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November 24, 2008
When Christ and His Saints Slept - Review
When Christ and His Saints Slept: In this book, set in England and Normandy in the early 12th century, Penman immerses the reader in the lives of Maude and Stephen as they struggle for the crown of England. Through her extensive research into the time period and into the lives of the subjects of her book Penman is able to make this time period come alive for the reader. She winds the facts with more intimate details supplied by her knowledge of the era of the book and her own imagination. This book is a fairly easy read for anyone with any interest in the time period and a good introduction into what proper historical fiction can be. There will be no bodice ripping just historical facts brought to intimate life by a true master of the craft.
I give this book an even four star **** rating. It is not my favorite book by the author but it is certainly worth the read.
Posted by sandra at 03:58 PM | TrackBack
The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
I read Hanif Kureishi's book The Buddha of Suburbia for a book club that I'm going to be checking out next month.
This is the story of Karim, the child of a Hindi Muslim father and a working class English mother who grows up in South London in the late 60's and early 70's. The novel chronicles Karim's parents, friends, relatives, and other significant people in his life and their relations and interrelations.
I do like books that make you think, and The Buddha of Suburbia certainly makes you do that - it chronicles and interesting and historic time period, and also discusses class and culture issues from an interesting perspective. However, I didn't find this to be a satisfying read. Karim is not a likable protagonist. I don't mind characters who are flawed, but there is nobody in this book with whom I'd care to empathize. It will make you think, but it won't make you feel anything, as Karim dispassionately relates the events in his life. Thus, although this is an interesting book and a fascinating timepiece, The Buddha of Suburbia did not engage me the way that it should have.
Posted by In Repair at 01:27 PM | TrackBack
November 18, 2008
New and Improved! Now with more actual reading!
It's time to start putting together the new version of the book group and first things first, we are going to need some suggestions for books to read.
In the past we have read:
The Red Tent: A Novel
Middlesex: A Novel
THE HISTORIAN A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova
Twilight Collector's Edition (The Twilight Saga)
The Book Thief
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Not a bad list of books! This time we are going to alternate between a well-loved classic or re-read and something new to most every other month. So let's start thinking of books we may want to read.
Rules are simple for this book group. Just post in the comments when we announce the book (or any time after) and let us know that you are reading along. Then post in the comments on the discussion. We usually give a month's notice on the book and the discussion is left open indefinitely for more questions, opinions, comments, etc. See? No pressure to finish, bake brownies and show up at a meeting. (Although brownies are always welcome!)
I would also welcome volunteers to run the discussion especially on months when we are choosing a classic or favorite re-read.
Suggestions for books new or old? Leave 'em in the comments.
And while you're popping by, make sure to take a look at all the great reviews that are rolling in from the From the Stacks Challenge!
Posted by michelle at 09:17 AM | TrackBack
November 05, 2008
From the Stacks Challenge
If you haven't signed up, just head to this entry and join in. There's no such thing as too late and it's a lot of fun.
Here's the form for posting the links to reviews. Remember there are a few fun prizes in the works for people who complete the challenge and for a few great reviews so have at it. Get reading and writing!
Thanks for joining in and make sure to spread the word. It would be great to have as many people as the last two years.
Please enter the name of the book and author in the first space and the static url in the second. If you have any questions
Posted by michelle at 08:50 AM | TrackBack
November 03, 2008
From the Stacks Challenge 08?
Well....this blog is kind of like a shelf of favorite books that has sat too long collecting dust. Things around here have been crazy. And I lost my reading mojo for a while there. I started knitting as well and since I can't do both at the same time--or thought I couldn't--the books just sat.
And, to top it all off, the challenge didn't get started. I'm not sure who is still out there but let's start off with two things.
First off, I'm looking for one or two new reviewers for the site. My good friend posting as In Repair has been shouldering most of the reviews for quite some time. Thank goodness for that since I have been a slacker. I would like to keep things hopping here and provide a good resource for people looking for reviews and recommendations. I am also going to start adding ratings to the categories so that you can search by rating. Bear with me, I'm working it out.
Next, let's throw the From the Stacks Challenge back out there. This time I am adding an addendum for classics and favorites. So in addition to reading books that you have been meaning to read that haven't been read, books that you have been meaning to reread will count this year.
From the Stacks Challenge 08
The basic rules are the same:
If you are anything like me your stack of purchased to-be-read books is teetering over. So for this challenge we would be reading 5 books that we have already purchased, have been meaning to get to, have been sitting on the nightstand and haven't read before. No going out and buying new books. No getting sidetracked by the lure of the holiday bookstore displays.
The bonus would be that we would finally get to some of those titles (you know you picked them for a reason!) and we wouldn't be spending any extra money over the holidays.
The time frame would be Nov. 1st until Jan. 30 and there will be some small, fun prizes awarded to random participants and/or those with clever review posts.
What do you think? Sound good? Just sign up and spread the word. Please post your list of books on your blog. If you don't have a blog or just want to share, you can post them in the comments here. Thanks!
C'mon! It's fun and we got a lot of reading from the TBR pile done last year. Plus, it saves money heading into the holiday season. So, who's in?
(Trying out a new auto-link widget. Just enter your name and your blog in the form and you'll be added to the list. This way we'll have a great list of readers and readers' blogs to wander through! Don't forget to either leave your list in the comments so it's easy for everyone to see or post your list on your site. Hopefully this will run smoothly!)
(If you don't see the autolink entry form here please go to the main page and scroll down until you see it. Thanks!)
Next up--the book club will return with a new format after the holidays. Please
Posted by michelle at 09:32 AM | TrackBack
Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs
Everyone I know has read The Friday Night Knitting Club
While I liked the characters--Georgia, Anita, Dakota--well-enough, the story always felt formulaic. They had everyone covered from all races, genders, socio-economic backgrounds. They had a crisis and a conflict. But it all seemed as if it were just plugged into a "mad lib" for novels. Theme? Knitting. Location? NY.
I never really connected with any of the characters because they were all too cliched. And while I finished the book, I wouldn't have cared if I didn't. I wouldn't have run out and replaced my copy if it had become strayed or stolen and what kind of recommendation is that for a book?
The ending left me angry. She chose the "tug at your heart strings" ending for the "mad libs" novel. Once you saw it coming, you had no doubt about what you were supposed to feel. She laid it all out for you. I like books that make me think about what I should feel. Make me, perhaps, question what I feel and why I feel it. This one didn't do that.
So as a bit of light reading, I guess. There's some knitting thrown in there but even that feels like it was looked up on wikipedia. Not one I would highly recommend.
** - Not terrible but hardly a page turner and definitely not a re-read.