The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
999 Challenge Category: Award Winners
If you haven't read the other books in the Thursday Next series, this contains ***spoilers*** for the first two books.
Hiding out from the Goliath Corporation in the Well of Lost Plots, Thursday has entered the Character Exchange Program in a never-will-be-published mystery featuring Jack Spratt. She's replacing a character named Mary who has primarily served as a prop so other characters can explain what's going on to the readers. Aornis is still dangerously able to make Thursday forget her eradicated husband, Landon, and Miss Haversham is prepping Thursday to take the test to enter Jurisfiction.
Most of the events that The Well of Lost Plots is concerned with takes place in the Book World. We find out more about the history and politics going on in Jurisfiction, and nothing really moves forward on the Outside. The footnoterphone is back, complete with junkfootnotes. This one was more fanciful than the first two, and didn't hold up as well for me. Still, an enjoyable read. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Category 3, Book 2: Books about books - Bird by Bird
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Anne Lamott, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, distills the advice she gives to her creative writing students. Using her two cornerstones of writing -- short assignments and "shitty first drafts" -- a lot of humor, personal stories, and memorable metaphors, this is unlike any writing how-to book I've ever read.
In all honesty, I included "writing" in this category to read one book in particular that now fits in a different category. I haven't written in years partly because I never seemed to be able to finish what I started and partly because I read so many really good books that I figured I couldn't write that well so never mind. But Bird by Bird makes me want to write again. Ms. Lamott doesn't beat you over the head with "you must write every day" (though she suggests writing at least 300 words a day, even if you only write about how much you don't want to write) or give you a formula for how to be a Writer. She doesn't making writing sound easy, but she did make it sound doable, even necessary. I haven't taken up writing again yet, but I may well consider it. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books/Reading/Writing
Anne Lamott, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, distills the advice she gives to her creative writing students. Using her two cornerstones of writing -- short assignments and "shitty first drafts" -- a lot of humor, personal stories, and memorable metaphors, this is unlike any writing how-to book I've ever read.
In all honesty, I included "writing" in this category to read one book in particular that now fits in a different category. I haven't written in years partly because I never seemed to be able to finish what I started and partly because I read so many really good books that I figured I couldn't write that well so never mind. But Bird by Bird makes me want to write again. Ms. Lamott doesn't beat you over the head with "you must write every day" (though she suggests writing at least 300 words a day, even if you only write about how much you don't want to write) or give you a formula for how to be a Writer. She doesn't making writing sound easy, but she did make it sound doable, even necessary. I haven't taken up writing again yet, but I may well consider it. 5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Category 5, Book 2: Audiobooks - Shakespeare: The World as Stage
Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks (or Nonfiction)
Bill Bryson was one my favorite new authors from 2008, so I've been meaning to read more of his books. I was inspired by this review to move up this title in my 999 Challenge.
Not too much is known about Shakespeare beyond the basic facts of his life: where he was born, when he was baptized, when and to whom he was married, that he wrote several plays (and acted in them, too), when he died. What is not known is so very enticing: what happened in those years leading up to his arrival on the playwright scene in London? Which play was written first? How large was his vocabulary?
Bryson explores what (and how) we know what we do about Shakespeare, as well as what we do not. You gain an appreciation for the immense scholarship that has gone into trying to find out anything about people from this time period, and get a sense that even what we do know is a pretty incredible amount of information for its time. The audio version read by the author is excellent for getting a sense of his dry sense of humor, seen at its best when discussing the various far-reaching theories about Shakespeare and his plays. A short but excellent biography. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks (or Nonfiction)
Bill Bryson was one my favorite new authors from 2008, so I've been meaning to read more of his books. I was inspired by this review to move up this title in my 999 Challenge.
Not too much is known about Shakespeare beyond the basic facts of his life: where he was born, when he was baptized, when and to whom he was married, that he wrote several plays (and acted in them, too), when he died. What is not known is so very enticing: what happened in those years leading up to his arrival on the playwright scene in London? Which play was written first? How large was his vocabulary?
