Tag: books and reading

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books and reading

Lisey’s Story

It’s no lie that I love Stephen King. He is easily one of my favorite authors. I’m slowly working my way through books of his that I have never read, and one day, I will read everything he wrote in order. We are working on getting all his books in hardback, as well. I’m always excited to read one of his books, especially one that I know nothing about, like Lisey’s Story. I needed a book with a character’s name in the title, and I’ve had this book on my Kindle for awhile, so two birds, one stone.

Lisey was widowed two years ago and is still struggling. Her husband was prize-winning novelist with a vast number of secrets. I really don’t want to give too much away, because King masterfully reveals these secrets along the way, but let’s just say that there’s more to her husband that you would think. And although this book isn’t one of King’s true horror books, some unsettling things happen, but this one is pretty mild on the terror list. What it does provide is a wonderful example of woman empowerment. Lisey (real name is Lisa. Lisey rhymes with CeCe) has to solve a lot of problems in her life, from her sister’s destructive behavior to the man stalking her, demanding her late husband’s unpublished manuscripts.

The story is truly about the love between a husband and wife, albeit an usual one, considering the author. But Scott and Lisey love one another no matter what. Their story is very sweet and all-encompassing without losing themselves and their individual place in the world. Lisey is just a women, referred to as Scott’s “gal pal” at times, even, but her place in Scott’s life is solid and endures all trials. This is what I loved best about the book. No matter what craziness (oh and it is so very crazy) happens, they stick together.

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Sanctuary

Years ago, Stephen King used to write a column in Entertainment Weekly. I loved his columns. They varied from commentaries on pop culture to top 10 lists and recommendations of books, tv shows, and movies. Here is a link to his articles. I always loved his top 10 lists. One in particular was interesting, given the subject matter and the author. King listed his top 10 book villains of all time. Seeing as though several of his own characters fit into this category, I was curious to see who he selected. Here is his list 10. Max Cady (Cape Fear) 9. Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men) 8. Popeye (Sanctuary) 7. Big Brother (1984) 6. Harry Powell (Night of the Hunter) 5. Rhoda Penmark (The Bad Seed) 4. Voldemort 3. Sauron 2. Pazazu (the Exorcist) 1. Dracula. Rather interesting list. For the record, he puts Annie Wilkes as number one SK villain. At some point this list got stuck in my head and I was curious to see if I agree with how awful these characters are.

My exposure to Faulkner is limited to As I Lay Dying (hated it) and A Rose for Emily (loved it), so I was unsure where Sanctuary would fall. From a preliminary investigation, I realized that Sanctuary fell closer on the spectrum to Emily than to Dying, so I was encouraged. The story is fairly basic.  A girl gets taken to an illegal distillery (this was during Prohibition) by her boyfriend, left there by said boyfriend, then horrific things happen to her. Because of Faulkner’s style, the incidents aren’t explicit, which was nice because some of the things that do happen really shouldn’t be described in detail.

Overall, the book was just okay. So somewhere in between the two exposures I have had. I completely agree that Popeye truly is a world class villain, considering all that he does to the girl. But I can’t say I would necessarily recommend this book. It just left me cold. Not because of the subject matter- I’ve read worse. But because of Faulkner’s approach to it all.

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Cryptonomicon

Neal  Stephenson is smarter than I am. By a long shot. I really deserve a medal for finishing this book. Not because the book was bad, not at all. But because it was so math and computer science heavy that I was really lost at times. I still enjoyed the book, though, and gave it 4 stars.

For the 2017 book challenge, I had to read an espionage thriller. And Goodreads told me this book was along those lines. And it was, but not wholly. But let me tell ya, I’m counting it! Part of the plot dealt with WWII and the Enigma code, which obviously works. The story was told from a variety of perspectives and time periods. During WWII, we have Laurence Waterhouse, who is a codebreaker, Bobby Shaftoe, who is a Marine, and Goto Dengo, who is a Japanese military man. In present day, (book was published in 2002, so present day enough) we have Randy Waterhouse, Laurence’s grandson, and Amy Shaftoe, (I’m going to leave her lineage a mystery because it isn’t fully revealed at first, but yes, the last name is important) in the Philippines trying to set up some Internet whatnots.

I don’t do math. I have to count on my fingers. So, the math in this book is way WAY more than I can even comprehend. But that’s okay. The story was interesting enough to keep my attention, but I imagine a math/computer person would be in heaven with this book. There was a lot of logic puzzle solving as well. At 900+ pages, I feel like it could have been condensed without missing a lot, but overall I still enjoyed the book.

