September 27, 2010

Committed, By Elizabeth Gilbert

After Eat, Pray, Love, I was more than anxious to read Elizabeth Gilbert's follow up, Committed. I loved everything about her first memoir and had high hopes for #2. Especially once I learned about the plot.

See, I'm a bit of a Nervous Nancy when it comes to this whole marriage thing. Now that I think I've found the guy, I'm riddled with doubt. How does one know for sure that it will last? What makes a great marriage? Do I have what it takes?

Enter my fellow skeptic, Ms. Gilbert.

Plot: In Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert examines her fears and misgivings with marriage as she prepares to embark on her second marriage to Felipe, a handsome Brazilian she met while living in Bali. Elizabeth and Felipe are in essence forced to marry after a nasty run-in with the Department of Homeland Security. Both Elizabeth and Felipe had dealt with divorce, and neither were in a rush to the altar. While they are exiled and awaiting permission to re-enter the country and marry, Elizabeth does all she can to read up on marriage. Looking at ancient and modern wedding customs and marriage tradition and reconciling the meaning of marriage with her own interpretation of the concept.

Characters: Elizabeth Gilbert has a fantastic voice. I didn't listen to the audio version, but I felt like I could hear her telling the story as I turned the pages. In some ways, I feel like her voice is even more prevalent in this memoir, but that may be that I've heard her speak since I read Eat, Pray, Love, so I'm able to better connect her vocal tone with her writing. For me, it's her that keeps me reading. While there were parts of the book that slowed me down, it was always her voice that kept me interested. As a fellow marriage skeptic, I was also interested in the nuggets that she uncovered about marriage, divorce, and what can keep you from facing the latter. Her findings solidified my own views of matrimony.

Structure: As Elizabeth investigates the many facets of marriage, she divides the book into various parts, i.e. Marriage and Expectation, Marriage and Infatuation, Marriage and Autonomy, etc. Each section examines Liz's personal struggle as well as her research on the subject. It's a nice way to break up the technical talk.

All in all, a good read, especially for those of us skeptics. 4 stars.

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Reviewed by A Super Girl at 8:52 PM 0 comments
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September 22, 2010

Columbine by Dave Cullen

I was a sophomore in high school when Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris laid siege to Columbine High School in Colorado.  I remember coming home from school that day and being transfixed by the media coverage and the atmosphere of my high school would never the same.  We were scared and confused.  I think what scared me, and most parents, the most was that there was no way to know if that could have just as easily have been our high school and our students who were under attack.  The murders at Columbine captured the nation's attention like nothing we had ever seen, but we were being fed a lot of misinformation.  It has taken ten years, but journalist Dave Cullen has produced an impressive compilation of the true story of Columbine, down to minute-by-minute details, background into the killers' psyche, and the mishandling of information and resources by the local law enforcement agencies.

This book was hands down one of the most remarkable pieces of work I have read in recent memory.  I devoured all 464 pages in less than three days.  Cullen transports you right into the gymnasium at Columbine High School where a throng of students chants "We are Col-um-BINE!" in a show of solidarity and excitement before heading off for prom weekend, the principal charging them all to get back Monday morning safe and sound.  There was no way he could have known that by that time on Tuesday, fifteen of those in the gym would be dead.  The amount of detail in this book is staggering and while some of his conclusions are conjecture, there are a wealth of sources for him to use to reach such determinations.  Some statements about moods, opinions, or personality might be a bit of a reach, but the majority of the book is fact-based reasoning.  I applaud Cullen for the painstaking effort he took to base every word on some kind of evidence, whether it be court documents, surveillance footage from the cafeteria of the school, eyewitness accounts, journal entries, or the infamous Basement Tapes.  He does not exclude himself as one of the "good journalists" who never got the story wrong, but immediately takes responsibility for his mistakes that April and devotes the next several hundred pages to getting it right. 

Columbine is not an easy book to read.  The prose flows smoothly and the pages turn quickly, but because it was produced in such impressive detail, it's like the reader is transported to Columbine for a front row seat and it most certainly isn't pretty.  It's sometimes hard to keep reading because you know that it was real.  Myths are debunked, truths are told, scandals are revealed, and unprecedented insights are shared.  For anyone who was left asking, "Why?" after the events of April 20, 1999.....read this book.  It's as close to an answer as we will probably ever come.

5 Stars.


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Reviewed by Sarah K at 9:26 AM 6 comments
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September 18, 2010

In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw

I was provided with a copy of this novel for review purposes, but my opinions are entirely my own.

I was scared to read this book.  The description on the back cover coupled with a disturbing child-like drawing that was included with my copy of the novel left me feeling very uneasy and downright frightened to read it.  Nevertheless, I mustered up my courage and opened it up.  Surprisingly, I found I did not want to put it down.

In This Way I Was Saved is the story of Luke, a child who develops what I can only attempt to describe as an separate personality during a traumatic moment in his childhood.  This "other" begins to grow stronger and becomes an embodiment of the sinister, the carnal, and the dangerous side of Luke's psyche.  Eventually, this id-like character is banished to the recesses of Luke's mind, only to remain dormant until a time when he can return to fight for complete control over Luke's existence.

