Falling behind again, but that means I get to post a few books back to back. Let's see what I can find to say about The Lost Symbol.
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Double Day Book
Date: 2009
My start date: 4/5/10
My finish date: 4/11/10
Ok, so what can I say about a book you probably know at least a little something about. This book has shattered sales records, so there is a good chance that you or someone you know already own this book. If you don't, I imagine there is a good chance that you have read or watched the movie versions of Brown's two previous mega-hits, Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. And if you have, you already know this book.
Several years ago when this books predecessors became huge, I was also caught up in the hype. I loved the puzzle aspects in this books especially. Plays on words, dissecting art, conspiracy theories, secret societies, I still love all of it. And this third novel involving professor Langdon doesn't fail to produce all of the exact same elements. In fact, at times, it feels almost too much of the exact same. The books are starting to get a little too predictable. I knew the ending several hundred pages before I got there, especially the very predictable identity of the bad guy. But then again, I read for a living, so maybe I have just gotten used to the clues an author has to put in to make it work. Hopefully you won't see it coming so early and will continue to enjoy it.
That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and I really do like books that make me try to reason puzzles and keep me guessing, regardless of how formulaic they are. The main character is likable (despite his Harvard connections, I am not a big fan of Harvard and Yale, but that is a whole separate blog...) and unlike the previous two books, which took place in Europe, this book brings it closer to home by examining conspiracies here in the US--although that opens another whole set of comparisons, because it starts to be strikingly similar to the Disney movies, National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage.
Anyway, at the end of the day, if you like the previous books or the Disney movies, if you like conspiracy puzzles, if you like have a wealth of secondary literature, which has sprung up on every magazine stand and across the internet explaining the truth behind the book, and you don't care if it gets a little predictable, go get this book. That is, if you aren't one of the millions who already have. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for Tom Hanks to reprise his role and Langdon and provide us with a film version. To my understanding, it is already long since in production.
Time to run off to class, but check back tomorrow for a post about the next book I read, involving witches!
In the meantime,
Keep reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Historical fiction that isn't so fictional
One more book and then I am caught up! And honestly, I haven't read anything for fun since I finished this one, so fresh start after this! But this book was really a pretty great one, so let's get the stats:
Title: The Commoner
Author: John Burnham Schwartz
Publisher: Vintage
Date: 2009
My start date: 3/27/2010
My finish date: 4/3/2010
Schwartz opens his novel with a nice little note that, while inspired by real figures, this book is entirely fictional. So I thought that this was simply a Japanese fairy story. The story revolves around a Japanese girl/young women of common birth and her courtship with the Japanese Crown Prince during the 50s. In the story, this girl is the first commoner to to marry into the Japanese royal family and the story details the extreme hardships she faced as such. So, out of curiousity, I did my usual thing and researched the real Japanese royal family to see when and if the royal family had allowed common blood to marry into the family. Considering the warning, I was mildly surprised that this novel is in fact based very closely on the real life experiences of Empress Michiko. Almost all of the major plot lines carry over to real life. The dates are exact, the place where the couple meet is the same, the major traumas are just as detailed by the media. Later in the novel, Haruko, as the fictionalized version of the Empress is called, must counsel her new daugher-in-law and at this point almost all of the details of the life of the real Crown Princess Masako are also fictionalized into story. So, I guess the warning is just to remind us that no one really knows what the mindset of these women might have been or what conversations took place in reality. After all, this family is one of the most isolated and secluded in the world, so Schwartz is going entirely off of media and has no actual connection to the real Japanese royal family. And to be fair, some of the more minor details (such as number of siblings, offspring, etc) are changed slightly.
Now, having said all that, I don't want to present the idea that I was not pleased with the novel. It was indeed very engaging and I feel like I have a much better understanding of the Japanese royal family now. In fact,I rather like that he kept so close to reality. And if ever there was a fascinating "normal girl marries prince" story, this is it. It paints the reality of being a royal and that reality isn't pretty.
I did have one technical complaint, however. Michiko/Haruko suffers a very well documented nervous breakdown at one point, in which she loses her voice and does not speak for many months. Considering how important of an episode this was in real life, and similarly how traumatic this would have been even in the fictionalized character's life, I didn't feel enough time or depth was spent on this incident. This was a great opportunity to really probe some issues, especially considering the authorial liberty of playing with a "fictional" character at Schwartz's fingertips. I wish he would have done a little more with that episode.
Otherwise, this was a really great read. Anyone with an interest in Asian culture or royal families should definitely consider this novel, and even those who are just looking for entertainment would find something of value in The Commoner.
Whew, caught up! Until next time...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: The Commoner
Author: John Burnham Schwartz
Publisher: Vintage
Date: 2009
My start date: 3/27/2010
My finish date: 4/3/2010
Schwartz opens his novel with a nice little note that, while inspired by real figures, this book is entirely fictional. So I thought that this was simply a Japanese fairy story. The story revolves around a Japanese girl/young women of common birth and her courtship with the Japanese Crown Prince during the 50s. In the story, this girl is the first commoner to to marry into the Japanese royal family and the story details the extreme hardships she faced as such. So, out of curiousity, I did my usual thing and researched the real Japanese royal family to see when and if the royal family had allowed common blood to marry into the family. Considering the warning, I was mildly surprised that this novel is in fact based very closely on the real life experiences of Empress Michiko. Almost all of the major plot lines carry over to real life. The dates are exact, the place where the couple meet is the same, the major traumas are just as detailed by the media. Later in the novel, Haruko, as the fictionalized version of the Empress is called, must counsel her new daugher-in-law and at this point almost all of the details of the life of the real Crown Princess Masako are also fictionalized into story. So, I guess the warning is just to remind us that no one really knows what the mindset of these women might have been or what conversations took place in reality. After all, this family is one of the most isolated and secluded in the world, so Schwartz is going entirely off of media and has no actual connection to the real Japanese royal family. And to be fair, some of the more minor details (such as number of siblings, offspring, etc) are changed slightly.
Now, having said all that, I don't want to present the idea that I was not pleased with the novel. It was indeed very engaging and I feel like I have a much better understanding of the Japanese royal family now. In fact,I rather like that he kept so close to reality. And if ever there was a fascinating "normal girl marries prince" story, this is it. It paints the reality of being a royal and that reality isn't pretty.
I did have one technical complaint, however. Michiko/Haruko suffers a very well documented nervous breakdown at one point, in which she loses her voice and does not speak for many months. Considering how important of an episode this was in real life, and similarly how traumatic this would have been even in the fictionalized character's life, I didn't feel enough time or depth was spent on this incident. This was a great opportunity to really probe some issues, especially considering the authorial liberty of playing with a "fictional" character at Schwartz's fingertips. I wish he would have done a little more with that episode.
Otherwise, this was a really great read. Anyone with an interest in Asian culture or royal families should definitely consider this novel, and even those who are just looking for entertainment would find something of value in The Commoner.
Whew, caught up! Until next time...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Catch up time
Ugh, back to school. That first week is always such a mess. My first week of a new quarter was no exception. To make things more frustrating, Spring Break wasn't exactly as slow paced and low key as I had predicted, meaning that I got not nearly as much reading done, nor very much blogging at all done, as anticipated. So, catch up time.
Stats:
Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Publisher: Harper
Date: 2008
My start date: 3/25/10
My finish date: 3/27/10
So, many of us have read or seen the recent phenomenon, Marley and Me. To be honest, I have only seen the movie and have not read the book, but have been assured that the movie remains pretty faithful. If you liked that work, you will like this one. It is basically the same concept, taking the dog-family relationship from the introduction of the puppy to the inevitable end of the road. However, this story offers an interesting twist, which I feel makes it at least a little superior than all of the those trendy "here is how my pet affected our family" stories--this one is told from the dog's perspective. And Stein nails it. I mean, admittedly, I am decidedly a cat person, but I do in fact love dogs as well, and Stein writes and speaks as I can only imagine a dog would. He never falters in his voice. It is really quite inspired. Of course, it didn't hurt that I read this while staying at my sister's, where, poor thing, she had to work all day and I got to stay behind and read in the company of her delightful Sheltie dog. Young Toby and I bonded nicely as I read and was encouraged to think from his perspective. I highly recommend reading this in the company of a beloved canine friend of yours.
