Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Book Reports

I finished another couple of books:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Kindle edition. This one is quite popular. A friend told me she stayed awake on a red-eye flight, the only one awake and with her light on, unable to put the book down. She's the reason I bought the book. But I didn't like it that well. The first part is actually rather boring. Then when it starts to get interesting, I didn't like the story. It's gruesome, and I really didn't like most of the characters very well. So... I may be the only one in the world who is not in love with this book, but so it goes. I give it a B-. (BTW, it is translated from Swedish, and there are three books by this author. He died right after getting the three manuscripts to the publisher, so there will be no more from him; sadly for those who love the books. I probably will not read the other two.)



Right after I finished the above book, I picked another one from my list in the Kindle. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. For me, this one was the page turner. I could not put it down. I read the entire book and finished it in one day! This was a story that captivated me, and I loved the main character. She is 15. I did wonder at her maturity... quite far above most 15-year-olds that I have known... but, there are those mature 15-year-olds, and it kind of fit with the quick growing up she'd had to do during her tough early years. It takes place right after the end of WWII, centering on a family of a mom, step-dad, and the daughter. Step-Dad has just returned from the war. They have a lot of experiences that are shaped by the war and its aftermath and also by the pre-war poverty and single-motherhood status in the early years of this family. I recommend this fascinating page-turner that kept me glued to my Kindle all afternoon and evening. A+ (in fact, this book is a 2008 National Book Award winner, young adult category - I really enjoy this genre, apparently! I read them and love them and find out later that they are young adult books.. but old adults can love them, too. I'm proof.)

I still haven't finished the alphabet. I have J and Y left to read. But I've doubled and tripled up on some of the other letters, so I think I've met and surpassed the challenge. It was a lot of fun picking books by the letter with which the title begins! I still sort of do that as I choose which book to read next. I refuse to read them in the alphabetical order in which they appear in my Kindle! That's too boring. I like to mix it up.

What have you read lately that you couldn't put down?

8 comments:

Pattilou said...
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Pattilou said...

I've been reading alot lately. Can't stand the noise of the TV and I'm not quilt able to sew much yet. I've just read among others a couple of books by John Grisham. Ford County is one of his newer ones. As I understand he took manuscripts that he couldn't really develop into book length books and put them in this book. I loved the book. I love the descriptions of his characters and just the way he weaves the stories together. I've tried since then to read a few books, that I've not been able to get into, so hubby has returned them. One I've been wanting to try is Hunger Games--guess that's really popular, since I was placed at #500 on the list at the library. The Stieg Larsson books are dark and I don't know why I liked them so, maybe it was just the tenacity of the main character--anyhoo it's okay to not run with the pack and like the same things as everyone else. That's what make us unique! Life is just too short to spend time in a book that you don't like--at least by page 50. Pick another from the shelf is what I always told my students. Some of my favorite books are written for teens! I loved prereading the new books coming out when I was teaching so that I could help students pick books. A series I never could get inot was Harry Potter. Never rang any bells for me and the current fixation on werwolf stuff--not into that either! Thanks for sharing. Love your blog. (This is a repost of the previous one with a spelling correction. :>)

Unknown said...

Oh gosh, I just couldn't get into the book, maybe like you the boring boring first 30 pages just doesn't get me going...then I have a tendency to just not bother.
Everyone is talking of this book and the other two...is it because he is dead? The publicity of writing three books, then dying...never knowing his successes?
His family is now rich because of him.

I may try to read it again...but not too soon.
Love the book reviews...

Twisted Quilts said...

I am reading The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles. It is available on Kindle but I found it on sale at Barnes and Noble. It is about two sisters in Brazil.

Unknown said...

I am reading Left To Tell by (I know the name...but can't spell it) It is an autobiography that takes place in Rwanda...READ IT...

Anonymous said...

I didn't like The Girl with Dragon Tattoo either but I forced myself to finish it to see what all the fuss was about. I just read and loved Sherman Alexsie's Absoletly True Diary of a Part Time Indian. It is a young adult book but so incredibly wise under the humor.

Andi said...

I started with "The Girl who played with fire" and then had to go back to GWTDT. I think ...Fire was better than ...Dragon, so i'm glad I went out of order!

You might enjoy "A Mango-shaped space" - it was young adult and I found it a enjoyable, quick read.

oldbatt said...

Loved the Harry Potter series and I am way beyond my teenage years! But another one that I read and reread was Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen. One of the best books again and again! Lisa