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The Underground Railroad

Sometimes simplicity is better than complexity. And this book is a perfect example of this idea. Last year, I read two books by Toni Morrison. She is second to none, honestly. However, her writing is so dense that it takes a long time to get through her books. And this isn’t a bad thing at all. I am in awe of her command of the written word. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another author that comes to mind for being complex. The language is meant to be savored.

But there are times when language distracts from the purity of the story, so simple is better. And I say this with tremendous respect and appreciation for the simplicity because sometimes the story itself needs to shine. This is what I kept thinking while reading The Underground Railroad. And it’s not that the author, Colson Whitehead, isn’t an amazing writer, because he absolutely is. But the language was interesting, but reigned in and appropriate, which allowed for the characters and plot to be the main focus. Sometimes less is better.

The story starts with Cora living as a slave on the Randall plantation. Quickly, her friend Caesar asks her to escape with him, knowing full well that if they are caught their punishment will be horrific. However, they take the risk and run for the Underground Railroad. Escaped slaves were often hunted down by slave catchers, and this book explores that. A man named Ridgeway has made it his mission to find them. Cora has a variety of life experiences, getting tastes of freedom then getting them ripped away. She learns who she can trust simply by the look in their eyes and their posture. No matter what her situation, she tries to find the best in it, always looking behind her, though.

This book doesn’t mince words when it comes to the terrible life most slaves led. Their punishments are beyond harsh. Their lives reduced to a simple existence. This is why the language Whitehead uses is so important. This story is too important to tell with clever turns of phrase and elaborate, unnecessary details. Cora’s life and soul jumps off the page from the moment we meet her. As hard as this book is to stomach, it was beautifully written and absolutely worth reading.

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S.

For the 2017 book challenge, I had to read a book from a genre I had never heard of. I went to wikipedia and just started with A, browsing a variety of genres. I made it to E before anything stood out: ergodic literature. Say what? Once I clicked on the link, I learned that “In ergodic literature, nontrivial effort is required to allow the reader to traverse the text.” So, it’s not about a book being particularly hard to understand, but the actual process of getting to the text is difficult. Then, I scrolled down to the texts that fall into this category and I realized I had one on my shelf that I’ve been meaning to read for years: S.

I will say this now. I love JJ Abrams and I love LOST. It’s not the best show of all time, not even close. But it was interesting from an Easter Egg stand point. I loved the multiple layers that were woven into every episode. And, at least the show kept us on our toes. After every episode, I would go to a few sites and dig through what the other viewers found. I loved reading what all others found in the hidden messages. If I had the time, this book would pose the same interest and challenges.

S. is a story within a story. The book is The Ship of Theseus written by a fictitious author named Straka. And within this book are annotations from two college students, Jen and Eric. They don’t know each other, but meet through their conversations in and about the book. And as they get to know each other, they reveal information about themselves, making their notes personal, as well as about the book’s messages. SoT is shrouded in mysteries, from the author’s “death” to the hidden codes in the footnotes. Also included in the book are inserts that Jen and Eric share with each other. Those inserts include postcards, pictures, drawings, maps, etc. It’s probably beneficial to buy your own copy of this book. It will take multiple readings to fully understand, and I don’t think an ebook would do it any justice at all. Between the book, the annotations, and the inserts, this book falls under the ergodic genre because it is truly an interactive, challenging reading experience.

I loved this book. SoT isn’t the best book ever written, but that’s not the point. It’s a great story, and I was genuinely invested in it (I can’t even begin to explain the plot….it’s quite complex), but the entire experience is what makes this book worth reading. And if you need help or are looking for more information this website will be helpful. I really think this book is worth reading, if only for the experience. It wasn’t overwhelming at all, even though it does take a lot of work to get through. My strategy was to read it a chapter at a time, starting with the actual SoT story, then go back and read all the annotations of that chapter. So, set aside some time and give them book a chance.

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Under the Dome

Still working on two long books (one done in a couple days, I think) so here’s an older review.

Finally getting around to writing my thoughts on this book. This is easily my second favorite King book, after The Stand. *side note- After reading The Dark Tower, this is nowhere near my second favorite SK book* Had it been summertime, I could have finished this book in a few days. Damn teaching job gets in the way of my fun reading! =)
King has certainly evolved as a writer, which is something I truly appreciate about him. As terrifying as this book was, it was nowhere near a horror story, like the majority of his books. Like The Stand, it’s just a battle of good vs. evil. None of the people in the town have superpowers, or go crazy, or have rabid dogs. It’s just good people trying to win and protect the town vs. the bad people trying to run the town.