I had only one complaint about this book, and it is a personal taste issue rather than any sort of technical fault. The main human figure is a professional race car driver. Which might be fascinating to many, but not so much to me. There is a LOT of reference to racing, drivers, historical races, driving technique, etc. It all had a point in the long run, but at times it was a bit tedious to me. Now, if the human had been an equestrian...{Sigh}...Oh well.
Anyway, I also, once again, loved that this book was set in beautiful Seattle. It is so fun to read references that I can actually go visit. Seriously though, I am not seeking these Seattle based books out. It is purely coincidence! I guess Seattle is just that cool that everybody wants to write about it. ;-)
Ok, onward. This book was the last book to be completely finished in March, so a end of first quarter thought is due. I will admit that around this time and in the last week or so I have begun to experience a little bit of reading burn out. As promised, I do not churn through books just for the numbers, which is why you have seen a slight drop off of late. And, although my numbers are low for my goal (if you have lost count, this book was 16 for the year), I remind myself as well, that if I could count novels read for school, that number would jump to 31, a number which includes such daunting works as the infamous 1500 page long Clarissa. However, we aren't counting those, and if I intend to meet my goal, I best get reading! Fortunately, my reading load this quarter promises to be a bit more friendly and I think I feel my second wind coming on. So keep checking back for more good reads!
In the meantime...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Stats:
Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Publisher: Harper
Date: 2008
My start date: 3/25/10
My finish date: 3/27/10
So, many of us have read or seen the recent phenomenon, Marley and Me. To be honest, I have only seen the movie and have not read the book, but have been assured that the movie remains pretty faithful. If you liked that work, you will like this one. It is basically the same concept, taking the dog-family relationship from the introduction of the puppy to the inevitable end of the road. However, this story offers an interesting twist, which I feel makes it at least a little superior than all of the those trendy "here is how my pet affected our family" stories--this one is told from the dog's perspective. And Stein nails it. I mean, admittedly, I am decidedly a cat person, but I do in fact love dogs as well, and Stein writes and speaks as I can only imagine a dog would. He never falters in his voice. It is really quite inspired. Of course, it didn't hurt that I read this while staying at my sister's, where, poor thing, she had to work all day and I got to stay behind and read in the company of her delightful Sheltie dog. Young Toby and I bonded nicely as I read and was encouraged to think from his perspective. I highly recommend reading this in the company of a beloved canine friend of yours.
I had only one complaint about this book, and it is a personal taste issue rather than any sort of technical fault. The main human figure is a professional race car driver. Which might be fascinating to many, but not so much to me. There is a LOT of reference to racing, drivers, historical races, driving technique, etc. It all had a point in the long run, but at times it was a bit tedious to me. Now, if the human had been an equestrian...{Sigh}...Oh well.
Anyway, I also, once again, loved that this book was set in beautiful Seattle. It is so fun to read references that I can actually go visit. Seriously though, I am not seeking these Seattle based books out. It is purely coincidence! I guess Seattle is just that cool that everybody wants to write about it. ;-)
Ok, onward. This book was the last book to be completely finished in March, so a end of first quarter thought is due. I will admit that around this time and in the last week or so I have begun to experience a little bit of reading burn out. As promised, I do not churn through books just for the numbers, which is why you have seen a slight drop off of late. And, although my numbers are low for my goal (if you have lost count, this book was 16 for the year), I remind myself as well, that if I could count novels read for school, that number would jump to 31, a number which includes such daunting works as the infamous 1500 page long Clarissa. However, we aren't counting those, and if I intend to meet my goal, I best get reading! Fortunately, my reading load this quarter promises to be a bit more friendly and I think I feel my second wind coming on. So keep checking back for more good reads!
