100 Books

Teen Reading: THIRTEEN REASONS WHY By: Jay Asher & THE FUTURE OF US By: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

I hated High School. I mean really hated it. I'm sure a part of that was my own fault in that I had a terrible attitude- but mostly it was having to be around people I didn't like each day. Don't get me wrong- there were people that were great people and I was lucky enough to call a couple of those people my friends- but for some reason we always seem to remember the pricks, don't we?

Thirteen Reasons Why is the story of Emily, who commits suicide and leaves a set of cassette tapes for the people who contributed to her making that decision. Dark? Yes. Hard to read? Yes. Could I put it down? Nope.

This book should be mandatory reading for all teenagers- this was a haunting story and a terrifying portrait of what happens when we treat each other badly. It's funny how fast we forget that every little thing we do affects people. Just because something you say or do doesn't affect you- doesn't mean it won't change the lives of others (and not always for the better).

___________

I've said many times that I am SO grateful facebook hadn't been invented yet when I was a teenager. It was bad enough being harassed on AIM- facebook would have been fucking brutal.

All that being said- The two Jay Asher books I've now read touched heavily on being a teen today (FML- I'm so sorry to everyone who is currently in HS) and facebook.

The Future of Us was written by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. In 1996 two teenagers log onto the internet for the first time and through some inexplicable magical realism are able to see their own facebook pages 15 years in the future. The thought of seeing facebook before even being able to comprehend what social networking has become over the past decade is a bizarre thought.

The Future of Us was not quite the emotional powerhouse that Thirteen Reasons Why was- but it was entertaining and a truthful look at how easy it is to be an unhappy teenager and not always understand why.

I can honestly say that when I was younger there was nowhere near the quality of YA writing that there is today. I sincerely hope that kids today puts down fucking angry birds and read a book!

Book # 54- 11/22/63 By: Stephen King

2011-12-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

The world is fucked up. There's no way around it- it just is. What if you could pin down the turning point where everything spiraled out of control? What if you were given the opportunity to take back the shot gun blast that started it all?

In 11/22/63 a High School teacher finds a worm hole in time and goes back to 1958 to stop the Kennedy assassination. Yes- you heard me right- he has to live for five years in the past before he can live that fateful day. The thing is- the past doesn't want to be changed- the more you try to change it the harder it fights you.

For those who love Stephen King- this book has just enough suspense that you will be thoroughly satisfied. For those of you who are not quite as into Stephen King- this book is unlike any of his previous work and you should seriously consider giving it a shot.

First off- this is not a book of conspiracy theories (though some are addressed)- this is a work of fiction. KICK-ASS fiction.

Second- who knew that Stephen King was capable of such a good love story? I was pleasantly surprised to experience one of the most likable non-nauseating love stories I've read in recent memory.

This book is very long- but it doesn't feel like it. It looks like a big undertaking but it's totally enjoyable. Pick this one up.

Books I'm ashamed to say I enjoyed...

2011-12-05T14:56:00.000-08:00

Valley of the Dolls By: Jacqueline Susann

Yup. Trashtastic. But ya know what? I loved it. It was everything I wanted from a pill-popping, plastic surgery, 1960s New York Soap opera. I’m not saying that it was quality literature by any means- but I’ll probably read it for a second time one day. (the movie was painful in comparison, btw)

Peyton Place By: Grace Metalious

Again- Grace Metalious created a trashy sub genre here- but nonetheless I like the scandal. Very comparable to Valley of the Dolls in some way (that includes a sub-par film adaptation)

Gossip Girl By: Cecily von Ziegesar

I like these books the way most people like the Kardashians- I’m fully aware that they’re stupid, superficial, and probably making me less of a human being- but I enjoy them anyway.

Twilight By: Stephanie Meyer

The writing is unforgivably terrible. The heroine is unlikeable. Her main love interest is basically a stalker. The vampires are total pussies who don’t drink human blood (isn’t that what vampire means?).

But still. I enjoyed these.

__________________________

Moral of the story? Sometimes you just need to zone out go ahead and relish in trashiness.

PS- I’m Team Jacob. Edward’s obsessive, controlling, & creepy.

10 Books I know I'm supposed to read but really don't feel like it...

2011-11-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

1.) A Tale of Two Cities By: Charles Dickens

I read somewhere that this is the best-selling single volume book of all time. Well I’ll be damned if I didn’t space out by the fourth page. I’ve started it multiple times and OH MY GOD. I get that classic literature has value even though the language has become dated and all- but this book is impossible for me to read! Sorry Mr. Dickens- I liked Great Expectations but I think it’s time for us to break up now.

2.) War & Peace By: Leo Tolstoy

TOO LONG.

3.) Lord of the Rings By: Tolkien

Yeah...so I know that they're the best thing in the history of the planet and all- but I cannot get into Sci Fi/Fantasy stuff. I mean no disrespect by that but I have tried and all those fairies, elves, goblins, aliens, etc. make me feel like I'm on an acid trip that I'm not really enjoying. Maybe I should just read The Hobbit. That's like a kid-friendly Lord of the Rings- right?

4.) Animal Farm By: George Orwell

While I love dystopian fiction I was not a big fan of 1984- that kind of keeps my interest for this book at bay. Plus- didn't they reference this book on Gossip Girl? I feel like that alone should take away some of this book's street cred.

5.) Moby Dick By: Herman Melville

Something tells me this book should be something I would like. I know that this is the epitomy of the great American novel and all, but I seriously have to swim through the language to get to the adventure. Isn't it like Cujo but with a whale?

6.) Wuthering Heights By: Emily Bronte

This book probably has the best shot at getting me to sit down, read it, finish it, and (potentially) like it. That being said every time I sit down to read it I get distracted by the new and shiny books on the bestseller list. Sorry- maybe I'm more of a consumer that I'd like to admit.

7.) Gone With the Wind By: Margaret Mitchell

While I appreciate that this book probably has a lot of drama that I would enjoy- American history truly bores me. I know, I know- I'm a bad American. But I've never found US History interesting and the Civil War in particular is a very quick way to make me take a nap.

8.) The Fountainhead By: Ayn Rand

I've started this book three times. I'm pretty sure I've lied in conversation and claimed that I've finished it when I've been surrounded by other people who have- but cards on the table- never made it past page 70. I want so badly to love this book- but if I genuinely don't care by page 70- maybe I'm not meant to like it.

9.) Les Miserables By: Victor Hugo

I didn't even like the musical.

10.) Going Rogue By: Sarah Palin

HAHA. Just fucking with you.

Book Detour: MY BOYFRIEND WROTE A BOOK ABOUT ME By: Hilary Winston

2011-10-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the premise of this book, I thought it sounded pretty interesting. Boy & Girl break up- Boy writes book about girl in an unflattering light- girl loses her shit. Just to be clear- this book is not whiny, girly, He's Just Not That Into You funny; this book is truthful, real sex, painful, relatable, Bridesmaids funny.

With hilarious essays on everything from break-up bikini waxes, online dating, broken vaginas, and accidental hand jobs- this book is laugh out loud funny.

This is the perfect read for anyone who's ever had to deal with the shitty part of being single- aka: being fucked over, dating terrible humans you're not sure you're even into, bizaare sexual snafoos, etc. YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. I'm serious.

Summer Reading- STARTER FOR TEN By: David Nicholls

2011-09-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am so sad that I've now finished all three of David Nicholls books that are currently in print. That being said- while this was the first book he wrote (and I did enjoy it) he definitely is on a consistent incline as a writer.

Starter For Ten while a charming coming-of-age story about a working class boy who's on scholarship to University and enters a popular quiz show- it's still the weakest of the bunch. I consistently enjoyed it and Nicholls's character development is still probably the best out there- but The Understudy and One Day is where he really continued to hone is craft and style.

The thing I find the most peculiar is that (of course) particularly now that the movie One Day has been hardcore marketed as a romance David Nicholls has kind of been given a "chick lit" label. I'd say that while One Day can be easily loved by both sexes- his first two would probably appeal to the male mind a tad more than your average woman- just a thought.

Advance Book Review: THE LEFTOVERS By Tom Perrotta

2011-08-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a good summer for me and books. The two books I was most looking forward to their release landed in my lap early thanks to the publishers. (so thank you very much to St. Martins Publishing for giving Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers the major marketing campaign it deserves)

Imagine that one day millions of people across the planet simply vanish in unison in what many believe to be the biblical rapture. Further more- there's zero continuity in the people who leave this planet. Every religion, race, sexual orientation, age, and general quality of people is accounted for in the departed. Some people are left without a single family member or friend, many celebrities no longer exist, millions of children are left without parents. The Leftovers is the story of the people who are left on this planet with no explanation or change in their daily lives except that some people are no longer there.

Mainly focusing on the aftermath of an agnostic family The Leftovers is a rich story of what if? I fear that some people will pick up this book believing it to be some sort of religious fiction in the spirit of the Left Behind series. Please let me tell you now that this is no such thing. The Leftovers is not a story of answers- it's a story of questions. Some people may also be a bit bothered by Perrotta's open-ended conclusions but let me be clear- I am not one of these people. I feel that in the case of Tom Perrotta open-ended endings are the way to go. If you are going to write about real people in ordinary or extraordinary situations you are doing the story a dis-service to tie it up with a nice bow- that's just not real life.

This book is wonderful and while I've always loved Tom Perrotta- this book definitely had a more epic feel than his previous work. I will say that with the serious religious topics covered in the book I can easily see certain people loving it or hating it. I loved it.

*A New York Times Notable Book

Summer Reading: THE UNDERSTUDY By David Nicholls

2011-08-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me personally or reads my reviews knows how blown away I was by Mr. Nicholls' hit book One Day. After hearing that he had two other books that were both very well received I've been jonesing to read more of his work.

David Nicholls is a classically trained actor so it comes as no surprise that one of his novel is The Understudy- the story of a struggling actor who is the West End understudy to the "twelfth sexiest man alive". David Nicholls creates likeable but flawed characters and the tragically named Stephen C. McQueen is another. Nicholls is one of the only people who can create gender neutral romantic comedy that is actually true to life.

The Understudy (similar to One Day) pulls you in immediately and without using any gimmicks keeps you entertained throughout the entire story. It didn't have the same epic feel of One Day, but to be fair The Understudy only takes place over the course of a few months and not decades as One Day does. Quick, fun, quality read.

(I may have to ration out his other novel Starter For Ten as I don't know when his next book will be released!)

A-

Summer Reading- MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN By: Ransom Riggs

2011-07-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

This book was recommended to me as "If you liked The Hunger Games than you'll love..." and so it came to pass that I (once again) broke my literary fiction streak and stumbled into the teen genre. And once again I found that this is a very miscoded book. Great read- no doubt- but not quite as YA-oriented as one might think.

Miss Peregrine is a fantastic mystery and makes great use of some creepy vintage photography throughout the book to move the story along. After finding his grandfather dead- the victim of a mysterious and violent death- Jacob (a rich, angsty teenager) travels to an island in Wales to find out details on his grandfather's mysterious and tragic childhood.

A great adventure in the spirit of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, but because of it's dark and intensely creepy feel I think that it's audience won't be quite as wide. I still highly recommend it if you want a page-turner, but be prepared for the potential nightmares that may come along with it...

B+

NOSTALGIA: Favorite YA books from my childhood/adolesence

2011-07-22T23:50:00.001-07:00

While reading my latest book I got very nostalgic for the books I read when I was younger. I thought it would be fun to revisit them a bit. In no particular order...

Both Sides of Time By: Caroline B. Cooney

The Time Traveler's Wife for the Teen set. An action-packed romantic quartet of books with better-quality writing than Twilight.

Don't Think Twice By: Ruth Pennebaker

Fantastic novel about a pregnant girl in the 1960s who's sent to a home for unwed mothers. Easily could've been coded as adult fiction- regardless- a truly spectacular story.

Fat Chance By: Leslea Newman

An entertaining but heart-wrenching picture of the full-scale beginnings of an eating disorder. Actually provides a great message for young girls with body issues.

Come in From the Cold By: Marsha Qualey

A riveting portrait of the effects of the Vietnam war in America as seen from two teenagers in 1969.

The Face on the Milk Carton By: Caroline B. Cooney

Hardcore page-turner about a teen who finds out she was abducted as a child. A quartet of books with the first two being the strongest.

Princess Ashley By: Richard Peck

A very interesting look at peer pressure and conscience through the eyes of a new kid who befriends the "popular girl".

Just Ella By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

One of my favorite "alternate" Cinderella stories. What exactly happens the day after the glass slipper finds it's way to Ella's foot?

Slightly younger books, but equally wonderful:

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler By: E.L. Konigsburg

Matilda By: Rahl Dahl

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By: Judy Blume

Sideways Stories From Wayside School By: Louis Sachar

The Dollhouse Murders By: Betty Ren Wright

Advance Book Review: SEX ON THE MOON By: Ben Mezrich

2011-06-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ben Mezrich knows a good story when he sees one. While both Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires seem to have come under fire for...questionable fact?- both were page-turners, both were best-sellers, and both were made into successful films. That being said I was very grateful to receive an advance copy of his new book Sex on the Moon.

Sex on the Moon is the story of Thad Roberts- a NASA intern who after a rather fascinating and bumpy ascent to NASA infamy has the brilliant (albeit illegal) plan to steal moon rocks that while NASA has deemed them "trash" have a street value of millions of dollars.

The character of Thad Roberts is one of Mezrich's strongest- not surprising as it seems Thad was cooperative with Mezrich and granted multiple interviews. Part of what makes Thad such a fun and sympathetic protagonist/antagonist is the time spent at the beginning of the book learning about Thad's sad history with his family. In contrast to the lead characters in Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires- Thad did not have everything handed to him and faced actual hardship. Even though Thad was at times obnoxiously arrogant ultimately I still rooted for him to succeed.

My only complaint is the swearing- and I have NO problem with swearing. But as the book seemed to be primarily in the limited third person with Thad it felt very out of character for a "recovering" Mormon who blushes when he realizes he's looking at a girl's cleavage to say fuck, shit, etc. It's not a big deal, but to me it was a noticeable jump as most of the book felt very organic.

I think that this will be the least-challenged of Mezrich's non-fiction as the facts of the heist have been made public knowledge by both NASA and the FBI. In addition this is by far the most film-ready of all his books and I think will take the least amount of change to the actual story when this inevitably gets made into a feature film.

I venture to say that this is my favorite of his books so far and I think the big leap for me was the main subject of the book was motivated by something other than just ambition or wealth. I'm sure his horrific abandonment factored in, but aside from that he was motivated by a plain old love story.

A-

IN STORES JULY 12th!

Book Detour: THE HUNGER GAMES- and why I think I may like it even better than Harry Potter....

2011-06-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

Juvenile and Teen series seem to be all the rage to kids and adults alike. Sometimes this is because a story is a guilty pleasure page-turner (Hi Twilight) other times you think that it maybe shouldn't be a kids book by the end of it (Hi Harry). The Hunger Games is closer to the Harry Potter end except The Hunger Games was never a kids book in the first place. Yes The Hunger Games features adolescents in main roles- but that's pretty much where the kids part ends.

The Hunger Games is the story of a fallen North America far in the future where the capitol forces a select group of children and teenagers to fight to the death on television for the amusement of it's citizens. The show basically throws twenty four "lucky" kids into an arena with next to no food or weapons and watch as they begin to murder each other in the hopes that they'll be the one person to make it out alive. This is not only for the purpose of entertainment- but to remind all of the lesser privileged citizens that if they rebel the capitol has the power to kill your children.

The Hunger Games shows us what's become of America. A fledgling country split into twelve districts and one capitol. Each of the districts have a purpose (textiles, coal, farming, etc.) though most of the people in the districts are worked to the bone only for the fruits of their labor to go to the citizens of the capitol while their own people are left starving often under a violent watchful eye of the law.

Collins gives us what will be known throughout history as one of the best heroines of literature (and now a personal fave to tie Lisbeth Salander) Katniss Everdeen. There are a lot of great things about Katniss. First of all- she's a badass. After losing her father she becomes the sole provider for her mother and sister and in doing so becomes a spectacular hunter. An acting teacher in college once told me that great stars need only three things: sensuality, vulnerability, and humor- Katniss is swimming in all three. While she's rather hardcore you still find her vulnerability in her love and feeling of responsibility for her sister. As the reader sees you can see her sensuality in what might be the least nauseating love triangle I've ever encountered!

Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. The reason this triangle works is because this author shows us genuine long term emotional connections to both men- this is a tale of survival not frivolity (Hi again Twilight). Gale is a childhood friend who became a confidant to Katniss after both lost their fathers in tragic accidents. Peeta is not only Katniss's sole source of comfort during the Hunger Games, but also helped her greatly during a childhood time of need. Both of these well written instances make for a completely understandable: How the hell can you choose??? [Though I must say (and I will not name names for those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading the book) one character had little chance of becoming an audience favorite for Katniss's lover by not having enough face time in the first book.]

I don't want to divulge too much detailed info about the trilogy and ruin it for future fans- but I must say the basic arc that the trilogy took was very similar to that of the Millennium Trilogy.

Book 1: The cleanest story arc and could be a stand alone novel if the author chose to go that way.

Book 2: The most action-packed, but choppy storyline.

Book 3: The most cerebral- least amount of romantic and humorous relief, but necessary to tie up the series appropriately.

The one thing I would say as I was reading the final chapters of Mockingjay (book #3) is I couldn't help but think this was a real life lesson. In Harry Potter (which I will always love) there are good guys and bad guys- they may be flawed, but very rarely sway sides. Good guys are good, bad guys are bad. As the Hunger Games was inching toward a close I kept thinking about the characters we'd met and their loss of innocence. Parents work so hard to shelter their children, but ultimately (even when I think of my own life) losing your innocence has nothing to do with the first time you see someone shot in the head on television or when you lose your virginity- you lose your innocence when you realize for the first time that the world is not an innately good place. You lose your innocence the first time you're hurt deeply and irrevocably.

I felt that The Hunger Games was in many ways a very honest look at human nature.

A+

BUY HERE

Book # 53 LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN By: Colum McCann

2011-05-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday August 7, 1974 shortly after 7:15am Phillipe Petit began his tightrope walk between the South and North towers of New York's World Trade Center Towers-1,368 feet above the ground.

Colum McCann's story while marketed to a degree as what took place for many New Yorkers on the historic day is actually a much more epic story from a pair of brothers' childhood in Ireland to a grieving mother who lost her son in Vietnam. The story spans decades and continents more than a couple hundred feet of wire cable.

The book artfully went from family saga, to political drama, to hookers shooting heroin in the Bronx. While I consistently feel that switching POV is a risky business (as some character's stories always seem more boring or confusing than others) Let the Great World Spin-for the most part-avoiding falling into this trap. (The exception is one very misplaced chapter involving a telephone conversation that just doesn't fit.)

There were a few subtle nudges toward 9/11, but they didn't bother me- they felt fluid and relevant to where the story was going. I've heard people say that they felt that the theme of this book was "everything happens for a reason"- I must say that what I took from it was... there's no rhyme or reason to why things happen. You can try to hold onto or harp on the past, but mostly it's meaningless- sure we try to give it meaning to make ourselves feel better about things that may have happened (or didn't)- but mostly the only thing with any kind of lasting value is the present.

A-

*2009 National Book Award

*NY Times Notable Book

*Amazon.com best book of the year 2009

BUY HERE

BOOK RANT: How Nicholas Sparks is ruining the lives and expectations of women everywhere...

2011-05-08T17:41:00.001-07:00

I'll admit it- as much as I'd like to say that I'm too cool for school and have only read Kerouac, Shteyngart, and Yates-I have indeed read Nicholas Sparks.

Two books to be exact. A Walk to Remember & The Notebook. I read A Walk to Remember after seeing the movie in HS as I will forever heart Mandy Moore. I found the movie too modern for the story and the book too modern for it's originally given time period. I'm sorry ladies. I don't want to be in the business of crushing dreams here- but it is unlikely that the hot guy in school is going to go for the church geek withholding the pootang til marriage. I'm not saying that you won't find someone who loves you more than anything. I'm just saying- please don't prompt stuff like this to raise your expectations to such an unreasonable degree that you turn down a great guy just because he admits he thinks Kim Kardashian has a nice ass.

The one nice thing about The Notebook is that it seems to be the only one where someone doesn't end up dying young of a terminal illness, being killed in a landslide, lost at sea, eaten by sharks, abducted by aliens....you get my drift. I'll admit that life doesn't always turn out lovely and tied up with a bow- but something about this massive flush of nauseating romance and tragedy vs. real everyday life just makes me so bonkers!

That being said, I can understand why women like to take a load off and read these sometimes-let me be clear- I'm talking about WOMEN; women who've probably already experienced heartbreak, women who've been fucked over, women with direction, women who've been married a while and have settled into a state of comfortable, hell- women with bank accounts- I get that these ladies like a reminder of romance. I get it.

That being said when I see girls between age 12-19 buying these books....well, it makes me a little nervous. So sorry, girls. I do not mean to be patronizing- but I know what I was like when I was younger and I thought I knew everything I'd ever need to know about love and sex too. In a way these books make me more nervous than Twilight- at least in Twilight you have the whole vampire thing there to tell you: THIS IS NOT REAL. I know that millions disagree with me- and guys, I do respect your opinion, but Nicholas Sparks- I'm sorry, sir. Not only could you benefit from CHANGING UP YOUR NORMAL PLOT LINE- but I suggest you should put a disclaimer on your books. Beware thee of a gullible heart.

And just to be clear- I'm a romantic - I've nothing whatsoever against a good love story- but I prefer the love stories with snippets of seemingly real relationships thrown in. Just sayin.

Suggested Reading for the recovering Sparks reader:

One Day

The Time Traveler's Wife

Marry Him: The Case For Settling For Mr. Good Enough

The Year of Yes

Committed

AND JUST TO OWN UP....I loved the MOVIE The Notebook- it basically took all my dislikes of the book and threw them away. Hearts for Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams...

Book Appreciation of the Week: BENJY - By Edwin O'Connor

2011-04-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's commonly inferred that the reading we do when we're young shapes who we are. While I believe that to a certain degree I'm not sure whether or not this book has shaped me. I do know however that this is the only book from my childhood that would make it into my top 10 favorite books of my life.

It may be perhaps that the character of Benjy is OBNOXIOUSLY perfect and the narrator gives us all a nudge that perfect children are assholes and that good behavior may actually be a BAD thing. (Is it weird that even as a second grader I liked this?) Mostly I appreciate with the humorous dysfunctional family (hell, the dad hides inside a TV set to get away from his wife!) that this book was so ahead of it's time (1957!) Not to mention the fact that this proceeded Shrek in that there's plenty of humor for adults in it as well.

For those who haven't read it- go order it from your local bookstore!!!

(No matter how old you are!)

BUY HERE!

A+ (Chapter Book Technically Grades 4-8)

TOP 3 BOOKS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO...

2011-04-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

1.) IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS By: Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts Book Info

Comes out May 10, 2011!

2.) SEX ON THE MOON By: Ben Mezrich

Sex on the Moon Book Info

Comes out July 12, 2011!

3.) LEFTOVERS By: Tom Perrotta

Leftovers Book Info

Comes out August 30, 2011!

BOOK # 52 THE LONELY POLYGAMIST By: Bradley Udall

2011-04-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is the story of a troubled middle-aged man, Golden and the story of his four wives and 28 children. Yes, it is the story of mormon fundamentalists in the 1970s and what is capable of happening during an affair- but the thing I found the most interesting about the book was not the main character Golden, it was the truly electric supporting characters of Rusty and Trish that made this story spectacular.

Udall is a spectacular writer and completely brave for basically making one of the most ballsy moves in contemporary literature. I was seriously blown away by the shocking plot turns that Bradley took.

The book had a lot to say about family but even more to say about relationships period and the closeness (or lackthereof) that comes with them.

Seriously people. READ THIS. It comes out in paperback in May.

BUY HERE

*Entertainment Weekly's Best Book of 2010

*Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2010

BOOK # 51 SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY By: Gary Steyngart

2011-03-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Due to my love of dystopian literature a handful of smarties recommended I read this funny and terrifying book. Yes it is a love story of sorts and while the romance between smart, soulful, late thirties Lenny and image-obsessed, well-intentioned, barely legal Eunice is definitely interesting (albeit infuriating) where this story soars is in it's depiction of an America with even less substance than we have now, completely ungovernable, and on the brink of total fiscal collapse.

It’s “zero hour for our economy,” says one of Lenny’s friends, “zero hour for our military might, zero hour for everything that used to make us proud to be ourselves.”

