I finished reading Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively. It was a bit uninteresting at first, but the last 2/3 of the book turned things around. Although the main character was difficult to like, she leads an interesting life and the reader gradually understands why she is the way she is. After thinking it would deserve a rating of 2 1/2 out of 4 at the beginning, I finally decided it was worth 3 out of 4 (or 3 1/2 out of 5).
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively
July 10, 2016--Copenhagen, Denmark
I finished reading Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively. It was a bit uninteresting at first, but the last 2/3 of the book turned things around. Although the main character was difficult to like, she leads an interesting life and the reader gradually understands why she is the way she is. After thinking it would deserve a rating of 2 1/2 out of 4 at the beginning, I finally decided it was worth 3 out of 4 (or 3 1/2 out of 5).
I finished reading Tiger Moon by Penelope Lively. It was a bit uninteresting at first, but the last 2/3 of the book turned things around. Although the main character was difficult to like, she leads an interesting life and the reader gradually understands why she is the way she is. After thinking it would deserve a rating of 2 1/2 out of 4 at the beginning, I finally decided it was worth 3 out of 4 (or 3 1/2 out of 5).
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Mar. 2, 2016--San Antonio, TX
During the last four days, I read The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. It is a fascinating story that made me not want to put it down, but that is somewhat offset by the writing being of less quality. The story covers what is happening just before the U.S. entered World War II in both a small town at the end of Cape Cod and in London while the Blitz was occurring. The main characters are the postmistress and her boyfriend, the town doctor and his wife, and an American reporter broadcasting by radio from London with Edward R. Murrow. The whole novel deals with what is happening in London, what may be happening in German-occupied Europe, and what is and may be happening in the Cape Cod town. I recommend it as a very interesting story and give it 3 stars out of 4.
During the last four days, I read The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. It is a fascinating story that made me not want to put it down, but that is somewhat offset by the writing being of less quality. The story covers what is happening just before the U.S. entered World War II in both a small town at the end of Cape Cod and in London while the Blitz was occurring. The main characters are the postmistress and her boyfriend, the town doctor and his wife, and an American reporter broadcasting by radio from London with Edward R. Murrow. The whole novel deals with what is happening in London, what may be happening in German-occupied Europe, and what is and may be happening in the Cape Cod town. I recommend it as a very interesting story and give it 3 stars out of 4.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016--San Antonio, TX
I finished reading Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri today. She is one of my favorite writers. I seldom read more than one book by an author. One reason is that many are not good enough to avoid having a "style" which becomes boring over time. This is at least the third book I have read by Lahiri, however, and every book has been worth reading. (Almost every book she writes is good enough to be shortlisted for major writing prizes, so I'm not the only one who appreciates them.) Unaccustomed Earth is considered a collection of short stories, but it is really a hybrid with the first part being a series of short stories and the latter part, although also short stories, being much like a novel since they involve the same characters at various points in time. As I began reading, I remember thinking, "I'm enjoying this; it's well written, but I'm going to have to give it just 3 1/2 stars out of 4." But as I got closer to the end of the book, my opinion started trending higher. Then the last two pages convinced me. One sentence caused me to realize, without telling me so, what had happened and what it meant for the future of all the characters and sent me into an emotional tailspin that convinced me that is book is worth 4 stars out of 4 like so many of her other books!!! (Please do not read the ending of this book before reading the rest.)
I finished reading Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri today. She is one of my favorite writers. I seldom read more than one book by an author. One reason is that many are not good enough to avoid having a "style" which becomes boring over time. This is at least the third book I have read by Lahiri, however, and every book has been worth reading. (Almost every book she writes is good enough to be shortlisted for major writing prizes, so I'm not the only one who appreciates them.) Unaccustomed Earth is considered a collection of short stories, but it is really a hybrid with the first part being a series of short stories and the latter part, although also short stories, being much like a novel since they involve the same characters at various points in time. As I began reading, I remember thinking, "I'm enjoying this; it's well written, but I'm going to have to give it just 3 1/2 stars out of 4." But as I got closer to the end of the book, my opinion started trending higher. Then the last two pages convinced me. One sentence caused me to realize, without telling me so, what had happened and what it meant for the future of all the characters and sent me into an emotional tailspin that convinced me that is book is worth 4 stars out of 4 like so many of her other books!!! (Please do not read the ending of this book before reading the rest.)