In the meantime...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Monday, March 29, 2010
Blogging on the fly
This one will be short because I am posting this from the Salt Lake airport and will be boarding shortly, but I wanted to get something out about at least one of the books I read, before I start getting ridiculously backed up. So, here are the stats:
Title: Nanny Returns
Authors: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
My start date: 3/22/10
My finish date: 3/25/10
This book is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, which follows the story of Nan as she undertakes nanny responsibilities for the X family, a very upscale New York family. She is to care for their four year old son, Grayer, despite the fact that the mother does not work and spends her time socializing. The book's popularity led to a subsequent film and now we have the sequel.
This novel begins twelve years after the events of the first, when Grayer, now 16, shows up on Nan's doorstep to confront her for leaving him. Thus she becomes once again involved with the X family.
With the exception of some very sharp transitions which were poorly indicated, which may have been due to type set used on my ereader and not really the book's fault, this was a fun read and I could find no faults with it. It was essentially just like the previous book and if you liked the first, you will enjoy the second. However, you really must have read the first book, as otherwise, you will be totally lost. In fact, it had been several years since I had last read the book and felt a little lost in this one. And no, the movie doesn't work as a substitute. Several things had been changed.
My one observation, however, was a comparison between this book and my previously discussed and disliked Chasing Harry Winston. I had to consider the idea that I had such dislike for the later due to my distaste for New York in general. However, this book proves that theory wrong. Yet again I was pulled into a setting in which the downsides of New York life are strenuously highlighted, however in this case I was not so repulsed by the story as a result. So, sorry, it was just the book in the other case.
Ok, boarding now, must run!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Nanny Returns
Authors: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
My start date: 3/22/10
My finish date: 3/25/10
This book is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, which follows the story of Nan as she undertakes nanny responsibilities for the X family, a very upscale New York family. She is to care for their four year old son, Grayer, despite the fact that the mother does not work and spends her time socializing. The book's popularity led to a subsequent film and now we have the sequel.
This novel begins twelve years after the events of the first, when Grayer, now 16, shows up on Nan's doorstep to confront her for leaving him. Thus she becomes once again involved with the X family.
With the exception of some very sharp transitions which were poorly indicated, which may have been due to type set used on my ereader and not really the book's fault, this was a fun read and I could find no faults with it. It was essentially just like the previous book and if you liked the first, you will enjoy the second. However, you really must have read the first book, as otherwise, you will be totally lost. In fact, it had been several years since I had last read the book and felt a little lost in this one. And no, the movie doesn't work as a substitute. Several things had been changed.
My one observation, however, was a comparison between this book and my previously discussed and disliked Chasing Harry Winston. I had to consider the idea that I had such dislike for the later due to my distaste for New York in general. However, this book proves that theory wrong. Yet again I was pulled into a setting in which the downsides of New York life are strenuously highlighted, however in this case I was not so repulsed by the story as a result. So, sorry, it was just the book in the other case.
Ok, boarding now, must run!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Reading and Writing from th Road...Or Not
Ok, ok, behind again, yep. Hang in there one more day. I have two books to talk about and will hopefully finish a third on the flight tomorrow. But last night I was at a rehearsal and today I was in a wedding all day and then packing, so my deep thoughts have more to do with not tripping on in my heels walking down the aisle and making sure the happy bride has what she needs, and not so much plot highlights and writing appraisals. Back home tomorrow and I will do my best to post literary gold. I better, because the new quarter starts the next day. And here we go again already...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Keep reading!
Sarah
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Multiple Names, Same Idea
Still enjoying the glories of Spring Break. Delightful. And my plan to spend it reading is progressing, although I have not had quite as much reading time as I had anticipated. But definitely more reading has happened than during the school sessions!
