Water for Elephants-- B+

(I'll have to write a post about my methodology at some point. Because what use are reviews if you have totally different tastes and mindsets from the reviewer. Anyway, B+ = very good)

A novel about the circus. By an author who has a career as a technical writer. Hmmm...

Water for Elephants is another book I picked off the top-sellers lists based on reviews. I wouldn't normally read about the circus for no reason, but I was intrigued. The story is set on the rumbling train of a traveling circus, following the rise and fall of a wannabe Barnum and Bailey (literally).

It was exactly what it promised to be: a journey into the tumultuous and often dark side of circuses and the people who live the circus life.

The most interesting thing I learned was the situation of "red lighting"-- throwing circus workers who were no longer worth their pay off the moving train. It was also crazy to think about just how difficult a feat those traveling circuses of yesteryear were. Transporting hundreds of workers and performers along with elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, etc? It made me want to go visit a circus. You always have a better appreciation of things when you better understand how they came to be.

Anyway, it's a well researched story into a world you wouldn't necessarily ever otherwise get to know. Murder and a love story on a backdrop of pink sequins, Polish elephants, and jake-drinking old men.

A Thousand Splendid Suns-- B+

The only book review I have left to do is Khaled Hosseini's (author of The Kite Runner) second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I give it a B+ with the kindest praise possible. Just as in The Kite Runner, I couldn't help but get sucked into the story, so it is definitely a quick read. That's always a good sign.

However, perhaps because it followed The Kite Runner, I just wasn't as blown away by this story. It is still very interesting to read about the region during this time, but I felt that a lot of the styling and descriptions seemed overplayed the second time around. Hosseini is praised for his ability to aptly describe emotions and surroundings. I definitely felt that with The Kite Runner. Here, while it is mostly true, there were a few times that I found it to be a bit forced, almost cheesy.

The story itself is wonderful. The book transitions between the viewpoints of two different women whose lives start out very differently but end up very intertwined. Hosseini is undeniably masterful at this. Despite my criticisms earlier, I do find his ability to write from a woman's viewpoint impressive.

I would definitely say this is a successful second novel, no sophomore slump here. I just personally enjoyed his first work more.

Like Water for Chocolate- A-

Great book. Just finished reading this as part of my "self-prep" for my Mexico City trip, to get a flavor of Mexico. The short novel is broken up into monthly installments, each beginning with a recipe that is tied in to the story of Tita, the narrator's grandaunt. A classic love story with some unexpected fantasy thrown in. The book's unusual format and exaggerated storylines are hilarious and insightful, making for a unique and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-- B+/A-

7/27 Update: WITH SPOILERS!

So we did make it out to the B&N store (party was pretty disappointing besides the costumes), but when 1130 rolled around we took one look at the MASSES of people forming outside the door (seriously I think a thousand people were there)and realized that this was not going to go down smoothly. So we hightailed out of the Grove and drove to the nearest Ralph's (yes, Ralph's), where we picked up a copy at midnight without any wait.

I liked the story a lot, right up to the epilogue. Just like any other Harry Potter book, I couldn't put it down... I liked Dumbledore's backstory and I LOVED the Snape story... even the Kreacher story was cute. What I didn't like was JKR's odd pacing of the story. She spent so much time elaborating on Harry, Ron, and Hermione being lost and hungry, and then hardly any time discussing the end of the book, which is what people really care about!

The ABSOLUTE WORST part of the book was definitely the epilogue. This was supposedly written a long time ago, maybe even during the first few books, but it doesn't mean she couldn't edit it. It's not so much the "perfect clean ending" I oppose, but more what was included and what was NOT included. Case in point: I do NOT care about Percy, but I DO care about George/Luna/etc. I wish we knew more about what everyone was doing, that Fred's death was addressed better (she seriously spent more time on George's ear than Fred's death), that Harry's reaction to learning the truth about Snape was developed more, etc etc. I have read that she may publish an "encyclopedia" of sorts to explain every character's back story and what happens to them, but it won't be the same.

But all in all, the story was good. Some people thought the Deathly Hallows themselves were pointless, but I thought it was important to show that even though Harry could have decided to possess all of them himself, he chose to give them up. A lot of contrasting done between Harry and Dumbledore/Voldemort/common person. I think JKR had several glitches in her story, but they all could have been forgiven easily had the epilogue been better...

All in all, I can't believe Harry Potter is over! :*(

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I'm going with my two co-workers to a Harry Potter book release party tonight at a Barnes & Noble. W thinks this is very nerdy :) I'm excited! I've never been to one... I've never even pre-ordered a book. But I think my co-workers and I fuel each other's HP craziness. It's fun to get excited for things. I'm avoiding all media outlets until I finish the book... I just better not overhear someone on the street spoiling the ending!


My predictions: - Snape is good. I think it'd be a great story if he died showing his good side.
- Harry will die or lose his wizardry powers (become a muggle)
- Dumbledore not making a Gandalf-like comeback.
- Horrible romantic plots.

Can't wait!

By the way, I saw the UK covers for the first time and think they are ugly. One of my co-workers prefers them though. Look how old Harry looks in these!! When did Clark Kent start playing Harry Potter??

The Road-- A/A-

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Highly Recommended—a quick yet very worthwhile read

The Road is a beautifully written, haunting tale about a father and son's journey through post-apocalyptic America. McCarthy has an amazing gift for describing the unimaginable devastation of a gray and ashen world. His writing is unorthodox in its punctuation and simple in its style; it may be uncomfortable to some but I found it to be very powerful. The story and general themes were very depressing yet ultimately uplifting. I've read a few reviews that found the book too dark to enjoy. If you can't stomach rather vivid descriptions of cannibalism, etc, then I would suggest that you stay away from this book. However, this novel is not truly about gore and suffering and death. It is ultimately about the bond between a father and his son, a tale of survival and the struggle for morality in the face of desperation. It will lead you to question a lot of things about yourself and life. Some advice: don't read this book anticipating a climactic ending (reason for potential A- for some-- storyline). As the title suggests, absorb and appreciate the road, the journey, the experience that McCarthy creates.

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One of my favorite scenes: after all their possessions are stolen from them at the beach, the father and son catch up to the thief. The following exchange between the thief, father, and son were very thought-provoking to me. Hard to say what is right/wrong. Actually, just considering the role the boy plays in general is interesting.

Couple of the best passages:

“He walked out into the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it.”

“Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.”

(this passage is made more interesting because of it's placement in the novel...)

Last note: It will be interesting to see what they do with the book when they turn it into a movie. I thought much of what made the book so powerful was the writing style, which would be hard to translate onto film.

btw, even if you are anti-Oprah's Book Club (I'm not), it also won the Pulitzer... :)