Book report
Apr. 7th, 2014 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormkeeper_lovedorisClaire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat – A nice, lyrical novel taking place in modern Haiti where young Claire goes missing on her birthday. Lovely stories of the people in the small town whose lives intertwine, though I can’t say the book enthralled me either. Grade: C+
I Dare Me by Lu Ann Cahn - This was a fun and easy to read book, but one that I thought had a great message. The author, a journalist, dared herself to do something new every day for one year. Some of the items were easier (go to an ice cream shop and sample each flavor) and some were harder (teach a graduate level class). Doris and I liked this idea so much that we decided to make a list of new experiences we can do together as a couple. Grade: B+
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff in Love by Richard and Kristine Carlson – A long time ago, I read “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” which was a huge best-seller and produced several spin-offs. I liked it. So I picked this one up at the library one day when the library seemed to have almost nothing on my to-read list. I have to say that I liked this book too. There are some good pearls of wisdom in here. But I should add a long disclaimer. I try to have an open mind in the sense that I don’t need to agree with everything an author says in order to glean something useful from their book. In my last book report, I didn’t like everything Julia Serano said or agree with her approach most of the time, but her book was still worth a read. And with this one, I sense that there is a lot I wouldn’t agree with if I sat down and chatted with the authors. Even taking into account the fact that their book was published in 1999 (which wasn’t that long ago), I’m not sure if they are homophobic or clueless or conservative (or all three). All of the numerous examples they give are of heterosexual couples, an off-hand comment reveals that they expect their young daughters to be straight (roughly one out of every 10 parents with that attitude is in for a SURPRISE!), and in a truly gag-inducing moment they talk of a couple enjoying one of Dr Laura’s books. But you know, I will put all of that aside – mostly – because there is some great advice in this book. In fact, I plan to read “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work”! Grade: B
Longbourn by Jo Baker – This is a novel of “Pride and Prejudice” except it is told from the servants’ perspective and revolves around them instead of Elizabeth Bennett and her family. It was long and the plot didn’t move at a break-neck speed, yet for some reason I was never bored. The author captured a mood and a feeling, and I enjoyed her work quite a bit. One problem with the novel is that the male protagonist was a bit too perfect though; the book was a tad romance novel-ish in that regard. Grade: B
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay – Historical fiction about a woman in 19th century France whose house is about to be demolished and decides she isn’t going to let that happen. The novel did a nice job with characterization but it was so lacking in plot. A couple years ago I had attempted to read one of the author’s other novels and couldn’t finish it due to boredom. I think the only reason I finished this one was because it was: A) An audio book and B) It was only 5 CDs long. Grade: D+ or C-
Books I started reading but didn’t finish:
None worth mentioning
I Dare Me by Lu Ann Cahn - This was a fun and easy to read book, but one that I thought had a great message. The author, a journalist, dared herself to do something new every day for one year. Some of the items were easier (go to an ice cream shop and sample each flavor) and some were harder (teach a graduate level class). Doris and I liked this idea so much that we decided to make a list of new experiences we can do together as a couple. Grade: B+
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff in Love by Richard and Kristine Carlson – A long time ago, I read “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” which was a huge best-seller and produced several spin-offs. I liked it. So I picked this one up at the library one day when the library seemed to have almost nothing on my to-read list. I have to say that I liked this book too. There are some good pearls of wisdom in here. But I should add a long disclaimer. I try to have an open mind in the sense that I don’t need to agree with everything an author says in order to glean something useful from their book. In my last book report, I didn’t like everything Julia Serano said or agree with her approach most of the time, but her book was still worth a read. And with this one, I sense that there is a lot I wouldn’t agree with if I sat down and chatted with the authors. Even taking into account the fact that their book was published in 1999 (which wasn’t that long ago), I’m not sure if they are homophobic or clueless or conservative (or all three). All of the numerous examples they give are of heterosexual couples, an off-hand comment reveals that they expect their young daughters to be straight (roughly one out of every 10 parents with that attitude is in for a SURPRISE!), and in a truly gag-inducing moment they talk of a couple enjoying one of Dr Laura’s books. But you know, I will put all of that aside – mostly – because there is some great advice in this book. In fact, I plan to read “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work”! Grade: B
Longbourn by Jo Baker – This is a novel of “Pride and Prejudice” except it is told from the servants’ perspective and revolves around them instead of Elizabeth Bennett and her family. It was long and the plot didn’t move at a break-neck speed, yet for some reason I was never bored. The author captured a mood and a feeling, and I enjoyed her work quite a bit. One problem with the novel is that the male protagonist was a bit too perfect though; the book was a tad romance novel-ish in that regard. Grade: B
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay – Historical fiction about a woman in 19th century France whose house is about to be demolished and decides she isn’t going to let that happen. The novel did a nice job with characterization but it was so lacking in plot. A couple years ago I had attempted to read one of the author’s other novels and couldn’t finish it due to boredom. I think the only reason I finished this one was because it was: A) An audio book and B) It was only 5 CDs long. Grade: D+ or C-
Books I started reading but didn’t finish:
None worth mentioning
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Date: 2014-04-09 03:39 pm (UTC)i like the idea of I Dare Me. Did you get ideas from the book or did you come up with your own? I know we talked about it a little in the car :)
it's good that you can read something you don't necessarily agree with and take something useful away from it. personally once i get annoyed it makes it a lot harder to pull anything useful :)
i have a couple friends who are super into pride and prejudice. i'll have to let them know about longbourn
Thanks for sharing!
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