Bryson explores what (and how) we know what we do about Shakespeare, as well as what we do not. You gain an appreciation for the immense scholarship that has gone into trying to find out anything about people from this time period, and get a sense that even what we do know is a pretty incredible amount of information for its time. The audio version read by the author is excellent for getting a sense of his dry sense of humor, seen at its best when discussing the various far-reaching theories about Shakespeare and his plays. A short but excellent biography. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Category 8, Book 1: YA/Children's - Rodrick Rules
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
999 Challenge Category: YA/Children's
***minor spoilers***
In the sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg Heffley has a new journal to write about his troubles with older brother Rodrick. Rodrick has a band that Greg can't stand, picks on Greg, and -- worst of all -- Greg can't do anything about it because Rodrick might let slip the really embarrassing thing that happened over the summer.
Rodrick Rules is complete with stick drawings and just as humorous as the first book. The characters aren't always nice to each other, but are true to life. Some of the issues parents may have include Rodrick's high school party where he locks Greg in the basement, and Greg's treatment of his classmates. It's a quick read, and I recommend it for those in middle school and older. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. 5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: YA/Children's
***minor spoilers***
In the sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg Heffley has a new journal to write about his troubles with older brother Rodrick. Rodrick has a band that Greg can't stand, picks on Greg, and -- worst of all -- Greg can't do anything about it because Rodrick might let slip the really embarrassing thing that happened over the summer.
Rodrick Rules is complete with stick drawings and just as humorous as the first book. The characters aren't always nice to each other, but are true to life. Some of the issues parents may have include Rodrick's high school party where he locks Greg in the basement, and Greg's treatment of his classmates. It's a quick read, and I recommend it for those in middle school and older. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. 5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Category 9, Book 1: Lost Book Club - Bad Twin
Bad Twin by Gary Troup
999 Challenge Category: Lost Book Club
Paul Artisan is a private detective in California, where the cases he receives are mostly petty disputes and insurance fraud. But when Cliff Widmore appears and asks him to find his twin, Artisan knows this case won't be like the others he's had before. He's not sure who to trust or which is really the "bad" twin. The book itself is the "manuscript" that Hurley and Sawyer read in Season 2 of Lost, written by author "Gary Troup" who died in the plane crash. Other connections include the Hanso Foundation (located on floor 42 of the Widmore Building), repetition of the numbers, and a comment about the Paik's business.
Bad Twin is one of those rare books that I finished thinking, "I could've written better than that." Granted, it had a compelling story and characters, but the writing was full of misplaced adjectives and jarring similes. For example:
After that, I didn't read the descriptions to closely, but even then the story structure was somewhat unbelievable until it finally came down to the last four pages of Paul Artisan explaining, "Oh, I talked to ---, so now I can tell you exactly what's been happening." Not recommended. 2 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Lost Book Club
Paul Artisan is a private detective in California, where the cases he receives are mostly petty disputes and insurance fraud. But when Cliff Widmore appears and asks him to find his twin, Artisan knows this case won't be like the others he's had before. He's not sure who to trust or which is really the "bad" twin. The book itself is the "manuscript" that Hurley and Sawyer read in Season 2 of Lost, written by author "Gary Troup" who died in the plane crash. Other connections include the Hanso Foundation (located on floor 42 of the Widmore Building), repetition of the numbers, and a comment about the Paik's business.
Bad Twin is one of those rare books that I finished thinking, "I could've written better than that." Granted, it had a compelling story and characters, but the writing was full of misplaced adjectives and jarring similes. For example:
The sloop--a good size, maybe forty feet, a third of a million dollars' worth of fiberglass and teak with the name Escape Hatch etched into the transom--was lifted in a giant wooden cradle in the hanger-like shed of Hap's Marina; there was something rude and almost obscene about the sight of the boat's raised, bare bottom, its stiff keel stabbing downward like the penis of an excited whale (53).
After that, I didn't read the descriptions to closely, but even then the story structure was somewhat unbelievable until it finally came down to the last four pages of Paul Artisan explaining, "Oh, I talked to ---, so now I can tell you exactly what's been happening." Not recommended. 2 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Category 4, Book 3: Nonfiction - Levels of the Game
Levels of the Game by John McPhee
999 Challenge Category: Nonfiction
In 1968, the U.S. Open Championship was first opened to amateur players. They weren't expected to do very well against the players on the pro tour, but both Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner made it to the semifinals. This is the story of that game. McPhee starts right off with the first serve, moving cinematically for a close shot of several points, then backing out to focus on the perspective of someone in the player's box or watching the match on television, or maybe taking a panoramic shot of the background of one of the players and how they started playing tennis, and moving in again for a closeup of a game or two.
I chose this read because in an interview recently the author of The Best Game Ever, Mark Bowden, said that it was a model for his writing in his book about the 1958 Championship football game. I also found it excellent preparation for the Australian Open. Levels of the Game, published in 1969, is a little dated in the description of the "modern" game of tennis, and by comments made by some of the players, like "he plays like that because he's white" or "because he's black", or he has a "Latin temperament". McPhee was definitely at his best describing moments in the match, a tense point, a solid ace, and the reaction of players and fans. A worthwhile read that left a smile on my face in the end. 4.5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Nonfiction
In 1968, the U.S. Open Championship was first opened to amateur players. They weren't expected to do very well against the players on the pro tour, but both Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner made it to the semifinals. This is the story of that game. McPhee starts right off with the first serve, moving cinematically for a close shot of several points, then backing out to focus on the perspective of someone in the player's box or watching the match on television, or maybe taking a panoramic shot of the background of one of the players and how they started playing tennis, and moving in again for a closeup of a game or two.
I chose this read because in an interview recently the author of The Best Game Ever, Mark Bowden, said that it was a model for his writing in his book about the 1958 Championship football game. I also found it excellent preparation for the Australian Open. Levels of the Game, published in 1969, is a little dated in the description of the "modern" game of tennis, and by comments made by some of the players, like "he plays like that because he's white" or "because he's black", or he has a "Latin temperament". McPhee was definitely at his best describing moments in the match, a tense point, a solid ace, and the reaction of players and fans. A worthwhile read that left a smile on my face in the end. 4.5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Category 2, Book 1: New-to- me authors - Elinor Lipman
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
Category: New-to-me Authors
In the 1960s, Natalie Marx and her family are looking into various hotels and cottages around Lake Devine, where they're going to be vacationing. Most get back to them with rates and accommodations, but one in particular, the Inn at Lake Devine, suggests that Gentiles would feel more comfortable in this lodging. Natalie becomes somewhat fascinated with the establishment that would flout laws (she sent the proprietor a copy of the Civil Rights Act), and finagles her way into a visit.
This is hardly even the start of the story, but the plot is much more delightfully fun when you don't know what's coming. Natalie is the narrator as well as the main character, and she's a fun person to be "in the head" of. All the characters were great: I never had the sense that any of the secondary characters were cookie cutter or background, all of them felt very real. Also, it was a somewhat "local" New England story, so it was fun recognizing a surprisingly large number of locations mentioned in the tale. Though racism is a main theme throughout, it's dealt with both seriousness and humor and isn't a heavy story. I'm definitely going to be looking to read more by this author. 4.5 stars.
Thanks to LibraryThing members detailmuse and bonniebooks for recommending this as my first book by Elinor Lipman!
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Category: New-to-me Authors
In the 1960s, Natalie Marx and her family are looking into various hotels and cottages around Lake Devine, where they're going to be vacationing. Most get back to them with rates and accommodations, but one in particular, the Inn at Lake Devine, suggests that Gentiles would feel more comfortable in this lodging. Natalie becomes somewhat fascinated with the establishment that would flout laws (she sent the proprietor a copy of the Civil Rights Act), and finagles her way into a visit.
This is hardly even the start of the story, but the plot is much more delightfully fun when you don't know what's coming. Natalie is the narrator as well as the main character, and she's a fun person to be "in the head" of. All the characters were great: I never had the sense that any of the secondary characters were cookie cutter or background, all of them felt very real. Also, it was a somewhat "local" New England story, so it was fun recognizing a surprisingly large number of locations mentioned in the tale. Though racism is a main theme throughout, it's dealt with both seriousness and humor and isn't a heavy story. I'm definitely going to be looking to read more by this author. 4.5 stars.
Thanks to LibraryThing members detailmuse and bonniebooks for recommending this as my first book by Elinor Lipman!
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
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