When Justin shows up at his sister Willa's house, she's less than thrilled. Ever since an incident when they were teens, Justin's been dealing with a When Justin shows up at his sister Willa's house, she's less than thrilled. Ever since an incident when they were teens, Justin's been dealing with a brain injury that changed him. Willa isn't happy about the interruption to her casual relationship with Luke. But Justin has a habit of wandering off, making his life a series of interruptions that all started with his relationship with Nick.
The way this book jumps through time - with flashbacks to Justin & Nick, and the current timeline often skipping over months or years - made this feel disjointed. Slowly we learn what happened, which almost feels normal by the end. It's the strange, disconnected relationships between Justin and Willa and their mother, and all of Justin's other relationships. Everyone in this book felt a little gross and capable of extreme violence, which made what Nick did feel not that bad. ...more
One girl, raised in an underground cage alongside 39 other women, has never seen the outside world. In the cage they are fed and cared for by guards, One girl, raised in an underground cage alongside 39 other women, has never seen the outside world. In the cage they are fed and cared for by guards, but most of them don't remember how they got there, and no one knows why they are there. One night, there's an alarm, and the guards leave, and the women escape into a strange alien world.
This was a strange little novel that didn't give any answers to the many questions it raises. Time passes in bursts that punctuate the otherwise unremarkable lengths where the women are simply existing. The unnamed narrator has never lived in a normal world, and so must find her own purpose. The feeling of loneliness and singularity was the biggest feeling I took away from this story. Though the narrator continues to find evidence of others, she's still an anomaly because she was so young, and eventually outsurvives everyone. I do wish there had been more answers, although with the answers the alien strangeness of this story would have been diminished....more
Quoyle is a man who doesn't think very highly of himself, and so ends up married to a woman who cheats on him and eventually runs off. He's distraughtQuoyle is a man who doesn't think very highly of himself, and so ends up married to a woman who cheats on him and eventually runs off. He's distraught, especially after hearing that she sold their two daughters and then died in a car wreck, but he manages to get the girls back and with the help of his aunt, moves up to their ancestral home in Newfoundland to begin life anew writing for the newspaper. Though life is hard there, Quoyle eventually finds his way and makes a new home.
I struggled HARD to finish this book. The only thing that saved this from a 1-star rating was that the writing did have some beauty to it, and if I'd been looking to read stark descriptions of the cold Canadian seaside, this does paint a picture. There's probably some meaning with the knot-tying that went over my head or I didn't work hard enough to tie into the plot. But oh my god, it was boring. There were interesting turns of events that were completely understated, such as when Quoyle fishes a suitcase out of the ocean that contains a human head, then later almost drowns trying to pull out the headless body. Who was the dead guy? Who knows! Meanwhile there are pages upon pages focused on boatbuilding, seal-skin harvesting, and the harsh seasons. The short newspaper pieces Quoyle writes about "the shipping news" and the boats in the harbor were the most interesting. Then pages of some old man talking in vernacular about who knows what. I actually got the movie from the library just in case I couldn't manage to finish this before the book club meeting, since I kept falling asleep while reading this before bed. Now I have to decide if I want to find out if the movie is more or less boring than this book....more
January 2022 - Brought this along on a vacation to Costa Rica, but it was not exactly a beach read. Made it to page 77. Trying again with the audio.
ApJanuary 2022 - Brought this along on a vacation to Costa Rica, but it was not exactly a beach read. Made it to page 77. Trying again with the audio.
April 2023 - I made it to about the 3-hour mark, and was just not invested in the story. It felt so much like telling rather than showing, and hopped around so much (somehow, with the longest run-on sentences ever) that I had no idea what the point of this novel was. I'm not sure I even made it past where I did in the print edition. I am officially giving up on this book and moving on!...more
The stories of several strangers, connected only by the theme of trees, grow and connect into a story of mankind and its destructive effect on trees. The stories of several strangers, connected only by the theme of trees, grow and connect into a story of mankind and its destructive effect on trees. These strangers begin to see how trees are necessary for the earth, each stranger influencing the others even when they might not even know each other.
The first hundred or so pages of this book were interesting, but a bit of a struggle, as each life was separate and I wondered if I'd ever see any of these characters again. As the stories came together, the pace picked up a little, but this is not a fast read. It's like watching a tree grow. While this did keep my interest and I found myself more and more interested in trees as I read it, I can't deny how I struggled to read this - partly due to the current pandemic and atmosphere. The structure of this story was wonderful, and the writing lovely, and ultimately I did care about each of the characters and I loved the overall message of the story. I'd compare this to The Pillars of the Earth - fascinating, but slow, which is more reflective of the subject than the writing....more
It's 1999 and protesters have gathered in Seattle. Among them are Victor, the black son of a white police chief who ran off to wander the world three It's 1999 and protesters have gathered in Seattle. Among them are Victor, the black son of a white police chief who ran off to wander the world three years ago, and King, a dreadlocked girl whose protests often end in violence. The police are out in force, including Park, an officer many call a hero but who has a mean streak, and Ju, who thought once she left Guatamala she wouldn't be dealing with protests anymore, and Bishop, Victor's father. Victor doesn't mean to be part of the protest, but he ends up there anyway. Then there's Charles Wickhamsinghe, the delegate from Sri Lanka, just trying to make it to the meeting being protested. What started out as a peaceful protest quickly turns violent as these forces collide.
