A Farewell To Arms--Lisa's Review

-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.

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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.

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When You Reach Me--Lisa's Review

-Lisa
A super fun read if you're eleven. Absolutely deserving of the Newberry Medal. To me, it felt a bit more juvenile than some of the others that hold that honor, but it makes no claims to be written for adults! It was certainly well-planned and well-written, and my teacher's heart would love to read it aloud to fourth-graders or read and discuss it with seventh-graders. Don't think I would recommend it for adults, though.

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Battening Down the Hatches

-Lisa

So if you haven't heard, an ice/snow storm is supposed to hit our little town this afternoon. And Tulsans, God bless em, are in a bit of a frenzy making preparations. With good reason, no doubt, after the storm of '07 left many of us housebound for days and without power for over a week. Grocery stores are running out of staples, hardware stores are cleaned out of generators, and gas stations are flying through propane tanks. But GOOD NEWS--I just checked and the library is not running out of books! I stopped by to grab a few extras in case I get the privilege of doing a little reading by flashlight tonight. I picked "An Old Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott (hard to believe I haven't already read it), "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway (this month's book club pick), and "If You Give a Mouse a Party" (in case I have company in bed tonight). Ice storm, bring it on! Now I'm ready!

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Reason #4

-Lisa

Because you can do it in bed. Read, that is.

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The Book Thief---Lisa's Review

-Lisa
Loved that it was narrated by Death, yet Death was compassionate and regretful.
Loved WWII from a child's perspective.
Loved WWII from a non-Nazi German perspective.
Loved the headings and sub-headings---they worked well in my list-making mind.
Did not love the slightly choppy feel to the writing and the abrupt ending.

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A Country Doctor, Before Green Gables, Catching Fire, The Kite Runner---Lisa's Concise Reviews

-Lisa

The Country Doctor--If you love classics, I mean really love them, this one will make you smile. Otherwise, it's a little long and antiquated.

Before Green Gables--If I ranked all the books I've ever read, L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series would sit at the very, very top of my long list. This sad, faltering attempt at replicating an original would sit at the very, very bottom.

Catching Fire--Write, Suzanne, write! You have thoroughly captivated and thrilled me with a world I can't stop thinking about. Rarely have I been so convinced of setting, attached to characters, intrigued by plot. I want to shout my praise from the literary rooftops!

The Kite Runner--Every once in a while, you come to a book empty--no knowledge of content, no expectations, no preconceived notions. I did that with the Kite Runner, and I walked away full. Full of appreciation for true friendship and loyalty, full of aching sorrow for refugees and their plight, full of new understanding of a country and people I had previously only known on the news. It's story was my teacher and as it's student, I was moved.

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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!

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Kite Runner--Lisa's Review

Nothing moves my heart like a story of redemption. It is the story of my life.

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Time Traveller's Wife--Lisa's Review

I didn't like it. I wouldn't read it again. I wouldn't recommend it. And YET I could hardly put the thing down. What's going on here? In my opinion, Niffenegger's idea of time travel is utterly and irresistably intriguing, so she had me hooked. But then she turned out a somewhat bland story. Apparently, the remedy for a slow story is to throw in a whopping measure of good ole S-E-X to spice it up, and this one could make your eyes water. I'd rather have had a better beginning. And middle. And ending.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--Lisa's Review

I've been putting off this review for far too long because frankly, I just don't know what to write. Let it suffice to say that while I enjoyed Sam's tall-tale-telling style and humor, I still couldn't help letting out a tiny "whew" when it was all over. I was just in the mood for something else, I guess. Still, I'm glad I read it. The words "Huckleberry Finn" will always conjure up a slew of happy images in my mind's eye... lazy summer days... a boy on a raft... wild adventures... unlikely friendship...

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Agnes Grey--Lisa's Review

-lisa

Oh, dear Anne, canst thou forgive me for neglecting thee so? Long have the years stretched in which I have loved thy sisters, and knew thee not. My heart yearned for more intrigue, more dark mystery, more winning love, more Bronte. I knew not of thy brilliance, dear Anne. Until now.

Yeah, I loved it wholly and irrevocably. I feel like a treasure trove has been laid at my feet. Why I never thought to read more Bronte, I don't know. Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre hold two of the top five spots in my literary bosom. Seriously, I am almost as excited as if a new 10-book Lucy Maude series was unearthed (almost, I said). I can't wait to read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Agnes Grey was simple, unpretentious, and heart-warmingly edifying. Agnes herself was real, honest, and believably good in a dismal situation. How my stomach lurched when I thought all was lost, and how my heart cheered to see some good, old-fashioned reaping-what-you-sow. Hooray for Agnes! Hooray for happy endings! Hooray for Anne Bronte!

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June's Pick

-lisa
I watch baseball. I eat apple pie. I vote. I am proud to be an American. Just how is it, then, that I have yet to read Mark Twain? We must remedy this immediately! So this month, we are reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. God bless America.

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The Road---Lisa's Review

Bleak hopelessness. Dark gray days. Darker black nights. Gnawing hunger. Lost dreams. Failed humanity. Emotional isolation. Ever-present fear. Bone-chilling cold.

Tender care. Glad self-sacrifice. Utter adoration. Candid conversation. Unmarred trust. Pure, raw, life-sustaining love.

The best and worst of life in 256 pages.

You gotta read this book.

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Remiss

Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a lousy blogger. Yeah, I know. You didn’t even know I was a part of the Sage Room. You haven’t read a blog entry of mine since March…and now it’s May. I want to say I’m so busy reading, I seldom have time to blog. Isn’t that how any good book club member should be? The number of books I read each month is way higher than the number of blog entries I write! Well, it’s true, but only because the number of blog entries I wrote in April was zero! I’m sorry, Sage Room girls. This is my formal apology and pledge to do better. In fact, I vow to write another blog entry…well…soon.

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The Catcher in the Rye: Lisa's Review

If ever a book piqued my interest and sent a million thoughts zinging through my head, this one did. I can't say I loved it, but I'm thoroughly glad I read it.
* I hated the constant barrage of profanity (and therefore would strongly discourage anyone under 18 reading the book), yet I felt it was a somewhat natural part of Holden's Caulfield's disfunctional teenage voice. Still, Salinger could have accomplished the same purpose with a fifth of the language---the excess was in poor taste.
* I wouldn't want my own small children within a hundred miles of Holden, yet I saw in him a desperate longing to do right and be genuine. I like him more than a lot of people I know.
* When we are honest, we can see within ourselves suppressed elements of the forces operating within Holden. Half the time, he didn't even know why he did the crazy, stupid stuff he did. How very human.
* The English teacher in me would love to read this book (is there an edited version?!) with a group of high school boys, then have them journal about what parts of themselves they see in Holden. Then offer them intense counselling. :)
* As a mother of sons, I feel that this book somehow allowed me to peek into the window of a teenage boy's soul. If I learned anything, it is that you can't always judge a person's insides by his outward actions.

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Silas Reads

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Lisa's Review: Stormbreaker

If you're looking for a book to prove to your 11-year-old boy that reading really can be fun, this may be it. Full of cool gadgets, high-speed chases, narrow escapes and close calls, Stormbreaker is just what it claims to be--a preteen spy adventure. As an adult reader, it's pretty unbelievable, but then again, aren't most James Bond movies? (and we still love them!)

P.S. Anna, Erin, did you know there is a Stormbreaker movie? We probably better make it a rule that we see every book-made-into-movie that applies, don't you think?

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March's Pick

Drumroll, please! In the month of March, Sage Room participants will be reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. After much deliberation and the perusal of many must-read lists, I finally gave in to the literary pressure. Apparently, this is a book that every well-read person should read and know all about. So we're going to read it and know all about it. Get excited, girls.

P.S. It has been noted that we are caught in a bit of a cycle. Lisa picks a long, difficult, assignment-type book, so Erin and Anna pick a light, fun books to give us relief, then Lisa decides we better get back to the tough stuff, and so on... When will it all end?

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4 days left

Book club is Tuesday night. For Erin and Anna, this simply means a night to anticipate and look forward to. But me, I'm feeling the pressure...because it's my turn to pick! As anyone in a book club knows, picking a book for the whole group to read can be quite daunting. At your whim, your fellow readers will spend the next month either lost in a wonderful new adventure or wading glumly through wasted time. It's up to you to give your best shot at finding the best book EVER WRITTEN. Talk about pressure!

Right now, I'm considering Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah. I'm in the mood for a book about true, forever friendship and this one comes highly recommended by my dear friend, Cat. Or maybe the first Shopaholic book or Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (recommended by Whitney!) But I'd really like to go the classic route, though we've read most of the obvious ones (we have a rule---you can't choose a book that anyone has read before). Some possibilities include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Wind in the Willows, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, David Copperfield, Lolita, or Catch-22. And we should probably read The Color Purple at some point. Then there's Honeymoon With My Brother, which looks interesting... Erin, Anna, anyone, any opinions?

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