The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

If all nonfiction science books read like this one, I can tell you there'd sure be a lot more people reading them -  I am finding I really enjoy this creative non-fiction genre.  This book was fascinating, informative and impactful.   It is shocking how little the world knows about HeLa - the first immortal cells that revolutionized science and medicine, saved millions of lives, and will likely save more....all which came from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks in the 50s.  It's a mix of everything that makes a great story - scandals, human interests, mysteries, fascinating science, and thought-provoking issues like bioethics and racism in the medical industry (questions, I might add that aren't answered even now and you might want to be a little more aware before donating plasma).  I also really appreciated the contrast of the historical and scientific history to the real life repercussions these cells have had on the surviving extremely poor family of Henrietta.  The author spends a lot of time on them (which some people criticize), but I don't think this would be nearly as interesting without them.  I grew to really like Deborah especially, and I mostly felt the author partly used them to paint an interesting picture of how different the world is for them - and most regular people - compared the world of science and how easy for most of us to know jack sh*t about what that community is doing.   Really, really excellent book.

The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages

I finished this trilogy rapidly - I couldn't put them down! It truly is an epic story that continued to grip me and pull me along all the way through to the end. And then it wrapped up in such a way that had me quite amazed at Sanderson's foresight and storytelling capability.  He did a really nice job making me love the characters and I was pleased with how their story-lines turned out, and the direction he took them as well as the world.  It was a great balance of dark and light and everything in between.  I felt like he answered most of really important the questions I had left in the story, and I really, really enjoyed the ride.  Rating 4 stars and 5 stars respectively.

Mistborn

This book took me a while to get into.  In fact I started it and then read 3 other books because there wasn't enough of a pull for me yet.  But once it got past the setup at the beginning (140 pages or so) it was a great ride and really fun.  It was a unique experience for me as well because Mr. Sanderson also puts out a podcast called Writing Excuses which I listen to every week as he is a local author where I live and am an aspiring author.  So it's one of the first times I've read a book in which I feel I've come to know a little more about the author and his processes, and I had to eventually just switch gears in my head to just reading it for fun and not to try to analyze and learn.  But I'm so glad it, and will plan on finishing the trilogy.  I love books with strong women and Vin is a great character, as are all the rest of the characters the book for that matter..  He did a really nice job fleshing them out and especially showing Vin's growth and perspective changes.  The world is really cool, and the system of  magic is one of the most unique I've come across in all my fantasy reading.  So much so it took me some getting used to, but I really appreciated the creativity.  I am also glad to see Sanderson's skill at storytelling as he was given the monumental task of wrapping up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, which I have been anxious about and will tackle some time soon.  Anyways, I gave Mistborn 4 stars, as I really liked it.

On Writing

First of all, I didn't know Stephen King was funny (granted I've only read one of his books thus far).  The first half of this book is his memoir and it is great, poignant, and often hilarious.  It is also extremely helpful in understanding the second half of the book regarding his advice on and experience with the writing process, which was also fantastic.  I was able to take a lot of things away to try to apply to my own process, though I am debating how much the discovery process of writing applies to me.  One of his main concepts is that he considers his stories situational but character based.  The characters are put into a situation and then he discovers what they do and who they are as they deal with that situation.  He likened it to uncovering a fossil.  I think I am more of an outliner AND a discovery writer, but only time will really tell.  Anyways, I was grateful for this book and his thoughts on what can be a very overwhelming and daunting process.  Though at the end of the day it is pretty simple - write a lot, read a lot, and you'll do fine.  3 stars - I liked it!

The Night Circus

I've been wanting to read The Night Circus ever since I heard Erin Morgenstern on The Diane Rehm show.  Not only does it sound fun and I love circuses, magicians, and magic (so how could I resist), she did it as her NaNoWriMo book, which I myself have done and it was so nice to see someone become successful with one!  The story was well told and I loved how she worked with the magic.  It was very Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but with two magicians that are more pawns than competitors.  But the things they create and the circus in general is simply dazzling - It's a circus I would go in a heartbeat.  I took it with me on vacation and couldn't put it down!  Thus earning a 4 stars.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

My first introduction to this was the movie.  No one told me what to expect when I saw it, and so I didn't like it at first.  It's just too....random.  But it grew on me and I decided that I should read the book, since I am a fan of science fiction and fantasy.  The book is just as random (if not more so) than the movie, and I found I  liked it quite a bit!  I don't even know how to talk about it really, but it's super smart and funny - I laughed out loud several times.  I gave it 3 stars.