This psychological thriller really grabbed me from the get-go because of the narration style.  The reader "sees" the story through the eyes of Daniel, the alternate personality or entity that resides within Luke.  We experience Luke's successes, conflicts, failures, and horrors, but skewed by the lens of Daniel's narration.  The question of whether or not the narrator can be considered reliable is certainly debatable and he remains a mystery right up to the last page of this novel.  Nevertheless, we identify with Daniel and willingly join him on the journey into the dark recesses of Luke's (and his) mind.  The reader is constantly being challenged to determine what is real and what is imagined or if, in fact, there actually is a true reality for these characters.  DeLeeuw even provides us with a twist at the end that leaves us questioning whether we really ever had this book all figured out in the first place!

I found In This Way I Was Saved to be unique, intoxicating, and terrifying.  If you're looking for a book that will mess with your head in a similar fashion as Palahniuk's Fight Club, give this one a go.  It's delightfully twisted.

4 Stars!


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Reviewed by Sarah K at 9:11 PM 1 comments
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September 15, 2010

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, By Stieg Larsson

This is the third and final installment of Stieg Larsson's popular thriller series featuring the charming Mikael Blomvkist and quirky Lisbeth Salander.

(Read Book Nook reviews on book one and book two.)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest lived up to the hype of the trilogy. However, of the three, the second was my personal favorite.

Why?

Plot: The book opens where the second leaves off -- so I won't give much away. But, the general theme prevails of a victimized Lisbeth surrounded by a team of people led by Blomkvist who are trying to clear her name and give her the respect that she deserves.

While there were a decent amount of page turning scenes, the plot of this novel was a bit more detailed than the second book. Think CIA spy novel, but in Sweden. There were lots of details and intrigue that took a much higher level of retention than I apparently have the capacity for!

Characters: So many names! With the whole spy angle, I feel like the amount of characters tripled. It made it hard to keep track of who was bad, who was good, and who was indifferent. It was interesting for me to watch the main characters progress over three novels.

Structure: The structure is similar to the other two novels, organized into parts with each chapter taking place over a certain period of time. Since it's been a consistent structure, I've gotten used to it. I wouldn't say it made a huge difference in my understanding and enjoyment of the story.

All in all, these are great thrillers that have a few added layers to really add depth. I personally preferred the second book, but all three are great. This one gets 4 stars.

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Reviewed by A Super Girl at 10:23 PM 0 comments
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September 9, 2010

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins


The highly anticipated third and final installment of The Hunger Games series was released in August and I had my pre-order from Amazon all set up and ready so it would be on my doorstep the very next day. Mockingjay takes place in Panem, a country in turmoil following a bold move by rebel forces that ended in a stunning Hunger Games climax in the previous book, Catching Fire. This book continues the story of our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, as she fights to avoid being a pawn once again in the games of those in power.

Collins introduces some intriguing new characters in this novel, such as the sharp and haughty President Coin and the military leader Boggs. My personal favorites were cameramen Castor and Pollux, whose names are a clever play on the Trojan men of Greek history who also had to fight for the survival of their civilization. Several previous characters take on larger roles in Mockingjay and, in turn, become far more interesting. Finnick Odair is less of a gaudy, schmoozing, ladies man this time around and more of a damaged soul with a score to settle. Beete, the eccentric victor with proficiency for electricity, becomes a mastermind in weapons of mass destruction. Even Peeta Mellark undergoes a startling and creative transformation that really throws a wrench in things. On the other hand, President Snow who we came to hate as the sickeningly sweet yet vicious leader of Panem, becomes somewhat one-dimensional this time around and almost cartoonish. Even favorites like Gale, Haymitch, and Katniss herself are not as well-rounded or in depth as they have been in the past.

Without the arena to ground the plot, the story doesn’t have the magic of The Hunger Games or Catching Fire. For a good deal of the pages, the book reads as just another war novel where the oppressed fight back against those who attempt to lord over them. The uniqueness of the Games themselves that gave the previous books that special flair is certainly missing. When all is said and done, Collins ties up the series in a nice, neat little bow, but I would argue that the ending feels rushed and overly contrived. The “twists” are predictable as is the sugary sweet epilogue that reads more like a tween novel than young adult science fiction.

An enjoyable book, but not up to par with the first two books who, for better or for worse, set the bar pretty high. This one feels rushed and slightly cliché, but it provides a clear end to a solid series.

3 stars.


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Reviewed by Sarah K at 12:53 PM 2 comments
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September 8, 2010

Insignificant Moments by Jeremy Asher

Insignificant Moments by Jeremy Asher is a book telling the story of three characters over a five year period. Jaye is a 27 year old librarian that is overly cautious in his life and is struggling with a quarter life crisis. Julie is a young woman trying to figure out how much compromise is too much in her marriage and when she will get the chance to have a say in her life. Anna is a young widow with two children who is searching for stability after her life fell apart following her husband's death.

The three characters, each in their own way, find strength in those small and seemingly insignificant moments. The book is predictable yet very charming. It was a feel good book that was a quick read for a day you want to be reminded to enjoy the moment. I suggest this for one of those rainy fall days when all you want to do is read a book and eat delicious fall soups!

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Reviewed by Kaylyn at 12:54 PM 1 comments
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