April's Pick
>> Tuesday, March 30, 2010
-Anna
I have no idea if this book is going to be good or not.
Finger's crossed for April's Pick:
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
please be good, please be good, please be good...............
Water for Elephants - Anna's Review
-Anna
1. Non spoiler version, short and to the point.
DID I LIKE THE BOOK?
Well, I didn't hate it.
WOULD I READ THE BOOK AGAIN?
Nope.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THE BOOK?
With some big reader beware cautions and definitely not to my mother.
2. The spoiler version - pre book club discussion.
So, if something bad happens, walk away from your life and join a crazy, seedy circus. There you will meet the woman of your dreams (no, not the stripper, the pretty girl in pink sequins) who is...married. No worries. The woman of your dreams is married to a paranoid schizo and she is leaving him. So go ahead, knock her up because the Polish speaking elephant will take care of the crazy mad man and you two, or three, well you and the entire circus can live happily ever after. Until you are 93 and your family has forgotten you and then you can run away to the circus...again? Oh, yeah, and just to add some spice to the story, make sure to include some profanity and explicit sexual content!
3. The post book club discussion version.
So, apparently, I read the edited version. Part by choice and part by accident. First the accidental bit: THERE IS A PROLOGUE! WHAT! Where? Oh, there, in front of Chapter 1, the Chapter 1 that I read online, and therefore just skipped onto Chapter 2 when I got the book. ARGH to Amazon's sneak peak! Why did you jip me like this!? And seriously, this prologue is important! It creates a mystery and suspense about the entire storyline that I DID NOT GET! So, okay, most of my pre book club review stands, but well, I like the book a little more than I did, and I can't say how I would feel if I had read THE PROLOGUE!
And about the edited part by choice: I got tired of all the sex, so I lent my copy to Lisa and begged her to "censor" the rest of the book for me. She did, and I have to say, I enjoyed the rest of the book SO MUCH MORE! I actually relaxed and fell into the story, no longer worried about Too Much Information sex scenes jumping out at me. What can I say, graphic sex is not my thing. So if it's not your thing either, maybe you can get Lisa to censor for you!
A Farewell To Arms--Lisa's Review
>> Sunday, March 28, 2010
-Lisa
I am ashamed to say that until March 2010, I had never read Hemingway. Since this offense seems almost un-American, I'm glad to say I can now add him to my list. I thoroughly enjoyed his minimalist, to-the-point writing style. He pretty much tells it the way it is, and that was somehow refreshing to me, even though the storyline is in no way cheery. I have to admit, when I see multiple paragraphs of flowery descriptions, I skip them--I read every word of Hemingway. His characters were likable, his story was believable, and he offered a real-life glimpse into the frontlines of WWI.
Water For Elephants
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
335 Pages
Published in 2006
The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression.
Check back soon for the Sage Room reviews of Water For Elephants.
March's Pick
>> Tuesday, March 2, 2010
-Lisa
I've seen this book on quite a few book club lists and contemporary must-reads, but when a dear friend started singing its praise, I knew it was inevitable. This month's pick just has to be Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. A book about the greatest show on earth--let the story begin!
In February
>> Monday, March 1, 2010
Anna
I squeezed in two more books this weekend!*
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (YA) - an alternate telling of WWI which includes huge walking machines and fantastic, strange animal fabrications. Also includes a prince on the run and a smart, adventurous girl disguised as a boy. I'll be looking for the next installment.
Evermore by Alyson Noel (YA) - eh, lame. Okay, it did have an intriguing premise. But that's it.
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - sometimes I am just in the mood for a Nicholas Sparks novel.
*So, technically I finished The Last Song at 1AM this morning, but that counts, right?
A Farewell To Arms - Anna's Review
Anna
Having read a few Hemingway short stories, I knew I didn't like his writing style, (yes, I know, his Oh So Glorious, Novel and Pulitzer Prize winning writing style). I had hoped I would like a novel of his better. But I didn't. His sentences were looooong. His dialogue short and repetitive. And the characters were lacking in depth. And, I found that at times, I just didn't trust Hemingway's portrayal of the characters lives and the events surrounding them. I mean, I know Hemingway was there, in Italy during WWI, but still, I felt uneasy, like, what's his angle and what's he trying to pull?
However, despite the many things I didn't like about the novel, there were several things I did like. I did, overall, like Henry and Catherine's love story. I liked the humorous scene of the barber mistaking Henry for the enemy. And I liked the moments when I actually connected with the characters and felt Hemingway was being honest.
If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry. - Frederic HenryRead more...
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