Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

August 23, 2011 2 Comments


This week’s Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is Top Ten Books You Loved But Never Wrote A Review For (either books you loved and couldn’t bring yourself to write a review for or books that you read long before blogging…time to give them a shoutout!)

To be honest, this is one reason why I have a Books That Made Me feature, so that I can gush over my favorite books that I read long before I had a blog. But there are also some books that fall outside that category that I wish I had written reviews for.

1) The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton — I routinely gush about this book but have never written an actual review. 5/5
2) The Pregnant Widow by Martin Amis — another book I enjoyed last year that I never got around to writing a review for. 4/5.
3) The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas — this book was thoroughly infuriating but in a good way. 4/5.
4) There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried To Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya — a short story collection I actually enjoyed? Stop the presses! Dark fairy tales. Definitely should’ve given this one its due. 4/5.
5) The Collector by John Fowles — sort of creepy though I predicted the ending (my co-worker who recommended it did not however so it’s a tossup whether it’s actually predictable or not) It’s a really good read either way to be honest. 4/5.
6) After Dark by Haruki Murakami — my first Murakami. I wish I’d written a review for this one to better solidify the plot in my mind. Also because a lot of Murakami fans don’t seem to like this one and I think it needs more love. 5/5.
7) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – just a damn good mystery. 5/5.
8) Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood — I’m sure Atwood’s other books are better than this, but this is a fun but still smart little book. The ending was slightly disappointing (a bit rushed), but I’d recommend it nonetheless. 4/5.
9) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson — unsettling, creepy, you know, what Shirley Jackson seems to do best. 4/5.
10) The Secret History by Donna Tartt — not to worry, I’m sure I’ll do a Books That Made Me post on this one ;) 5/5. ~favorite book status~

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Top Ten Authors I Would DIE to meet (living or dead)

July 12, 2011 5 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Authors I Would DIE to meet (living or dead). Now DIE seems a little strong ;) Maybe more like, would shove people out of the way…and flip a baby carriage over for…

LIVING
1) Donna Tartt — Well I think I’ve mentioned elsewhere that if I could have my pick of any writer!mentor, it would certainly be Ms Tartt. Gotta meet her first though, ya know?
2) Martin Amis — Has he moved to Brooklyn yet? Cause I’m already halfway there.
3) Zadie Smith — you know technically I’ve had opportunities to meet her but the one event I really wanted to attend ended up being filled up, so I had hauled my ass down to NYU for no reason. That was incredibly frustrating. There was an event following that, but it cost $25, and I didn’t really want to pay
4) Talitha Stevenson — She is not my favorite author (though I like her a lot obviously), but I think I can safely claim the title of BIGGEST TALITHA STEVENSON FAN LIVING IN THE US.
5) Kelly Braffet — So I’ve only read Josie and Jack, one of my favorite books, but her website is kind of funny, as is her ABOUT section on Facebook, which makes me think she’d be a blast to have a conversation with.

DEAD
6) J.D. Salinger — if you are somehow surprised by this, then this is probably your first time here. In which case, WELCOME! Oh what I wouldn’t give to be told GET OFF MY LAWN! by J.D. Salinger. ;)
7) Vladimir Nabokov — I’m sure I’d come off sounding like a complete ASSHAT to Nabokov. I mean he’s just so damned intelligent and clever (or was at least). Still, can I bask in the glory a lil’ bit? Can we talk about how there are huge sections of Ada, or Ardor that are just indecipherable to me but that it’s one of my favorite book anyway? Yes, let’s.
8) Edith Wharton — I’m gonna go ahead and blame Edith Wharton for my fascination with upper crust New York Society. And I’m pretty much okay with that.
9) F. Scott Fitzgerald + Zelda Fitzgerald — yes I’d like to meet them together, as a pair. I’ve always been strangely fascinated by them (whether because they epitomize the literary Jazz Age in my mind or because their mutually self-destructive ways are like watching the proverbial train wreck, I can’t be sure)
10) Sylvia Plath — yeah, I’m one of those….except not really. I’ve never read Plath’s poetry (well, ok I’ve read “Daddy” and “Mad Girl’s Love Song” because who the hell hasn’t?), but I have read The Bell Jar, which is right up there with The Virgin Suicides for me… i.e. books I liked a lot, but which did not convert me into a cult follower like they seem to do to other people. So it’s weird that she’s on this list in a way. But I keep coming across stuff about her (Rereading Women, Nom de Plume, Seducing the Demon), and yeah, you know what? I am kind of fascinated. I’m also fascinated by the fact that Ted Hughes lover (Assia Wevill) gassed herself in the same way. Maybe I should just have all three of them over for dinner in an afterlife….

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Book Review: True Grit

May 17, 2011 2 Comments

Title: True Grit
Author: Charles Portis
Format: Trade Paper
Publisher: Overlook Press
Pub Date: 1968; this edition: Oct 2010
Read: May 2011
Source: purchased at BookCourt
Why: I was curious about the movie, which I had wanted to see before the Oscars (and if I can help it I try to read the book before seeing the movie), but my attention was diverted elsewhere, and I just got around to it now.
Fulfills Challenge? Yes.
Notes: I’m really not into westerns, so I was REALLY wary going into this. Also, this is one of the few movie-tie-in covers I find tolerable…because I don’t have to look at the faces of the actors. Sadly, I cannot say the same about the blu-ray. [judging face ENGAGED]

Review/Thoughts
Move over Franny Glass, Mattie Ross is my new homegirl! Yes, it’s true — Mattie Ross completely made this story. Stubborn, shrewd, hilariously self-righteous and a smartass to boot, Mattie is really the one with true grit. Quite possibly the most determined character I’ve encountered since Scarlett O’Hara, the girl doesn’t takes shit from no one, and it never occurs to her that her age, sex, or stature might be a hindrance to what she wants to do. Her fierce determination and unwavering belief in herself (and her opinion) allow the reader to basically go along with just about every damn thing she says. I don’t think I even once questioned her. Compromise? Pssh, what the hell is that? Mattie Ross is paying you good sir, you’d better do what she says! Truthfully, I WISH I had as much gumption as this girl.

The story itself is surprisingly funny given the circumstances. Who knew a western about a 14 year old girl setting out to avenge her father’s death could be this much fun? But I’m told that is the Portis way.

For me the most satisfying moment came in the first half, when LaBeouf is beating poor Mattie’s legs with a switch in order to teach her a lesson, and Rooster cocks his gun and tells LaBeouf if he keeps on doing that he’s going to regret it. As it turns out, Donna Tartt also finds this to be the most satisfying moment, so I’m in good company (oh did you know this is her favorite book? I did…because I heart Donna Tartt).

My only criticism is that toward the end, the novel took on what I call a FFS (for fuck’s sake!) quality, i.e., everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, prompting me to say, oh for fuck’s sake! I also felt that Mattie was robbed of her moment, and for no clear reason I could discern other than to prolong the mess (interestingly enough, I never expected the moment to be given to her but when it was, I rejoiced, only to have it taken away…how dare you Charles Portis, how dare you!) But aside from that, I loved it.

Final Verdict:

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30 Day Book Meme: Day 30

April 28, 2011 5 Comments

Day 30 – Your favorite book of all time
So we’ve finally reached the end of this thing, eh? And now I’m supposed to choose a single favorite book of all time? Well screw you 30 Day Book Meme! I’ll choose however many I want. OK, fine I’ll just go with three: The Photograph by Penelope Lively, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and The Bitch Posse by Martha O’Connor.

Previously on the 30 Day Book Meme →

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30 Day Book Meme: Day 29

April 27, 2011 1 Comment

Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
To say everyone hated it is probably a little strong but still I hear so many bad things about The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, but I thought it was really good. I didn’t love it nearly as much as The Secret History (and I suspect this is actually the problem many of the fans of the former had with it), but it’s still really good. Just don’t approach it like a mystery…because you won’t be satisfied with the end result. But if you approach it more like a Southern Gothic coming of age story, you’ll probably like it more.

Previously on the 30 Day Book Meme →

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