Outlander

My girlfriends have been talking about this for years and I finally decided to take the plunge.  I first got to know Gabaldon when I worked in a bookstore as a teenager and they never knew where to put her books, so they usually ended up in the romance section, even though I wouldn't put them in that category either.  So I think I had judged the storyline before even reading it.  But I swept through the book, and it's not a short book, and she has like 5 or 6 more books that I will likely pick up over time.  But it's a smart and compelling story, and the time travel aspects are totally awesome.  Some of the attraction definitely is the love story between the main characters, but that is done just as well and with a lot of depth, but full of tension and sexuality.  That said however, if scenes with sex in them bother you, don't pick this up.  It surpassed my expectations though and I gave it 4 stars.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Trilogy

I hadn't picked up any of Brooks' Shannara series for a while, deeming it better to get a break in between rather than get wrapped up in how similar they can be sometimes.  But this was yet another great trilogy, and the unique things he does throw in are always fantastic.  This really tied quite a bit more into the previous time (i.e. our future) that was destroyed before magic came back into the world, and it was fun to have that mix of science and magic.  Not to mention the dangers of AI.  Fun reads and I gave the books (Isle Witch, Antrax, and Morgawr) 3 stars, 4 stars, and 3 stars respectively.

Wyrd Sisters

Oh I had so much fun with this book.  I didn't think I would like it, but it was just pure unadulterated fun.  And Terry Pratchett is one of the most clever people I have read.  The witches in this book are such great characters, and the magic of his world is awesome.  It almost seems like a frivolous book until you really think about some of the themes on the written word and drama, subtle nods to Shakespeare, and more.  I will definitely pick him up again.  Definitely worth 4 Stars.

The Weird Sisters

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!   I loved how different the sisters are and how real they were portrayed, both the beautiful and the ugly pieces of their characters.  I was totally hooked and engaged - ready to follow them on their journey and find out how it would turn out for each of them.  I found pieces of myself in each one of them.  The family dynamic is so unique and I love how they all have Shakespeare references for everything going on in their lives and is how they interact with each other.  The author is also extremely creative in using a chorus of the sisters as the narrator - the "we" totally works once you get used to it.  Fabulous novel all around.

Outliers

Rating: 4 stars

I read this book back in July 2011, and cannot believe I forgot to write about it on here.  It was a fantastic read, and I plan to read all of Gladwell's work at some point.  I love how he sees things - he overlays seemingly typical situations with his unique viewpoint and turns them upside down and sideways.  It certainly changed the way I looked at success, how it can be created, and what factors are involved....and they were rather unexpected.  It was easy to read and he has a really unique way of making his ideas easy to understand, even when they are not always simple.  I highly recommend!

The Bedwetter

Rating: 3 Stars

This book was selected in my book club, and I actually ended up listening to it, thinking I didn't really want to read it and that way I could fit it into my other activities (taking the place of my podcast proclivities for a time).  Well, it turns out I really did rather like it.  I think this was partly because I expected to NOT like it.  I have a hard time watching shows that make me cringe and Sarah Silverman's show is SO cringe worthy (she says the most awful things), I kind of put her in a box that was defined by her often distasteful humor (to me personally at any rate). But she surprised me.  Her story is actually interesting, thoughtful, often hilarious, and I found that I quite liked her as a person - outside of her humor.  So it was a enlightening lesson for me in that regard.  The book is still not for the faint of heart (and thus I cannot recommend it for everyone, certainly not my mother), but it made me laugh out loud a lot and have a new perspective, and I really appreciated all of that.  I also have to say that I think my ability to like this was enhanced by listening to the book, as it was narrated by her and her inflections were funny - I have a feeling I wouldn't have liked it quite the same if I had read it myself and inserted my own inflections and impressions.  Thanks for making me laugh Sarah Silverman!

Half Broke Horses

I picked this up because I absolutely loved Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle.  I love her easy but beautiful writing style and knew I would most likely love her newer book about her grandmother Lily Casey Smith. And I did - it was a joy to read and I fell in love with Lily and her remarkable life.  It was nothing short of amazing and I totally admired her tenacity and indomitable spirit in such trying times and in such desolate areas of the country.  I have to say it was a little heart-wrenching to read about Lily's daughter knowing how she would ultimately turn out (as the mother in The Glass Castle), but I also felt grateful to know a little more about her as well.  Lily's story was inspiring to me, and the book is a really, really great read.

State of Wonder and Bel Canto

Ratings:  Three Stars

State of Wonder is the second of Ann Patchett's books that have made it under my belt (Bel Canto being the first), and I am glad for it.  Her writing is beautiful.  Gorgeous.  It is what propels me through the slow parts in her novels, and is absolutely what makes her worth reading.  To be fair, her stories are interesting do pick up pace by the end, and her character development is remarkable.  I can't help but love, dislike, and feel like I know them.  With her as my guide, I was more than happy to visit Manaus and the Amazon to hunt for resources, and be among nationalists taken hostage by local South American terrorists (Bel Canto).

P.S.  I am doing two in one because I forgot to write about Bel Canto, which I read in May 2011)

Inheritance (Inheritance #4)

Rating: Four Stars

A great finish to Christopher Paolini's final book in the Eragon series.  It had been a long time since I had read all of them, and while the effect would probably be better if I had at least read some full summaries (more than the short synopsis at the beginning of this book), I still felt satisfied.  He has developed into a really great writer, and the story arc is impressive and truly entertaining.  I myself was also content and pleased with the ending, no easy trick after setting up so much that needed to be resolved.  Well done Christopher, and thanks for the great ride!

A Handmaid's Tale

Rating: Four stars

It turns out that I have an emerging love for dystopian novels, and I could not get enough of this book.  Atwood's tale was totally believable, totally horrifying, and extremely creative.  Imagine if the most right-wing extremist Christian sect you can think of took over the U.S. government in one fell swoop, relegated women to "their place", and on top of everything, there was a global fertility problem.  The solution being for the few fertile women that existed to be made Handmaids, and  given to the leaders and their wives.  My overly succinct summary does not do it justice!  I promise it's worth reading.

A Clash of Kings

Rating: Four Stars

I really liked this second book in Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series.  I have to say I didn't love it quite as much as the first one...there was a lot of setup and not as much action, which isn't always bad, but for a book this long I felt like there needed to be a little more balance of that.  That said, the action that WAS there was beyond stellar (the ships on the river and the hellfire!), and of course the character development is beyond compare.  I also like the bits of fantasy he weaves in, it is still so lightly dealt with, I am interested to see if the fantasy (magic) becomes a bigger deal as I keep reading.  Because keep reading I most definitely will - though I will take these in stride as they are all epic tomes!

The Stranger

Rating: Three Stars

This book was not at all what I thought it was about.  But after spending almost the entire reading time with a look of consternation on my face, I did end up liking it, quite a lot.  It helped also to discuss it with my sister.  I mostly like that it showed what it would be like to live life in such a different way - which is exactly the whole idea of the existential movement of that time.  It also helped to attempt to put it in context and remember the place and timeframe it was written in - which was France right at the beginning of WWII when the Germans were starting to occupy there.  But the main character's apathetic and almost sociopathic behavior was what was most fascinating...especially if compared to the things that made him actually have an emotional reaction, as he did toward the end.  Along those lines, here is one of my favorite quotes, showing off Camus' beautiful writing:  

(spoiler alert, stop here if you don't want a hint at the ending)

"As if that blind rage has washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, I that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much life myself - so like a brother, really - I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."

Beatrice and Virgil

Rating: Two Stars

It was ok.  I really liked Life of Pi, so Yann Martel's new book seemed an easy one to throw to the list of books to read for our book club.  Unfortunately this book left me with an unpleasant, dark, sad, unsatisfied feeling.  For several sections of the book I felt confused and in sometimes outright bored…not sure where he was going or why, but often disturbed by some of the imagery of violence to animals.  Note - I had not looked up the story, the plot or anything about it, and casually disregarded some of the early foreshadowing in the story.

I liked the main character, which seemed perhaps a literary avatar for Martel, so I was willing to go with him on this weird, seemingly random journey to hang out with an antisocial taxidermist who's writing a bizarre play about a donkey and a howler monkey (Beatrice and Virgil).  Toward the end, as the ultimate meaning and direction he was going started to dawn on me, I began to brace myself.  I don't particularly enjoy something as awful as the Holocaust sneaking up on me - preferring instead to be given the chance to gear up for the desperateness of the event.  This is not to shy away from it (because it  should be faced), but merely for a little protection of the mental and emotional jarring experienced with going from lightheartedness to evil.

That said, I believe I understand his point (survival during evil times, and a unique perspective of the Holocaust), and thus why he did it.  As it all came together the book did have more meaning, and I will say it was craftily done (which is why it isn't getting one star). The other positives are his ability to turn out truly beautiful sentences and compositions….and I really did like Beatrice the donkey and Virgil the howler monkey.  But the last fifth of the book is extremely dark - visiting both the evils of the Holocaust, and then a deeply unsatisfying disconnected climax with no resolution…at least for me.  Again, I understand that such an ending is the literary device he chose to use to illustrate his idea….but such is not my cup of tea.  I suspect if I had known it was about the Holocaust from the beginning, I would have been able to appreciate it a little bit more, given the art and allegory used to craft the tale.  But too late.

The Joy Luck Club

Rating: Three and a Half Stars

I know this book has been out for some time, so I'm a little late to the party.  But I really quite liked it.  It took me a while to get into it…but I ultimately really loved the stories of mothers and daughters - how they saw the world so differently.  The stories of the mothers growing up in China and then having children here in America, and then the daughters that were raised here, not understanding their mothers.  There are many beautiful and heart wrenching stories, but I appreciate how the stories were told, seemingly random but ultimately tying the stories of mothers and daughters together in a beautiful way.  I also really enjoyed reading the mothers' stories, how the they see the world is beautiful, unique and proud.  It was in many ways inspiring.  I also have to say Amy Tan does an amazing job telling the stories though such specifically distinct voices - old and young - old world and new world.  Beautifully written.