Random Family - Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

Wow. I just finished this book. It was captivating. The author spends ten years with several families (really one big extended family - everyone is connected somehow) that are struggling to survive in the Bronx, overcoming poverty, crime, teenage pregnancy, drugs... it's heartbreaking and devastating and sad and seems impossible even though it's 100% true. I'm hoping there will be a sequel to tell how the story ends, after going through ten years of these people's lives, you are attached to them, and want them to succeed despite the odds that they will not.

I like the style that the author writes in - it's not too flowery or descriptive, and the dialogue is from actual conversations, very factual. The background information is from her observations or her research.

While reading this book, I thought about how lucky I am, and I feel so much gratitude for my own life. I feel so much compassion and heartache for those less fortunate, and this book paints such a vivid picture of some of those who are constantly struggling. I'll never forget this book or the lives of the characters... nor do I want to.

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

This was an epic novel that I'd heard of because of course it was an Oprah Book Club pick, but I had no idea at all what it was about until I started reading it. At first I wondered if I would like the book, because I'd never read anything like it. But I soon became very interested in the story of three generations of Greek Americans and how every decision and choice they made all affected the life of the storyteller, Calliope/Cal. Even though the subject matter was foreign to me, it was still intriguing and well-written, and I was curious to find out how things ended up as they did. I enjoyed this book a lot and am almost sad to have finished it (but not really, because I have 3 new books waiting for me to read them!)

What is the What -- Dave Eggers

I started reading this book on a plane two days ago, and although I haven't had much time to read (being on a business trip and all), I find myself daydreaming about getting back to this book pretty much constantly. I can't wait to finish it -- but wanted to go ahead and share my experience so far. There's a lot of "celebrity coverage" of the crisis in Darfur, or the genocide resulting from Sudanese civil war over the past decade. But this is my first encounter with a survivor's story, and it is incredibly moving.

Dave Eggers worked with Valentino Deng, a Sudanese refugee, to write a book that details his life from the age of 6, when his village was destroyed and his family killed. Valentino, along with thousands of other orphans who came to be known as the Lost Boys, walk for months, across deserts even, to reach refugee camps. They are attacked repeatedly by both rebels and government troops (both sides would rather kill children than risk having those children grow up and be able to fight for the opposing side), and some are even eaten by lions. Even reaching the refugee camp does not guarantee survival, as only a tiny percentage will ever be able to get assistance.

The book is eye-opening to be sure, but it isn't just a depressing story about how hopeless and terrible the situation in Sudan is. The real beauty is that despite the terrible things he experienced, Valentino still loves the country where he was born, and recalls many beautiful memories. Dave Eggers writes with a perfect balance of compassion and humor, and I can't put this book down...

Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

When I first started reading, I thought this book was a novel, and I really liked the first chapter. Then I realized that it was a collection of short stories, and I was a bit disappointed, because I wanted to know more about the characters from the first story. My disappointment faded though, as all of the stories were equally captivating and interesting. I have a fascination with India and Indian culture, but I would have liked this book despite that. The themes are universal - mostly based on love, as well as family, culture, life experiences. Everyone can relate to these stories, but they might have special meaning to immigrants or those of Indian descent who are familiar with the particular details that are referenced in the stories.

Overall, I didn't want the stories to end. I think this collection fully deserved the Pulitzer Prize it won, and I am looking forward to reading The Namesake (I've already seen the moviea nd I really liked it.)

Into The Wild - Jon Krakaeur

There's little suspense in this story, as most people already know how it ends. And if you don't, right off the bat the author gets it out of the way. We all know that Chris McCandless died while trying to survive in the wild of Alaska. What Krakaeur attempts to put his finger on is the how and the why. And I think he does a great job of retracing his steps, researching his life. He reveals his personality in glimpses that both make him easy to relate to and frustratingly complex all at the same time. While we may not understand his reasons, you can't fault him for them. And while his adventure was ultimately fatal, he did survive for over 100 days in Alaska, depending only on himself and the land. I thought it was a moving and interesting story, and I was intrigued by McCandless himself. Now I'm interested in seeing the movie.

Eat Pray Love

I came to this book after reading an article describing reader's reaction as split down the middle - you either loved it or you hated it. I have to admit, I suspected I might be in the "hate it" camp, although I couldn't say exactly why. Maybe because it seemed a little too Oprah-ish, a little too "spiritual, but with a dash of humor," a little too precious, too much like a guidebook for the lost women of the world. Whatever it was, I picked up the book prepared for the worst, and ended up really enjoying the journey.

