I’m so glad I’m finally getting around to reading this series. I enjoyed the first two Anne books, and this one was no exception.  [...]]]> There was nobody else — there never could be anybody else for me but you. I’ve loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school.

I’m so glad I’m finally getting around to reading this series. I enjoyed the first two Anne books, and this one was no exception.  This one is about Anne’s college years, her relationship with her friends Priscilla and Philippa, and also about her beaux Gilbert and Royal.

Spoilers ahead, but it probably doesn’t matter as most of you have already read the book anyway…

Of course, how could she choose anyone BUT Gilbert?  I do wonder why it took her so long to realize that.  Besides their relationship, I enjoyed reading about Patty’s Place, Davy’s further development, and all the other girls’ drama.  I do think I enjoyed Anne of Avonlea just a bit more than this one, but I still fell in love with Anne of the Island as well.  I probably won’t get to the others in the series until next year, but I’ve enjoyed these first three books tremendously.

1915, 239 pp.

1909, 276 pp.

What a wonderful book!  I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, but I absolutely adored Anne of Avonlea.  Now a schoolteacher, Anne is much admired by her students.  I loved the sweet descriptions of Anne’s pupils.  I enjoyed meeting the new cast of characters as well: Mr. Harrison and his [...]]]>
Anne of Avonlea
by L.M. Montgomery

1909, 276 pp.

What a wonderful book!  I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, but I absolutely adored Anne of Avonlea.  Now a schoolteacher, Anne is much admired by her students.  I loved the sweet descriptions of Anne’s pupils.  I enjoyed meeting the new cast of characters as well: Mr. Harrison and his parrot, Miss Lavender and her lovely stone house, the twins Davy and Dora, and the motherless Paul Irving. I anxiously await Anne of the Island.

I listened to the CD read by Barbara Caruso.  What an excellent narrator.  I wouldn’t hesitate at all to listen to one of her audiobooks again.

Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps. . . perhaps. . .love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.

Then the veil dropped again; but the Anne who walked up the dark lane was not quite the same Anne who had driven gaily down it the evening before. The page of girlhood had been turned, as by an unseen finger, and the page of womanhood was before her with all its charm and mystery, its pain and gladness.

Starred Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus

2008, 240 pp.

It’s rare that a book gets starred reviews from all four major review publications.  Was this book that good; does it really deserve that much attention?  Yes, absolutely.  I really, really loved it; so much, in fact, that I held off [...]]]> Atmospheric Disturbances
by Rivka Galchen

Starred Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus

2008, 240 pp.

It’s rare that a book gets starred reviews from all four major review publications.  Was this book that good; does it really deserve that much attention?  Yes, absolutely.  I really, really loved it; so much, in fact, that I held off reading the last 20 pages or so for two days because I didn’t want it to be over.

Psychoanalyst Leo Liebenstein thinks his wife Rema has disappeared.  Not only that, but he believes she has been replaced by a simulcrum, someone who looks and acts (almost) exactly like her.  Meanwhile, Harvey, one of Leo’s mental patients (who believes he has the ability to control the weather) is also missing.  Not buying in to the simulcrum’s Rema-like performance,  Leo goes to the ends of the earth to Buenos Aires and Patagonia to try to uncover the truth of what has happened to his wife.

I’ll be the first to admit that although I enjoyed this book tremendously, it won’t be to everyone’s tastes. It’s very quirky, very eccentric, but also intelligent and extremely funny.  Much of what I found humorous in the novel was due to the fact that I went to Argentina in April, so I was able to get many of the inside jokes about dog poop in the streets, maté tea, Alpha Wh*re Rays, and many other references to Argentinian life. The author had been in South America for a year working on public health issues, so her writing comes from first hand experience in the region. There were, of course, also references to the (not so funny) “Disappeared.”

This is Rivka Galchen’s first novel, and I definitely will be anxiously awaiting whatever she comes up with next.  Oh, and if her literary career doesn’t work out (I have no doubt that it will), she can always fall back on her MD that she received from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

An interview with Rivka Galchen

2006, 128 pp.

Rating:

This book has no words, just pictures, and the drawings are really beautiful.  However, this is one where I might have wanted there to be captions, but I’m not sure.  I loved the drawings, but I thought the way the animals were drawn was a little weird.  Another [...]]]> The Arrival by Shaun Tan

2006, 128 pp.

Rating:

This book has no words, just pictures, and the drawings are really beautiful.  However, this is one where I might have wanted there to be captions, but I’m not sure.  I loved the drawings, but I thought the way the animals were drawn was a little weird.  Another graphic novel I wouldn’t have even looked at had it not been for the graphic novel challenge.  Thanks again, Dewey!

2006, 240 pp.

Rating:

Hurray for Dewey’s graphic novel challenge as I probably never would have read this book or Maus without it.  Maus has been my best read all year, and this one was very good as well.

Told in three separate stories that come together nicely in the end, Yang [...]]]> American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang

2006, 240 pp.

Rating:

Hurray for Dewey’s graphic novel challenge as I probably never would have read this book or Maus without it.  Maus has been my best read all year, and this one was very good as well.

Told in three separate stories that come together nicely in the end, Yang takes us through the challenges of growing up with a Chinese heritage.  This book won the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and it was very well deserved.  I’d love to have my sons read it, and I would definitely read another one by Yang.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a book I wish I’d read in childhood. I know I would [...]]]> I am probably the last adult female in the world to fall in love with Anne Shirley, but it’s finally happened. Her sweet, spunky, imaginative spirit is impossible not to fall in love with.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a book I wish I’d read in childhood. I know I would have gobbled up this series just like I did the Little House books. While as a child I could relate to Laura’s tomboyishness and her location on the prairie, I now see in Anne a competitive spirit that I could have also related to, particularly with academics. It also would have been nice to have the American/Canadian contrast while I was a young girl, but at least now I know what I’ve been missing. Just as those around her were spellbound by Anne, so was I. I can’t wait to read more of the series.

Raidergirl, I thought about you often during the reading of this book. I’d love to visit you in PEI someday!

1908, 369 pp.
Rating: 4.5

Also reviewed by:

• Teddy Rose

It was extremely fascinating reading this book after having read We by [...]]]> Anthem is a great introduction to the philosophy of Ayn Rand. A dystopian novella, it is much less intimidating than The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. I guess it’s considered science fiction as well, so I also counted it for Carl’s Sci-Fi Experience.

It was extremely fascinating reading this book after having read We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and The Giver by Lois Lowry last year, both of which were in my 2007 Top 10. Anthem definitely borrows from We, and The Giver most definitely borrows from Anthem. In Rand’s book, the main character even refers to himself as ‘We’ because in his society individuality is highly suppressed, and the goal is for it to be eliminated. Everything must be done for the brothers in the collective and nothing for the individual.

While I agree with Rand’s philosophy to a point, I believe she takes it just a bit too far. I very much enjoyed this book, but at the end it just felt too preachy to be rated the same as We and The Giver, which both received 4.5 stars.

1938, 105 pp
Rating:

The book covers the [...]]]> I read this book for the Japanese Literature Challenge and the Notable Book Challenge. This is my first Murakami. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and even though I am only rating this a 3.5, I will definitely read more by this author. I found his writing style to be very unique.

The book covers the encounters of several “night people” on one particular evening from 11:56 pm to 6:52 am. All of the characters in the book have some interconnection. I most enjoyed the story of the two sisters, Eri and Mari. One of them can’t sleep and the other one won’t wake up. I also enjoyed the philosophical discussions between Mari and Takahashi. I didn’t really get what was going on with the TV/white noise thing, but it was interesting. Does anyone have a favorite Murakami? Although I might not get to another one of his until next year, I’d like to read more.

2004 [2007 in U.S.], 191 pp.
Rating:

It’s hard to review the book without giving spoilers away, but the book basically follows a difficult marriage.  Or was [...]]]> The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler outlines the lives and marriage of Michael and Pauline Anton from World War II to the present day.  We see their joys and trials in courtship, marriage, children, and death.

It’s hard to review the book without giving spoilers away, but the book basically follows a difficult marriage.  Or was it, really?  Was it really much different than most marriages?  Aren’t even “good” marriages difficult at times?  These are the questions the book raises.

This was a very readable book that I finished in a day, and I would have very much liked to discuss it with a group.  I’ve read one other book by Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe (which I also liked), and I’ll be seeking out more.

2004, 306 pp.

Rating: 4

This book tells Amos’ story from his capture in Africa to his years of being a slave and finally to his final years as a free black man. Amos was the prince of his tribe in Africa, and it is a shock to him [...]]]> Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates

1950, 181 pp.
1951 Newbery Award

Rating: 4

This book tells Amos’ story from his capture in Africa to his years of being a slave and finally to his final years as a free black man. Amos was the prince of his tribe in Africa, and it is a shock to him when he is captured for slavery. He is very lucky, though, as his owners treat him very kindly. He serves them well, saves his money, and is able to “buy” his freedom. He also buys his wives’ (he was twice a widower) freedom. Amos is a gentle and kind man who respects both God and others. I highly recommend this story to both children and adults.

It [...]]]> This was not an easy book to read. It is in three parts, of which I found the first to be the most difficult to get through. By difficult I mean slow, detailed, and plodding. There is very little dialogue throughout the book. Most of the writing consists of the characters’ inward thoughts and feelings.

It is a story about Briony, who at 13 years old accuses a family friend of a horrible crime. This occurs in Part 1, which takes up half the book. The aftermath of that accusation, along with the characters’ involvement in World War II make up Parts 2 and 3. I don’t like reading about war, but I actually liked this part of the book the most. That was a surprise to me. By the end, Briony is 77 and reflecting on her life events and how they have affected her family.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book very much, but I am glad I read it. I’ll probably read at least one more book by this author before passing a final judgment.
2002, 351 pp.
NBCC – 2002

Rating: 3.5/5

Also reviewed by:

• Melody