Here's a synopsis of Zeitoun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitoun_%28book%29.
And here is an article I found doing research after reading: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/07/zeitoun_found_not_guilty_on_bo.html
Two very different stories. And this is what we spent most of the time discussing. Reading non-fiction is very different from fiction, obviously, and in this case, it makes you wonder heavily about how biased/unbiased the author is, how much is left out, and what is left out when the focus of the book is on one specific thing.
The Last Enchantment- Ummmmm, I struggled with this book. I picked it up because I immediately recognized the Bridge of Sighs on the cover. I will always read a book about Oxford, even the bad ones (or movies- and I'm looking at your, Oxford Murders....) and so I did but did not love it. I had a hard time empathizing with the main character and I had a hard time figuring out what the author wanted me to walk away with. It seemed like a fictionalization of the authors diary from his time in Oxford. Yet it was told almost like a flashback but with no indication of what the narrator was currently doing and how long ago his time in Oxford had been. While it's not the worst book about Oxford, I'd much rather watch an episode of Lewis or something like that.
Sound of Broken Glass- Oh I love me some Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid! Although I'm sad that in recent books, Gemma and Duncan are together less and less. I really like the secondary characters in the G/D books, especially Melody and Doug, but they will never replace the G/D relationship and interactions that got me into the series to begin with. I guess it's a part of the evolution of a relationship, especially since they're now married and raising their blended family but I still miss it. I found this most recent G/D mystery at the library and read it in about a day. The problem I had with it was it just seemed to have way too many coincidences as the solution for the mystery. But I love Crystal Palace and would love to, next time I'm in London, explore that area of town in a lot more depth.
Zealot- This book came on my radar in two ways. First of all, the author was on Jon Stewart. Secondly, he rocked this online Fox News interview, dealing with the interviewer with respect and aplomb (which is a great word). (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1cOnNrY5s) For the book itself: I appreciated that it wasn't just a "history of Jesus". Aslan sets the stage really well by discussing the different zealot and zealot groups that informed the world Jesus was born into and likewise does the same with expressing what the world after Jesus looks like. The problem I had was that he wasn't as clear making his argument as I had hoped and there seemed to be a lot of repetition with some points he was making. Aslan did raise some interesting concepts that caused me to stop and think but I'm not sure that it was as controversial as many make it out to be.
Will Grayson Will Grayson- Written in alternating chapters by John Green and Dave Levithan, I wasn't sure what I was expecting and I'm not sure what I got. The idea of two Will Graysons meeting unexpectedly was a nice touch but I almost felt like Will Grayson #1 got shafted in place of his best friend (and a pretty terrible best friend) Tiny, who gets with Will Grayson #2. I guess my problem was that too much attention was on Tiny and not enough of the Will Gryson I liked better.
Witch of Cologne- This was one of those books that I really wanted to like but, gosh, I just couldn't. It was too long, it was overly dramatic in too many ways, it almost seemed repetitive, and felt like it should have been several separate books that instead were shoved together into one book. Luckily it was a quick read and so took me way less time than it could have but my expectations were just way too high to be met.
Swallow and Amazons- Um, I LOVED this. It had the sibling love of Narnia, the adventure of Robinson Crusoe, the best mother ever, such fun characters, and a simplistic way of life that just isn't seen. Apparently this is a series and I cannot wait to read more. Thank you, BBC book list for introducing me to John, Susan, Titty, and Roger, as well as the nicest savage mother ever.
Persuasion and Emma- I'm required to read at least two Jane Austen books for the BBC books list and so I'm trying. I'm really trying. I just started Emma and eh.... it's fine, I guess. I'm having a hard time getting Gwyneth Paltrow out of my head while I read since I have seen the movie she did. I finished Persuasion last night and although I didn't love the story, I actually really liked Anne Elliot. I felt she was understated, patient, kind, and un-obnoxious heroine who wasn't bemoaning her state but living her life the way she needed to and letting it all work out in the end .While I'm certainly not an Austen convert, I feel like I at least appreciate some characters more than I did before I read Austen. In short, I did not hate reading Austen but I wouldn't consider it an experience I'd repeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment