monday reading....

This Monday finds me having completed The Giver and Now You See Her (which I did NOT like - review soon).  Currently I'm reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand given to me by a friend.  It was on lots of "2010 best of" lists and I've been intending to read it so was pleased to receive it.


How about you?  Did you start something new this week?  Hosted by Book Journey....

book beginnings

Every Friday Katy at A Few More Pages hosts a meme (weekly 'party') where you can share the first line or two of the book you're reading and what your initial impression of the book was from that line.  Kinda a fun idea so I'll join in....

"Okay, if you'll all just gather around me for a few seconds, I'll give you a wee bit of information about this glorious building in front of you."   is the first line of Now You See Her by Joy Fielding.  I'm not accustomed to having books start with dialog and this was slightly disorienting with no background.  Of course it quickly becomes apparent that a tour guide is speaking, but still.  I didn't love the opening.....

Be sure to get a hint of what other's are reading over at A Few More Pages......

off the shelf

Found another challenge I can participate in - Off the Shelf (see button on sidebar).  The challenge is designed to help clean off those bookshelves and read books that have been sitting there awhile - I have plenty of those!  Since it started in January and I'm only just now starting at the end of September, I'm choosing the easiest level which is "tempted" and a commitment of 5 books!

Next year I'll join in January so I'll  have all year to whittle down those books!

The Giver by Lois Lowry review

The Giver by Lois Lowry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
read on Kindle

The Giver

I didn't have any expectations of this book - I'd heard about it many times over the years and just never got around to reading it. In honor of Banned Book week I finally decided to give it a try.

It's not a particularly novel plot line as "imagine-the-future" books go. This view embraces 'sameness' and the society has eliminated all emotions, conflict, books (gasp!), and lives are very routine and prescribed. The unfolding of the rules of this world and society are interesting but not earth shatteringly original.  The main surprise for me was to discover (fairly late in the book) that they didn't see in color.  No color!

As 12 year old Jonah is preparing for adulthood, he is assigned to be the new Receiver of Memory and begins to receive all the memories from generations past. Not surprisingly, he becomes more disenchanted with life as his community lives it.  After experiencing the memory of the horror of war but also the joy of love, he feels compelled to change his world.

I found the book very readable, even enjoyable. It's a good YA read with lots of discussion points about feelings and other aspects of life we take for granted. My only quibble is I didn't love the ending- it seemed very abrupt.


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Edge by Jeffery Deaver review

Edge by Jeffery Deaver

pages:  539
genre:  thriller
2.5 stars
purchased book


Though he's a favorite author, not my favorite book. A story about private protection of a family against a "lifter" or person hired to kidnap a family member for the purpose of finding information, it never really grabbed me.

The main character, Corte, never engaged me - he seemed flat, cold, and distant. The story is told from his perspective but you never really learn much about him. Even the bad guy, Henry Loving (really?!), wasn't well developed and seemed a cardboard character. He was always lurking in the background as this nemesis character, but never became very scary.

I love a good unexpected twist to a story but this whole plot was based on "twists" and I found that annoying. There was little tension and I never really cared if the bad guy was caught or not.

Readable but not his best effort.



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Monday Reading

Sheila at Book Journey wants to know what folks are reading on Mondays.  I read two books last week, Edge by Jeffery Deaver and The Reversal by Michael Connelly - both authors I enjoy reading regularly.



For this week I plan on reading The Giver for Banned Book Week and then a library book by a new-to-me author Joy Fielding, Now You See Her.

Visit Sheila's site to see what other's are reading this week.

criminal plots challenge

I just found and joined the Criminal Plots challenge (a little late I realize, but I've already read a few that qualify, and it's only 6 books!

Categories are:  Author from a book blurb, 2011 debut author, a different country, opposite gender, book made into a movie, and new-to-you series.

I've read Hear No Evil by James Grippando with detective Jack Swyteck as my opposite gender entry; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson set in Sweden for my different country; and The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny as a new-to-you series starring Inspector Gamache (also set in Canada, a different country).

Only 3 to go.....I'll have to do a little looking for the author from blurb one....

first reading challenge

Okay, here's participation in my first reading challenge!  This one will have to fit between my photography and art challenges somewhere.  Katrina at Callapidder Days has asked for a list of books to be read by December 21 (my birthday!) and then a wrap up post telling how I did and reviewing my faves.

Here goes:
Edge by Jeffery Deaver - currently reading
Now You See Her - Joy Fielding
Driving Mr. Albert - Michael Paterniti

Kindle books for my vacation in October:
Attorney's Run - RJ Jagger
Lawyer Trap - RJ Jagger
Fear the Worst - Linwood Barclay
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Horns - Joe Hill
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet Ann Jacobs
Moonlight Mile - Dennis Lehane
Worth Dying For - Lee Child
The Sixth Man - David Baldacci

Then, for the rest of the year:
Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
The Italian Secretary - Caleb Carr
So Cold the River - Michael Koryta
Fool Me Twice - Paul Levine

I'll check in on December 21 and let you know how I did.....  In the meantime, you can check the links on Katrina's blog and wander through other reading lists - there are lots of books out there!

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
pages:  927

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book. Written by an Australian, the story follows the basic plot line of the author's bio - he escaped from prison in Australia and made his way to India. He lived in a slum and helped as a doctor, he became a member of the Indian mafia and then was recaptured and completed his jail term. That's the broad strokes of the novel as well.

What I particularly enjoyed about the book is the way he describes his interactions with the Indian people he met, their habits and beliefs. I liked that he wrote the English passages in broken English and with misused words, as it might be spoken by a ESL speaker.

The writing style is conversational, easy to read and occasionally a little philosophical as the character tries to make sense of what's happening in his life and around him. Roberts waxes a little poetic sometimes, but I never found it annoying or intrusive.

Although long at just over 900 pages, I thoroughly enjoyed and was kept engaged in the story for over 700 pages. The last 150 or so were less interesting to me - it describes him and going with a small group to help with the war in Afghanistan - I didn't care about those characters and the writing seemed less appealing.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in a "slice of life" look at a big city in India. I really couldn't put it down!




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dipping my toes in

Should I have a blog for each of my interests?  Probably not, but it's easiest to keep them straight that way.  And I wanted to join in the reading community but didn't want to confuse my artistic or photo buddies, so there ya go.

My thought is to use this as a place to track what I read, review and recommend to others, join an occasional challenge, etc.  So, here goes:

Currently I'm reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave.