Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (May 23, 2006)
List Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0061120081
BINC: 8258291
Page Count: 336
Summary:
According to Amazon: A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father -- a crusading local lawyer -- risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Best Bit:
Calpurnia. I love her. Also, Atticus, in general, because he is so clueless sometimes about raising Jem and Scout, but he really does everything right.
Quick Review:
Uh, it's pretty much a classic. I reread because I haven't read it in ages, and had pretty much forgotten most of the major plot points. But how can you "review" a book like To Kill a Mockingbird?
Final Grade: A
Author: Harper Lee
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (May 23, 2006)
List Price: $15.95
ISBN: 0061120081
BINC: 8258291
Page Count: 336
Summary:
According to Amazon: A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father -- a crusading local lawyer -- risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Best Bit:
Calpurnia. I love her. Also, Atticus, in general, because he is so clueless sometimes about raising Jem and Scout, but he really does everything right.
Quick Review:
Uh, it's pretty much a classic. I reread because I haven't read it in ages, and had pretty much forgotten most of the major plot points. But how can you "review" a book like To Kill a Mockingbird?
Final Grade: A
Halfway through October, and ahead of schedule... which is a good thing, as I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month in November.
Books read: 7
Pages read: 1973
Favorite so far: Stephen King's On Writing
Least favorite so far: Cormac McCarthy's The Road (although I want so badly to like it! It will be a book that I will struggle with for awhile, I think.)
I have some more books on my list, and this time it's a little more fiction heavy than the first batch, although there's a least one more writing book on there before November rolls around.
Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Format: Hardcover
Publishing Info: Knopf (September 26, 2006)
List Price: $24.00
ISBN: 0307265439
BINC: 8451754
Page Count: 241
Summary:
A father and son, post-apocalyptic America, on the road.
Best Bit:
I don't want to give too much away (with new fiction especially, there's a lot to spoil for potential readers), but I do enjoy the fact that this adventure takes place many years after the destruction of society, that food really is that scarce. Most of these kinds of stories start with the actual end event, then go from there, but the two main characters have been on the road for years before we meet them.
Quick Review:
I am going to go out on a limb here. A lot of people are saying that this is McCarthy's finest work, and honestly, I feel like the fact that I haven't read anything else by him impacts how I read this book. That said, this book is highly stylized, and much more about the ideas of a post-apocalyptic world than the story he could be telling. So for most of the book, I was thinking, Stephen King could (and has) told this story so much better. This is from a purely story-telling point of view. It was hard not to compare the book to The Stand, or even Cell, and in some cases, I saw parallels between this and Joss Whedon's Firefly series (between the Reavers and the cannibals in McCarthy's ash-filled America). The problem is, these three works that I have in the back of my head all have characters that I love, whereas that was sorely lacking in this book.
The blank slate that the ash and burnt out cities and woods full of dead trees provide a place for McCarthy to work lingustic wonders, but little else. He is focused on THE IDEAS, and while that isn't a bad thing, sometimes the ideas don't need to be the focus. A good story with characters that you root for in such a setting like this still leads you to the ideas on your own, and it is just, if not more, satisfying to read.
I'm not saying I didn't like the book, because I did. I read it tonight in about four or five hours in pretty much a straight shot (with some time taken for dinner). But I feel like this book is just an excuse for people who are fans of literature instead of fans of a story to finally get to play around in a setting that is usually reserved for genres such as horror, science ficition, or fantasy (the lesser pursuits, so to speak). It just isn't sitting well with me.
Final Grade: C
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Genre: Fiction/Literature
Format: Hardcover
Publishing Info: Knopf (September 26, 2006)
List Price: $24.00
ISBN: 0307265439
BINC: 8451754
Page Count: 241
Summary:
A father and son, post-apocalyptic America, on the road.
Best Bit:
I don't want to give too much away (with new fiction especially, there's a lot to spoil for potential readers), but I do enjoy the fact that this adventure takes place many years after the destruction of society, that food really is that scarce. Most of these kinds of stories start with the actual end event, then go from there, but the two main characters have been on the road for years before we meet them.
Quick Review:
I am going to go out on a limb here. A lot of people are saying that this is McCarthy's finest work, and honestly, I feel like the fact that I haven't read anything else by him impacts how I read this book. That said, this book is highly stylized, and much more about the ideas of a post-apocalyptic world than the story he could be telling. So for most of the book, I was thinking, Stephen King could (and has) told this story so much better. This is from a purely story-telling point of view. It was hard not to compare the book to The Stand, or even Cell, and in some cases, I saw parallels between this and Joss Whedon's Firefly series (between the Reavers and the cannibals in McCarthy's ash-filled America). The problem is, these three works that I have in the back of my head all have characters that I love, whereas that was sorely lacking in this book.
The blank slate that the ash and burnt out cities and woods full of dead trees provide a place for McCarthy to work lingustic wonders, but little else. He is focused on THE IDEAS, and while that isn't a bad thing, sometimes the ideas don't need to be the focus. A good story with characters that you root for in such a setting like this still leads you to the ideas on your own, and it is just, if not more, satisfying to read.
I'm not saying I didn't like the book, because I did. I read it tonight in about four or five hours in pretty much a straight shot (with some time taken for dinner). But I feel like this book is just an excuse for people who are fans of literature instead of fans of a story to finally get to play around in a setting that is usually reserved for genres such as horror, science ficition, or fantasy (the lesser pursuits, so to speak). It just isn't sitting well with me.
Final Grade: C
Title: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Writing for Publication
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publishing Info: Pocket (July 1, 2002)
List Price: $7.99
ISBN: 0743455967
BINC: 6871921
Page Count: 291
*Note: When looking for this book in a bookstore, you will most likely find it in horror or fiction with King's other books, not in the writing section where it belongs.
Summary:
About half autobiography, half writing guide, the whole thing adds up into a neat look into one of my favorite writers (and I won't say guilty pleasure either, because I grew up on Stephen King books, just like he grew up on monster movies).
Best Bit:
While I enjoyed the look into his childhood and family life, his blunt but humorous advice on writing ("The adverb is not your friend," he says with great meaning) is spectacular. Surpassing even that is his frequent plea to stick to your guns, especially when it comes to something that, if published, could cause a stir: "If you substitute 'Oh sugar!' for 'Oh shit!' because you're thinking about the Legion of Decency, you are breaking the unspoken contract that exists between writer and reader -- your promise to express the truth of how people act and talk through the medium of a made up story."
Quick Review:
It's really a quick read (I picked it up while I was waiting for my new eyeglasses to come out from the back of my local Lenscrafters), but King's sense of humor shines through the whole book. He's made it quick because, in his words, the amount of time you spend reading this book about writing takes away from the time you could be writing. For someone who is accused of being a "popular fiction" writer (said with all the disdain of a literary critic), he knows what works, what sells, but above all, what people want to read. It's also fascinating to read his thoughts on individual novels (The Stand being of particular interest to me... and I have to admit what he says about that book surprised me quite a bit).
Final Grade: A
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Writing for Publication
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publishing Info: Pocket (July 1, 2002)
List Price: $7.99
ISBN: 0743455967
BINC: 6871921
Page Count: 291
*Note: When looking for this book in a bookstore, you will most likely find it in horror or fiction with King's other books, not in the writing section where it belongs.
Summary:
About half autobiography, half writing guide, the whole thing adds up into a neat look into one of my favorite writers (and I won't say guilty pleasure either, because I grew up on Stephen King books, just like he grew up on monster movies).
Best Bit:
While I enjoyed the look into his childhood and family life, his blunt but humorous advice on writing ("The adverb is not your friend," he says with great meaning) is spectacular. Surpassing even that is his frequent plea to stick to your guns, especially when it comes to something that, if published, could cause a stir: "If you substitute 'Oh sugar!' for 'Oh shit!' because you're thinking about the Legion of Decency, you are breaking the unspoken contract that exists between writer and reader -- your promise to express the truth of how people act and talk through the medium of a made up story."
Quick Review:
It's really a quick read (I picked it up while I was waiting for my new eyeglasses to come out from the back of my local Lenscrafters), but King's sense of humor shines through the whole book. He's made it quick because, in his words, the amount of time you spend reading this book about writing takes away from the time you could be writing. For someone who is accused of being a "popular fiction" writer (said with all the disdain of a literary critic), he knows what works, what sells, but above all, what people want to read. It's also fascinating to read his thoughts on individual novels (The Stand being of particular interest to me... and I have to admit what he says about that book surprised me quite a bit).