Following the Birth of Venus, I wanted to read another light one. I have long been curious about a particular author. Ok, well, not the auther, per se, because I have read and loved her stuff before. However, those were all published under a different name. I am speaking of the best-selling author Sophie Kinsella, whose Shopaholic Series is among my favorite for go to reads. However, this is not her real name and lately she has been putting out works under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. I was curious if I would see any difference between works under the one name and those under the other. So here is what I have come up with. Stats:
Book: The Wedding Girl
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Date: 2009
My start date: 3/21/10
My finish date: 3/22/10
For the most part, if you like the books by Kinsella, such as the Shopaholic series, you will like the books published under her real name. They are pretty similar for the most part, although they seem a little less literarily mature, almost as if they were written before she had the experience of the Shopaholics. Which, I suppose, is certainly possible.
My favorite aspect of this books were the stellar plot twists. For the first half I found the story mildly entertaining, but no more. And then, the plot twists started. With as many books as I read, it is hard to really throw me and I always appreciate when a book succeeds. This one did so not only once, not even twice, but there were at least three great twists that really pulled me in. I loved it.
Another great thing here was the handling of certain deep subjects. This book looks like it should be an airy beach read, and indeed it can serve as one. Yet Wickham manages to work in discussion and debate on a number of heavy subjects, and further, to do so without sacrificing the lightness of the book and turning it into political ranting or some sort of morality book. Be prepared to have serious thoughts about divorce, abortion, immigration, and homosexuality without ever leaving the beachy fun that the book promises. The best of both worlds. You can indeed think and have fun simultaneously.
Finally, the characters here are full and engaging. However, there are a lot of them and the perspective switches frequently, which was hard to keep up with, espeically at first. And while I ended up really liking most of the characters, I thought that the character of Alex could have been left out. He was rather flat and seemed superfluous. Also, there were so many characters that at times I would have to stopped for several seconds and cast about trying to remember which names went with which characters. Maybe there were a few too many? However, the abundance of people added to the fun twists I suppose.
So, that is about it for this one. Now that I know that Wickham's books and just as entertaining as those published under her pen name, perhaps we will see some more on this blog.
In the meantime,
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Following the Birth of Venus, I wanted to read another light one. I have long been curious about a particular author. Ok, well, not the auther, per se, because I have read and loved her stuff before. However, those were all published under a different name. I am speaking of the best-selling author Sophie Kinsella, whose Shopaholic Series is among my favorite for go to reads. However, this is not her real name and lately she has been putting out works under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. I was curious if I would see any difference between works under the one name and those under the other. So here is what I have come up with. Stats:
Book: The Wedding Girl
Author: Madeleine Wickham
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Date: 2009
My start date: 3/21/10
My finish date: 3/22/10
For the most part, if you like the books by Kinsella, such as the Shopaholic series, you will like the books published under her real name. They are pretty similar for the most part, although they seem a little less literarily mature, almost as if they were written before she had the experience of the Shopaholics. Which, I suppose, is certainly possible.
My favorite aspect of this books were the stellar plot twists. For the first half I found the story mildly entertaining, but no more. And then, the plot twists started. With as many books as I read, it is hard to really throw me and I always appreciate when a book succeeds. This one did so not only once, not even twice, but there were at least three great twists that really pulled me in. I loved it.
Another great thing here was the handling of certain deep subjects. This book looks like it should be an airy beach read, and indeed it can serve as one. Yet Wickham manages to work in discussion and debate on a number of heavy subjects, and further, to do so without sacrificing the lightness of the book and turning it into political ranting or some sort of morality book. Be prepared to have serious thoughts about divorce, abortion, immigration, and homosexuality without ever leaving the beachy fun that the book promises. The best of both worlds. You can indeed think and have fun simultaneously.
Finally, the characters here are full and engaging. However, there are a lot of them and the perspective switches frequently, which was hard to keep up with, espeically at first. And while I ended up really liking most of the characters, I thought that the character of Alex could have been left out. He was rather flat and seemed superfluous. Also, there were so many characters that at times I would have to stopped for several seconds and cast about trying to remember which names went with which characters. Maybe there were a few too many? However, the abundance of people added to the fun twists I suppose.
So, that is about it for this one. Now that I know that Wickham's books and just as entertaining as those published under her pen name, perhaps we will see some more on this blog.
In the meantime,
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Monday, March 22, 2010
Renaissance Read
Well, second time through and I still think I like this book, which must mean something, right? I finally finished it, so let's look at the stats:
Title: The Birth of Venus
Author: Sarah Dunant
Publisher: Random House
Date: 2004
My start date: 3-10-10
My finish date: 3-21-10
Dunant's fascinating tale of coming of age in 15th century Florence draws you in and leaves you rivited. As mentioned in yesterday's post, the conditions surrending my read this time around were such that I initially had trouble warming up to the story, but once it really got going, Dunant's writing takes you straight into the story. Her setting is rich. Renaissance Florence was filled with beauty, art, progress, religion and sin and Dunant makes you feel each sensation as if you were there experiencing it yourself. She is not shy in her descriptions and at times the scenes she writes are almost shocking--although not quite to the degree that I described in our previous read, The Gargoyle, but intense and real nonetheless. Although this story is technically about the young Alessandra Cecchi, Dunant almost makes Florence more a character in itself than a setting. If you were ever curious about this period, this is a great way to live vicariously. Her facts seem to mostly check out (although obviously the main character and her family are not real) and the descriptions of art and traditions are exquisite.
Another great aspect of Dunant's story is the depth of her characters. They are truly complex and it is hard to really hate any of them, even the ones that are technically bad guys, because, as in reality, she writes them very multi-faceted. However, I did at times have trouble believing that Alessandra could really act and behave in the way she did. She was technically said to be around 14 or 15 throughout the novel, although at times I think the numbers might not quite have added up, but if she was supposed to be a very young teen, some of the story seemed a bit much for someone so young. That being said, teenhood in the Renaissance would likely have been a very different thing...
If I had any complaints, they were minor and I can't think of any more at the moment. Read this for the imagery and the setting and you won't go wrong. I have just noticed that Sarah Dunant has several other books listed on Amazon, so I might have to add one or more to my read list. We shall see.
In the meantime, I am about thirty pages from done on my next novel, so check back tomorrow!
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Title: The Birth of Venus
Author: Sarah Dunant
Publisher: Random House
Date: 2004
My start date: 3-10-10
My finish date: 3-21-10
Dunant's fascinating tale of coming of age in 15th century Florence draws you in and leaves you rivited. As mentioned in yesterday's post, the conditions surrending my read this time around were such that I initially had trouble warming up to the story, but once it really got going, Dunant's writing takes you straight into the story. Her setting is rich. Renaissance Florence was filled with beauty, art, progress, religion and sin and Dunant makes you feel each sensation as if you were there experiencing it yourself. She is not shy in her descriptions and at times the scenes she writes are almost shocking--although not quite to the degree that I described in our previous read, The Gargoyle, but intense and real nonetheless. Although this story is technically about the young Alessandra Cecchi, Dunant almost makes Florence more a character in itself than a setting. If you were ever curious about this period, this is a great way to live vicariously. Her facts seem to mostly check out (although obviously the main character and her family are not real) and the descriptions of art and traditions are exquisite.
Another great aspect of Dunant's story is the depth of her characters. They are truly complex and it is hard to really hate any of them, even the ones that are technically bad guys, because, as in reality, she writes them very multi-faceted. However, I did at times have trouble believing that Alessandra could really act and behave in the way she did. She was technically said to be around 14 or 15 throughout the novel, although at times I think the numbers might not quite have added up, but if she was supposed to be a very young teen, some of the story seemed a bit much for someone so young. That being said, teenhood in the Renaissance would likely have been a very different thing...
If I had any complaints, they were minor and I can't think of any more at the moment. Read this for the imagery and the setting and you won't go wrong. I have just noticed that Sarah Dunant has several other books listed on Amazon, so I might have to add one or more to my read list. We shall see.
In the meantime, I am about thirty pages from done on my next novel, so check back tomorrow!
Happy Reading!
Sarah
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