I'm not sure how I found this novel, but I'm pretty sure it had to do with the quote "Your heart is a weapon the size of your fist" - a quote which I can't seem to find the origin of aside from references to it being graffiti - and now I'm not sure if I have the original quote wrong, and the origin is the title here. I went into the book not sure if I would like it, because the subject matter isn't my usual reading. Quickly, however, I was drawn into Victor's story and each of the POV characters who are all lost in the crowd and find themselves in unexpected situations.
While this deals with the real WTO protests, the novel still feels very timely given our current political climate. How the police become overwhelmed and turn violent - although some of their actions here really disturbed me, I know these things did and still do occur as the protesters at Standing Rock are attacked, or the riots in Ferguson. The term "peaceful protest" seems like an oxymoron. I liked seeing all sides here: the protesters, the police, and the politicians. And the writing expressed so much beauty even with the ugly things happening....more
Lib Wright, a nurse trained by Florence Nightgale in the mid-1800s, travels to Ireland to keep watch over an 11-year-old girl. Contrary to her usual nLib Wright, a nurse trained by Florence Nightgale in the mid-1800s, travels to Ireland to keep watch over an 11-year-old girl. Contrary to her usual nurse's duties, here her duty will be to "watch," for Anna is rumored to have survived for four months without food, and still appears healthy. Anna claims she lives off manna from heaven. Lib's job is to verify for the religious community that this claim is true.
At first Lib is convinced that Anna must be sneaking food, possibly with the help of her parents, the local priest, or the nun who keeps up the other half of the watch. But as the days go on and all she sees is Anna taking sips of water and the girl's health deteriorating, she begins to think there is something else going on.
I'm not sure I've read an author who writes such different novels, aside from Joyce Carol Oates. The Wonder is different from Room in almost every way, and so I really can't compare the two. Room is the reason I attended her author event, and I bought this to get it signed because the description sounded interesting. As I read part of the first chapter, waiting for the event to begin (each chapter is about 60 pages long), I wasn't sure I would like it. But then Emma talked about the history involved and her research and I was interested again.
It did take a long time to read, although the last quarter flew by as Anna's condition worsened and she began to figure out what was happening. A few shocking revelations and Lib finally deciding to take action and I couldn't put it down. There was a lot of history here that was rather new to me, at least in such an immediate, relatable way, and I found myself enjoying learning about this time period....more
After discovering a weird species of vampire bats in the South American jungles, the U.S. army begins Project NOAH, injecting death row inmates with aAfter discovering a weird species of vampire bats in the South American jungles, the U.S. army begins Project NOAH, injecting death row inmates with an experimental virus that turns them into vampires. Along comes an orphaned little girl, Amy, brought in by the FBI. The drug affects her differently. Too bad for the army, because now everyone is infected. Decades later, a group of survivors called the Colony live in their outpost, killing virals and staying alive. Then, on a mission to find replacements for their failing batteries (lights keep the virals away), a little girl is found, and they start on a journey that may save the human race.
It took me FOREVER to finish this book (seriously, a month and a half!). The story seemed to jump around a lot at the beginning, and the giant leaps through time threw me off, making it hard for me to identify with any of the characters. The biggest chunk of the book takes place in the future time with the Colony, but there were about 200 pages in the beginning setting up the whole thing, getting me into the lives of those characters, and then they all disappeared. Each time period had its own "world," starting out somewhat similar to our own time but getting less and less so. There was the period before the mass infection, then the period during the initial infection, then about a hundred years later to a post-apocalyptic place. So even though the chapters weren't overly long, and there was quite a bit of action, it seemed to move slowly because I had to keep readjusting.
Then I found out that this is a TRILOGY. I probably will not read the next book. I started reading this at the same time as I was reading the second book in the Strain trilogy (The Fall) and I found myself getting slightly confused between the two. While this does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, it was the kind of cliffhanger where you go, "Oh, they're all dead. Well, that's depressing. End of story." I'm sure there's a whole story about what happened at the very end... just not sure I care that much. For a vampire story, there was not much horror. This was more like an epic fantasy. I did like the way various documents were used to fill out the narrative. But mostly I'm just glad I'm done with it....more
Daniel Green is a musician, or was until the record label dropped him. He's been living off his advance for the past year, wallowing in his thoughts. Daniel Green is a musician, or was until the record label dropped him. He's been living off his advance for the past year, wallowing in his thoughts. He's papered his apartment with post-its filled with some of these thoughts, dates women according to a chart, and watches a lot of television. Sometimes he even feels like he is watching himself.