One day, a “dome” slaps down around the town of Chester’s Mill. This impenetrable structure follows the shape of the town exactly. Interestingly, the town can see and communicate with the outside world. They get a kick out of seeing themselves on CNN. The military asks one of their own inside the dome to investigate. They have no idea where this dome came from and suspect it was created from inside the town. They just have no other explanation. To protect a dirty secret, the bad guys of the town take control quickly, and spare no expenses in the destruction of the police, the businesses, and the citizens themselves. As wretched as these people are, King at least gives a fairly plausible reason as to their actions. They didn’t just “go crazy” and start killing their families…..

What’s interesting about this book is the big battle. Which side are people going to be on? The quiet underdog or the boisterous bully who vows to protect the town in times of terrorism. In today’s world it’s hard not to stand with those that protect. Perfectly, the biggest baddie is a used car salesman, and it’s quite entertaining to watch him work his persuasive magic on those around him.

Of course, this is still Stephen King, so there are many casualties, and he does a great job of hinting there will be many more to come throughout the book. I realize this is a long book. But, I truly thought it was worth it. One of the best I’ve read in a long time!

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Prep

I’m in the middle of a couple long books, so here’s an older review from a previous blog.

This book has been on my list for awhile. And, even though it’s target audience is adults, it’s really about a girl and her four years at prep school in Mass. She’s on scholarship, from the Midwest, and doesn’t fit in at all, yet somehow manages to make her way around the school fairly well.

We meet Lee at the beginning of her freshman year, where she is awkward, uncomfortable, and worships unattainable people, namely a senior girl and a fellow freshman named Cross. On a random trip to the mall, she and Cross cross (haha) paths and he treats her like an equal, though Lee always knows she’ll never been seen as a wealthy beautiful girl. She is instantly smitten with Cross and seeks out his attention in the oddest ways. She becomes the school’s unofficial hair dresser, cutting both students and teachers alike. With no training, you keep waiting for Lee to lop off an ear, but she manages to do a decent job. She becomes popular for this, but Lee knows that it’s not worth it. She goes back into seclusion as quickly as she was sprung from it.

She befriends only a few people, teaches one to ride a bike, allows another to confess her darkest secret, and manages to unintentionally alienate the entire school towards the end, creates an odd relationship with Cross, but still comes out on top. Lee will never fit in, but that’s okay. She’s just as good as they are, but just a little different.

I did like this book quite a bit, but I do wish it had been only a couple years of school instead of four. I felt like we didn’t really get to see the depth of certain things, since it was all crammed in there. Certainly worth reading. A little bit Gossip Girl, a little bit Gilmore Girls, but you really do cheer for Lee throughout it all.

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The Three Musketeers

This was a book that I’ve been meaning to read for years. I am a big fan of French literature, but have never gotten around to Dumas. So, when this year’s book challenge included a book that’s been on your “to read” list for way too long, this book immediately came to mind. And, thankfully, it’s free on the Kindle, so there really was no excuse for me not to read it.

Most people know the general characters of the Musketeeers- Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, along with their young aspiring friend, d’Artagnan. And I think I’ve seen the old ’90s movie, however I really knew nothing about the plot. And I will say that it took me halfway through to really get into it. Partly because the language is out of date, leading me to  spend a lot of time clicking on words to get the definition, (don’t get me wrong… I LOVE reading older books because of the language) but also because there is a lot of setting the stage for the big plot points. There’s double crossing, triple crossing, back stabbing (literally and figuratively), poisoning, murder, love, and a lot of wine. Basically, all the elements for a classic adventure story.

I can see why this story has endured the ages. Along with The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask, Dumas has endured two centuries of translations and reading. He was a prolific writer, and I imagine the French read more of his works that we Americans do. But this was a fun read. And although the setup was lengthy, the payoff was worth it.

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Hamilton: The Revolution

I really despise musicals. Probably because my mom made me watch them when I was a kid, and they just were so boring! I’m also way too cynical to think people singing and dancing is happy entertainment. However, I saw the movie of Rent and saw that musicals didn’t have to be all happy and cheesy. I never saw Rent on stage, but I did see a dvd of the stage play, which was really great. But then stuff like Wicked comes around, people say how great it is, but I just need more. I need some sort of depth and importance to the story. Book of Mormon just doesn’t even count in the traditional musical category, in my opinion, because it’s so offensive (and I loved every second of it) and funny. And then there’s Hamilton.