Final Grade: A
Title: Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
Author: Temple Grandin
Genre: General Animal Life/Zoology
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Harvest Books; Reprint edition (January 2, 2006)
List Price: $15.00
ISBN: 0156031442
BINC: 7994679
Page Count: 372
Summary:
Temple Grandin has worked to institute humane conditions for farm animals across the nation. Her autism has helped her to understand the way animals see and understand things, as well as highlight why animals respond to certain stimuli the way they do.
Best Bit:
I read the book more for the autism bits than for the animal aspect, actually, and her brief story of building a "squeeze machine" after being inspired by animals was quite fascinating (and I verified with my aunt that my autistic cousin is very much the same in being calmed by pressure).
Quick Review:
It's an easy but informative read, and I have to admit that the way farms work has never really crossed my mind. In fact, I really had no clue how most farm animals (such as pigs and cattle) were "humanely" killed until it became a plot point on Bones earlier this season. I am pathetic, I know. Anyway, the strongest points of the book are where Grandin ties together how she interprets words, images, and other stimuli, then translates it into what animals see. These links between animal brains and human brains are explained simply but effectively. As some have noted on Amazon, the passages on cats and dogs are definitively weaker, because of her lack of experience.
Final Grade: B
Author: Temple Grandin
Genre: General Animal Life/Zoology
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Harvest Books; Reprint edition (January 2, 2006)
List Price: $15.00
ISBN: 0156031442
BINC: 7994679
Page Count: 372
Summary:
Temple Grandin has worked to institute humane conditions for farm animals across the nation. Her autism has helped her to understand the way animals see and understand things, as well as highlight why animals respond to certain stimuli the way they do.
Best Bit:
I read the book more for the autism bits than for the animal aspect, actually, and her brief story of building a "squeeze machine" after being inspired by animals was quite fascinating (and I verified with my aunt that my autistic cousin is very much the same in being calmed by pressure).
Quick Review:
It's an easy but informative read, and I have to admit that the way farms work has never really crossed my mind. In fact, I really had no clue how most farm animals (such as pigs and cattle) were "humanely" killed until it became a plot point on Bones earlier this season. I am pathetic, I know. Anyway, the strongest points of the book are where Grandin ties together how she interprets words, images, and other stimuli, then translates it into what animals see. These links between animal brains and human brains are explained simply but effectively. As some have noted on Amazon, the passages on cats and dogs are definitively weaker, because of her lack of experience.
Final Grade: B
Title: The Archeology of Knowledge & The Discourse on Language
Author: Michel Foucault
Genre: Western Philosophy
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Pantheon (September 12, 1982)
List Price: $10.36
ISBN: 0394711068
BINC: 167385
Page Count: 256
Summary:
Um, how to sum up anything by Foucault? This book is more an examination of how Foucault himself classifies things in his own work, but gets into some of the things that made History of Sexuality so fascinating for me: discourse and its relationship to power.
Best Bit:
I have to say, the short(er) lecture The Discourse on Language is not only a much faster read, but really interesting.
Quick Review:
Filled to the brink with terms I only quasi-understand, Foucault is still a bit of a challenge for me, but that's ok. When he gets into literature, grammar, and discourse, I feel like I'm on much safer ground than when he's name dropping people from the natural sciences field. In his intro, Foucault says that history is traditionally thought of as the study that "transforms documents into monuments." (7) That alone hooked me right there. I actually got a lot of neat ideas for my Nano project out of this book.
Final Grade: A
Author: Michel Foucault
Genre: Western Philosophy
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Pantheon (September 12, 1982)
List Price: $10.36
ISBN: 0394711068
BINC: 167385
Page Count: 256
Summary:
Um, how to sum up anything by Foucault? This book is more an examination of how Foucault himself classifies things in his own work, but gets into some of the things that made History of Sexuality so fascinating for me: discourse and its relationship to power.
Best Bit:
I have to say, the short(er) lecture The Discourse on Language is not only a much faster read, but really interesting.
Quick Review:
Filled to the brink with terms I only quasi-understand, Foucault is still a bit of a challenge for me, but that's ok. When he gets into literature, grammar, and discourse, I feel like I'm on much safer ground than when he's name dropping people from the natural sciences field. In his intro, Foucault says that history is traditionally thought of as the study that "transforms documents into monuments." (7) That alone hooked me right there. I actually got a lot of neat ideas for my Nano project out of this book.
Final Grade: A
Title: No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
Author: Chris Baty
Genre: Writing for Publication
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2004)
List Price: $14.95
ISBN: 0811845052
BINC: 7596355
Page Count: 176
Summary:
Essentially a peptalk and guide to the fear-inducing and sanity-reducing National Novel Writing Month (well, at least in my case). Advice, tips, and fun stories from the founder of NaNoWriMo and various winners from previous years.
Best Bit:
While I don't have children or an office job, I was endlessly amused at advice on how to duck kids, household responsibilites, and snooping managers.
Quick Review:
It's a very fast read (I just finished at 2 AM and I think I started somewhere around 12:45 AM), but enjoyable nonetheless. Definitely got me in the mood for writing. One nitpick: the sections that are on the grey background are nigh on impossible to read without going blind. I also would have loved to see an appendix with resources and whatnot, but in this internet age, such things are easily found via Google (and also quickly outdated). Overall, if you have a few hours to read this in preparation of NaNoWriMo, it's well worth it.
Final Grade:
A
Author: Chris Baty
Genre: Writing for Publication
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2004)
List Price: $14.95
ISBN: 0811845052
BINC: 7596355
Page Count: 176
Summary:
Essentially a peptalk and guide to the fear-inducing and sanity-reducing National Novel Writing Month (well, at least in my case). Advice, tips, and fun stories from the founder of NaNoWriMo and various winners from previous years.
Best Bit:
While I don't have children or an office job, I was endlessly amused at advice on how to duck kids, household responsibilites, and snooping managers.
Quick Review:
It's a very fast read (I just finished at 2 AM and I think I started somewhere around 12:45 AM), but enjoyable nonetheless. Definitely got me in the mood for writing. One nitpick: the sections that are on the grey background are nigh on impossible to read without going blind. I also would have loved to see an appendix with resources and whatnot, but in this internet age, such things are easily found via Google (and also quickly outdated). Overall, if you have a few hours to read this in preparation of NaNoWriMo, it's well worth it.
Final Grade:
A
Title: Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Publishing Info: William Morrow (September 26, 2006)
List Price: $26.95
ISBN: 0060515228
BINC: 8417156
Page Count: 400
Summary:
31 short works by Nail Gaiman, starting with a Sherlock Holmes meets Lovecraft tale and ending with a novella following Shadow's exploits in Scotland 2 years after the events of American Gods. Filled with ghosts, a talking raven, zombies, mistaken identies, and did I mention zombies?
Best Bit:
I was expecting the novella based off American Gods to be my favorite, but I wasn't expecting the Sherlock Holmes tale at all. If Neil Gaiman were to write some more Holmes, I would be more than ok with that. Other standouts include "Goliath," a story based in the world of The Matrix, and a short poem "The Day The Saucers Came."
Quick Review:
If you like Gaiman's other works, you're going to like Fragile Things. People who are uncomfortable with the unique feeling he manages in his sort of genre-crossing works tend to be disappointed. But if you like an author who plays with the concepts of reality, fantasy, and escapism, sometimes outwardly stating so, it's a very pleasurable read. Largely, these "short fictions" really are quite short, which means it's easy to pick up, read one or two, and go back to something else. I will say that reading the short story "Closing Time" at 4 am in the almost dark was a terrible idea: even though Gaiman never *really* crosses that line into horror, he certainly can be a master of unsettling you with a deft sentence describing the smallest nuance of a scene, and suddenly you find yourself huddling under the covers, a bit more anxious than you were before.
Final Grade: A
Pages Read: 637
Next Up: Still Foucault's Archeology of Knowledge. This was a bit faster to read, naturally.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Publishing Info: William Morrow (September 26, 2006)
List Price: $26.95
ISBN: 0060515228
BINC: 8417156
Page Count: 400
Summary:
31 short works by Nail Gaiman, starting with a Sherlock Holmes meets Lovecraft tale and ending with a novella following Shadow's exploits in Scotland 2 years after the events of American Gods. Filled with ghosts, a talking raven, zombies, mistaken identies, and did I mention zombies?
Best Bit:
I was expecting the novella based off American Gods to be my favorite, but I wasn't expecting the Sherlock Holmes tale at all. If Neil Gaiman were to write some more Holmes, I would be more than ok with that. Other standouts include "Goliath," a story based in the world of The Matrix, and a short poem "The Day The Saucers Came."
Quick Review:
If you like Gaiman's other works, you're going to like Fragile Things. People who are uncomfortable with the unique feeling he manages in his sort of genre-crossing works tend to be disappointed. But if you like an author who plays with the concepts of reality, fantasy, and escapism, sometimes outwardly stating so, it's a very pleasurable read. Largely, these "short fictions" really are quite short, which means it's easy to pick up, read one or two, and go back to something else. I will say that reading the short story "Closing Time" at 4 am in the almost dark was a terrible idea: even though Gaiman never *really* crosses that line into horror, he certainly can be a master of unsettling you with a deft sentence describing the smallest nuance of a scene, and suddenly you find yourself huddling under the covers, a bit more anxious than you were before.
Final Grade: A
Pages Read: 637
Next Up: Still Foucault's Archeology of Knowledge. This was a bit faster to read, naturally.
Title: You Can Get Arrested For That: 2 Guys, 25 Dumb Laws, 1 Absurd American Crime Spree
Author: Rich Smith
Genre: Humor
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Three Rivers Press (August 1, 2006)
List Price: $13.95
ISBN: 0307339424
BINC: 8295553
Page Count: 237
Summary:
Well, the subtitle is definitely the best: two blokes from across the pond tackle America and its best dumb laws, such as "Cards may not be played on the street with a Native American" (Globe, Arizona). The book is part documentation of their quest, part road trip journal, and includes some rather wonderful musings on small town America, the price of gas, and Bateman's fondness for Hooters.
Best bit:
Smith's intense obsession with roundabouts (or, as I call them, rotaries). Who knew traffic circles could inspire such adoration?
Quick review:
Apparently, it's rather difficult to break silly laws in this country. Who knew? I remember having a book that listed these kinds of laws when I was a kid, and being deeply amused. I had high hopes for this book when I picked it up, and unfortunately, it didn't quite meet them. The strengths of the book are definitely Smith's interactions with the people he meets along the way (his stop in Mineral Point, Wisconsin is a highlight). Ultimately unnecessary are the reports of Smith and his pal Bateman's nightly drinking habits, which tend to add little to the narrative. Somtimes the book is just as meandering as Smith's travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Final grade:
B
Pages read: 237
Up next: Michel Foucault's The Archeology of Knowledge.
Author: Rich Smith
Genre: Humor
Format: Quality Paperback
Publishing Info: Three Rivers Press (August 1, 2006)
List Price: $13.95
ISBN: 0307339424
BINC: 8295553
Page Count: 237
Summary:
Well, the subtitle is definitely the best: two blokes from across the pond tackle America and its best dumb laws, such as "Cards may not be played on the street with a Native American" (Globe, Arizona). The book is part documentation of their quest, part road trip journal, and includes some rather wonderful musings on small town America, the price of gas, and Bateman's fondness for Hooters.
Best bit:
Smith's intense obsession with roundabouts (or, as I call them, rotaries). Who knew traffic circles could inspire such adoration?
Quick review:
Apparently, it's rather difficult to break silly laws in this country. Who knew? I remember having a book that listed these kinds of laws when I was a kid, and being deeply amused. I had high hopes for this book when I picked it up, and unfortunately, it didn't quite meet them. The strengths of the book are definitely Smith's interactions with the people he meets along the way (his stop in Mineral Point, Wisconsin is a highlight). Ultimately unnecessary are the reports of Smith and his pal Bateman's nightly drinking habits, which tend to add little to the narrative. Somtimes the book is just as meandering as Smith's travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Final grade:
B
Pages read: 237
Up next: Michel Foucault's The Archeology of Knowledge.
An Introduction:
About Me: My name is Meg. I have a B.A. in Literature from American University in Washington D.C. I currently work full time at Borders. I need to double-check the official policy on blogging, but I'm sure they won't mind if I provide an easy way to find the books I read at Borders - the BINC (an identification number).
About This Blog: This blog is dedicated solely to my project to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Nothing personal, work related, or otherwise off topic points of conversation will be discussed in entries.
About The Project: Reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks isn't exactly an original idea, but it's something I've wanted to do for awhile. You might want to also check out Largehearted Boy who has done it for a few years running now.
The Rules:
- Genre limitations: Fiction/literature/litcrit is unlimited, however, each additional genre (ex. science fiction, fantasy, humor, politics, &c.) is limited to 5 books.
- The Shakespeare rule: Plays count, but limited to 2 plays in the final tally.
- Author, Author: No more than 3 books by any one author, unless part of a series.
- Familiarity breeds laziness: Only 5 rereads allowed! If I have only read part (less than one half) of a book before, this rule does not apply.
Official Start Date: October 1, 2006
