Title: Clever Girl
Author: Tessa Hadley
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Summary: This story follows Stella's life from her childhood with her mom into...adulthood? I'm not sure how far the book goes into Stella's life. I gave up on the book about a third of the way in.
Review: This book wasn't unreadable, it just wasn't very interesting. Thus the Did Not Finish (DNF) status. I read about a hundred pages and just...lost interest. It could be my mood. Maybe I'll revisit it one day...
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Book review: The Headmaster's Wife
Title: The Headmaster's Wife
Author: Thomas Christopher Greene
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Arthur Winthrop is the headmaster at the prestigious Lancaster School in Vermont. His dad and grandfather were also headmasters at Lancaster. This book opens with Arthur being arrested for wandering naked in Central Park. The story unfolds to review the events that led Arthur to his arrest.
Review: This book was good but as more time passes between my finishing it and writing this review, it isn't really staying with me. Thus the reason for three vs. four stars. It starts off with Arthur having an affair with a student. This first part of the book is probably the best part as one realizes that what's happening might not be all that appears, which further adds to the intrigue. The book progresses to provide more insight and provides a point of view from his wife. It's a fast read and it was good, but it wasn't one of those books that I looked forward to reading at the end of the night. Nor was it a book that I would stay up late to keep reading.
Author: Thomas Christopher Greene
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Summary: Arthur Winthrop is the headmaster at the prestigious Lancaster School in Vermont. His dad and grandfather were also headmasters at Lancaster. This book opens with Arthur being arrested for wandering naked in Central Park. The story unfolds to review the events that led Arthur to his arrest.
Review: This book was good but as more time passes between my finishing it and writing this review, it isn't really staying with me. Thus the reason for three vs. four stars. It starts off with Arthur having an affair with a student. This first part of the book is probably the best part as one realizes that what's happening might not be all that appears, which further adds to the intrigue. The book progresses to provide more insight and provides a point of view from his wife. It's a fast read and it was good, but it wasn't one of those books that I looked forward to reading at the end of the night. Nor was it a book that I would stay up late to keep reading.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Book review: This is Where I Leave You
Title: This is Where I Leave You
Author: Jonathan Tropper
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Summary: Judd's father just died. He also recently found his wife cheating on him with his boss. Judd's not having a great time with life right now. When he gets back home for his dad's funeral, his mom tells Judd and his three siblings (Wendy, Paul, and Phillip) that their (previously unreligious) dad's dying wish was for them to sit Shiva. Judd can't remember the last time the entire family was together for an entire week. Some hilarity ensues.
Review: This book has been made into a movie and stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda, just to name a few. I read this book just after having surgery and it was a terrible book to read because I was laughing so hard and it really, really hurt to laugh. There are a lot of sad aspects to the book (each kid is dealing with his or her own issues), but it feels real and that's what makes it good. Plus I love books about family drama. This book made me want to check out Tropper's other work.
Author: Jonathan Tropper
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Summary: Judd's father just died. He also recently found his wife cheating on him with his boss. Judd's not having a great time with life right now. When he gets back home for his dad's funeral, his mom tells Judd and his three siblings (Wendy, Paul, and Phillip) that their (previously unreligious) dad's dying wish was for them to sit Shiva. Judd can't remember the last time the entire family was together for an entire week. Some hilarity ensues.
Review: This book has been made into a movie and stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda, just to name a few. I read this book just after having surgery and it was a terrible book to read because I was laughing so hard and it really, really hurt to laugh. There are a lot of sad aspects to the book (each kid is dealing with his or her own issues), but it feels real and that's what makes it good. Plus I love books about family drama. This book made me want to check out Tropper's other work.
Book review: The Race Underground
Title: The Race Underground
Author: Doug Most
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary:This book details the development of the Boston and New York Subway systems.
Review: This is a non-fiction book. I don't read many non-fiction books these days. In my mind these require more brain power. Perhaps this is true, perhaps it isn't. In this case, there were so many different characters involved, it was hard to keep track of at times. Anyway, this was a really interesting book. There were times I almost gave up--after the Boston subway was completed and New York still hadn't started their own I couldn't help but think, "so where is this going?". But in many ways the development of the New York subway was even more interesting than the Boston part. I think anybody that lives in either Boston or New York will enjoy reading about what the cities looked like back at the turn of the century.
Author: Doug Most
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary:This book details the development of the Boston and New York Subway systems.
Review: This is a non-fiction book. I don't read many non-fiction books these days. In my mind these require more brain power. Perhaps this is true, perhaps it isn't. In this case, there were so many different characters involved, it was hard to keep track of at times. Anyway, this was a really interesting book. There were times I almost gave up--after the Boston subway was completed and New York still hadn't started their own I couldn't help but think, "so where is this going?". But in many ways the development of the New York subway was even more interesting than the Boston part. I think anybody that lives in either Boston or New York will enjoy reading about what the cities looked like back at the turn of the century.
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