Hosted by 3M (Michelle) January 1 - December 31 Challenge Blog
The challenge requirement was to read a minimum of nine books published in 2009 - but no children's or YA titles, since we're "in the pub." At least five of the books had to be fiction.
Although I may read more 2009 books before the end of December, I've completed the nine required, so I'm marking the challenge as "complete." I read two books of non-fiction, both memoirs. Of the seven fiction books I read, three were the most recent installments in favorite series, two were from favorite authors, and one was a debut novel. To see my "In the Pub" reviews, click here.
Because I loved Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man when I listened to the audiobook last year, I was eager to read this recently published follow-up. While different in format - it is organized in four categories (Work, Politics, Faith, and Family) rather than chronologically - and somewhat different in tone, Always Looking Up is every bit as smart, funny, and insightful as Lucky Man is.
One of the concepts Fox presented that I especially loved was an idea he got from Christopher Reeve: optimism + knowledge = hope. In the section on "Faith," Fox writes:
Chris Reeve wisely parsed the difference between optimism and hope. Unlike optimism, he said, "Hope is the product of knowledge and the projection of where the knowledge can take us." If optimism is a happy-go-lucky expectation that the odds are in my favor, that things are likely to break my way, and if hope is an informed optimism, facts converting desire into possibility, then faith is the third leg of the stool. Faith tells me that I'm not alone. [pages 201-202]
Here is a passage I liked from the "Politics" section of the book (italics in original):
Our little, shingled Martha's Vineyard saltbox is blessed with an unobstructed view of the Gay Head Lighthouse. Every night its beacon slowly turns, and each half revolution paints the house and hillside with a warm swath of light. From dusk onward, fireflies twinkle through the grasses like Bush forty-one's metaphorical "Thousand Points of Light." The beacon completes another thrity-second sweep of the nightscape, and a wave of brilliance washes out the glow of the insects. A thousand fireflies won't generate the luminescence sufficient to read a roadmap. A lighthouse - more powerful and dependable - speaks to the guiding nature of hope. By equal turns, it illuminates and darkens, so the way forward can be chosen in the light, and trusted in the darkness.
Admittedly, I haven't spent much time in West Texas, but given the amount and variety of brush the President clears on his vacations, my guess is that he has a lot of fireflies on that ranch - and no lighthouse. [pages 99-100]
In the "Family" section, Fox writes the following:
I hate to say it, but I know parents who regard their children as instruments to be played. It's all a matter of what strings to pull and how finely they're tuned. I see them, to extend the metaphor, more as jukeboxes. Put in your two bits, maybe give them a bit of a nudge to get them going, but nine times out of ten, if you're lucky, they're going to play their own tune. [page 237]
I also liked the conclusion Fox made during a road trip he made with his son, after Sam asked, "Are we there yet?":
We are where we are. If we keep moving, we'll be someplace else. We'll know when we get there. [page 262]
I think I've read every one of Mary Higgins Clark's mystery and suspense novels. This one isn't anything special - but it was a good escapism read for a MHC fan like me.
Execution Dock is the sixteenth novel in Anne Perry's historical mystery series featuring William Monk and Hester Latterly. I am a big fan of this series, and this episode did not disappoint.
One of the things I like about Perry's work is her use of words. Here are two passages from Execution Dock that I particularly liked:
He must never let Tremayne see any weakness. Tremayne might look like a dandy, a poet and dreamer caught by chance in the wrong place, but it was an illusion. His mind was keen as a razor, and he would scent weakness as a shark scents blood in the water. [page 35]
All the love in the world did not blind Scuff to the reality that they could fail again. He was a child with hope, optimism, and a lifetime's knowledge of failure behind him. The difference between surviving and not was wafer-thin. [page 296]
This recent Kellerman novel focuses on two characters introduced in Bones - half-brothers Moses Reed and Aaron Fox. The mystery was good, and I found the ending very satisfying.
I enjoyed hearing Dara Torres speak at the recent National PTA Convention, so I decided to read her book. I can't relate to all the details about being an elite swimmer - not even to the concept of being an elite athlete. But I came away from this book with a sense of enthusiasm for pursuing whatever it is that I want to do!
One of the ideas Torres talks about is the "details-matter mind-set." I like this description:
I know it's a weird thing to say, but swimming is sort of like one of those Impressionist paintings made with millions of dots. Sure, a dot is a dot. What's the big deal? But if you care enough to make each dot the exact right size and the exact right color in the exact right place, something amazing occurs. [page 132]
Just over two years ago, I read my first Jodi Picoult novel, My Sister's Keeper. Since then I've read twelve others - there are just three still on my to-read list - and I was eager to read her latest novel, Handle with Care. Here's the book trailer:
Handle with Care has all the things I love about Picoult's work: thought-provoking, even controversial topics, alternating points of view, and the use of symbolism. (The symbolism in this case primarily comes through the discussion of various aspects of baking - such as folding, tempering, and weeping - as ten recipes are inserted throughout the book.)
Unfortunately, Handle with Care just didn't quite do it for me. I was distracted by the way that each character told his or her story to the daughter Willow. While I understand that the technique is intended to put me, as the reader, in Willow's place (as "you"), I often found it to result in awkward constructions or revelations. This novel also reminded me a lot of My Sister's Keeper, so in some ways I felt like "been there, done that." I am not unhappy that I spent most of my "free time" this week reading Handle with Care, but this one won't be near the top of my Picoult favorites list.
Picoult's website has book club discussion questions (be forewarned, though, because there are lots of spoilers!) as well as information about Osteogenesis Imperfecta.
I received an advanced copy of this book, which was available for purchase beginning January 22, from Matthew Boyd at the Penguin Group. Thanks, Matt!
First line: Lillian loved best the moment before she turned on the lights.
Last line: Then she turned off the lights, and left the kitchen.
Brief summary of the plot: Eight people of varying backgrounds gather on Monday nights for a cooking class. Lillian, the chef and restaurant owner who teaches the class, is able to give her students more than just recipes and kitchen skills.
What this book reminded me of: Maeve Binchy's Evening Class was the first comparison that came to mind. Although that novel is a lot longer with a more complicated plot, it's similar in setting - an Italian class - and format - each section focusing on a different character. The School of Essential Ingredients also reminded me of Chocolat. Lillian, like Vianne, has the ability to choose foods that will satisfy people physically and also meet their emotional needs. Finally, in reading Essential Ingredients, I remembered The Miracles of Santo Fico, a book I read some time ago that stimulated my senses, especially those of taste, sight, and sound, in a way that rarely comes from words written on paper. This book was the same way.
What I'd like to see: I would love to read more about Lillian's cooking (and life) lessons. Although this is Erica Bauermeister's first novel, I hope it won't be her last.
To share in the joy of a good book: I would love to pass my copy of The School of Essential Ingredients to another interested reader. Leave a comment if you'd be interested, and I will randomly pick one lucky reader from those who comment by Friday, February 13.
3M (or Michelle) is keeping The Pub open for a second year!
The challenge requirement is to read at least nine books published in 2009 - but no children's or YA titles, since we're "in the pub". The challenge blog (with more information) is here - and since this is one of the few challenges I actually finished in 2008 (although I never wrote a completion post), I just have to play along!
I have noted several 2009 releases by favorite authors that I'll want to get my hands on. I'll add more titles as I discover them.
I like to read Mary Higgins Clark's suspense novels for the same reason I like to eat McDonald's hamburgers: I know what I'm getting. Where Are You Now? is typical Clark: female protagonist, compelling plot, lots of red herrings, happy ending. Just what I expected.
First sentence: The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters.
Last sentence: "The strangest," he agreed.
The premise of the book: On Stephenie Meyer's website, The Host is called "science fiction for people who don't like science fiction." It's a post-apocalyptic tale in which humans have become hosts for a species of invaders. Their minds are taken over, but their bodies remain intact and continue their lives. Wanderer is the invading "soul" of Melanie - but Melanie refuses to relinquish possession of her mind. The plot of the book outlines what happens as these two beings interact and learn about each other.
From the book jacket: "One of the most compelling writers of our time, Stephenie Meyer brings us a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the very essence of what it means to be human." Why I read this book: As a big fan of Meyer's Twilight Saga, I probably would have read this - her first novel for adults - sooner or later. After getting a few recommendations from family members, I decided that I should get to it sooner than later. Since it was the July pick for Becky's Online Reading Group, "sooner" become "now." I'm also including this read on my 42 Challenge list.
What I thought: I like the Twilight books better, but I still enjoyed this one. At 619 pages, it took me a while (although my daughter Jelly Bean read the whole thing - plus five other books - during the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon). Meyer is a great storyteller, and toward the end of the novel, in particular, I was having a hard time putting the book down. The basic premise - while not particularly original - was well executed. Reportedly, there is a sequel in the works, and if that happens, I'd certainly read it.
Other book bloggers' reviews of The Host: If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!
This is the fourteenth book (not including the three novellas) in Evanovich's wacky Stephanie Plum series. Light and fun, this was a perfect read for the 24-hour read-a-thon last weekend!
The latest in the Alan Gregory series, Dead Time is another compelling thriller from clinical psychologist Stephen White. In this one, Alan's former wife, Merideth, asks for his help, dragging him into a complicated mystery that reaches back years.
I have been a fan of this series for many years. I love that Alan Gregory is not only a hero but also a flawed man with complicated relationships and issues. I also love that although all the novels in the series have the commonality of the Alan Gregory character, each is unique in its set up, its voice, its perspective. In sixteen books to date, the series has not gotten the least bit stale.
I found a fun Q&A with Stephen White about Dead Time on his website here.
Change of Heart is Jodi Picoult's fifteenth novel. Of the fifteen, I've read eleven to date, and Picoult has become one of my favorite authors. Here is the book trailer:
Change of Heart has all the things I love about Picoult's work: thought-provoking topics, alternating points of view, and the use of symbolism. Coincidentally, the Picoult novel I read most recently before this one was Keeping Faith, which also dealt with religion, and one of the primary characters from Keeping Faith is featured in Change of Heart.
Picoult has written an interesting "story behind the story" for her website. That same webpage also has book club discussion questions and references for more information about both the death penalty and the Gnostic Gospels.
There are several interesting epigraphs for sections of the book. And, given my name, I just have to share the epigraph for the whole book:
Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. One can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had as much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age I did it for half an hour a day. Why sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
Here is a favorite quote from the book:
Finding God's grace wasn't like locating missing keys or the forgotten name of a 1940s pinup girl - it was more of a feeling: the sun breaking through an overcast morning, the softest bed sinking under your weight. And, of course, you couldn't find God's grace unless you admitted you were lost.
People of the Book was March's selection for Book Buddies. I was not familiar with either the book or the author before this, but I am very glad that I participated!
The novel, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, is an imagined history of the Hebrew codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. A story about Aussie book conservator Hanna Heath is interspersed with five stories about the Hebrew manuscript itself, moving backward through time from World War II to 1480.
Other than some mild disappointment by the ending of the book, I enjoyed this novel greatly. To me the message both of People of the Book and the Sarajevo Haggadah is summarized well by Ozren, one of the book's characters:
You know I am not a religious man. But Hanna, I have spent many nights, lying awake here in this room, thinking that the haggadah came to Sarajevo for a reason. It was here to test us, to see if there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox. [p. 361]
You can see my responses to some of the Book Buddies discussion questions about People of the Book (and some of our other reads too) here. But be forewarned: there are spoilers there, as the discussion is based on the premise that the participants have already read the book.
I am a fan of Michael Palmer, and I think I've read everything he's written. The First Patient is his latest novel, one which I think is not only a medical thriller - which I would expect from Palmer - but also a political thriller. The front cover of the copy I borrowed from the library includes a quote from President Bill Clinton:
An exciting thriller ... full of surprises; captures the intense atmosphere of the White House.
This isn't my favorite of Palmer's books, but although the writing seemed a bit choppy in places (which a good editor should have corrected), the plot was gripping, with enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. The protagonist - Gabe Singleton, longtime friend and now personal physician to the POTUS (President of the United States) - is likable yet flawed. Providing support to Singleton - and the possibility of a little romance - is Alison Cromartie, a medically-trained Secret Service agent. (I always love to read about an "Alison"!)
Sophie Kinsella's latest novel, Remember Me?, was the perfect thing for me to read while sick in bed earlier this week!
This is what Kinsella had to say in "Behind the Book" on the amazon website:
All my books involve some kind of wish-fulfillment; some kind of escapism - whether it's shopping, or a whirlwind romance, or stepping off the career treadmill - and Remember Me? is maybe the ultimate form of wish-fulfillment. What if you didn't recognize your life ... because it had become so perfect? The image that kept coming to me was of a girl, blinking up at her Greek god of a husband, whom she doesn't recognize. It made me giggle every time I thought about it. And so I created my amnesiac heroine Lexi, and her perfect new glossy, unrecognizable life - from the new shiny teeth to the designer handbag, to the perfect millionaire husband. The potential for comedy was irresistible.
3M (or Michelle) is at it again! In an attempt to read more books published in the current year, she's created The Pub.
The challenge requirement is to read at least eight books published in 2008 - but no children's or YA titles, since we're "in the pub". The challenge blog (with more information) is here - and I just have to play along!
Looking at my local library website's "New Titles" list, I note several early 2008 releases by favorite authors that I'll want to get my hands on. I'll add more titles as I discover them.
I am Alison. I'm the mother of three adult children. I work with numbers, but I love words. I also love chocolate, Diet Coke, the ocean, and BYU Women's Basketball.
I started this blog in January 2007 as a way to keep track of the books I read. Little did I know that there was a great book blogging community out there!
I enjoy an eclectic mix of genres, but young adult and historical fiction novels are among my favorites.
I post reviews here of many of the books I read. Book discussion is always welcome! I also track my participation in book challenges and other reading events here. Occasionally I post other book- or reading-related information or memes.
Unless otherwise noted, the books I review come from my personal collection or from the county library system. Complimentary copies of books I have received from authors, publishers, or publicists for review purposes are so noted.
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