Mini Book Reviews

Seppo has been getting me two books per month as a part of my Christmas present. I’ve been cutting down on book purchases because I want to go through the books I own but haven’t read yet, so every time I buy a new book, I feel guilty. This gets around the guilt. 😀 It’s nice because I get a nice influx of new books as well as have the opportunity to go through the older books.

January picks:

The Tenth Circle: A Novel. I like Jodi Picoult. The best of her books would definitely rate a 5/5 for me. I loved The Pact: A Love Story. My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel was almost as good. Not quite, but almost.

Then she has a set of books that I find to be quite middle of the road. A book that falls into this category still has that something that grabs me, whether it’s the lyricism of her prose or the emotional depth that her characters show, but for some reason, it doesn’t quite come together. This was one of those books. I can’t heartily recommend it, as I felt that the turning point of the book did not deliver the impact the author was hoping to deliver, and in some sense, I felt a little betrayed.

It’s strange to say that I feel betrayed by a storyline, but that’s a part of her strength as a writer: she brings me into the inner lives of the characters in such a way that I can understand & empathize with the differing perspectives of the characters, even when they are diametrically opposed. So when things happen that seems to break a part of the trust (between me, the reader, and the cohesive world of the book), whether it’s that the characters seem to break, er, character, or whatever, it does feel like a betrayal.

Of course, I am speaking very vaguely because I don’t want to give anything about the story away.

There were many beautiful parts of the story, as well as painful parts written beautifully. I don’t necessarily believe that it’s a failing of the writing that I didn’t like it that much; many people may not be bothered by the things I was bothered by. And perhaps others would be bothered by things that didn’t bother me at all.

3/5 stars.

Nights of Rain and Stars. Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite authors. It can definitely be a draining experience to read one of her best stories because she brings the reader so deeply into the everyday heartaches of everyday people. Jodi Picoult is a person who puts ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and deals with the fallout of the circumstances and the people’s decisions that come from or created said situation. In contrast, Maeve Binchy deals with the everyday: the man and woman who grow apart in old age, the friendships that slowly diverge after the closeness of childhood, small dreams that remain just one step too far away.

There is something in the way that Maeve Binchy writes her younger characters that remind me of Agatha Christie. It’s funny (to me) that I say that because Agatha Christie is definitely not known for writing great characters. Agatha Christie was an amazing author, and I have yet to read any mystery writer who’s even come close to touching her finesse and understanding of human nature which drive most of her plots, but her characters are always quick sketches of “that kind of person”.

By that, I don’t mean that she had only one set of person she wrote about. I mean that within a couple of sentences, she was able to establish what kind of person a character was, whether it was a blustery retired military man who is easily flattered by the presence of a young lady, a dreaming young man in love, or a smart but naive woman who knows everything about everything but the guy who is making a fool of her.

Agatha Christie quickly set the stage with these people and set about getting to the plot. All the motivations and evidence arose from the kind of people she was dealing with, not just the surface person she started with, but who they ended up revealing themselves to be.

I suppose the comparison comes to mind because Maeve Binchy also sketches out people in a similar vein. She populates the stage with the characters, then, rather than moving in a plot-centric fashion, she fleshes them out so that they are more than the initial impressions.

Er, I meant to be reviewing this actual book, rather than giving a disseration on Binchy versus Christie, which is not even something that entered my mind before I started to write this entry. Heh.

This book was also a 3/5 stars, but that’s given that I have a very high standard for Maeve Binchy. I wouldn’t recommend this as a first Binchy novel. Instead, I’d start with Tara Road or Circle of Friends (note: I’ve seen the movie and it lost all the beauty of a Binchy novel, so don’t judge it by the movie).

February picks:

Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel in Five Voices. This is Jodi Picoult’s debut novel, as far as I know. It employs a gimmick which, while interesting, detracts from the core story, which stands on its own pretty well. Actually, there are two gimmicks, but one of them was perfectly fine by me. I would have given this story a 4 out of 5 stars if it weren’t for the structure. As it stands, I give it a 3 out of 5. Actually, maybe a 2.5 out of 5, given that I found it very difficult to empathize with one of the characters. It knocks the story balance off-kilter, as 4 of the 5 voices are very easy to empathize with.

The Science of Sexy: Dress to Fit Your Unique Figure with the Style System that Works for Every Shape and Size. Ok, so I’m kind of embarrassed about this one, but I’d really like to present myself better. :p I really can’t add anything else to the following review, which says everything I want to say:

This book was great and the author’s formula of figuring out your body type is very precise. You take three simple measurements to get your basic shape, and then look at a height/weight chart to figure out if you’re average, medium, or tall, and that’s it. Then you flip to the section for your specific body type (there are 48 possible types) and read the do’s and don’ts for dressing well.

With other style books I’ve read (for example The Pocket Stylist: Behind-the-Scenes Expertise from a Fashion Pro on Creating Your Own Look by Kendall Farr), they just give your three basic shapes to choose from and it’s hard to figure out which one you actually are.

The only drawback to this book is that once you have read the 4 pages for your particular body type, that’s about it. The chapters in the beginning with shopping advice were very general and didn’t teach me anything I haven’t already heard (such as buy clothes that are well made and don’t buy expensive trendy items that will likely be out of style next year). I would have liked it if the author had included photos of each celebrity body double because I was not familiar with some of the stars and it would have been nice to have a visual.

I do really enjoy this book and I’m glad I bought it. It would be fun to share with girlfriends who are interested.

I’d give it 5 out of 5 for the 4 pages it gives me for my body type and the general advice it gives. But given that I had to get the whole book, I’d say it’s more of a 2 out of 5, which makes me feel bad because the advice is still good. This would be better as a series of booklets, from which you could just get one or two. I understand why it’s better as a whole though. Hrm. Maybe I’ll bump it to a 3 out of 5 then.