Our Shelfari
>> Tuesday, November 24, 2009
-Anna
So you may have noticed our new little shelf with 2009 reads. Pretty cool, huh? Just a little widget provided by Shelfari (a global community of book lovers). Don't you just love widgets?
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
>> Monday, November 23, 2009
It was witty and enlightening. I was thoroughly impressed with the author's ability to tell an entire story through letters. Super duper impressed to be exact. I can't imagine that would be an easy feat no matter how well you write. Plus I don't think I really knew of the German Occupation of the English Channels during WWII, so I learned something as well. And I am a big fan of learning history through fictional literature. I'm just sayin'. You should read it too.
Read more...Top o' the morning to ya.
>> Friday, November 20, 2009
-Erin
So I'm in the process of reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Wow that's a title for ya. And it is set in London and the surrounding areas which got me to thinking. So, my question to you is this:
When you are reading books about British characters or any character that speaks with an accent do you read with the accent? Meaning, do you hear the way they are actually speaking in your head?
I don't. They're all American accents in my brain. I think it would take too long to read like that. And as you may know, I like to read fast.
Catching Fire - E's Review
>> Thursday, November 19, 2009
It's like Survivor. Meets the Roman Coliseum. Meets a post-apocalyptic world. Meets the smell of blood and roses. But add a love triangle. In a world the author makes seem actually plausible. And then just throw in a fight to the death. Among teenagers.
Is that cryptic enough for you? I'm talking about the trilogy that is The Hunger Games.
If you like well written young adult fiction where the author has created a world that is believable and the characters remain true to themselves (unlike some other series that is the craze right now, insert vampires) then do not walk to your nearest library or bookstore. Run I say. Run!
It's that good.
November's New Pick
-by Lisa
So the observant ones out there may pick up on the fact that November's pick has changed. It WAS The Help by Kathryn Stockett, but we had to nix it: too many pages, too little time. In the official Sage Room Rule Book,it is stated that each month's pick must be less than 400 pages unless the other members agree to it. And since we were already low on time, we decided to put The Help on hold... But it's hard to find a good book out there with less than 400 pages! Ironically, the new pick has even more pages than the old one! But it's young adult and looks to be a quick read, so it's been approved. And November's new pick is... The Book Thief by Markus Zusak!
Catching Fire - Anna's Review
>> Wednesday, November 18, 2009
-Anna
I wasn't sure how Catching Fire would compare with The Hunger Games. I just didn't see how the second book could be better. The Hunger Games captivated and galvanized with its original twists, intense situations and complicated emotions. Catching Fire would have to be incredible to compete. But incredible it wasn't, quite, mainly because it lacked the element of surprise that The Hunger Games carried. But it was good, oh so very good!
As the second installment of the trilogy it is a success. The characters are developed and true to themselves. Katniss is an honest character who does not hide from her flaws or herself as she discovers her strengths. Peeta definitely steals the heart, and yet Gale is there, as he has always been, steady and true. Catching Fire fosters deeper love for the characters, empathy for their plight, while it fuels hatred for the machine of the Capitol and the man, smelling of blood and roses, who controls it.
And yes, there is a cliff hanger. There are questions to be answered, situations to be resolved, and battles to win. So, like every good second book in a trilogy should do, Catching Fire makes me want to read, to anticipate, to count down the very days until release of - the third installment of The Hunger Games.
The Kite Runner - E's Review
>> Thursday, November 12, 2009
The themes alone are not unique. Love and sacrifice. Friendship and betrayal. Guilt and redemption.
And yet this compelling story comes alive as the author weaves the political turmoil of a country known only to me as war torn and extreme into a place of culture and tradition and honor.
I felt physical pain at the betrayal of a friendship and physical relief in the sanctuary that is the United States. I now have a connection to a land that I once only heard about in the news and on TV.
Khaled Hosseini is a brilliant storyteller and there were moments I forgot this was a work of fiction. He made the struggles and triumphs of these characters come to life. He made Afghanistan real.
The Kite Runner - Anna's Review
>> Tuesday, November 10, 2009
-Anna
It anchored a name and a place. Afghanistan I knew as the title to news stories, a work location for humanitarian relief, a destination for U.S. soldiers, an argument for politicians. But after reading The Kite Runner, Afghanistan became alive with colors, smells and textures; it became a home, a tradition, a people strong and also weary.
The backdrop of Afghanistan is the foundation that makes The Kite Runner a book worth reading. The story, which I found boring at times, becomes original because of its setting. The characters become real because their struggles are real. And the theme echoes to a land that no doubt wonders if there is a way to be good again.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Treats
That happy dog with the wind in his face came home with me 15 years ago as a little ball of puppy fur that got car sick and threw up all over me. Car sickness runs in the family, so I knew then that he was one of us. And he was. In fact, I sometimes wondered if he knew he was a dog, and not, in fact, a person.
But that's what it is. He was one of us. And when I think about all my favorite stories of animals, the thing I love is that they are one of us. Friends, protectors, partners. Hedwig is my faithful and regal mate. The Disreputable Dog is my powerful ally. Ash is my beautiful and loyal friend. Marley is the one I love to hate. Bree is the magic that helps me save Narnia. Old Dan and Little Ann, Lassie, Toto, Luath, Bodger and Tao, The Black Stallion. Trust. Love. Loyalty.
And so even though I had to say goodbye to my longtime friend, he's there in the memories, the pictures, the stories. He's there as one of us.
-Anna
Coming Soon
>> Monday, November 9, 2009
-Anna
I know. I need to write my Kite Runner review and also Catching Fire. I know. I will. Soon. I promise.
Until then, here's an update on my 52 books in 2009. I've read 48 books, so that leaves me with only 4 more reads by December 31, 2009. I think I am going to make it!
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