I found parts of this book hard to read, because it was Daniel talking directly to you - I'm not used to being taken out of a story like that. Some of his thoughts were very much like thoughts I used to have: for example, he talks about how he has underrepresented the amount of television he has watched due to the constraints of fiction, which is kind of like how I used to imagine a book that takes place in real time, that starts when you are born and ends when you die, but if it's in real time then you could never finish the story of someone else's life, because you could only start reading it when you learned to read, and unless you spent every minute of your life reading it, you would never finish it (I also used to think that all movies should be from the point of view of the cameraman, so you are only seeing what someone else could see, which is more like real life). There were lots of charts and diagrams and footnotes and one do-it-yourself flipbook that broke up these long passages, though.
So I feel like it goes against everything Daniel is ranting about regarding fiction and how we expect life to mirror fiction and are inevitably disappointed when it doesn't, to say that I wished there was more action......more
The topic of this book interested me because there aren't too many books that deal with the subject of neglect. The fact that it is written in the forThe topic of this book interested me because there aren't too many books that deal with the subject of neglect. The fact that it is written in the form of poetry made it even more interesting.
Fourteen-year-old Anke's brother and sister bear the brunt of their father's wrath, but he ignores Anke so much that she feels like a piece of furniture. It makes her wish that he would beat her, just so she would know he cared about her at all. Through the volleyball team at school, Anke gains a sense of belonging and empowerment, and she begins to question why no one in her family speaks out against her father's actions - or why she doesn't.
I read this in one day. I thought Anke's feelings were true to life although the poetry format made me feel a little bit like I was skimming the surface....more
Once there was a strange house. Then a man named Navidson who lived in the house with his family made a film about the house. Then a blind man named ZOnce there was a strange house. Then a man named Navidson who lived in the house with his family made a film about the house. Then a blind man named Zampano wrote a dissertation about the film about the house. Then a guy named Johnny Truant found the manuscript about the film about the house. What you end up reading is the manuscript with Johnny's notes, complete with Zampano's footnotes and other additional material in the back.
I had heard a lot about this book, often with it appearing on lists of great horror novels. While parts of this book were creepy, and sometimes it can get into your head, I can't really say this is a "horror" novel. It was almost too much work to read (took me over two months). Sometimes you had to read the book upside down or decode a passage, or flip forward to read a fifty-page section of an appendix because that's what the footnote said to do. The idea of the darkness inside this house was pretty creepy, and a while back I had a weird dream that was definitely influenced by this book. I just wish the story of the house wasn't so filtered....more
I found out about this book when it was selected by ALA as the top pick in the horror genre. A verse werewolf novel? How could I not read it?
I've readI found out about this book when it was selected by ALA as the top pick in the horror genre. A verse werewolf novel? How could I not read it?
I've read verse novels before, but these were usually geared toward YA or middle grade audiences and were considerably shorter. This one felt epic, and had echoes of those epic poems we are all forced to read in school. I liked how even though it was clear that the characters were actually werewolves, the story could have just as easily been about warring gangs or tribes or armies, with the werewolf as a metaphor for the warrior within. It's a bit strange to think that an epic poem about werewolves could be beautiful, but it was.
I wasn't sure I would like this, since I couldn't even finish All the Pretty Horses. Somehow McCarthy's writing here fit better than in that novel. ToI wasn't sure I would like this, since I couldn't even finish All the Pretty Horses. Somehow McCarthy's writing here fit better than in that novel. To me, the writing felt similar to Hemingway in the way mundane details led to small epiphanies. The plot probably had more to do with keeping my interest.
Essentially, this is about a post-apocalyptic world where there is no sun. Everything is covered in ash, and people roam around, scavenging for food. A father and son travel a road south, each surviving only for the other.
The short paragraphic scenes made this a quick read, although I think the story will stay with me for a while. ...more
My favorite quote: "If I had been able to commit suicide and then see their reaction, why, then the game would have been worth the candle. But the earMy favorite quote: "If I had been able to commit suicide and then see their reaction, why, then the game would have been worth the candle. But the earth is dark, cher ami, the coffin thick, and the shroud opaque." Read in Grade 12 for an AP English assignment--I had lived The Stranger in French class and wanted to try another book by Camus....more
An amazing story, a frightening look at a possible future--most people think of the future as machines and sci-fi, but I think it is all too possible An amazing story, a frightening look at a possible future--most people think of the future as machines and sci-fi, but I think it is all too possible for there to be a religious reversal, turning society backwards to Puritan standards....more
I really want to like Margaret Atwood, especially after The Handmaid's Tale, but I haven't really been impressed by anything else she's written.I really want to like Margaret Atwood, especially after The Handmaid's Tale, but I haven't really been impressed by anything else she's written....more
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