this is jennyville

book 7

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:50:00 +0000

Maynard and Jennica, Rudolph Delson
rating:

This book was too hip for me and it took me for-ev-er to read. I'm not a fan.

book 6

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Candy Girl, Diablo Cody
rating:

Okay, obviously I have been living in an ivory tower. Strippers on TV just dance around without clothes on and that's it. This memoir by the screenwriter of Juno tells a different story. Basically: stripping is dirty and I don't get the appeal. Also, Cody's writing style didn't really work well for me. It was like Juno and her quick, wise-cracking, nobody-really-talks-like-that voice the whole time.

book 5

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Alive and Well in Prague, New York, Daphne Grab
rating:

Pretty standard coming of age YA novel. Matisse, whose parents are artists, has to endure a move from NYC to the small town of Prague, NY, after her dad's Parkinson's Disease renders him unable to sculpt. She learns lessons, meets boys, makes friends, etc.

book 4

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Belong to Me, Marisa de los Santos
rating:

A really nice follow-up to Love Walked In, which I read in 2006 (read it here). Overall I liked it better, it had a richer cast of characters and a little more texture all around. And I read it all in one sitting. Cornelia from Love Walked In is the main character, but she makes a few interesting friends when she moves from NYC to a little Pennsylvania suburb. There were a few random jokes about the ACC that made me feel a little homesick.

book 3

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:46:00 +0000

Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
rating:

I have been dismissing this novel as a circus book for over a year, and I'm now fully prepared to admit how dumb that was. This book is fantastic. It's about Jacob, now in his nineties, and the time he spent working as a vet for the Benzini Bros circus during the Great Depression. Just overall really engaging.

book 2

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:36:00 +0000

School's Out, Christophe Dufosse
rating:

I was seduced by the cool cover of this book, and a blurb on the back that likened it to Secret History, which was the greatest book in the world to college freshman me. The comparison is NOT apt, and the cover is much cooler than the story. Basically, it opens with a teacher dying - it looks like a suicide, but many involved are suspicious of one of his classes, a group of students creepily and ardently devoted to one another. Sounds interesting, right? WRONG! The rest of the book is weighed down by the new teacher, Pierre Hoffman, waxing philosophical on what amounts to very little. It took about 150 pages for anything to really happen, and then there was another lull that lasted until almost the end. Ugh. I'll allow that some of the nuances may have been lost in translation. But that's all I'll allow. I need to read something really meaty and good to get me going in 2008. Suggestions?

book 1!

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:06:00 +0000

ah, nothing like a fresh start.

The Golden Compass, Phillip Pullman
rating:

Can you believe I've never read this? I started it in December, in anticipation of the movie, but I got distracted by the fact that we have to move, the weather was bad, it's really cold here, etc. Anyway, a friend demanded that I finish it today so that we could go see the movie while it's still in town, and I'm glad that I did because I really enjoyed it. People talk about the religious undertones and they're definitely there, especially at the end. It's really pretty violent and intense at times. Mostly I'm excited about seeing the giant bears in the movie.

books 63 and 64

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:30:00 +0000

Bitter Sweets, Roopa Farooki
rating:

This debut novel has been compared to Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, and I have to say that, beyond the obvious cultural connection, I didn't really see it. This book is so soaked in deceit that I had a hard time relating to many of the characters, and some of the major issues raised are dealt with so neatly that it was difficult to believe. Still, I found Farooki's writing to be smooth and her voice to be very readable.

Last Rituals, Yrsa Sigurdardottir
rating:

The subtitle of this novel is: "An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder." Yep, that pretty much says it all. Lawyer Thora is contacted by the family of a murdered German graduate student studying in Iceland. They're unhappy with the outcome of the police investigation and want her to find out more. I'm a fan of Scandinavian crime novels, generally, though this one was a little different b/c the victim was a German national. I figured out who the murderer was pretty early on, but the rest of the novel was still pretty interesting. Witches, torture, creepy stuff, etc.

book 62

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:53:00 +0000

Slam, Nick Hornby
rating:

Nick Hornby's latest novel is about a teenager, Sam, who is really into skating (skateboarding, that is, but apparently only rubes call it that). He's got a few nice things going for him - he might be the first in the family to go to college, he's got a pretty girlfriend, etc. But then it all goes out the window after something occurs that changes his life (I'm not saying what b/c the book jacket acts as if it's some kind of secret). Hornby's teenage voice is really good, and I really liked the fast pace of the story. I'm a little quibbly about the parts where he is able to magically preview the future, but those moments are pretty well contained. I remember not being super happy about How to Be Good, the last Hornby I read, but I enjoyed this one so much that I'm considering going back and reading that suicide book he wrote.

I've got three more days to up my totals for 2007. Can I do a book a day and make it a respectable 65? Stay tuned...

book 61

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:16:00 +0000

Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen
rating:

A debut novel from a North Carolina writer, Garden Spells is about the Waverly sisters of Bascom, NC, and how they deal with their strange family history. One of the sisters is a caterer, and she makes all of these delicious-sounding foods out of the edible flowers grown in the magical family garden. I was hungry a lot while I read it. Overall, a fine read, but it all wrapped up a little too nicely for my taste.

book 60

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:48:00 +0000

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
rating:

Re-reading for book club. If you don't know what happens, you should watch the movie.

book 59

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:28:00 +0000

The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta
rating:

Eh. I've really liked Tom Perrotta ever since I read The Wishbones back in high school. But this one really didn't do it for me. It's about Ruth, a sex ed teacher involved in scandal, etc. etc. and Tim, a former drug-addict now born-again Christian who coaches Ruth's daughter's soccer team. It was well-written but I didn't feel like there was much arc or movement to the story, like I was just waiting for whatever big thing was going to happen and I'm still waiting now, even after the book is over.

book 58

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:29:00 +0000

Origin, Diana Abu-Jaber
rating:

This book rocked. It's a really dark mystery about a fingerprint analyst, Lena, who becomes involved in a serial murder case involving infants. It seems pretty standard mystery fare at first, but as it progresses it becomes increasingly more intense and imaginative and awesome. Compulsively readable.

book 57

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:33:00 +0000

If I am Missing or Dead, Janine Latus
rating:

The jacket description seriously misrepresents this book. I thought this memoir would be about Latus' sister's murder and how she dealt with it. The title refers to a letter left by the sister (Amy) in a desk drawer to let people know of her fears regarding her romantic partner in the event of her disappearance or death. But Amy's death doesn't actually come into play until the very end of the book. The rest focuses on Latus' own bad relationships, particularly her oppressive and frightening marriage. I mean, seriously, her husband makes her get breast implants and forces her to weight herself every day. Amy is really an afterthought here. Well written, but not what I really wanted it to be.

book 56

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:07:00 +0000

last one! I'm all caught up now.

Bangkok 8, John Burdett
rating:

It took me about fifty pages or so to get into Burdett's style, but once I was in, I was in. This novel is about a Thai policeman whose partner is killed in a very strange way early on. It turns out that his death is all wrapped up in this mystery, which drives the remainder of the narrative. I'm not sure if I'd say it's full of twists, really, but I definitely wouldn't have guessed the outcome at the beginning, or even halfway through. I think I'll pick up the sequel soon.

On another note, this is the only book I've ever read entirely in airports/on airplanes.

book 55

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:03:00 +0000

How to Talk to a Widower, Jonathan Tropper
rating:

This is a prime example of dick lit. Oops, I'm being crass. "Lad Lit." The main character is a 29-year old widower with a troubled stepson and a very, very strange relationship with how own family (especially his twin sister). He's a writer, but his columns about being a widower are really kind of blah compared to the rest of the book. He is coerced into dating again, and all kinds of wacky things happen. Pretty funny and very readable.

book 54

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:00:00 +0000

Getting Rid of Matthew, Jane Fallon
rating:

Eh. Three 'bots, I guess? Jane Fallon is the longtime partner of Ricky Gervais and has done lots of writing for British TV, so I was pretty excited about this one. Really it's British chick lit with a "twist." It's about Helen, whose older, married boyfriend leaves his wife to be with her. Surprise! It's not what she thought it would be and she kind of hates him. So she gets buddy buddy with his estranged wife, pretending to be a woman named Eleanor, and tries to convince her to take him back. Hijinks ensue.

book 53

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:56:00 +0000

Songs Without Words, Ann Packer
rating:

My experience with this book was eerily similar to the one I had with book 52. I read Packer's last novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, when I was in college and really loved it. The main character there was in her twenties, I think. This one focuses on two women who are probably in their 30s, maybe early 40s, and their relationship. One of the women has a tense relationship with her daughter, which becomes a major focus. Slower than Moriarty's, but I was still able to read it pretty quickly (It was on the "Sizzler!" shelf at the public library, which means I only got to keep it for four days).

book 52

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:51:00 +0000

The Rest of Her Life, Laura Moriarty
rating:

Laura Moriarty rocks because she lives in my new home state of Kansas. I read her last novel, The Center of Everything, years and years ago, and loved it. I enjoyed this one as well. It's about a woman whose teenage daughter is involved in a car accident. It deals a lot with the family dynamic, especially the mother-daughter relationship. I thought it was a good read, and I like Moriarty's simple writing style, but I feel like it would have resonated with me more if I had a child. My sister, who has two daughters, vouches for its relatability on that level, though.

book 51

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:48:00 +0000

Fourth Comings, Megan McCafferty
rating:

I'm giving this a 3 because I just love Megan M. that much. And yet I was pretty disappointed. I was pretty pumped about it, since the main character, Jessica Darling, is now in her twenties (like me!). But I guess I should have reread my own post from last year about MM's third book. Good writing, but no one is that quippy in real life. I'd know; I'm very quippy.

book 50

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:44:00 +0000

Book 50 is a milestone!

Once Upon a Day, Lisa Tucker
rating:

I actually don't remember this one very well. I think it's about a strange girl who has always been isolated from society by her eccentric millionaire ex-movie producer father, until she decides to go find her brother in St. Louis to tell him that their father is ill. It was a pretty quick read, and I feel like I enjoyed it?

book 49

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:40:00 +0000

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach
rating:

I've been meaning to read this book forever. I really enjoyed it, though there are some pretty gross moments. It's all about dead bodies and what we do/have historically done with them. Crash tests, anatomy lessons, etc. Looking back on my enjoyment of this, I'm feeling like I should be integrating more non-fiction into my reading diet.

book 48

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:35:00 +0000

How sad that I read this early in September, more than 2 months ago. Since I started blogging at work (or joblogging [it's better if you say it fast], it's harder to remember to blog at home. Matt chided me for it, so I'll try to get back in the habit.

Free Food for Millionaires, Min Jin Lee
rating:

Eh. Chick lit that wanted to be deeper than chick lit. But also much longer than your average chick lit. Casey is a Korean American Princeton grad who struggles with love, life, and stuff like that in NYC. It's actually one of the physically heaviest books I've ever read.

book 47

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:50:00 +0000

later, at the bar: a novel in stories, rebecca barry
rating:

this is a group of interrelated stories about the patrons of a small town bar, lucy's tavern, and their fellow citizens. overall i enjoyed it, although sometimes characters would be introduced in one story and would pop up again much later, so it was difficult for me to remember what their previously established relationships to other characters were, etc.

i really need to pick up the pace. i'm way behind last year. i obviously need to start reading more YA again.

book 46

noreply@blogger.com (jenny) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:39:00 +0000

the headmaster ritual, taylor antrim
rating:

those of you who know me know that i deeply love books about high school. i find them mysteriously appealing for reasons that even i don't understand, considering that my own experience in high school was mediocre on good days. so, when salon reviewed the headmaster ritual, i knew i had to read it. and luckily, i live two blocks from the greatest public library in the world, and they happened to have it. the story focuses mainly on three people: dyer, a new history teacher at a prestigious boarding school; ed wolfe, the former SDS-type radical headmaster; and james, wolfe's son. the headmaster is obsessed with north korea, and that drives most of the book, really. i like the parts about james best, as he was the only actual high schooler that got a lot of play. the rest of the book, especially all of the north korea stuff, sort of felt like it was building up to a major climactic moment that either didn't happen, or happened so subtly that it didn't satisfy me. it definitely kept my attention, and i know why the reviews of it are so good, but it felt sort of skeletal at times, especially when i really wanted more meat.