Anya's Books

And with this second installment I'm done reading this 5 book series. The pathetic, incessant wallowing in self-loathing and self-pity of the main character made me want to have the bad guy win. Also I really hate reading about unspeakable acts of cruelty perpetrated against children, especially in fiction - we have enough of that in reality. UGH

Actual Rating 3.5 stars

This is a nice fast paced young adult dystopian novel. This genre is currently glutting the market of YA fiction. If that were not so this book may have earned 4 stars. But I've recently read several such books and they're becoming kinda like popcorn to me, not all that satisfying but a nice snack which looses its appeal when it's eaten daily.

This book is riddled with tropes. The heroine who is "special"; The corrupt "ideal" society; Sadistic antagonists; "bad-boy" love interest with a tragic past. It's just too much to load all into one book.

So you're asking yourself why 3.5 stars if you feel like that. The thing is that it was an interesting world with a very well paced plot and no "mary-sues"; all the "good" characters were flawed I just wish the bad characters had at least some redeemable aspects to them as well.

I really enjoy Bulgakov's stories but I think I don't like his writing style. The "I think" is because I depend on the interpreters skill at bringing works of Russian literary fiction to life in the English language - not an easy task.

I also wonder if dark satire is really my thing. I like Vonnegut and I think Bugakov is his precursor but just as with Bulgakov the story is always more enjoyable than the writing.

4.5 Stars

I'm neither religious nor a woman of faith and I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only was the language and the humor a delight but I was completely engaged with the arguments presented sometimes incredulous at how such an obviously intelligent man can propose such inanities and other times elated at his insights into human frailties and strengths.

The level of the intellectual gymnastics he presented were world class. And they needed to be of that caliber to force his Christian morality/ethics into his arguments.

I'll be rereading this. Outside of the gymnastics which are so obvious and sadly laughable there is much worthy material in this book to ponder.

It's unfair of me to rate this book so I won't. I simply can't stomach this type of fiction. Without the use of the Victorian Era's Language of Flowers as a hook this story would be nothing but a straight up soap opera in paper form. The language and pacing are good but the story, obviously, did nothing for me.

The Philosophy Sections = 5 stars
The Fiction Sections = 1 star

I loathe giving this book 3 stars (avg). It's going up on my shelves and I know I will return to it often in the future but that is true only because of the revelation which were the philosophy sections. The fiction brought to mind the Dorothy Parker quote "This book is not to be put down lightly, it is to be thrown across the room with great force."

So as not to work myself up into a tizzy I'll start with the good. The author is (was?) a high school philosophy teacher in Norway and this shows in the text. He has a genuine love for the subject and the talented teachers ability to condense, reword and present complicated material in an easy to digest manner. After each section I felt that I had a nice overview and that I was at a good starting point for further exploration. As many others have pointed out the focus is on Western philosophy but Eastern philosophy made enough appearances to whet the appetite for that subject as well. I loved these sections of the book with a burning passion and didn't want them to end. If only the book had been comprised solely of these passages! Alas the author felt the need to wrap them up in a fictional tale.

And here's where I get to the bad. I really hated the parts about the lives of Sophie & Hilda. Initially I was intrigued but once I figured out what the "twist" was I was bored. The boredom soon changed to irritation and then to fury as my beloved philosophy passages were jarringly interrupted by frivolous asides or whole sections of worthless text. This book made me want to take a pair of scissors to it so I could remove the offending passages. Then when I come back to revisit certain chapters my eyes would not have to even skim over those unnecessary words.

I enjoyed this first in a series. The heroine is a bit more hard edged than I like but the writing and the story kept me intrigued and reading. I look forward to the next in the series.

Loved, loved, loved these essays! The woman responsible for some of the wittiest one-liners ever uttered in some of the most famous romantic comedies applies her talent to real life and leaves us with similar belly laughs!

Being a mother of teenagers this is one of my favorite quotes : "When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you."

I absolutely loved John Scalzi's modernized retelling of H.Beam Piper's Litte Fuzzy book (series). His John Holloway is a deliciously sarcastic bad-boy with a brain and though slightly tarnished heart of gold. The story is paced to perfection. I was thoroughly impressed that though much of the story takes place in a courtroom or in relation to legal matters I felt as if I was reading scenes describing breath taking battles and feats of daring do! That is how good John Scalzi is, he takes intellectual gymnastics and puts them to paper in such a way that it's not in the least bit dry or boring. There are some plot holes that bothered me while reading but in the end I was able to let them go and just enjoyed the ride! Go on I know you want to too ... I recommend it :)

This was an Audible book narrated by Wil Wheaton. All I will say is that Mr. Wheaton was unreservedly the perfect choice.

Note: For those planning on getting the Audible version, it comes in 2 parts. The first is this modern retelling called Fuzzy Nation, the second is the original Little Fuzzy. So you get a 2 for 1 deal on the download :)

I'm a fan of this series and this installment did not disappoint. This book stands out to me as the fastest paced story so far. Things get going right away and like a stone rolling down a mountain the story just picked up speed with every turned page.

My one complaint is the love interest for Maisie. I've often thought that there was a possibility for a relationship between those two but I thought more ground-work would need to be laid before it could be a believable development. And if the ground work were laid in this book it would have been a natural path for Maisie to follow in the next book but that's not what happened. He shows up and all of a sudden wants to be with her and she pretty much goes for it (although with her natural reticence to jumping into a relationship).

The story arc with Maurice was heartbreaking but needed to happen and felt natural.

The mystery was not complex but as always it was satisfying to see it unfurl.

For all the authors out there, very few are master story tellers. Neil Gaiman is one of that rare breed.

This is one of those broad books that in the telling of the heroes personal arc covers vast themes of faith, greed, love and self-deception. It is a book that I will have to reread, more than once to absorb completely.

Mr. Gaiman keep writing and I'll keep reading :)

With a 4 star rating you know that I liked this book very much. In my head however there's a bit of tumult with regard to it.

First, the author does an impressive job concentrating years of research into such a cohesive text. Taking such a complex character as Dr. Farmer and managing to neither demonize nor idealize him; either of these extremes I believe are possible with a man such as that. The birth and staggering growth of Partners in Health are also characterized with aplomb. Though I did find the story becoming bogged down with too much politics about two thirds of the way in but that didn't last too long.

Second, Dr. Farmer as perceived by Kidder is a difficult man to like; easy to love or loathe but not like. On the surface, his attitudes that a human life has no place in a cost-benefit analysis and that the poor, the old, and the imprisoned (aka the shafted) are to be treated exactly the same as those that are not are to be lauded. But reading about the way these attitudes manifest in his actions and interactions brings out occasional revulsion and repulsion.

In the end Kidder states, quite rightly (and sadly) I believe, that Partners in Health won't survive Dr.Farmer. His genius and incomparable drive are the life force of that organization and it simply won't be the same without it.

This was not a simple read and I found my attitudes on some issues challenged, I went from admiring Dr.Farmer to being frustrated by him to wanting to smack him upside his head and then back to admiring him, I grew angry with politicians and found myself admiring priests (a rarity for me). All that said don't doubt that this book was worth the effort because it was.

This book was an impulse buy and I'm ever so glad I followed my impulse in this case.

I used to watch Siskel & Ebert religiously when I was a teen and though I often found myself disagreeing with one of these men I enjoyed their debates immensely. However here I got a good look at not Ebert of Siskel and Ebert as I expected but at a real man with failings as well as amazing strengths named Roger Ebert.

This memoir covers many aspects of his life: childhood, professional and emotional development, health problems and how he dealt with them as well as his philosophy regarding life and death. I was thoroughly impressed with his positive outlook as well as his realistic look back at himself. Though I'll never know what he was really like I got a sense that he tried to paint himself truthfully.

The book is written a tad unevenly. I found myself occasionally bored but overall it was a good read and very much worth the time.

Recommended!

A really fun read in the romance/sci-fi genre. Interesting world building, relatable characters, good pacing - in other words satisfying and entertaining. Recommended for those who enjoy a good dose of romance in their sci-fi!

"See the Cat? See the Cradle?"

Cat's Cradle is a distillation of every human frailty and stupidity into a deformed caricature that once consumed unfolds into a stunning and painful realism.

Satire in Vonnegut's hands isn't comical or hilarious as some claim it is sneering and savage. I can see why this book would have been banned - it asks the reader to question deeper all those things s/he simply accepts.

Actual Rating 4.5

This book is literary fiction masquerading as fantasy for people who grew up reading science fiction and fantasy. It was beautiful and sad and heart-warming and not for everybody. I can't imagine this book speaking to anybody who doesn't connect with the worlds of SF&F at least not the way it spoke to me.

I loved how the magic was portrayed here, flowing, soft, complex, invisible, corruptible and completely interconnected with everything (Star Wars anyone?). I loved how much of a teenager Mori(?) is with all the insecurities as well as self-centerdness even though she reaches some wonderful insights and is all sorts of bright.

I've not read half of the books mentioned in this story but that only means that I have that much more new stuff to get my hands on!

Though this isn't my favorite quote, it's one that I simply loved:

' "Bibliotropic," Hugh said. "Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop." '