Just like [...]]]> I just love Neil Gaiman (not to mention that his looks remind me of a close friend I had in college).  Well, I love his books, too, and this one was no exception.  It’s my third Gaiman, and although I still think I liked Coraline a tiny bit better, I loved The Graveyard Book.

Just like Coraline, I listened to this on audio with my two teenage sons.  If you haven’t heard Gaiman narrate his own books, you’re definitely missing out.  Most authors should not narrate their own books; Gaiman is one who should never allow someone else to do so.  His voice is perfect for it, and of course, no one would ever know his books better than he does.

The Graveyard Book contains a colorful (though some are long dead) cast of characters, some very creepy scenes, and some genuinely heartwarming ones.  It’s one of those perfect children’s/YA books in which it was definitely written to also appeal to adults.  It was great for the R.I.P. Challenge, and it was great to experience another one of Gaiman’s treasures as a family.

2008, 320 pp.

Neil Gaiman’s website.

Neil Gaiman’s web journal. (I’m a subscriber)

2008, 300 pp. Booker Prize Shortlist Rating:

What can I tell you further? I once lived among humankind, and found them in their generality to be cruel and cold, and yet could mention the names of three or four that were like angels.

I’d be happy if this book won the Booker Prize.  [...]]]> The Secret Scripture
by Sebastian Barry

2008, 300 pp.
Booker Prize Shortlist
Rating:

What can I tell you further? I once lived among humankind, and found them in their generality to be cruel and cold, and yet could mention the names of three or four that were like angels.

I’d be happy if this book won the Booker Prize.  Yeah, I would, and I haven’t read any of the other contenders yet!  Sebastian Barry is a magnificent writer, and I will definitely be reading more of his work.

Roseanne McNulty is almost 100 years old, and Dr. Grene is the psychiatrist attending her at Roscommon Mental Hospital.  The story slowly unfolds by giving alternating accounts of Roseanne and Dr. Grene.  As he seeks to understand her and her tragic past, he must also deal with some tragedy of his own.  As everyone knows, ‘grief lasts two years.’

With Ireland as a backdrop and themes of religion, mental illness, and family loyalty and betrayal, The Secret Scripture is superbly crafted and is definitely worthy of the Booker Prize.

The narrator is Jimmy, code-named [...]]]> I love Margaret Atwood, but Oryx and Crake was just too gritty for my taste. This was compounded by the fact that I listened to it on audio. Hearing the graphic descriptions was even worse than reading it.  This was my fifth Atwood, and by far my least favorite.

The narrator is Jimmy, code-named Snowman.  Crake is a sort of Dr. Moreau figure, while Oryx is a woman caught between the two.  I don’t want to give away too many details for those who still want to read it, but if you’re squeamish about graphic s*xu*l situations (including child p*r*o*raphy), I would advise against it.  I didn’t get why it had to have that element to the story.  I also wondered why the title of the book was named that way, but in the end, I guess it was because Oryx and Crake were the two most influential figures in Jimmy’s life.

I would recommend reading other Atwoods before this one.  The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, and The Penelopiad are my favorites so far.

2003, 378 pp.

Alice Winston lives on a horse ranch in the desert with her father and reclusive mother, while her older sister Nona has run off [...]]]> I knew I would probably enjoy The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle because it’s about a girl growing up in a small town in Colorado — this girl did the same.

Alice Winston lives on a horse ranch in the desert with her father and reclusive mother, while her older sister Nona has run off with a cowboy riding the rodeo circuit.  With her sister gone, Alice’s father struggles to make the ranch profitable by boarding the horses of the wealthier women in town.  It’s a lot of work for just the two of them, and somehow they make do for awhile.  But all of them miss Nona and can’t understand why she’d leave the family and the ranch.

Meanwhile, Alice is dealing with being accepted at school and recovering from the death of a classmate.  She experiences her first kiss and her first crush.  She tries to make sense of the adults around her.  I sympathized with Alice and winced at the all too familiar pains of growing up.  I rooted for things to go her way.  Sadly, however, life doesn’t always turn out the way we plan.  Sometimes we just have to accept the way things are.

The God of Animals was Aryn Kyle’s first book.

2008 Spur (Best Western Long Novel)
2007, 320 pp.

Lin Enger’s debut novel is a modern take on Hamlet, but with a few differences from the original. Even though I’m very familiar with the play, I found that Undiscovered Country surprisingly kept me in suspense throughout. There were just enough differences to keep [...]]]> The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn
No traveler returns,  – HAMLET

Lin Enger’s debut novel is a modern take on Hamlet, but with a few differences from the original. Even though I’m very familiar with the play, I found that Undiscovered Country surprisingly kept me in suspense throughout. There were just enough differences to keep me more than interested in the novel.

Set in wintry Minnesota, Jesse finds his father in the woods — dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.  While the local law enforcement thinks it’s a closed case, Jesse refuses to believe that his father committed suicide and sets out to prove it.  Of course there’s a suspicious uncle in the story as well as an ‘Ophelia’, but it doesn’t always follow the ’script,’ so there is that element of suspense to the tale.

Enger’s descriptions of the starkly cold winters in Minnesota really add to the atmosphere of the book, and his writing of the characters, though familiar,  seem very real.  We feel Jesse’s angst, just as we did Hamlet’s.  We want justice, just as we do in Shakespeare’s play.  I would love to read and compare this book to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and The Dead Father’s Club, both also modern retellings of the famous play.

Lin Enger is the brother of Leif Enger, who wrote Peace Like a River, which I loved, and also So Brave, Young, and Handsome, which I hope to read sometime this year.  I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Lin Enger’s next novel as well.

2008, 304 pp.

As I’ve read/listened to all the Harry Potters so far, [...]]]> Another Harry Potter crossed off the list! I enjoyed this on CD as I took a couple of trips last week. I had already listened to about 1/3 of it earlier in the year, but the trip was a perfect time to complete it.

As I’ve read/listened to all the Harry Potters so far, I’m really struck by J.K. Rowling’s naming ability. Quality Quidditch Supplies. The Marauder’s Map. The Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. I love the names she gives things and people. I was really interested in the detail not in the movie about the Marauder’s Map and the Shrieking Shack. Of course, they can’t include everything, so it’s great to know the background of these aspects of the story.

I really love Jim Dale’s narration in the CD’s, but if I have one criticism, it’s this: He makes Hermione way too whiny. I don’t like how he portrays her at all. “Harreeeeeeeeeeeee” Ugh. Otherwise, he’s perfect.

I’m looking forward to the other books.

1999, 435 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Cornelia and her doctor husband Teo move in to the ‘perfect’ neighborhood, but the women who live there are very slow to accept former city-dweller Cornelia. In [...]]]> This second book by Marisa de los Santos is about friendship and family, and we see the highs and lows of both in the characters’ lives in this novel.

Cornelia and her doctor husband Teo move in to the ‘perfect’ neighborhood, but the women who live there are very slow to accept former city-dweller Cornelia. In fact, she sticks out like a sore thumb at her first dinner party, wearing a little black dress while the others are wearing pastels and linen slacks. It seems that the circle of friends not only dress alike, but also have an unwritten code for conduct and proper behavior as well. The ‘queen bee’ of the neighborhood, Piper, seems bent on criticizing Cornelia about everything from clothing to lawn care. While we see Piper at first as overly critical and a perfectionist, we later see her as a loving, compassionate woman as she cares for a sick friend. The development of her character as the book progesses was one of the most interesting to watch.

Cornelia does make friends with Lake, a woman who does not live in the neighborhood. Relieved to finally have someone to talk to, Cornelia spends more and more time with Lake and her gifted 13 year-old son, Dev. Dev was an interesting character to read about as well. He starts spending quite a bit of time with Cornelia and Teo at their house and through them meets his first girlfriend, Clare.

The chapters were structured such that each one was from only one character’s perspective and alternated mostly among Cornelia, Piper, and Dev. I thought this worked very well. By the end of the book, I felt that I knew and liked all the main characters in the story. Belong to Me is the second book by Marisa de los Santos, and apparently some of the characters in this novel were also in her first book, Love Walked In. I haven’t read that one, but definitely plan to after really enjoying Belong to Me. This book does stand alone, though, as I didn’t even know it was a continuation of sorts until after I had finished it.

Released 4/1/2008 by William Morrow.

2008, 388 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Also reviewed by

• Caribousmom
• Lesley
• Amy
• Heather

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

This first Harry Potter was delightful, and though I won’t be fanatical about it like most people are, I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was a much better book [...]]]> I’m wondering if I am the last one on earth to start this series?! At least I won’t have to worry about spoilers!

This first Harry Potter was delightful, and though I won’t be fanatical about it like most people are, I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was a much better book than I was expecting, and I really liked the fact that I didn’t expect Professor Quirrell at all. I saw the movie a few days after reading it and I thought they got the casting of Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape just right. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

1997, 320 pp
Rating: