even though his initial motives are selfish, in the process he does redeem himself to a certain extent. The journey itself is worth the price of admission.
What I found intriguing is that the author of this book, Barrie Sherwood is (obviously) not Japanese. He is the son of missionaries and grew up in many places, including Japan and even my city, Vancouver and my parents' hometown, Penticton. He captures the Japanese style and the culture very well.
From beginning to end, Escape From Amsterdam is a fairly fast paced, intriguing tale of a brother trying to rescue his sister from a life that is challenging and dangerous. Even though his initial motives are selfish, in the process he does redeem himself to a certain extent. The journey itself is worth the price of admission.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Book Thirty Four - Lucky Man
Book 17 was Always Looking Up and if you double 17 you get 34 and book 34 for me was Lucky Man, also by Michael J Fox. I didn't even plan that one. Silly little coincidences like that please me.
Lucky Man was an enjoyable read, I wish that I had read it prior to reading "Always Looking Up" since one seems to precede the other, but nonetheless it was a pleasurable read.
Lucky Man is an autobiography of sorts, it begins as Fox sees the first signs of Parkinson's disease and flashes back into his past, family history and rise to fame. There are many interesting anecdotes inside and Fox as in "Up" is an amicable narrator. Lucky Man is somewhat more personal, it details the lengths that Fox and Pollan went to in order to have a private wedding, so we feel lucky ourselves to be given a view into the live of the beloved actor.
As I stated in my previous review of Fox's work, he is just a very lovable person, and I would read anything that he writes. Canadian loyalty only goes so far, after that a person needs to have genuine charm to keep the pages turning, and Fox has that for sure.
Lucky Man was an enjoyable read, I wish that I had read it prior to reading "Always Looking Up" since one seems to precede the other, but nonetheless it was a pleasurable read.
Lucky Man is an autobiography of sorts, it begins as Fox sees the first signs of Parkinson's disease and flashes back into his past, family history and rise to fame. There are many interesting anecdotes inside and Fox as in "Up" is an amicable narrator. Lucky Man is somewhat more personal, it details the lengths that Fox and Pollan went to in order to have a private wedding, so we feel lucky ourselves to be given a view into the live of the beloved actor.
As I stated in my previous review of Fox's work, he is just a very lovable person, and I would read anything that he writes. Canadian loyalty only goes so far, after that a person needs to have genuine charm to keep the pages turning, and Fox has that for sure.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Disneyworld Here I Come!
Vacation time is finally here! I fly out tonight overnight and my Dad is always super early for flights so I will have lots of time to read at the airport and some time to read on the flight before I catch some zzzzs. I have packed 4 or 5 books and I hope to get most of them read before the week is out.
I will probably buy myself something new to read during my travels as well if I run short. I am planning to have lots of fun but I really want to finish Cannonball so I am really going to dedicate time to reading too.
See you all in just over a week and hopefully I will have at least 4 new reviews to share!
I will probably buy myself something new to read during my travels as well if I run short. I am planning to have lots of fun but I really want to finish Cannonball so I am really going to dedicate time to reading too.
See you all in just over a week and hopefully I will have at least 4 new reviews to share!
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