I was very skeptical when I first heard about this hip-hop musical and how great it was. I was familiar with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work, though. I’ve been to NYC a sum total of one time and saw two musicals while there- Hair, and In the Heights. My BFF was living in Washington Heights at the time and drug me to see it. And I liked it. Sadly, Lin wasn’t performing that night, but the show was still enjoyable. But Hamilton had so much hype that it made me skeptical. Rolling Stone said it was one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. Then the Pulitzer. Then the MacArthur Grant. What?? That just doesn’t even seem possible. So, I reached out to a musical nerd friend of mine and asked her if it was really worth it. Her short answer was YES. So, I got a clean version (so I can listen in the car with little kids) and went from one song to the next, taking me a few weeks. And by the time I got to “It’s Quiet Uptown,” I was sobbing. Yes, it really is that good.

I mostly listen to Act I upbeat stuff because my kids really don’t want to hear the sad songs (and honestly I can’t listen to them on a daily basis) and I think we’ve listened to “My Shot” about 100 times. My 5 year old is obsessed with A.Ham, Washington, and NYC in general. I’ve shown him Lin’s SNL performance and assorted YouTube videos of the songs. He says our next vacation is to go to NYC and meet the guy who plays Alexander Hamilton. (Anyone want to make this happen? You would make his little heart burst with joy). But what strikes me most isn’t just the story, since it can easily be found in a number of books, but Lin’s brilliance as a writer. His ability to craft a phrase is second to none. I’ve never read such clever word play in a musical. My favorite part is his ability to use a phrase in so many ways and how he assigned these phrases to Burr and Hamilton to be repreated through the entire musical. Rise up, talk less, write like you’re running out of time, throwing away your shot, etc. And the music associated with these phrases is repeated in various songs as well. As soon as a Hamilton song comes on, my 5 year old knows what it is because of the familiar melody. The consistency, yet ability to keep it fresh is amazing. I just can’t rave enough about this piece of art.

And then there’s the book. Every song is included, along with annotations by Lin. And he’s so clearly a product of my generation, referencing the same rap artists I listened to growing up, Harry Potter, and Jordan Catalano. The pieces of background information were written by Jeremy McCarter. He clearly did his research and conducted a number of interviews with the cast and the behind the scenes people like the costume designer, set designer, and choreographer. This book made me see the musical as a whole, rather then just the words and music. It was truly a fascinating insight into how much work and thought people put into this amazing musical. So, even the most skeptical people (myself included) should give this musical a chance. Every award Lin won was much deserved and I look forward to his future endeavors, whether they musicals or not.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I’m nothing if not true to my word. I told myself I would get to this book when I finished the 2016 book challenge and The Dark Tower series. If I don’t make myself finish books, I end up putting them off for new and shiny books. And since I had heard less than stellar reviews about this one, I wasn’t really in a hurry to get to it. Ultimately, I enjoyed it and it was nice revisiting the characters.

Since this is a play, it’s very sparse and missing a lot of the magic that the books provide. But I fully expected that going into reading. Somehow, I managed to avoid all spoilers for this book. All I knew was that it took place pretty quickly after book 7 finished. If that’s all you know, too, I would stop reading at this point. I’m not going to reveal tons of stuff, but will address basic plot points.

So, we meet up with the old gang pretty quickly. Ginny, Harry, and their three kids. Ron, Hermione, and their two kids. And Draco and his son. I love that Draco and his son, Scorpio, are central figures to this book. I was always a Draco fan, mostly because he was exactly like Harry- forced into a situation he didn’t want to be in and overshadowed by his father (or lack there of in Harry’s case) and expectations put upon children. And it looks as though neither Draco or Harry has fully resolved their father issues. Neither one of them is a great dad, which was hard to read, given how good of a person Harry is, but it’s also nice to see him still learning about himself and trying to be better. It’s clear that Ginny wears the pants in the family, which is awesome. I always thought she was a good match for Harry and could keep him grounded.

Ron seems to be as lackadaisical as expected. Hermione has succeeded in the wizarding world to the highest position, and Ron manages the Weasley joke shop. He makes some terrible dad jokes and just is very bumbling, although full of love. Seems right on point. The story focuses on Albus, middle child of Harry and Ginny, and Scorpius. They meet early on in the book, after being told to stay away from each other, but they are fast friends. Scorpius is a good kid; nothing like the evil Draco tried to espouse. He has a crush on Rose Granger-Wealsey, Ron and Hermione’s daughter and is just generally a sweet kid.

The Cursed Child named in the title really could apply to many characters. Obviously Harry and Draco, but also Albus, Scorpius, and a character not to be revealed here, because it was a pretty big spoiler. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you really do need to read this just to see what happens to your friends. However, don’t expect to be in love with it the way you are with the books. It’s just not the same reading experience.