Monday, May 31, 2004
Lord of the Flies
By William Golding [Amazon link]
My rating: 4/5
Lord of the Flies is at once difficult to read and compelling. What would happen if a plane-load of British school boys was stranded on a tropic island? Lord of the Flies is author William Golding's vision of such a situation.
Posted by Joanna @ 10:37 PM
Friday, May 28, 2004
Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions
By Daniel Wallace [Amazon link]
My rating: 4/5
A coalescence of myths and humanity, darkness and humor, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions is a book that draws you in and won't let go. It's the story of Edward Bloom, told through the tall tales he's regaled his son with over the years. It's also his son William's story, the story of a man who longed to know his father better, as a person, not as a godlike character who was rarely home. Everyone loved Edward, animals were drawn to him, women adored him; yet, with his own family, he was withdrawn, a presence, yet not reallly there.
Big Fish is a sad, yet funny and poignant read.
Posted by Joanna @ 4:44 PM
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Tuck Everlasting
By Natalie Babbitt [Amazon link]
My rating: 4/5
The story is engaging and intense, the writing lyrical. For a children's book, it is rather dark and thought-provoking. And, also because it's a children's book, it leaves the adult reader wanting more details. I would love to read an "adult" version of the story, to explore the tale more in depth.
(By the way, this book has been made into a movie, which I'd like to see now.)
Posted by Joanna @ 10:17 PM
Sunday, May 23, 2004
A Long Fatal Love Chase
By Louisa May Alcott [Amazon link]
My rating: 3/5
I did a double-take when I saw Louisa May Alcott's name on A Long Fatal Love Chase. As you probably know, Alcott is best known as the author of Little Women, a perennial children's uplifting and moral classic. To think that she wrote something different than that was quite surprising to me.
Alcott wrote A Long Fatal Love Chase over two months in 1866 to help pay off family debts, with an editor's instruction to make each second chapter "so absorbingly interesting that the reader will be impatient for the next." The book is definitely a page-turner and was "too sensational" to be published at that time. It languished in Ms. Alcott's files for over 100 years before it was rediscovered and published over 100 years later.
Rosamond Vivian is am interesting heroine, one who fights and yet longs for what will, in the end, destroy her. Her actions can be quite frustrating to the reader; they were to me.
The book is nothing profound, but I found it enjoyable, in a "beach read" kind of way.
Posted by Joanna @ 4:52 PM
Friday, May 21, 2004
I, Robot
By Isaac Asimov [Amazon link]
My rating: 5/5
After reading mostly fantasy this year, I was ready to read something different. I am glad I picked up I, Robot. What a great book! At once humorous and haunting, fast-paced and thought-provoking, I, Robot is one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read.
I was surprised to find out that the book was first published in 1950. Some of the Asimov's theories were definitely before their time! Bits and pieces of the dialogue are dated, such as when a character exclaims, "Jumping Jupiter!"; but I was pleased to notice that most of the conversations in the book flowed well and seemed quite natural.
The way the books unfolds, in a series of interconnected stories is very interesting. It was nice to follow Dr. Susan Calvin through her career at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Corp. She's not the most likeable character, but there is something about her that seemed particularly vulnerable. The characters of Powell and Donovan are very human and likeable; I laughed a lot at their dialogue.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Asimov. If his other books are as good as I, Robot, I'll be highly pleased.
By the way, there is a movie coming out later this year, which is supposedly based on the book. From the looks of the movie trailer, it seems that it's very loosely based on it.
Posted by Joanna @ 1:39 PM
Sunday, May 16, 2004
The Island of the Mighty
By Evangeline Walton. [Amazon Link]
My rating: 4/5
The last of The Mabinogion Tetralogy wasn't as enjoyable as the previous three to me, most likely because I wasn't comfortable with some of the subject matter. But, even so, it's a very powerful and fascinating story, one that I recommend to anyone who enjoys high fantasy and Celtic mythology.
Be warned: Welsh/Celtic mythology isn't all warm and fuzzy - and the book shows that. The ending may leave you wanting a "happy" ending. It ended rather abruptly, I thought, but I assume that's because that's how the myths end.
One thing that would have increased my enjoyment of The Mabinogion Tetralogy would have been a pronunciation guide: Welsh has a lot of words with many consonants and a dearth of vowels!
Posted by Joanna @ 9:20 PM
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Prologue
As if I don't have enough webpages and sites, I felt the urge to create this booklog.
I read a lot, although not as much as I used to. Keeping track of the books I read and the thoughts that I have about them is something that I've always done, usually in a notebook.
Hopefully, by recording what I'm reading and leaving my thoughts here, I can share some recommendations - or non-recommendations!
This year I'm taking part in the 50 Book Challenge (Click here for more details). So far, I've read 19 books and am working on my 20th right now.
If you have a booklog or a list of books you're reading, please leave a comment with the URL. I'd love to check everyone's reading list out. I'm always looking for great books to read!
Posted by Joanna @ 5:15 PM
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About Joanna's Booklog
· This is a place for me to leave my thoughts and mini-reviews of the books I've read.
Want to know more about me? Visit my weblog or my about page.
Currently reading
Past reading
· Books read in 2004
· Books read 1999-2004
booklogs
· Best Selling Books Blog
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· Futurist's Bookshelf
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reading challenges
· LJ: 50 Book Challenge
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Reviews
Book Spot
· Danny Yee's Book Reviews
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Previous posts
·
Alphabet of Thorn
The Gunslinger
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Outlander
The Da Vinci Code
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Stepford Wives
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Archives
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May 2004
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