Monday, January 4, 2016
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Monday, Jan. 4, 2016--San Antonio, TX
I finished reading Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. It's a "different" kind of novel. To me it seems to be two short stories sold as a novel. Both stories deal with overcoming the loss of loved ones at an early age. The artist has a nice way of describing feelings. The book was super-popular in Japan with the term Bananamania being used to describe how people were reacting to it. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
I finished reading Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. It's a "different" kind of novel. To me it seems to be two short stories sold as a novel. Both stories deal with overcoming the loss of loved ones at an early age. The artist has a nice way of describing feelings. The book was super-popular in Japan with the term Bananamania being used to describe how people were reacting to it. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015--San Antonio
I just finished reading The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. It's the first book I've read by her although I have known of her through TV and radio appearances for decades and have seen the film version of her book Fried Green Tomatoes. The book I read had scattered moments of great humor that made me laugh aloud, but the book as a whole is not a humorous novel. It's a very interesting tale about what makes a family and includes a wonderful side story related to flying women both as barnstormers and as WASPs during WWII. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.
I just finished reading The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. It's the first book I've read by her although I have known of her through TV and radio appearances for decades and have seen the film version of her book Fried Green Tomatoes. The book I read had scattered moments of great humor that made me laugh aloud, but the book as a whole is not a humorous novel. It's a very interesting tale about what makes a family and includes a wonderful side story related to flying women both as barnstormers and as WASPs during WWII. I gave the book 3 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies
Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2015--San Antonio, TX
I finished reading The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert today. Because I have been busy with the holidays, I kept leaving this book and coming back to it. Although the story is a bit intriguing, it so poorly written that it seems a lot like reading a town gossip column in a small-town community newspaper. Furthermore, there is a major plot error in which THE town gossip learns about something, starts spreading the information, and then is never mentioned again even when the conclusion at the end of the book is that everything has been kept a secret in the town. I gave the book 2 stars out of 4.
I finished reading The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert today. Because I have been busy with the holidays, I kept leaving this book and coming back to it. Although the story is a bit intriguing, it so poorly written that it seems a lot like reading a town gossip column in a small-town community newspaper. Furthermore, there is a major plot error in which THE town gossip learns about something, starts spreading the information, and then is never mentioned again even when the conclusion at the end of the book is that everything has been kept a secret in the town. I gave the book 2 stars out of 4.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The Echo Maker
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015--San Antonio
I finished reading The Echo Maker by Richard Powers this evening. It won the National Book Award several years ago. The book is very well written and has a quite complex structure. It starts with a man who is involved in a car crash in Nebraska and suffers neurological damage that leaves him unable to recognize the most loved individuals in his life--his sister and his dog. He has delusions that they have been replaced by almost-perfect duplicates in some bizarre scheme. Other aspects of the novel include a neurologist famous for his popular books that describe symptoms of various patients, a developer who wants to build on land that an environmentalist and his group is trying to protect for the birds who migrate through there regularly, a nurse's aide at the hospital who everyone recognizes as working "below what ought to be her station in life." I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, but I got quite bored at times with the details of the previous case studies being discussed by the neurologist. So my summary is that it soars and it bores, but it soars more than it bores. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
I finished reading The Echo Maker by Richard Powers this evening. It won the National Book Award several years ago. The book is very well written and has a quite complex structure. It starts with a man who is involved in a car crash in Nebraska and suffers neurological damage that leaves him unable to recognize the most loved individuals in his life--his sister and his dog. He has delusions that they have been replaced by almost-perfect duplicates in some bizarre scheme. Other aspects of the novel include a neurologist famous for his popular books that describe symptoms of various patients, a developer who wants to build on land that an environmentalist and his group is trying to protect for the birds who migrate through there regularly, a nurse's aide at the hospital who everyone recognizes as working "below what ought to be her station in life." I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, but I got quite bored at times with the details of the previous case studies being discussed by the neurologist. So my summary is that it soars and it bores, but it soars more than it bores. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
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