Eaters of the Dead

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

A great take on Beowulf. Once again, Crichton uses a "pseudo-documentary" style to help "authenticate" his works. The entire book takes the form of a scholarly compilation and translation of ancient copies of Ibn Fadlan's journey from the Middle East to the north. While journeying north, he is forced to join a group of men who are returning to their homeland to battle mist creatures that attack and savagely kill their countrymen.

This was a fun read. I would write more, but I'm working on the BEST.

Grade: C+

Miserable Portfolio

Miserable Portfolio.
Miserable Portfolio.
Miserable Portfolio.
I need to finish.




(Currently reading Eaters of the Dead by Crichton. Really good. They made a movie out of it years ago - The Thirteenth Warrior - with Antonio Banderas. Both the movie and Banderas were very good.)

Nice to Come Home To

Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

I'm on break... sweet, sweet spring vacation ... and I took out several books to divert my attention from the more relevant, more terrifying May 15th deadline of my BEST.

I always steer myself to the YA section because 1) reading YA is more beneficial to my business and 2) I really do have a passion for YA literature. But I do feel the calling to read something, on occasion, for the adult masses. Also, it's nice to be able to throw out one book appropriate for an adult conversation. (Needless to say, when socializing, not everyone shares my joy when discovering that the 4th Wimpy Kid is coming out in October and that The Last Olympian is coming out in a few weeks!) This week I picked up Nice to Come Home To to fulfill that need.

I got this book with the assumption that it would be a quick, typical chick lit book. It was quick, but only because I enjoyed it so much. Rather than leaving me feeling like I could have better spent my time elsewhere, I finished this book with the satisfaction that I had just read good literature.

Our protagonist in this story is Pru Whistler. She's 36, has a gay friend, lives in a city, and has recently been dumped and fired! And to make matters worse, she's now the owner of her ex's former lunatic cat! All of the makings of chick lit, right? But it's not the quintessential chick-lit, either. It's funny, but not in an embarrassing way. The protagonist doesn't spend hours complaining about her body. There's drama, but it always seems so subtle and tight. No room for drama queen moves by the protagonist.

Despite the catastrophic events that occur in the first few pages, Pru remains relatively calm during these times of duress. And the story quickly moves past the firing and the break-up. Typically, chick lit would harp on these issues throughout the story, but Flowers uses these quietly to help Pru grow. Pru wrestles with finding a new job. While developing a new life plan, she meets John Owen, who has recently separated from his wife. They develop a friendship that sits on the fence of "something more" throughout the whole book. The relationship feels very real, in the sense of people who are reluctant to give it another go. In the meantime, Pru's sister Patsy moves to the East Coast. Patsy and her daughter end up moving in with Pru, while both sisters recover from job loss and hurt.

This quickly goes from being a story about a girl to a story about a girl and her family. There are many important characters in this book, and Flowers does a great job developing them. Pru, Patsy, John, and Pru's mother are all drawn up so wonderfully.

However, like chick lit, this story ends happily, and that's always nice.

Grade: A/A-

BTW, this is my 44th book.

Pictures of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

The prose in this book feels poetic, fleeting, dreamy, and yet utterly absorbing. The writing immerses you and intoxicates you. I love this type of writing. It recalls Donna Jo Napoli, but only at times. For some reason, the best comparison I can make of this writing is to the book Mariette in Ecstasy, which is about a young nun's religious experiences. I know that I should have several other authors who have a similar writing, but I can't remember. That's one of the reasons why I started this blog. To remember.

This book is told as Hollis Woods looks back on several pictures that she has drawn of the Regan family. Hollis Woods is a foster child, abandoned at birth. The Regans were a family that took her in, and made her their own. However, after a horrible accident, Hollis runs away from them. Eventually, child services catches up with her and places her with Josie, an aging artist. Hollis finds herself immediately loving Josie, who understands Hollis's passion for drawing. However, Josie is also beginning to forget too much. When child services discovers this, they plan to move Hollis away. She takes Josie and they run away to the Regans' summer home.

Once again, the writing is top-notch. Because Hollis is an artist, all of the writing is very sensory - but not overly descriptive. This really lends itself to the fuzzy memories that Hollis is recalling.

Grade: A+

(I might liken the writing to The Girl with a Pearl Earring, but I haven't read that in ages. Perhaps I am making the comparison just because they both have art has a foundation of the plot?)

Multiple Blessings

Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets
by Kate and Jon Gosselin

How do I start my break? With this trifle. It's trite and saccharine. It's a 200+ page special from Women's World. It will satiate your need to know ever more about this family of absolutely adorable kids. They are the cutest kids. But really, this is more dangerous to your mind than just watching three straight hours of the show.

Judgment: D
Really. Just go watch TLC for three hours straight.

Crocs

What do you think?

Someone in my household now owns a pair just like these.

The color rocks, but I'm not so sure on the style.