The story is written through Lenny's diaries and Eunice's "Global Teens Account" (imagine if facebook completely took over the way we communicate with each other- in it's entirety) and it's an incredibly effective use of POV. Slow start- but hits the ground running soon enough.

The thing that made Super Sad True Love Story so effective was how completely in the realm of possibility it all was: people's worth being ruled by their credit scores-people being so obsessed with their apparats (imagine the iphone 25.0) that they lose all human connection- the US deficit so grave that we're basically put on the chopping block.

This is a book not only for anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction but also for anyone with an interest in the fate of America.

BUY HERE

A-

*NY Times Notable Book

*NY Times Best Books of 2010

*Barnes and Noble Top 25 Books of 2010

Book # 50 ONE DAY By: David Nicholls

2010-12-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

July 15, 1988. Dexter and Emma meet on the last day of college and spend one night together. The book picks up with them both every July 15 for the next 20 years.

Beautiful. Charming. Funny. Tragic.

David Nicholls....how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

1.) I was genuinely excited to pick up this book every time I sat down to read it. This is not a common occurrence.

2.) While I initially thought that I'd find similarities to Before Sunrise/Sunset and When Harry Met Sally... I found this to be a completely original and completely realistic portrayal of a relationship over the years. (Though I'm sure when the movie version comes out people will still attempt to make comparisons to the aforementioned films)

3.) I love, love, love that the two main characters were both very likable, but still perpetually flawed. (It sucks when main characters are too perfect or too obnoxious.)

4.) Funny and tragic at the same time. That seems to be the theme of so many of my faves in contemporary literary fiction.

I'm hesitant to delve too deep into the plot as it is my new mission in life to encourage as many people to read this book as possible. This is one of those rare books that can be equally loved by both men and women. This is a masterpiece with a misleading "beach read" cover. Cheers to Mr. Nicholls.

A+

ATTENTION BOY READERS! Do not let this romantic looking cover deter you from reading this! You too will love it!

*New York Times Notable Book

*Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Fiction Books 2010

*People Magazine Top 10 Books of 2010

*Barnes and Noble Top 25 Books of 2010

BUY HERE!

Book # 49: THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS By: Jess Walter

2010-12-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

Again we have a trouble in suburbia theme. This one freaked me out a little more than some of the others. While it was indeed witty and quippy and full of recognizable characters and situations something about how topical this book was stressed me out.

Financial Lives is the story of a recently laid off man who at one time thought it would be a good idea (in theory, anyway) to start a website combining his two loves: finance and poetry. A sad shocker: there's little room for creativity in an economic crisis. It's a testament to Walters' writing that the constant state of stress the main character feels can be channeled through the reader (totally sad that the character's weed-induced relaxation can not also be channeled).

I realize how weird this may sound, but something about this novel reminded me of the way I felt when I saw Cinderella Man. We studied the great depression in high school and I understood all the facts- but something about the way that movie was done was the first time it really hit me how awful the depression actually was for the average person. While everyone has felt the economic crisis in their own way there's something about being inside the head of someone who's about to lose the house they live in with their family that makes me "get it" in a way I didn't before.

B-

*TIME Magazine Top 10 Books of the Year

Book #48 THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES By: Ben Mezrich

2010-11-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ben Mezrich knows where to find a good story. It seems that his non-fiction pieces are usually argued about when it comes to the validity of the facts-however- it makes for good reading and films that have twice now surpassed their literary parents.

The story of facebook (particularly between Mark Zuckerberg/Eduardo Saverin) is reminiscent of the creation of Microsoft (ie: Bill Gates/Steve Jobs). Sure, the story contains drinking, partying, psycho girlfriends, drug-charges, etc- but the interesting part of the story remains in the corporate world with Sean Parker's Eve Harrington-esque coup.

While I would recommend this book (particularly to people with corporate or entrepreneurial interests)- I recommend the film more. Sacrilegious words, I know- but completely true. When writing about real life it's hard to find a good story-arc; life is usually not tied up with a bow so our lives can't really fit into the general formula for a story. In this case the film format had more freedom to create that arc. Still Ben Mezrich knows where to spot drama in real life.

*NY Times Book of the Times

Book #47 THE HELP By: Kathryn Stockett

2010-10-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been telling me to read this book since it came out (not to mention the constant requests for it at my place of work). I purchased it a while ago, but for some reason I kept procrastinating reading it. Something about it's cover just bothered me.

After reading The Help, I can honestly say the only thing I didn't like about this book was it's cover. The cover makes me think of bland chick-lit; what the story really is is a completely electric story of three very different women in the early sixties all fighting for civil rights. Kathryn Stockett does a great job at creating palpable tension in seemingly simple "ladies who lunch" type situations. Every character (main, supporting, or cameo) is crafted exquisitely; I believe these people actually existed at that point in american history.

One thing I feel is worth mentioning is her choice to use a southern african-american vernacular when writing in the POV of the two black women, while choosing no dialect for Skeeter (the one white main character) who would have certainly had a southern accent at the time. I'm not really sure how I feel about this (I'm sure I would've loved the book either way), but I'd be interested to hear her reasoning behind this.

It took Kathryn Stockett five years to complete this book and she is now one of the rare authors who created a phenomenon with their debut novel. I am curious as to what her next work will be.

*2010 Audie Award

*2010 SIBA Award

*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers

Book #46 DEAD UNTIL DARK By: Charlaine Harris

2010-10-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Vampires are the new black. Twilight, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Blue Bloods, etc. Sure, society seems to have gone through it's vampire phases what with Anne Rice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but this time it just seems that everyone wants in on the bloodsucking action. Don't get me wrong- I've read a lot of those vampire novels, seen the films, watched the television shows- but I was told that I just had to read the Sookie Stackhouse books. After reading this this is what I've learned about vampire novels: if you've read one you've read them all.

A few things to know about vampires according to popular fiction: They are always ridiculously good-looking; they are usually rich; they often have a thing for humans that they're not supposed to have; there always seems to be a character that can read minds; werewolves and shape shifters are usually part of this universe; vampires are rockstars in bed; there is always human-female who is whiny, lovesick, tough, and more often then not- in no way three-dimensional; it is not unusual for a vampire to be bi-sexual or gay; there's always at least one vampire who can play the piano.

This is not to say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed vampire stories over the years because they are indeed great fun. Dead Until Dark was a very fun read and it did beat out the Twilight crowd in many ways: I appreciated that it was racier- I mean COME ON- what is a horror story without some sex and violence? And I appreciated the diversity of the characters; I was actually interested in the supporting players. However- with all the vampires in pop culture in the past twenty years I think it's safe to say it's time to stop reading/watching these stories cause one is almost never much more unique than the next.

*Agatha Award Nominee

*Dilys Award Nominee

SIDENOTE: It may be worth mentioning that despite all of the theoretical similarities that the Sookie Stackhouse series had with Twilight- Charlaine Harris's series was published first.

Book #45 NEVER LET ME GO By: Kazuo Ishiguro

2010-09-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Never Let Me Go is the story of three friends growing up in a boarding school in a dystopian Britain (not entirely unlike Brave New World). SPOILERS AHEAD- skip to next paragraph if you are seriously considering reading this book or seeing the film: Their boarding school specializes in teaching cloned human beings- raised with the intent that they will donate their organs at the peak of their health.

While I'm sure the premise of the story sounds very sci-fi, the book actually has a similar feel to that of Atonement rather than 1984. There's always a sense that time is running out; when will the star-crossed lovers get to be together-if ever?

There are few books out there that deeply affect me. There are lots of books I love, but only a few that affect me in a way that I think about it for days after. This is one of those books. Never Let Me Go would be a fantastic choice to eventually become mandatory reading for school- not only is it a great book, but it raises endless questions that would make for excellent discussion. I found myself questioning: "At what point does science go too far and take away our humanity?", "Are we really doing children any favors by sheltering them from the real world?", "What good does our education and culture do if we don't ever use it for anything?".

Be prepared for a very intense, thought-provoking read.

A+

*Time Magazine All-Time 100

*Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Arthur C. Clarke Award, & National Critics Circle Award

*ALA Alex Award

*"The Best Novel of the Decade" - Time

Book #44 BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE By: Ben Mezrich

2010-09-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Card counting is not gambling. It's math.

Bringing Down the House is the "true" story of the MIT blackjack team. It's true in that there have been many MIT blackjack teams over the years-this book focuses on one in particular that was active in the mid-to-late 1990s. However, the people the characters in this book have been based on claim that the story has been significantly amped-up for entertainment value. Regardless of the embellished shake-downs, violence, and theft- the book is a fascinating account of how these geniuses used their smarts to win millions in America's playground.

Mezrich does a great job at explaining the concept of card counting to make it understandable for the reader- not doable (it's ridiculously hard to execute successfully)- but perfect for following this story down the rabbit hole and into the casinos. For those who look at this book and say "I saw 21, I'll pass."- it's a completely different story than the film. There were a few short parts that had a hard time keeping my attention and I would've loved to hear more from Micky Rosa- but mostly I really loved this book.

A-

*SIDENOTE: This makes me very curious to read The Accidental Billionaires also written by Mezrich. The film based on the book (The Social Network) comes out October 1.

Book # 43 SEX, DRUGS, & COCOA PUFFS By: Chuck Klosterman

2010-08-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hunter S. Thompson had a wonderful ability to throw himself into the articles he was writing to the point where he himself was a character (long live gonzo journalism); while Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs isn't entirely Thompson reminiscent, Chuck Klosterman kept me drawn to the page with a mix of pop culture, politics, sports, and personal stories.

From his thoughts on When Harry Met Sally, to Zack Morris, to a few short days he spent with a Van Halen cover band- I can honestly say not only was I entertained, but constantly re-evaluating my thoughts on many of the more important topics that came up.

I'm not sure what I expected when jumping into this book (I read it based on many recommendations when working at the bookstore), but I'm happy to say what I got was something constantly humorous and thought-provoking.

A

Book #42 THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY By: Erik Larson

2010-06-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

In 1893 Chicago hosted the World's Colombian Exposition which introduced us to the Ferris Wheel, Cracker Jacks, neon lights, Juicy Fruit gum, moving pictures, the zipper, and Pabst Blue Ribbon-among many others. The unprecedented architectural grandeur of the Fair's "White City" became the inspiration for L. Frank Baum's Emerald City as well as Walt Disney's Disneyland.

The Devil in the White City is the story of the architects' struggle and magical journey to build what at the time was known as the greatest fair in history, while at the same time creating the perfect environment for one of America's first and most chilling serial killers.

Larson expertly shows us the beauty and magic of the fair while painting a portrait of H.H. Holmes- a man who built "The World's Fair Hotel" for the purpose of wooing and killing women. In seeing the impossible charm it took for Holmes to continuously get away with murder and fraud, we see someone who laid the path for the serial killers of the 20th century.

Erik Larson is smart to open this book with a disclaimer saying that as truly extraordinary and unbelievable as the events in the book may seem- it is all true. It made these already rich stories more magical and chilling in their own rite.

*2003 National Book Award Finalist Non-Fiction

*2004 Edgar Award Winner Best Fact Crime

Book # 41 CARRIE By: Stephen King

2010-05-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'd never had a desire to read this book until I read On Writing- a memoir/writing manual by Stephen King. In On Writing King wrote about how this idea came to him and a bit about the two girls he went to high school with who were loose prototypes for Carrie (and both happened to meet young, tragic deaths themselves). Upon hearing this, I was hooked.

For those who are unfamiliar with the book or the subsequent classic horror film. Carrie is about a girl who's teased and tortured in high school who comes to learn that she has telekinetic powers much to the dismay of her religious zealot mother.

As much as I hate it when I mention film adaptations in these reviews, I MUST throw it out there that the book is a ZILLION times better than the film. For one the book is set up (like so many of my favorites) with a mixture of narrative, police reports, and interviews. While the narrative moves along steadily, interviews and reports of the horrific events that eventually take place are woven in building heavy suspense for an explosive ending. And- speaking of the ending- the movie tones down the catastrophic destruction that Carrie causes. It is in one fictional report mentioned that the two biggest events in the 20th century were JFK's assassination and the mass destruction on Carrie White's prom night. Not only are classmates killed at the prom, but an entire town is more or less burned to the ground.

If someone were to ask you who the secondary lead character was-after watching the film, most would say Carrie's mother, Margaret. In the book I would say the second lead is Carrie's classmate Sue Snell which I liked so much better (though in the defense of the film, I can see if you're making a horror movie, an abusive religious nut is a character you want to amp up). The degree to which King lets us into the heads of Carrie's classmates is a brilliant way to see all angles of Carrie.

Describing his feelings of his first published novel Stephen King has said:

"I'm not saying that Carrie is shit and I'm not repudiating it. She made me a star, but it was a young book by a young writer. In retrospect it reminded me of a cookie baked by a first grader- tasty enough, but kind of lumpy and burned at the bottom."

With all do respect, Mr. King. While Carrie is indeed popular fiction and not "literary fiction" as some reviewers might say- I think you baked a tastier cookie than you think.

*Top 100 Most Frequently Banned Books

SIDE NOTE: For those who enjoy Stephen King writing character cameos from his other works- Teddy Duchamp of The Body is mentioned in Carrie.

BOOK # 40 THE SEX OF CANNIBALS By: J. Maartin Troost

2010-04-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have very mixed feelings about travel writing. Most writing teachers constantly say "show don't tell", but especially in travelogues I think their needs to be a bit of "telling" so that the reader can connect with the writer and get a sense of not only what the writer's experiencing but also who they are.

J. Maarten Troost does the most wonderful job displaying that new age group in recent generations that flounder between adolescence and adulthood generally anywhere from 22-35. Following a slew of college degrees, Troost moves with his girlfriend Sylvia to an atoll in the South Pacific. In their two years on the island we see the author encounter sharks, sea storms, political corruption and far too many playings of La Macarena.

J. Maarten Troost's style occasionally reminds me of the conversational tone of Elizabeth Gilbert's writing. Troost's relaxed thirst for adventure is very entertaining and can be thoroughly appreciated by anyone who's ever experienced culture shock.

*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers

Book # 39 BRAVE NEW WORLD By: Aldous Huxley

2010-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've always heard many comparisons between 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, and Brave New World- yet, this is the last of the trio I've read. While there are a handful of similarities (ex: all take place in the "future", all rely on strict caste systems, all have drastically different views on sex than in today's world) Brave New World has some unique differences. For one, while relying on a caste system this is the only book of the three that the majority of citizens are primarily happy. Hence the big question: Is a false, brain-washed, drug-induced happiness really happiness- if you never know what you're missing?

The first chapter of the book reveals that babies are no longer produced through intercourse. Every single one is mass-produced in a lab and pre-conditioned through both chemicals and brainwashing to be who the goverment chooses them to be. God, religion, and family are all obselete. Monogamy is frowned upon while promiscuity is virtuous. And for the occasional stint of unhappiness, lonliness, or anger a consequence-free superdrug is readily available for all.

The first chapter was a bit too scientific for my taste (I'm an english geek/science weakling), but the book quickly picked up the pace and displayed the vast population of happy people, with the occasional "odd duck" who knows there's something more. While some of the changes in society seem appealing, it's the lack of choice, challenge, or individuality that makes Brave New World so mind-boggling (yet enthralling).

A-

*100 Years, 100 Novels NPR

*The Strand 80

*The Modern Library-Random House 100 Best

*Newsweek's Top 100 Books

*Top 10 Censored Books- TIME

*Top 100 Most Frequently Banned Books

Book # 38 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE By: Jane Austen

2010-03-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

This might just be the book that (so far) has appeared on the most "must read" lists. I had several hesitations for various reasons- ex: too many film/tv/theatre adaptations (though I loved the 2005 film), seemingly the beginning of "chick lit", flowery language I feared would be exhausting, etc. Therefore I was shocked that I read it so quickly and with such enjoyment!

The fact that I'd seen some of the film/theatre adaptations may have helped me through parts that I otherwise would've found exhausting. And TRUE, as a true child of the 20th/21st century I sometimes find romantic plots where everyone remains buttoned and zipped a bit dull. However with the characters in this book, I kind of understand when people refer to it as "chastely hot". There are so many classics that I find it hard to understand how people have suffered through it, but I'm happy to say that even though this is not my usual taste I really had fun in this world! AND MOST OF ALL, I think the lesson of first impressions and face value is one that you can never learn and reinforce enough in life.

A-

*NEWSWEEK's Top 100 Books

*The Strand 80

*Guardian.co.uk Top 100 Books of all time

*Random House Best 100

Book # 37 THE LOST CITY OF Z By: David Grann

2010-03-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

This book was not on my original list. It came across my radar when it was republished in paperback early this year and people kept coming into work asking for it. With my curiosity peaked, I looked into it further to find that it was voted the best non-fiction book of 2009 and was on Michiko Kakutani's top 10 (who as of yet, I have always agreed with). AND as an inexpensive download on my nook the deal was sealed.

Percy Fawcett was a British explorer who rose to fame early in the 20th century for his extensive exploration of the Amazon. He was often seen as invincible having survived for so long in the jungle where other frequently perished. People thought him immune to disease, hunger, and even marveled at his ability to befriend otherwise hostile tribes of Indians. In 1925 he went into the Amazon with his son Jack and friend, Raleigh Rimmel in search of The Lost City of Z. Z was said to be an ancient city- the technology of which far exceeded everyone's expectations of what kind of civilizations could thrive in the Amazonian jungle. All three men were never seen or heard from again.

David Grann- with access to Fawcett's journals and personal letters and after extensive research-went into the Amazon in search of a sign or clue of what may have happened to Fawcett. Grann weaves together the narrative of Fawcett's life with his own journey into the Amazon.

To be honest, I am not a big non-fiction person- but Grann was able to make a non-fiction, heavily researched subject read like a novel. The only potentially negative thing about this story is that there is so much information on the subject it's seems nearly impossible to get it all in one book! Regardless, the book is a great adventure full of insight into the life of one of the 20th century's most fascinating people.

B+

*New York Times Best Books of 2009

Book # 36 THE ALCHEMIST By: Paulo Coelho

2010-03-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Alchemist is one of those books that I always hear is an inspiring personal epic. I always found that suspicious seeing as the story itself is less than 200 pages. A book can still be great no matter the length, but epic? It seemed a bit over-stated.

After reading it, I understand what "personal epic" means. The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a young sheperd who travels from his homeland of Spain to Egypt in search of his 'personal legend' which he believes is treasure to be found in the pyramids. The fact that such a big story can be told in such a condensed way just proves what a great writer Coelho is. It never zoomed by too fast and it never felt heavy-handed or "flowery".

I've always been a sucker for any story that involves lots of travel (particularly places that are exotic to me) and this is no different. The backdrop pulled me in, but it's the idea of a 'personal legend' that makes this story lovely.

*The Strand 80

*Nielson Gold Book Award

Book # 35 THE HANDMAID'S TALE By: Margaret Atwood

2010-02-14T21:18:00.001-08:00

I cannot remember the last time I have been so thoroughly blown away by a novel. No joke.

The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the near future in which the country as taken a HUGE turn and now abides by a very strict caste system. The story is told from the POV of a handmaid. A handmaid is a woman whose sole purpose is to for reproduction for infertile married couples. The book has a very definite 1984 feel, but where I feel The Handmaid's Tale thoroughly exceeds is that throughout the story we are not only told the way things are, but also the way things were, and how they changed so drastically, so quickly.

Handmaids came to be when all second marriages (among other "fallen women") became "invalid" in the eyes of the government. Hence women who may have been second wives to men were shipped off to infertile couples and submitted to a supposedly "religious" sexual slavery.

There was something very frightening about this book in that it truly shows how fast our freedom can be taken from us if the right radicals come to power. It's amazing how the events of this book took women's rights back hundreds of years (and then some) in the course of only a few years.

I can honestly say that I have no complaints about this book, no little suggestions, no little tweaks. Perfect, as is.

A+

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

*Booker Prize

*The Strand 80

*Nebula Award

*Random House 100 Best

*Arthur C. Clarke Award

*Top 100 Most Frequently Banned Books

Book # 34 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME By Mark Haddon

2010-02-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

The story told in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a pretty standard one. There are many aspects of the story that are easy to see coming, but what makes the story an extraordinary one is the way that it's told. The story is from the POV of a fifteen year-old boy and while it's never flat out said in the book it is assumed that he suffers from autism (though he is very high-functioning and has a gift for mathematics).

Christopher sets out to find who killed a dog in the neighborhood and ends up uncovering family secrets. This book is an amazing insight into the way an autistic mind can work. There are touches of asperger's and OCD in Christopher's behavior that contribute to the mathematical and "black and white" nature of the book.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to people who don't like things of a technical nature. But I appreciated the human spark and clear explanations of a mind set I never really got.

B+

Whitebread Book of the Year

New York Times Notable Book

Today Show Book Club Selection

Boeke Prize

Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

Book # 33 AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY By: Theodore Dreiser

2010-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of this book except that it was the inspiration for the 1952 film A Place in the Sun- however, this novel (published in 1925) is actually based on a real murder case from 1908 when Clarence Gillette (supposedly) drowned his pregnant lover in upstate New York.

The book is separated into three parts. The first part shows Clyde (based on Gillette) as a young boy resenting the position that his parents' religious missionary work puts he and his siblings in. Resenting this poverty-stricken life he acts out by taking a higher paying job at a hotel and spending his money on things that his mother would find to be "sinful". Clyde is involved (in a two degrees of separation kind of way) in the accidental death of a little girl making him flee for Chicago.

In Chicago he stumbled across a wealthy, distant relative who offers him a job in New York. Clyde begins working in his Uncle's factory and despite rules forbidding dating fellow employees he begins an affair with an equally poor Roberta. In the meantime he falls desperately in love with Sandra, a beautiful, wealthy socialite. As soon as it becomes apparent that Sandra reciprocates Clyde's feelings and that an engagement is eminent- he finds out Roberta is pregnant. When his attempts to procure an abortion fail, Roberta demands that he marry her. When he sees his future with Sandra melting away he hatches a plan to murder Roberta and make it look like an accidental drowning as Roberta cannot swim.

When the moment of truth comes Clyde is unable to push Roberta into the lake, but Roberta loses balance and when both of them fall in, Clyde is unwilling to save her. Clyde is apprehended by the police and following a sensational trial (where the details of his intent and action remain murky) he is sentenced to death in the electric chair.

First off- this book could have been shortened by 200 pages and still gotten the exact same point across and (I believe) done it stronger. The most heartbreaking thing about this book is that every character seems to be trapped and doomed by the expectations that society's impressed upon them (and the expectations they put upon themselves don't help-thank god we don't live in the early 1900s). I read in reviews that Clyde's mother is one of the most sympathetic characters in the book, but I found I resented her shoving religion down each of her children's throats to the point where they act out and their lives crumble. Shockingly enough I think I felt the worst for Clyde. That probably sounds crazy, but he was just so lonely by nature and was so tormented- I think being able to sympathize with someone who is willing to drown his pregnant lover is a testament to the quality of Dreiser's writing and character development. As I said before I feel that the overall work could have benefited from a few major cuts, but it's the human struggle for each character that made the story interesting.

B-

*Time Magazine All-Time 100

*Random House- The Modern Library- 100 Best

*Newsweek's Top 100 Books

*The Novel 100

Book # 32 CASINO ROYALE By: Ian Fleming

2009-12-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

James Bond is the most successful movie franchise of all time (provided that you adjust the earlier grosses for inflation) countless articles have been written about "Who was the best James Bond?"- it usually seems that there is no right answer seeing as each actor throughout the franchise's history has brought something different to the role. After reading Ian Fleming's original novel I have a true appreciation for Daniel Craig's portrayal in the 2006 film. (The 1967 adaptation of Casino Royale was not exactly faithful to the book...)

While I loved Ian Fleming's attention to detail with James Bond's meticulous nature (aka: powder on doorknobs, carefully placed hairs, sleeping with his hand on the gun under his pillow, etc.) there was something about James Bond (at least in this novel) that seemed somewhat robotic to me. And yes- I get that he has to be a robot to a certain degree to survive the "licence to kill", but seeing as it's the beginning of his career I was hoping for a little more color in his emotions (as infrequent as they may be). Hence why I once again tip my hat to Daniel Craig for making James Bond vulnerable- even with the absence of a back story- while never diminishing his masculinity.

The scenes in the Casino were difficult for me to understand at times as I was initially uninformed on the rules of Baccarat. My only other HUGE question mark was that I truly did not understand WHY Vesper Lynd was sent to Casino Royale in the first place. She was sent as Bond's "assistant", but I never saw her "assist" in anything other than giving him a hard on. (In the film they were thankfully able to give her a better role in Bond's assignment)

Despite my inability to truly separate the book from the film (which has been seared into my brain), I did have fun in the world of James Bond. However, I have a hunch that I will eventually more satisfied by some of Fleming's later 007 novels.

B-

Book # 31 A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY By: John Irving

2009-12-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

1998's Simon Birch is very loosely based on this John Irving novel. It's about a boy who is physically underdeveloped who believes that he is an instrument of god. I don't remember the movie clearly at all, but I can tell you that I see why John Irving insisted that the title and names be changed (no disrespect to the film). The book (particularly the second half) is completely different from the film.

John Irving's writing reminds me in some ways of Michael Chabon. The language, the characterization, the politics- all in all reminded me very much of book #3 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The book dealt with some taboo subjects of the time as well as throwing a huge attack toward Ronald Reagan and his policies. (the book while taking place in the 60s was originally published in 89)

I found it interesting that this book dealt sooo much with religion and faith in God, but never felt heavy-handed like it was trying to tip you one way or the other. It made me smile that this book took place almost in it's entirety in my favorite state of New Hampshire. I also found the descriptions of 1960s' New England mentalities to be very interesting.

The book had a lot to to with one's destiny and fate which I always find to be haunting subjects, but it did it very skillfully while delving into incredible times in American history.

I did enjoy this book, however unlike some of my earlier reads I can see this one not striking a chord with everyone.

*The Modern Library- Random House 100 Best

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

BOOK # 30 I'M WITH THE BAND: CONFESSIONS OF A GROUPIE By: Pamela Des Barres

2009-12-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to read I'm With the Band ever since I saw Lorelai Gilmore reading it on television, little did I know how oddly connected I would feel to this book. For those of you who don't know, Pamela Des Barres is one of the most famous "groupies" of all time. This book follows her journeys from a young adolescent in Southern California to Sunset Strip cruising hippie to jet setting groupie- and it does it STUPENDOUSLY.

First off, I want to say that one of the best things about this book is that it doesn't try to be anything else than what it is. First of all, Ms. Des Barres did not use a ghost writer and THANK GOD, because with the use of her diary entries throughout her whole life along with the narrative, her voice can simply not be copied. I've read passages of Sarah Palin's "book" at work and it seems like she wants to be John Steinbeck (um...you're not...) It is so clear that this book is 100% Pamela and I truly admire how HONEST and UNAPOLOGETICALLY she tells us her story. This is what memoirs are supposed to be!

Of course it's wildly entertaining to read real candid stories about Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, and MANY more- but mostly, I think I felt for Pamela, because many of the stories are her at the age I am now. Granted, I (sadly) do not have tons of sex with rock legends, but I felt very connected to her story and her feelings about being in her early twenties. This book is an absolute MUST for all classic rock fans and even more of a must for twenty somethings who just seem to be drifting...

SIDENOTE: This is being developed into an HBO series starring Zooey Deschanel.

*Top 10 Rock'n Roll Bios of all time

Book # 29 THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING By: Milan Kundera

2009-12-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Unbearable Lightness of Being in many ways reminded me of the film Closer. There was the younger girl who goes for the more experienced man, who in turn can't help but want her more womanly counterpart.

The difference is that the lead character Tomas simply came across as a selfish prick with a love/hate relationship toward commitment. It's like he wanted all of the benefits of a relationship with none of the responsibility. I get that my abrupt reaction, may very well be my estrogen talking, but so often in this book I wanted to punch Tomas and shake Tereza before her heart broke in it's entirety.

Tereza I found to be a heartbreaking yet admirable character, as soon as the book delved into Tereza's background is where I felt to the story picked up steam. Her fight for all things intellectual in her old world where no one saw her true value is an odd balance to Tomas's adoration of all things light and aversion to anything that might bring weight upon his life.

The character of Sabina was indeed a spectacular aspect of the story. Despite the fact that she was Tomas's mistress I found her to bring out his main redeeming quality. Even though he was (in my eyes) a womanizer who used his "quest for lightness" seemed an excuse to sleep with whomever he pleased, he was in no way threatened by Sabina's strength and independence (and in the 60s that's saying something). Sabina's fight as a young child to avoid communism-despite her father's belief in it-was a fantastic way to display an utterly unique "fight the power" type character who was one-of-a-kind even as a child (before most of us get the urge to "fight the power" ourselves).

From a writing standpoint, I thought that Lightness was wonderful and I admire Kundera's skill that he could address political and romantic issues- even dealing with the difference between men and woman vs. masculinity and femininity so skillfully. The only thing that truly drove me nuts about this book was the fact that some of the characters made me so angry. However, I think it's possible that if I read this book ten years from now I may have a different reaction in that sense.

*The Strand 80

*The Best 100 List

Book # 28 INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE By: Anne Rice

2009-12-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

With the complete and total Twilight craze it seemed appropriate to go back to the novel that reignited society's interest in vampires. Of course we had Dracula way back when who was inspired by Vlad the impaler (which Elizabeth Kostova touched on in The Historian). It seems that every author who takes on vampires creates their own ideas of which of all the Vampire myths are true.

I'd seen the film adaptation and I'm always hesitant as I find most films slice and dice books with the occasional one in twenty actually turning out well. As I read this book, I couldn't help but compare to the film. The book tended to prove to me that Hollywood (for once) did the seemingly impossible: actually improved upon the original content. The film stayed faithful to the many gems the book created, while cutting the part of the book that was the most sluggish, even the casting (which I am always critical of) was perfection. Claudia turned out to be one of the most brilliantly written characters and it made me all the more shocked that they were actually able to find a child actor capable of pulling it off. (which I believe Kristen Dunst did)

Now I realize that this reads more like a review of the film, but I felt that having seen the film first, I couldn't help but think of the comparison whilst reading the book. I felt that the interview format of the book, while unique, ultimately worked better on the screen. I most enjoyed this book, but it doesn't appear to be a series that is going to cause an addiction the way that the Millennium trilogy did.

Book # 27 THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST By: Stieg Larsson

2009-11-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

**Contains SPOILERS.

This book is set to be released in The United States in the Summer of 2010, but I have loved the Millennium trilogy so much that I paid a hefty shipping fee to order the book from amazon.co.uk- TOTALLY WORTH IT.

We open with the extensively wounded Lisbeth Salander being brought to the hospital with the help of Blomkvist. At this point the Millennium team has gathered an extensive amount of evidence against a small, corrupt section of Sapo in the Swedish Government. Salander is arrested upon her arrival at the hospital. During the time of her imprisonment Salander and a small team of unlikely, but loyal friends delve into research to uncover the corruption that locked up Salander in a mental institution as a twelve year-old girl to keep her quiet about her father's position as a malicious and violent spy.

I'd say that this book has less "action-packed" sequences as much of it is devoted to developing a solid case against "The Section" for Lisbeth's defense. There are still a few nerve-racking moments and an incredibly satisfying final 100 pages. However, I'm happy to say that the decline in action does not decrease the quality of the writing or overall page-turning appeal of the story.

I think that Sieg Larsson might have been one of the most feminist men in recent years. In other crime-oriented novels women often serve as candy to ensure that the novel has sexual tension, femme fatales, or damsels in distress. Even in Dan Brown's novels where the women are always smart and capable- his most popular books still tend to have women as a single supporting player in a cast of men. Larsson writes completely fascinating, versatile female characters who hold there own and often outshine the men, something I've rarely seen in a male author. He not only wrote "the girl with the dragon tattoo"aka: Lisbeth Salander, but also brilliant and likable women like Erika Berger, Malin Erikkson, Harriet Vanger, Inspector Modig, and Inspector Figuerola. Larsson is also responsible for what might be my new favorite male character EVER, Mikael Blomkvist. One of the things that makes Mikael is that he's completely unintimidated and embraces strong women while never feeling that his masculinity is threatened. He actually ends up being one of the most masculine and sexiest characters I've read in recent memory. Larsson is no doubt a master of weaving a story, but even better he's a creator of a story that does not contain a single weakly-made character.

I am very sad that the trilogy is now complete, though I have no doubt that I will re-read it a few times in the future for my own enjoyment.

Book # 26 HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY By: Audrey Niffenegger

2009-10-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

It was a brilliant stroke of marketing to release Her Fearful Symmetry on the heels of the release of the film adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife. While Audrey Niffenegger in no way fell into the "second-novel slump" I still found Wife to have a different "it" factor as opposed to Symmetry.

The book opens with Elspeth Noblin leaving her estate to the twin daughters of her own (estranged) twin sister. Her will states that should the twins (Julia and Valentina) choose to accept her London apartment they must first live there for a year before selling and that their parents can never set foot in the apartment.

While I believe the message of this book has to do with finding one's identity and love persevering after death, I couldn't help but be depressed (and at times- creep ed out) throughout the course of reading this book. Every character was just so tormented! I've never been frightened of the idea of ghosts or spirits, but something about adult twins who still dress alike gives me the heeby-jeebies.

Niffenegger's ability to write the elusive literary page-turner is still very much in tact, however Her Fearful Symmetry did not leave me with hope and a full heart as Niffenegger's debut did.

B-

Book # 25 THE LOST SYMBOL By: Dan Brown

2009-10-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Obviously Dan Brown made his legendary splash with The Da Vinci Code while Angels and Demons (though chronologically first) wasn't huge until it's successor became huge. While many people may not consider Dan Brown's work to be "Pulitzer-worthy" it's easy to agree that his work is unarguably page-turning entertainment. Which is why I deeply regret that I found this book to be the weakest of the three Robert Langdon novels.

The story takes place in Washington D.C. (The only Langdon novel to take place in the U.S. as opposed to Western Europe). Angels and Demons focused on the Illuminati, The Da Vinci Code delved into The Priory of Sion and Opus Dei, The Lost Symbol focuses it's lens on the Freemasons.

I'm happy to report that I found this book to be the least formulaic of the three, but perhaps there is something to be said for his previous formula. In each of his previous books there is a gradual unveiling to the truth with a twist-ending. And while The Lost Symbol has what is probably my favorite villain of the three, the explanation of what is at stake comes far too late in the novel so that by the time the reader understands the full danger he/she has already spent a hundred pages too many in the dark; yet, on the other side of the coin I found Symbol's twist-ending to be the most shocking of all of Dan Brown's books.

While there were a few aspects of the book that I felt truly excelled, overall I found The Lost Symbol to be a disappointment- especially considering the six-years fans have had to wait after The Da Vinci Code.

Book # 24 THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE By: Steig Larsson

2009-09-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

When I read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, there was one huge thing that I did not realize. Steig Larsson was a well-respected journalist whose books The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and the third book in the Millennium series have been or are in the process of being published posthumously. The first book, while being electrifying could have easily ended the entire story an ambiguous note- however the end of The Girl Who Played With Fire is without a doubt one huge TO BE CONTINUED...

Larsson's writing style does not loose it's page-turning ability. The themes of accepted casual and adventurous sex as well as (no relation to the former topic) violence against women are still very prevalent. Though the weakness of Fire in comparison to Tattoo is that while both Lisbeth and Mikael are still main characters- the point of view shifts to many other characters (ie: PIs, detectives, gangsters, etc.) that while interesting, I ultimately invest very little care in- unlike Salander and Blomkvist whom I LOVE. I was still 100% invested in the story, but somehow the writing and plot in Tattoo seemed much tighter and more seamless than that of Fire.

Millennium magazine is planning a themed issue and sister-book on the subject of sex-trafficking in Sweden; pointing fingers at many "johns" who have paid for the (usually abused) services of underage girls. While Mikael is close to the investigation, Lisbeth eventually becomes implicated in the aftermath of the research by the police.

I am very excited for when The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is released! Though who knows how reliable the US release date will be? (I believe the UK date is October 1) Despite my liking Tattoo far more, I still cannot wait for the third installment- hopefully Hornet will be available in North America ASAP.

A-

*2010 Dilys Award Nominee

Book # 23 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO By: Steig Larsson

2009-09-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

Similar to my feelings on The Buddha of Suburbia- I fell in love with the title of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and equally in love with it's successor The Girl Who Played With Fire. However, upon reading the premise- I was a bit hesitant. I find that while crime novels are most definitely entertaining, their formulaic twists and characters eventually become boring. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is nothing like that.

We begin with the disgraced investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist taking on an unorthodox assignment to solve an "unsolvable" murder case from 1966 just months before he goes to prison for libel.

Simultaneously Lisbeth Salander, an emotionally disturbed young woman (and a ward of the state) is working for a security firm and dealing with the newly appointed guardian a morally corrupt and abusive man.

Even though the tone of this book is similar to many crime novels, the plot and characters are anything but ordinary or formulaic. While Blomkvist is indeed a flawed character he is also one of the most "easy-to-like" I've ever read. The character of Salander is incredibly complicated and at times difficult to read- however whenever you read such a complicated character it's always fascinating to see how or if they handle life.

The way that the investigation of the murder as well as the aftermath of Blomkvist's court case unfolds is truly incredible. I was very disheartened when the story ended as I felt I had just gotten to know the characters.

I had initially intended to read The Life of Pi next. But The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has proved too addictive, so I'm choosing to move on to it's sister book.

A+

*Glass Key Award 2006

*Boeke Prize 2008

*SIDENOTE: It breaks my heart that they are attempting an American version of this film- BUT the Swedish film is BRILLIANT. If you liked the book at all PLEASE seek out the film and watch it!

Book # 22 THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO By: Junot Diaz

2009-09-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

As I've stated before, I have a very big thing about books being "readable". I think that it is possible to achieve literary greatness without making it impossible for someone with anything less than a college degree to be able to read, enjoy, and appreciate. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao achieves just that.

It's the story of family plagued with fuku. The book jumps around time and POV to show us the unfortunate luck the family has had throughout the ages. Oscar is no exception. Oscar begins as a chubby, charming little boy and evolves into an obese, awkward, sci-fi obsessed teenager.

One thing to know about me is that teasing and bullying is something that has always driven me crazy. Even in fiction-when i see it, I feel as though I'm going to cry. (As a little kid, I once walked out of the theatre when we went to go see The Nutty Professor during the scene where the comedian is humiliating him) I was never really the victim of it in my own life- but something about it has always struck a chord with me. That being said, parts of this book were very difficult for me to read. Granted it's hard to read about Oscar's ancestor's being horrifically killed in the DR- but it was equally hard to read the never-ending hopelessness and isolation that (to be fair) often comes with being a teenager anyway.

But as it often goes in literary greatness- Oscar did go on a journey. No, he didn't go off to war or ship off to sea as it often goes in literary fiction. He went to college, which (if you can believe it) was about as emotionally turbulent as high school. But the thing that really keeps bringing hope into Oscar's life and smashing it down again, is his aching desire to fall in love. Not that he really has any trouble falling in love, he doesn't. But true just as it is in reality- unrequited love is life's cruelest joke. That's why I can't help but label this a love story. No, it's not about his love for just one girl. But the thing that's really beautiful (and what I think truly makes Oscar one of the most honest and tragic literary figures I have ever read) is that Oscar admits to what most people don't: above anything else in life he wants to find someone to love and who loves him back.

I would almost venture to say that every character in the book (and there are some fantastic ones) has their own love story- even if not every single one is romantic love.

Even though much of the book is written in a particularly vulgar tongue- it does not take away from the overall value of the book. Given the background of most of the characters- the vulgarity makes it more realistic, I'd say. Either way, the message of love comes across in an understandable and existential way. Truly, just a beautiful, beautiful book.

*Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2008

*National Book Critics Circle Award

*Dayton Peace Prize Fiction

*New York Times Notable Book

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

Book # 21 LITTLE CHILDREN by Tom Perrotta

2009-09-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

So, my love affair with Mr. Perrotta started with The Abstinence Teacher. Having seen both Little Children & Election, I was curious to read his work prior to adaptation. Little Children shares A LOT of elements with The Abstinence Teacher: both deal with the lack of satisfaction in suburban family life, both have characters that were once liberal and find themselves losing their identities in the process of "settling" down, and both have characters that are your regular judgmental types with more under the surface than you'd expect.

While I truly did appreciate this book, I still think that Perrotta tackled the subject matter better in The Abstinence Teacher. He is no doubt a master of the omniscient third person POV- but there were a few too many sub plots in Little Children that made me lose my initial connection with the core characters. The story obviously belongs to the affair between two unsatisfied suburbanites (Sara and Todd) as well as the convicted and recently released child molester, Ronnie. While it was interesting to see plots that the movie only touched on flushed out to a fuller degree, I found that there was a bit too much going on for my taste.

The Abstinence Teacher, while having multiple stories and POVs was much easier to connect to the characters. That being said, I must say that the one exception to my sub-plots theory is the character of Mary Ann: an antagonistic suburban wife and mother who is the almost fascist queen of the playground moms. She played a very small part in the movie and just a slightly bigger part in the book, however her final realization at the end of the book is a fascinating one and made me wish that there would have been more focus on her en lieu of some of the others.

I still maintain that Perrotta is one of my new favorite writers in today's literary world, but Little Children didn't quite live up to my first read of his.

Book # 20 WATER FOR ELEPHANTS By Sara Gruen

2009-08-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Way back when I started this project I read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and one of the things I loved about it was that feeling of just a truly epic novel- pulling you from current reality into a completely foreign magical world. Water For Elephants is the first book since Kavalier and Clay that has given me that feeling.

It's the story of a young Cornell veterinary student who's parents pass away in the midst of the depression leaving him with nothing. After a breakdown leading to the lack of completion of his education he quite literally up and joins the circus.

The research alone that must have gone into writing this book blows my mind. The vast majority of the story takes place on the train that moves the circus from town to town. There seems to be something about the constant literal movement of the characters that contributes to this being a page turner. Like any good epic novel there is a love story and complicated sub plots, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

For the longest time this was one of those books with a pretty cover at the front of most book stores, I acknowledged it and moved on. I am so happy that I finally read this because I can safely say that this is now in my top 5.

*2007 Alex Award

*Book Sense #1

*2007 BookBrowse Award

*Most Popular Book Club Selection 2009

Book # 19 THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER By Tom Perrotta

2009-08-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Unlike my book # 18, this is a book that I read in spite of it's title. But I figure anything from the man who brought us Election and Little Children can't be too bad.

I wrote an article on abstinence-only education in college and other than learning that it's more or less complete bullshit- I learned about the false and misleading information that the Bush administration spent over half a billion dollars implanting in the minds of american adolescents. This book pretty much picks up in the thick of that bullshit.

It's about a mother-of-two sex education teacher who- after worrying some of the community by telling teenagers the actual truth- is forced to teach abstinence ed. Also thrown into the mix is her daughter's soccer coach- a former junkie musician turned born again christian.

Perrotta is the master of making brilliant writing readable. He is also the master (which is apparent in Election) of making real life edgy and hilarious. The portion of the book entitled "Hot Christian Sex" is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.

While it does have a not so unique tug of war between faith and reason- it is the fullness and reality of the characters that make this a book that I finished in a day and a half. I certainly hope that Hollywood keeps with it's pattern of optioning everything Perrotta writes, because with how well his work as crossed over mediums in the past, I cannot wait to see this story come to life.

A+

*New York Times Notable Book

Book # 18 THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA by Hanif Kureishi

2009-08-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know that say that you can't judge a book by it's cover, but I will admit that most of the reason this book made it to my list is because I liked the title. The whole "trouble in suburbia" thing has always been a theme I've appreciated and enjoyed.

I know that people say it's a cliche, but I don't really care. I've said it before and I'll say it again- when things become "cliche" it just means that they keep being true over and over and over again. This book was kind of like American Beauty meets Revolutionary Road on crack.

It's about a young man who's father is introduced to Buddhism and through that becomes a sort of guru for unhappy suburbanites. Through the people who adore his father, he is able to become involved in the amazing world of drugs, sex, and punk rock in 1970s London.

I'd say the biggest strength in The Buddha of Suburbia is that there is not a single mediocre character in it. Karim, the novel's main character is a like able (albeit emotionally and sexually confused) young man. Jamila is a intelligent and modern girl forever clashing with her family's expectation of what an Indian girl should be. Charlie is a somewhat lost young man- always searching for the next big thing to be a part of whether it's worth anything or not. There are dozens of other people, but it's safe to say that every one is an interesting and full-bodied character.

There are parts of the book that tend to drag (usually while Karim is in a depression), but the characters are worth sticking with it.

To truly give a plot outline of this book would give far too much of the great stuff away. I would definately suggest giving it a read. It's one of the rare instances where I can actually say that it's unlike anything I've ever read.

Book # 17 EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert

2009-08-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

I generally don't have a big affection for memoirs. I've pretty much always found fiction to be more fascinating and even more so I find memoirs to leave too much room for wishy-washy soliloquies that I have little interest in given that there's normally no plot.

That being said- their actually is a story arc in Eat, Pray, Love. The first two sections of the book, while important to the actual author's life were the opening act to the third section where the story actually flies. That's not to say that the first two sections were not entertaining. The "Eat" section (a trip to Italy to practice the Italian language & of course, eat) would make anyone want to pretty much move to Rome (and eat their way through it). Part two ("pray") was also good, but had a tendency to fall away into miniature monologues about the search for God & peace. Not that I find either of those themes to be anything to turn your nose up at, but just not my personal taste when it comes to my reading of choice.

"Love" (as it often is in life) is the most interesting part. All three parts have beautiful, exotic backgrounds (Rome, India, Bali), but it's the human spark that makes the third part interesting. It's when you actually begin to feel as though you know (and more importantly care) about the characters.

It is ultimately no surprise to me that this book became the female phenomenon that it is, however, the truly extraordinary thing that I did not expect to find is actual literary value and something miles above the chick lit I assumed I would be reading.

B+

*New York Times Notable Book

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

SIDENOTE: While maybe not as "sexy" as Eat, Pray, Love- Elizabeth Gilbert's next book Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage is a very worthwhile read if you're interested in what happens after happily ever after.

Book # 16 BLONDE By: Joyce Carol Oates

2009-02-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

Blonde is a fictional account of the life of Marilyn Monroe. The style of writing is very all over the place, but it seems to me that it's meant to be representational of Marilyn's mind. The names used in the book are all either fictional or implied aka: The Playwright (Arthur Miller), The Ex-Athlete (Joe Dimaggio), W (Billy Wilder), The Brunette (Ava Garder), and so on and so forth. The use of these aliases gives the reader the feeling that Marilyn is the only character we truly know (despite spending a limited time directly in her POV).

Having read a few biographies of Marilyn Monroe it was easy to follow the story knowing how her life historically ended up. The most fascinating thing about this novel is most definately the character portrait of Marilyn: her childlike persona, her severe daddy issues (leading her to call every one of her husbands "Daddy"), and her disillusion with fantasy vs. reality.

It's the kind of book (though I know it's mostly fiction/speculation) that I wish someone had the guts to write about many of the figures in modern history.

GRADE: A-

*Shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize 2001

Book # 15 DRACULA By: Bram Stoker

2009-01-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Obviously this story is legendary. Whether you've read the book, seen the movie, or anything else, we all get the general idea. I saw the ill-fated Broadway musical in 2004 (and believe me it was VERY ill-fated) and I get the basic story just as much as I did when I first learned what vampires were.

I have to say, most classic literature exhausts me. I feel totally ignorant saying so, but it's true. Something about the language just makes my head spin. It's not that I don't understand it, but just that I'm so used to modern literature that the lyrical quality of the words makes me dizzy.

The format of this novel reminds me of Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. I've said this before with The Virgin Suicides, in that it's not just a flat out novel, but a collection of diary entry's to solve a mystery.

I hate to say it, but this classical novel isn't much different from my feelings of the majority of classical literature. (there are, of course exceptions, Phantom will always be one of my favorites) I found the actual story and characters fascinating, but as a child of the 20th century, the language made me dizzy and I often asked, okay, what did I just read? Again, I feel ignorant in saying so, but it's true for me.

I'm fully prepared to get rocks thrown at me for my opinion of what many see as their favorite book. But while I appreciated the story, it couldn't cross the line for me into books that translate over time.

Grade: B

Book # 13 PEYTON PLACE/Book # 14 RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE By: Grace Metalious

2009-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

This book was on my list primarily because it's up there with Lolita for one of the most controversial books of all time; after reading it, it's very easy to see why. Most of the subjects tackled in Peyton Place are subjects that are considered taboo today, back in 1956 when it was first published I can only imagine.

With sexual repression, teenage pregnancy, rape, incest, and murder, we have every ingredient needed to make a nice soapy, guilty pleasure, at times mellow dramatic, and wildly entertaining novel.

Return to Peyton Place was less electric than it's successor. The story that takes place in the actual Peyton Place, NH (in the sequel) feels a little like the awkward bastard child of the first book. However, when one of the characters ends up successful and jetting off to New York and Hollywood that's when the story gets interesting.

Once again, we're in the minds of countless townspeople in both books. I feel like as a writer, I'm learning a lot of new techniques on how to make use of this point of view considering how many of these books make use of it.

I wouldn't call this a literary masterpiece of any kind, but it's easy to see why it made such a stir. Anyone who enjoys stories with a soap operatic quality will love this book.

In researching the origins of these books, I found the life story of Grace Metalious to be even more interesting than that of Peyton Place. True there are many overlapping themes with Grace and Peyton Place, but I found it interesting that despite critisism, alcoholism, and a downward spiral from her success that took less than ten years - she was a ground-breaking feminist. When someone writes a creative non-fiction style book of Grace's life, that will be one of my new favorites.

Grade: C+

*SIDENOTE: If you want to experience this story please read Peyton Place and ignore it's inexcusable, horribly watered down film version.

Book # 12 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD By: Richard Yates

2009-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

I once had a writing teacher who told the class that it was unwise to write in multiple points of view unless you were absolutely sure that you were great at it. Yet the trend I've noticed in the truly great books I've read is that practically all of them make use of multiple points of view. Revolutionary Road is no exception.

This entire book is like reading intensely detailed character studies within a portrait of the 1950s. I'm truly scared to see the movie now. Part of what makes this story so brilliant is that no matter what any of the characters do, it's easy to empathize with them, because you're so deep in their thoughts: you understand the motivation. I'm nervous that this amazing quality of the story cannot translate to film. This is a novel that is as close to perfect as I can imagine.

As I was reading it and even more so once I finished it, I felt that Revolutionary Road was the Great Gatsby of the 1950s: A completely perfect story to display the mentality of the time.

Grade: A+

*Time Magazine All-Time 100 Novels

*The Novel 100

Book # 11 FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS By: Hunter S. Thompson

2009-01-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

I've never read any of Hunter Thompson's books. I've heard the legend of his lifestyle and legacy and I've read many articles by him in writing classes from old issues of Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Playboy to name a few. But it's pretty clear within the first chapter of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas why it's his most famous work.

It's easy to begin the book, pulled in by a hazy drug-induced picture of a red Cadillac, a hitchhiker, and cocaine being lost in the wind on a desert highway.

But to be honest it feels wrong to judge this book in the form of a review, so I won't say much. Not just cause it's iconic (for many books are) but because the format is so out of the norm. The narrative is inconsistent due to the surrealism of constant drug trips and abrupt changes in state of mind from the Mint 400 to reptile people bleeding all over the floor.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book, but I got the sense upon finishing it, that it's the kind of book you're meant to read more than once to get all there is to get.

Or maybe I haven't done enough drugs...

Book # 10 THE VIRGIN'S LOVER By: Phillipa Gregory

2009-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

I continue to enjoy these books, however, with this one, I cannot remember the last time that I so deeply loathed practically all it's characters.

This is the story of Elizabeth I's love affair with Robert Dudley her first two years on the throne. While it seems that his love for her is genuine, it is also clear that he intends to acsend to the throne as her husband (except for the little problem that he's already married).

I've always been under the impression that Elizabeth I was a feminist for her day, but in this fictional portrayal I found her to be rather pathetic. She comes across as a smart girl, but more or less a figure head and a pawn between her advisor (Cecil) and Robert Dudley. On top of that, as soon as she begins her affair with Robert she turns into some helpless, lovesick teenager, reminiscent of a cheerleader on prom night too weak to tell her date to wear a condom.

Robert Dudley is disgustingly arrogant and self-entitled. A complete Lothario, I found his arrogance toward his affect on women to be nothing short over-compensating. I respected Elizabeth I's intelligence far less for falling for his conceit and even worse for continually putting up with his outlandish demands.

Dudley's wife, Amy, is a horribly sad (yet more than likely, accurate) depiction of women in that time. Marrying young for love, it's clear that they did not think through the fact that Dudley was an ambitious courtier and she was contented to stay in the country. She was emotionally dependent on her husband to an impossible degree. Aside from not understanding his state of sexual affairs, in complete denial of the vast differences between their tastes for life. I wouldn't call her a pathetic character, but she was too clueless for her own good. And I must say that almost every time she came to the page I wanted to bitch-slap her across the face and knock some sense into her.

Despite all of my character attacks, it was a good read with an interesting plot. While I did not like any of the characters as people, they served their purpose for a calculating story. However, I felt that each character had a great deal at stake and the ending seemed a bit quick and poorly formed in comparison to the rest of the plot's richness.

Grade: C+

Book # 9 THE QUEEN'S FOOL By: Phillipa Gregory

2009-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

I generally have an aversion to books that contain overtones of romantic literature. However, I must say I continue to love Phillipa Gregory's fiction, despite the many disputes of it's historical accuracy.

The Queen's Fool is written in the time of Mary I ("Bloody" Mary) vs. Elizabeth I (The "Virgin" Queen). We are in the point of view of Hannah: a fictional servant to the Queen Mary and the Princess Elizabeth, used for her gift to foresee the future.

The story flip flops between: tensions at court and in England between the Roman Catholic faith (represented by Mary I) and the "heretical" Protestants (led by Elizabeth I) as well as Hannah's own story: a Jew who fled Spain after her Mother was burned at the stake for her faith.

One of the best aspects of the book is how well-developed the two Queens are as women, not just as rulers [which any of us can get from history books]. Mary I is portrayed as a good woman (despite the brutal executions of hundreds of innocent people), but a very poor ruler. Elizabeth I is seen to be an ostentatious flirt, but with the potential and good sense to far exceed her sister's quality of reign. And from a reader's perspective, I don't think I ever quite got how groundbreaking Elizabeth I embracing freedom of religion was.

Hannah's character is entirely fictional (though of course there were many Jews in England in hiding), but her story itself is more interesting than the seemingly ego-driven battle between the two half sisters.

I easily recommend this whole series to anyone with the slightest interest in Tudor history, it's unendingly entertaining and I think more fun to research the differences in history and fiction on your own (but then again, I'm kind of a dork).

Grade: B+

SIDE NOTE: These books were written in sporadic timeline, If anyone should read these books, I suggest reading them in the order the came in history:

The Constant Princess (Katharine of Aragon)

The Other Boleyn Girl (Anne and Mary Boleyn)

The Boleyn Inheritance (Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katharine Howard)

The Queen's Fool (Mary I and Elizabeth I)

The Virgin's Lover (Elizabeth I)

The Other Queen (Mary Queen of Scots)

Book # 8 ATONEMENT By: Ian McEwan

2008-12-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

When the film came out last year, I was dying to see it. But I had this awesome writing teacher who I loved, who told me not to even glance at the movie till I read the book. A year's gone by and I've finally gotten around to it.

Atonement is the story of a man (Robbie) who is falsely accused of rape and sent to prison by the testimony of a twelve year old girl (Briony).

The book is split into three parts. Part one takes place over the course of one day and night written in the omniscient third-person. We get the perspectives of every person present the day and night of Cecelia and Robbie's Tryst as well as the sexual assault.

Part two is three and a half years later from Robbie's point of view released from prison and fighting in WWII.

Part three is from Briony's point of view, now a nurse in London aware of her mistake years earlier.

I loved the use of omniscient POV, but I think a lot of whether or not someone likes this book is very much a matter of personal taste. While I can admire and appreciate an author's ability to create lyrical pages, I personal find them exhausting if they carry on for multiple chapters. Again, I may be in the minority on this one, but no matter how beautiful the writing is, as a reader, I'm waiting to get to the action of the story. I think this is why I found the second and third parts of the book more fascinating than the first. The first takes place over a hot, stuffy summer day and while McEwan did a great job at creating the atmosphere, the lazy quality of the day tends to make the story stagnant.

All that being said, the second and third parts are not only fascinating because of the plot, but the attention to detail that McEwan paid in his research of the time period is amazing. He also made powerful use of a time jump in the very last chapter of the book.

Despite my lukewarm feelings for part one, I think that this book (the ending in particular) is one of the most heartbreaking I've read in a very long time.

Grade: B-

*Time Magazine All-Time 100 Novels

*Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction 2002

*National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction 2002

*Santiago Prize for European Novel 2004

*100 Years, 100 Novels NPR

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

Book # 7 THE VIRGIN SUICIDES By: Jeffrey Eugenides

2008-12-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey Eugenides won the Pulitzer Prize for his second novel Middlesex in 2003. His first novel, The Virgin Suicides, (while being a critical success) did not gain mainstream notoriety until the 1999 film adaptation.

The Virgin Suicides is the story of the five Lisbon girls in a Michigan suburb in the 1970s. The story is seen through the eyes of neighborhood boys all admirers of the girls from afar. The setup/POV of this novel reminded me a little of the style of Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. The Virgin Suicides is setup as an investigation of the mass suicides, complete with evidence, interviews of witnesses, and (naturally for a literary novel) many holes in the story unable to ever be solved.

Ultimately the story works much better on the page than on film. The disconnected, eerie quality of the writing was not flushed out enough on film. At one point the description of the Lisbon home is quite similar to past descriptions of Grey Gardens.

I would have liked the girls' identities to be more full-bodied and tailored to each sister. Other than Cecilia and Lux, the girls' personalities are very general and kind of seep together to create one character with three bodies.

The book, however, is a true testament that the "trouble in suburbia" theme never gets old. I'm sure some people may call it cliche after so many mediums taking on the subject (aka: American Beauty, Weeds, Desperate Housewives, Revolutionary Road), but I will never stop liking these kind of stories. I'm sure growing up in suburbia has something to do with it, but mostly I think the topic keeps from being cliche, because it keeps being true over and over and over again.

Grade: B

*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award

Book # 6 DIFFERENT SEASONS By: Stephen King

2008-12-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

Different Seasons is quite unlike most of Stephen King's most famous work. Obviously there's Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Cujo, etc. But these four novellas (while maintaining occasional elements of horror stories) are ultimately an undefinable genre.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption

As a disclaimer, much of this review discusses the differences between the film and the book. If you have neither seen nor read an adaption of this story I would suggest skipping ahead to Apt Pupil, because I would hate to give you spoilers and ruin any part of this fantastic story for you, (whatever medium you get to experience it in). It's probably not the greatest review seeing as how much attention I pay to the film adaptation, but the movie is my favorite so I guess it's inevitable I would bring up the film frequently.

This story is written from the point of view of Red, an inmate in Maine's Shawshank Prison.

This point of view felt very much like Nick Carroway and Jay Gatsby. Aka: while the reader gets the story from Red, the story ultimately belongs to Andy Dufresne.

Obviously this story has been adapted into one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time and it's very hard to talk about this story without mentioning the film. I wouldn't venture to say that the film is flat-out better than the novella, but I would say that the film had the opportunity to bring this story to the next level.

From a film perspective I think the the last half hour of The Shawshank Redemption is the most brilliant ending ever. (more specifically from the moment that Warden Norton throws the rock through the poster of Raquel Welch till the ending credits) This ending wasn't quite as triumphant in the book, because King was very faithful to remaining in Red's point of view leaving the details of Andy Dufresne's prison escape up to hearsay and Red's speculation. Another thing that lessened the triumph of his escape was that in the book, Andy's money comes from wise investments and preparation prior to his being incarcerated for the murder of his wife and her lover. Whereas in the film I loved that Andy's $300,000 came from the Warden's dirty money and viewed as "severance". The last thing that I think that really brought the story to another level via the film, is the character of Tommy Williams. In the film I think one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments is when Tommy is basically sniped after telling the warden he would testify to Andy's innocence. In the book Tommy is more or less bribed to keep his mouth shut and sent to a lesser security prison.

To the books credit I loved all the information we got that the film never thought to give us. For one thing, it always drove me nuts that we never knew what Red was in for, especially after him saying that he was "the only guilty man in Shawshank". I also greatly appreciated receiving the details of Andy Dufresne's trial so that we can see the evidence that sealed his fate and the politics that were the driving force of the D.A.'s case.

In either medium, this story is, in my opinion, still one of the most inspiring and uplifting of all time; and while I personally find it fascinating to compare and contrast the two versions, they are both brilliant stand alone pieces of storytelling.

SUMMER OF CORRUPTION

Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil is the story of a young boy's fascination upon discovering a man in his neighborhood is a Nazi war criminal and the ultimate blackmail that follows.

The story switches in and out of many points of view which I found to be a great choice considering the psychological issues that plague the two main characters. (as a side note it was also a great way to see how clueless parents can be or maybe just how determined they can be when they want to see only the best in their children)

I found this story to be the most disturbing of the collection, not that it necessarily had the most heinous individual scenes, but the other stories in this book even in their worst moments were all rooted in good people- Apt Pupil was unarguably rooted in evil.

While this story was the only one to give me bad dreams, it was also my quickest read. I was petrified of the union between the sick violence-obsessed little boy and the Nazi who slowly began to miss killing. I think that it was a combination of being a page-turner and me wanting to get the story over with so that my dreams could resume in a less haunting manner that made the story move so quickly.

A FALL FROM INNOCENCE

The Body

This was undoubtedly my favorite of the bunch. For me, it was your typical case of the book being better than the movie (and I loved the movie to begin with).

The Body is the story of four boys who (after one overhears a rumor) go in search of another young boy's dead body who recently went missing.

It's always a testament to the original work when the film is true to the book. In this case the film was fiercely loyal to the book, however, in the novella we have the luxury of really understanding the narrator. I was never a huge fan of the film being a memoir written in present day by an adult Gordie, but on paper it was powerful as hell. On top of which, throughout the memoir being written, we are treated to Gordie's writing at various ages through short stories of his between chapters. The short stories themselves are stand alone pieces even without the emotional ties to the story of The Body.

One thing that always kinda bugged me about the film is that upon beating Ace (and company) to Ray Brower's body, Ace threatens them saying they won't forget this. It always seemed odd to me that it wasn't mentioned what happened in relation with Ace and Eyeball after the anonymous phone call was placed. As an audience member it appeared to me that those guys weren't the kind to make hollow threats.

I always liked the ending of the film with the explanation of what became of everyone, but the ending of the book was just brilliant. There were a few excellent chapters explaining what the consequences were of not letting the older delinquents take the body, and each boy got a chapter explaining in great detail what became of them. The explanations were a bit more heartbreaking in the book than in the film, but were incredibly poignant and more in keeping with the tone of the overall story.

There is most definitely a reason that the film is regarded as one of the best "coming of age" stories, but once again the quality of this story put to paper is unmatched and I wish that the print version could have received as much recognition AND be more readily available to the public!

A WINTER'S TALE

The Breathing Method

Obviously this story is the only one not to be optioned as a film and after reading it, I can't say I'm surprised.

Not to say that this story wasn't great.

The novella is a story within a story. The first "story" is of a man who frequents a mysterious club, where older gentlemen get together, drink scotch, and tell stories of their lives. The "story" within: a young doctor in the early 1930s practicing medicine on a strong-willed woman whose pregnant out of wedlock.

The story of the woman is not just a great character, but also a good portrait of how women were judged in that time. There were lots of things in the story that I probably should have known about the treatment of women, I just simply never thought of them. The idea of being fired from a job for being pregnant without a wedding band or evicted from your apartment for the same reason is something that I guess makes sense for the 30s, but was certainly lost on me before reading this book.

I said before that I wasn't surprised that this wasn't made into a film. It's true, this was probably my least favorite of the four stories, but more so I just don't believe that this story would be able to translate to film as seamlessly and as favorably as it's three successors.

**********************

There were two big strengths of Different Seasons as a collection that struck me the most. One was Stephen King's use of POV. Each story used POV in very different ways. In Shawshank there was Red who's first person account read almost like folklore, in Apt Pupil King brought us into the minds of each character at some point (still in the third person) creating a full-bodied world for the reader, in The Body it is though the reader is reading over the shoulder of Gordie as he writes his memoir, and in The Breathing Method there are two different men telling to drastically different stories.

The last thing (and in my opinion, the most powerful) is the way Stephen King had tiny threads (literally just one sentence in each story) tying these people together in some way. The book begins at Shawshank Prison and in Apt Pupil it is discovered that the man who made Dussander all his money after the war was doing time in Maine for shooting his wife (this man is in fact, Andy Dufresne). In The Body, the boys discuss Shawshank Prison and in The Breathing Method it is revealed that the baby delivered at the end of the book was adopted by a family in Castle Rock, Maine, the same town inhabiting the four boys in The Body.

Grade: A-

BOOK # 5 THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE By: Phillipa Gregory

2008-12-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

I held off on seeing The Other Boleyn Girl solely because I wanted to read the book first. I almost felt silly reading it because I was under the impression it was a borderline "romance novel", but that wasn't the case. Having studied Tudors history a little in college, for fun on my own (and when I had Showtime I watched the sexed up show as well), I knew enough about the history to know that the majority of The Other Boleyn Girl was historically inaccurate. That being said, I had a ton of fun reading it. As soon as I accepted it for what it was (fiction) I loved it.

The Boleyn Inheritance picks up not quite where The Other Boleyn Girl left off, but a couple years after, following the death of Jane Seymour (King Henry VIII's third wife). The story is told from three points of view: Jane Boleyn- George Boleyn's widow, who's evidence sent her husband and her sister in law, Queen Anne, to the scaffold. Anne of Cleves- Henry's fourth wife who escapes an abusive family to come to England and marry Henry. Katherine Howard- Anne's maid in waiting who eventually becomes Henry's fifth wife.

While I always love stories with multiple points of view, I believe there is always the danger of having one point of view be so interesting, that while reading it feels like you have to "get through" the other points of view to get to "the good part" again. I'd say for about 90% of this book, all three points of view were equally fascinating. There was a very small stretch of the book where Anne of Cleves was a little less interesting, only because she wasn't at court and what was going on at court was pretty electric.

One thing I really loved about this book is that Queen Anne (of Cleves- not to be confused with Boleyn) and Queen Katherine are the two Queens that history seems to know the least about- Yet at the same time are the two Queens who have the most cut and dry stereotypes. Anne of Cleves was said to be very unattractive while Katherine was said to be gorgeous, but incredibly stupid. I loved that this book didn't play into those stereotypes and gave these women real identities.

Sometimes I feel that the first person point of view, while it brings you as close to the narrator as possible, can read a bit like a diary from time to time. But in the case of this book, I feel that the three points of view, all in first person, was a perfect choice.

And actually, this book is WAY more historically accurate than it's successor, which for no other reason than that I'm a history buff, I love. Phillipa Gregory has written books on Queen Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scotts, all of which I'm looking forward to after reading The Boleyn Inheritance.

Grade: B+

Book # 4 LOST By: Gregory Maguire

2008-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Gregory Maguire is best known for his adult adaptations of classic fairy tales. We've seen him create the "real" stories for the wicked witch of the west, Cinderella and her ugly stepsister, the cowardly lion, and Snow White.

In LOST, we see Winnie travel to England to write her novel about Jack the Ripper. Upon arriving she finds that her cousin is missing. While staying at his home and searching for an explanation, a series of events lead her to believe that the house is haunted. The distant relative who first lived in the house was (by family legend) rumored to be the basis for Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge. Winnie sets off to find her cousin and to solve the mystery of what happened in that house centuries earlier.

The main problem with LOST, was that it didn't know what it wanted to be. There was the story of Jack the Ripper (that never seemed entirely relevant), the story of the "real" Ebenezer Scrooge (which never seemed to have a ton of evidence to back up the rumor), and the actual "tying together" (if you can call it that) came way too late in the book and was actually pretty sloppy when it did.

There were definitely chapters here and there that I enjoyed and a few characters which I liked, but not enough to camouflage the major flaws of this book.

Another massive problem was the main character, Winnie. The few people I've talked to that have read this book found her to be very unlikable. While I didn't find her to be unlikeable necessarily, she wasn't appealing either. Mostly, she was just bland. I don't believe that you have to have a like able main character, but i do think you need an interesting main character, and Winnie was not.

I believe that if Gregory Maguire had chosen one legend to stick with, the book would appeal to much more people and the ending product would be far less murky.

Grade: D+

Book # 3 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY By: Michael Chabon

2008-12-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

Michael Chabon published his first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, in 1988 to much acclaim and success. Twelve years later, in 2000, Chabon received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

The story begins in 1939 when Josef Kavalier escapes the Nazis in Prague and flees to New York City to live with his 17 year-old cousin Sam Clay in Brooklyn. The two find a common interest in drawing and together begin to create comic books. The partnership is catapoulted into success with the advent of The Escapist, a super hero who frees the world of tyranny and facism one act of heroism at a time. With the rise of comic book popularity, they piss off many people by openly making Hitler and Nazi Germany the villain in their comics. With his success, Joe Kavalier works tirelessly to bring his little brother over from Prague before more harm can befall him.

This is the ultimate epic novel, spanning decades and continents. I've never seen a novel tackle so many events and hot button topics while still managing to fully entertain the reader. The novel gracefully takes on the subjects of the Holocaust, America's entry into WWII, religious discrimination and homophobia in America, and so many others- all the while creating colorful comic book stories (rich with symbolism) that lift the spirits when the characters and countries are in their darkest moments.

Upon finishing this book, it effortlessly shot up to the top of my favorites. Michael Chabon totally deserved his Pulitzer and I cannot wait to read his work again.

Grade: A+

*Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2001

*The Strand 80

*Entertainment Weekly's: The New Classics

Book # 2 THE GRADUATE By: Charles Webb

2008-12-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

We all know The Graduate primarily because of the 1967 Mike Nichols film and Simon and Garfunkel's iconic words: "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson...". Charles Webb's novel was published in 1963, just two years after he graduated from Williams College. The book was a critical and commercial success, but as of late is considered to have been heavily eclipsed by the massive success of the film.

The premise of the book is naturally the same as the film. Benjamin Braddock recently graduated from college with honors and opportunity, but floats mentally adrift following graduation, leading to his affair with a friend of his parents: Mrs. Robinson. Naturally things get a bit dicey upon falling in love with her daughter, Elaine.

One of the most interesting things about the book is that it is written with no inner-monologue of any character. The book is about 80% dialogue-driven and while the author makes it clear how the characters are often feeling it's because of his stark description of their action as opposed to their thoughts.

Another thing about The Graduate as a novel vs. a film is the relationship between Benjamin and his parents. In the book this relationship is flushed out for multiple chapters before Ben even begins his affair with Mrs. Robinson. It is through this relationship that you can see the seemingly ungrateful youth that Mr. and Mrs. Braddock see in their son and the tension of the early sixties where parents didn't seem to understand their children wanting anything other than what their parents brought them up to want.

There are quite a few things that were omitted from the film that I found unfortunate as they added to the overall richness of the story.

In the film, we only really got to know Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson (and to a degree, Elaine). In the book, Benjamin's parents are full-bodied characters as is Mr. Robinson, who I actually found to be one of the most interesting characters in the book.

With The Graduate's sizzling plot and spot on dialogue, Charles Webb really did make the jobs of Calder Willingham, Buck Henry, and Mike Nichols much easier to turn The Graduate into a movie. But while the iconic film has clearly stood the test of time, I found the story's original origin to be far superior.

Grade: B

Book #1 THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE By: Audrey Niffenegger

2008-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

The title of The Time Traveler's Wife would have you believe that it's a story based on themes of science fiction or fantasy, but that's not the case. While there are, of course, supernatural elements in the novel, the story itself is deeply grounded in love and human emotion.

The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Henry, a man who (since he was a child) possesses the capability of involuntary time travel. The story begins in his late twenties when he meets his future wife, Clare. Upon meeting Clare, Henry discovers that she already knows him very well having met him while he was time traveling throughout her childhood and adolescence. After their meeting, the book takes us through the evolution of their relationship in both current time and in Clare's childhood when an adult Henry (at many ages) comes to her from her future life.

The Time Traveler's Wife is one of the few books in modern fiction to combine commercial, page-turning appeal and literary merit. Stories with a heavy emphasis on romance are often given a bad rep for being cheesy, saccharine, or soapy.

But what Audrey Niffenegger has created is a romantic story with enough plot, action, and explanation to make the star-crossed aspects of this relationship believable. She intertwines the page-turning action with realistic sexuality and romance so that it is never gooey or heavy handed.

Niffenegger has given us one of the most interesting and endearing portraits of a relationship ever set to the page. It is no surprise that The Time Traveler's Wife ascended to the commercial success that it did when it combines the best qualities of so many genres to create it's understandable and well-deserved mass appeal.

Grade: A

*The Strand 80

*Exclusive Books Boeke Prize

*British Book Award

*Today Show Book Club Selection

*Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award

*The Best 100 List

*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers