Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Killing Me Softly by Nicci French (6)


Interesting and suspenseful! Alice is a Londoner who suddenly and obsessively falls in love with Adam, a man that she meets on the street. She throws all caution to the wind, spending all her time with him, withdrawing from the world, and totally losing herself. Very quickly they marry, and soon Alice realizes that her new husband may not be what he appears; in fact her life may be in danger. Good read!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (5)


Persepolis, the Story of a Childhood is a graphic novel set in Iran in the 80's when the Shah was on his way out and the religious extremists took over the country. A young girl named Marji was growing up with her adoring parents, struggling to figure out her life, witnessing war and oppression. This is a very worthwhile book, well written and illustrated. I recommend it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Await Your Reply by Dan Haon (4)


This disappointing book has three plot lines throughout, seemingly unconnected, which supposedly go together in the conclusion. I didn't enjoy the characters, found it not worth my effort to follow the plot lines, and the ending left me with many unresolved questions. The main problem, it seems to me, is that a time line is needed in order for it to make perfect sense. The author leaves us guessing who the characters really are and when each scene occurred because they couldn't have happened in the order that they're presented and almost none of the characters can be whom they appear. I do not recommend this book.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Fingerprints of God (3) by Barbara Bradley Hagerty


Great book! The author who is an NPR journalist explores the intersection of science and religion; is it possible to believe in God while scrutinizing the evidence or lack thereof with science. She addresses topics such as brain chemistry and DNA, near death experiences, the impact of a personal god on lives, the power of prayer, and many others. For the author this is both a personal journal and a more general search. I found this to be a powerful and intelligently written book that provokes much thought.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore (2)


I had heard great reviews of this book so I was expecting a lot, but I found the book disappointing. Tassie is a college girl in the midwest. There are two story lines going on: her parents and brother on a potato farm and her college life with her roommate, her babysitting job, and her foreign boyfriend. A lot of the narrative for me was repetitive and uninteresting. Occasionally there were some very interesting, somewhat bizarre parts but for me this book was not compelling reading. Now I'm off to something more interesting!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Losing You by Nicci French (1)


I enjoyed this book very much; in fact, I spent several hours reading it yesterday, wanting to know how it turned out. Nina is a single mother living on an island off the coast of England. Just before Christmas on her birthday she plans to vacation in Florida with her two children and her boyfriend. Suddenly she realizes her 15 year old daughter, Charlie, is missing, just at the time they should be packing and preparing to go to the airport. No one else, including the police, seems to take this seriously, so Nina singlehandedly and full of purpose begins to retrace her daughter's steps to try to locate her. There is a lot of suspense and intrigue in the plot, making for a very good and fast read.