What I liked: Gilbert's writing voice is interesting and fresh and clear. It pulls you straight through the book while anchoring you in her character. Her style is sort of breezy and open but still smart. She doesn't make you read with a thesaurus next to you, but at the same time she doesn't take the easy way out. She makes good writing look easy, I suppose. She strikes a nice balance between her own story and observations and interesting historical facts and tidbits. She managed to express her own search for spirituality without sounding like she's trying to convert you to anything. In fact, I believe that I enjoyed the India section the best, mostly because of the descriptions of her search for God, and what the means. Some of the criticisms I read about this book called Gilbert selfish for taking this year long journey. I disagree. I wish everyone could take the time to think about themselves and how to be a happier person. I think we'd all benefit from a trip to an Ashram.

What I liked less: I'm not entirely sure I believed the character she portrayed herself to be, and even when I did, I sometimes felt manipulated by her portrayal. There were a lot of moments of what I thought were false modesty, where she would say things like, "I know its not a big deal or anything, and its not like I think I'm great, because I totally don't, but, I just saved this woman's life." Iwanted to be like, yeah, its a big deal. Its OK to feel like its a big deal. So just go for it. She describes herself as extremely social and friendly, but she came across to me as more awkward and self-conscious most of the time. The dialogues between her and the people she meets on her travels are supposed to sound light and witty and quick, but to me they sounded false. I kept getting the feeling that she was fighting herself, trying to make herself seem cool but at the same time not brag. Which I have to say is not an easy task. But in the end, I came out of the book with a lot of respect for her, but also thinking I'm not sure I'd want to hang out with her. Which is OK.

Ultimately, I say read it. Its worth your time. And if nothing else, you'll learn where to get great pizza in Naples!

Love In The Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I started reading this book in January. At first I thought it was good. Then I started not looking forward to reading it because it was just soo hard to get through. But I felt like I should keep trying, after all it's very highly praised and beloved all over the world, by millions of people. I felt like something was wrong with me for not liking it. The writing was very flowery and descriptive, and I would find myself bored with all the details, just wanting to know what happened next. But I just read some other reviews of it on amazon.com and I was so happy to see that so many other people felt the same way! Now I feel justified in just giving up on it altogether. I don't mind reading something that is not an easy page-turner, if I am learning something from it, or at least enjoying it. But I just could not bring myself to get excited about this book, and even when it's the only thing laying around to read, I just didn't want to do it. So this is my official review: I am not going to finish it. I do want to hear how the story ends, but I just am not interested enough to keep reading.

Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

I'd heard about Water For Elephants, but never got it until I saw it at the used paperback store a few weeks ago. Still, I was in the middle of a few other books and wanted to finish the other ones I started first (Love In The Time Of Cholera, Raw Shark Texts, etc.) But last night I had dinner with my friends Erin and Denise, and Denise mentioned how excited she was to get home to read her book. I asked what she was reading and she said Water For Elephants. That was all the recommendation I needed. I know that feeling all too well, of looking forward to reading, and when I got home last night, I started reading. I came home for lunch and read some more. I read it when I walked on the treadmill. I read it through dinner. And I just finished it, with tears in my eyes, telling Tom, "That was sooo good!"

It was well-written, without being too descriptive or flowery. It was fast-paced, but the plot was well-developed. And of course, I have a huge weakness for any story about animals, and the interaction between the animals and the main character was really touching and sweet. I also have a huge soft spot for elephants, I LOVE them. And even the character of the animals was developed enough so that their personalities were also part of the story.

The story was written with alternating time frames between present-day and the past, told from the first person point of view, which I thought was interesting, and was done seamlessly. The story ranges from humorous to dark and dramatic, but always touching and moving.

I really loved this book.

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

The first time I read this book, it was early 2005. I was a little intimidated by it, being over 900 pages, but by the time I read the first chapter, I realized that no way could this book possibly be long enough. I never wanted it to end, although 3 days of almost nonstop reading later, I was through. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. Probably my favorite, which says a lot considering I have read a lot of excellent books.

I'm actually finding myself at a loss to describe this book, which only goes to show you the power it has. The writing is eloquent and beautiful, telling tales that are all at once gut-wrenching and hilarious and sad and painful and magnificent. Experiencing Bombay through Lin's eyes, along with all of the characters that are painted by GDR so vividly, will leave you transfixed and breathless and wanting more.

One of my favorite passages:

One of the reasons we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for loneliness, and shame, and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again. Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.

I've read Shantaram twice more since the first time I read it. I told everyone I knew about it but most were put off by the # of pages... Tom finally read it and loved it as much as I did. Then we got Jake to read it. He loved it. Katie read it last year and she loved it. Tom's stepmom Tina chose it for her book club. And now that the writer's strike is over, it's finally being made into a movie, starring Johnny Depp. I admit, I am nervous about how the book will translate onto the big screen, but if anyone can do the main character justice, Johnny Depp can. The movie has huge shoes to fill, though.

Then We Came To The End - Joshua Ferris

I read this book in Jan. 2008. It was a fast read and I loved it. I'd heard good reviews of the book, but when I read a summary of it, I knew I had to read it. Being in the advertising industry, it's always interesting to read other perspectives of it. And Joshua Ferris' take was right on. Anyone who has ever worked in an agency will be able to relate to nearly every story and every character stereotype in the book.

One of my favorite things about this book was the clever and unique use of the first-person plural narration, using "we" for everything. I've never read a book that used this point-of-view (in fact, I had to do a little researching to find out exactly what it was called!) and I thought it was interesting, how everything came from the collective perspective, and the narrator was not the center of any story, yet he was a part of all of them. I've read other reviews where this particular point-of-view criticized as confusing, but I personally loved it.

As far as plot goes, it's not overly developed... the stories are more about the banalities of everyday life, the mundane office tasks, things everyone can relate to regardless of career path. There is a plot though, and it varies from touching to suspenseful to laugh-out-loud funny.

Some of the awards this book has received:
Best Books of 2007: Amazon Top 100 Editors' Pick, a Top 10 fiction choice for Time magazine, and one of the 10 Best Books in the New York Times Book Review.

*a short history of nearly everything, by bill bryson

I just finished this great book by Bill Bryson.  I absolutely loved it.  It was a combination of copious amounts of "fun facts" (I feel sorry for anyone who has to make small talk with me in the next several weeks, all I will do is start with "did you know...?" followed by random Bryson facts about sperm whales or mitochondrial DNA) and a refresher course for every science class I took from elementary school through college.  As a marketing person, I do not encounter science on a daily basis, or think about it actively, well, ever.  So a lot of this material about cells, the solar system, genetics, tectonic movements etc has been lost to me.  There couldn't be a more entertaining, well-written, and at times laugh-out-loud-funny way of revisiting these topics.

The most interesting point to note, and this is how Bryson wraps it all up, is that modern humans "have existed for only about 0.0001 percent of Earth's history."  The book explores all the events that had to transpire (from the creation of the universe down to the migration patterns of homo sapiens) in order for us to get here.  It's amazing.

This is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.  Of course, by it's very classification as "non-fiction", this means it took me approximately 400 times longer to read it than an equally engaging novel. Morgan and I were discussing this the other day; it's just that you want to dedicate some uninterrupted time to "concentrate" on this type of book.  This book will give your brain a workout...

Self Help: Stories - Lorrie Moore

This is a book of short stories that I started reading yesterday during lunch. The first story, about how to date a married man, I loved. I hoped I would love the rest of the stories equally, but out of the rest of the stories in the book, I only liked maybe two of them. When they were good, they were really good, but when they were bad, they were uninteresting, melodramatic and hard to follow. It didn't take long to read (I finished it last night), so at least I didn't feel like I'd invested a lot of time or energy into it. I do want to read more of Lorrie Moore, because I have heard good things about her, but I feel like this must not be her strongest work.

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Lauren loaned me this book and I just finished it last night (2/25/08). Sometimes you love a book immediately. Other times it's more of a struggle to get through. This book was one that I liked from the first page. The story was captivating, interesting and intriguing, both philosophically and ethically. Some of the references to classic literature and Greek history were over my head, but it didn't get in the way of my understanding. The plot was a little improbable, and I am not generally a fan of typical murder mysteries, but I didn't ever feel that this was one of those stories. I liked how you saw the story unfold through the narrator's eyes, you learned things as he did and were shut out when he was shut out. One element I was constantly trying to figure out was when this took place. I had a vague idea, based on songs or cultural references, but some of the characters spoke in such archaic dialogue that it was a little disconnected. Overall I was definitely impressed with this ambitious first novel by Donna Tartt... it was one of those books that keeps you awake long after you should have been asleep because you just can not put it down.


P.S. I just learned on Wikipedia that a passage from the novel was used as a sample reading selection on the June 2, 2007 administration of the SAT.

A million little books.

All of my life, I have loved reading, ever since I can remember. My grandmother used to take me to the library with her when I was visiting in the summers. I would get a whole armful of books and by the time we got home, I had read half of them in the car on the way. (Funny what you can do as a kid... the thought of that makes me sick now!) I would read anything I could get my hands on. Now that I am older, and time is more scarce, I am a little bit pickier about what I read, but I still love it, and curling up with a good book and a soft blanket is one of my favorite things to do.

Most of my friends are voracious readers too, and we all share our thoughts and opinions on books, and even the books themselves. So I thought it would be cool to have a place to keep a record of what we're reading, what we've read, and what we thought of it. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments too.