Kingsolver Gives Us Wings

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I charged through this book. It was strange, because I wouldn't say it was action packed, but the characters were so engaging and the plight of the butterflies so tenuous that I couldn't put it down. Kingsolver rarely fails me, and this is another triumph. Wonderful read, you should get it here:



View all my reviews

Wilder's French War Fantasy

My French Whore by Gene Wilder

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This novelette started of quaint and sweet. The language was simple, but the characters had depth and charm. The story took a turn when the hero began playing himself off as a German spy. It was a little suspenseful, but ultimately still felt like a charming lark. Which is why the abrupt ending was so unnerving for me. I felt like I had been on a happy little carousel ride that ended in the steep drop of a roller coaster.


"My French Whore" was entertaining light reading. It would be a great beach/vacation book, or something to distract on the plane.



View all my reviews

"A Long Way Down" Felt Like a Long Way To Nowhere

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This book was a struggle to get through from the beginning. Generally, I consider myself a fan of Nick Hornby. I don't think he's God's gift to literature or anything, but his novels are usually entertaining and satisfying like a particularly well constructed romantic comedy movie.



"A Long Way Down" however lacked charm, substance, and narrative arc. It went nowhere, slowly. I kept waiting for the characters to develop into people I could give a shit about, but that never happened. In fact, I found them so boring and unlikeable that I hoped that they would all just jump off of that rooftop and end the misery for all of us.



Only my dogged tenacity and hope that Hornby would somehow redeem the story in the end kept me reading. It turns ou, that there was no payoff in finishing this mind-numbing, nose-picking, navel-gazing slop. I would not recommend it to anyone.



View all my reviews

Congratulations Neil Gaiman!

Neil Gaiman, incidentally one of my all-time favorite authors, just won the Newbery Medal for, The Graveyard Book. This book is one of the most unique stories I have ever read, and I loved the addition of the illustrations by Dave McKean. If any of you have not read, The Graveyard Book, a story about a boy who is raised in a graveyard and protected from assassins by members of the spiritual realm, then you must, must get a copy and read it. Now!

Congratulations Mr. Gaiman. You thoroughly deserve this prestigious honor.