Citizen Vince

Don't ask me what intrigued me about this book when I first saw it, because I can't tell you. Maybe the Edgar award notification on the cover helped (I had not read anything with this award to my memory). Awards aside, Citizen Vince is utterly worth the read (even if you have to read some passages with your fingers over you eyes, like peeking at a horror movie)!

The story involves the main character, Vince, a reformed mafia guy relocated and given a new identity via the Witness Protection Program. The characters inhabiting Vince's new-found world including: prostitutes, card sharks, a pot-head teeanage baker, and his new criminal buddies are well-formed and interesting. And the situations Vince finds himself in are unexpected. What makes the story worthwhile though is the thought-provoking meditations on choice. What will Men do when faced with something they never thought they would? What is worth dying for and what is worth killing for? Also, if you got the chance to forever change your life in one moment, would you do it, or would you choose what you already know?

I loved the background to this novel, set in the week leading up to the election of 1980 - Carter vs. Reagan. Since I am a lover all things 80's, I found the historical background matched very nicely what the characters were going through - the end of an era, the hope for the future despite the struggles of the present.

This book is definitely worth the time. It is original and often funny, filled with great characters. I look forward to checking out the other books by Jess Walter.

Rating: 6 out of 7

-L

The Great Divorce

I am not one to exaggerate on books very often.  The list of earth shattering, life changing books for me is very short (i.e. one).  Similarly, I am not one of those to be challenged by books so often that they shape my world view or resonate with me beyond the closing of the book (my apologies to all authors who thought that is what they were doing).  But the list of challenging books for me just got lengthened by one.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis engaged me in a way that "fantasy" fiction never has (most of the time I don't give it a shot).  This may be because the book is really just a thinly veiled allegory for the things we hold onto so we don't have to step out in faith.  For the uninitiated (as I was), the story is that of a man who takes a bus ride to heaven.  The unfolding scenes are the backdrop for discussions that cut to the heart of faith, unbelief, rebellion, and selfishness.

I realize that all our readers would not generally be interested in anything by C.S. Lewis (other than the Narnia series) based on his religious beliefs, but I truly think this story deserves a hearing.  By way of encouragement, I offer these tips for reading this book:

1. Read it out loud, as you would to a child.  Throw the voices in, as well, you will have fun trying on a Scotch accent for size, at the very least.
2. Read only one chapter a day.  This should take no longer than 10 minutes for the longest of the chapters.

I don't know if it was just these strange choices for reading this novel that led me to such a rich enjoyment of the book, but I know it really added to the experience.  I even found myself weeping at the end of the book (haven't done that in a while), a strange and beautiful crescendo of an ending whose denoument is all to brief.

Have any of you read this book and if so are you as enraptured with it as I am?

Rating: 6.9 out of 7

-L

Blind Assassin

Ok, so I will freely admit it...I have been in a reading rut.  Well not so much a reading rut, but a writing rut.  Blind Assassin marks the 5th (maybe 6th) book I have read in the last few months for which I have not written a review.  I know some of our readers must be sad.  Wait, do we still have readers?  Oh well....

I do have a credible (in my estimation) excuse.  That being the baby we are expecting in the early part of summer sucks all my brain cells normally dedicated to writing and uses them for more useful things, like fashioning itself out of small bits of DNA.  So baby excuse aside, I will attempt to write more reviews over the next couple of weeks of books I need to let the world know I have read, if for no other reason than to try to jog my memory of their various subject matters. 

The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood....what do I think of this book?  Interesting.  It is the second of her books I have read.  The first, A Handmaid's Tale was so incredibly odd and engrossing and obfuscated that I STILL don't know what I think about that one.  This must be the modus operandi for Ms. Atwood's writings.  She, like no other modern author I am aware of (keep in mind that limits the scope quite a bit), approaches storytelling in shocking and very dissimilar ways.  I get the feeling by reading just two of her books that upon opening one of her novels, the reader will never quite be sure of what to expect. 
Case in point, the story of The Blind Assasin is equal parts: novel within a novel, flashback sequences to tell a story, fictional newspaper clippings, and modern day musings.  Atwood weaves the tale (let's call it a mystery) in so many different ways, it can be offputting to the reader.  Often I found myself trying to remember what I should have already known about the characters, while attempting to guess at what was coming next.   The story that spans the period between the World Wars appeals to the senses of the reader and includes many images that blur the lines between the author's created fiction and her created reality.  In a way, Atwood gives almost everything to the reader but then removes just one or two things, thus blinding (get it?) the reader to the real truth.  When you get to the end, you feel almost let down, like you didn't really get the mystery solved, but you are left with more questions.  Again, I think this must be a hallmark of Atwood's work. 

Bottom line: I don't think I get it as much as I should, although it wasn't bad.  This would be an excellent book club selection, as it would generate much discussion. 

Rating: 5 out ot 7

-L

The Towers of Sunset

I figure I'll start out the new year with one old book and one new. The Passage was the first book this year and the review can be found over here. The old book is one that I read a few years back.... probably high school actually. The Towers of the Sunset is L. E. Modesitt Jr's second book in the Saga of Recluce series. If you've been reading the blog over the last year you probably saw my review on the first book The Magic of Recluce. Just a note: It really bugs me that he doesn't spell it Recluse, but Recluce! Is that an acceptable spelling alternate? Guess it doesn't matter - still bugs me.

The Towers of the Sunset is not a sequel to the first book in the series. It happens to be a prequel. You follow a young wizard by the name of Creslin as he leaves his homeland and starts a new story. It's essentially the story of how Recluce came to be and how Order changed the world. Again, don't really want to give anything away, but it's enjoyable. I always felt that Modesitt should have followed Lerris from The Magic of Recluce a little more, but I hear that happens a little later in the whole Saga. In fact, I've actually started reading the books in the order of their history in the world rather than in order of their release. That's probably a better idea for anyone that's getting into these stories.

Rating: 6 CBs - Modesitt is a good writer that gives you an engaging story without 900 pages. Not that I don't want 900 pages, I just like that you can sit down and read it in a week if you aren't doing other stuff.

-D

The Passage

My wife purchased this book through a book club a few months back and I finally got around to reading it. The Passage also happens to be on the top 100 books to read by Amazon found here. She thought it would be right up my alley, but since I started The Stand and this was said to be similar to that book I thought I'd give it a little time before attempting it. But here I am, finished with a new book and still working on buttoning up the other huge novel. It was probably worth jumping ship though.

The Passage is part story and part fictitious history lesson. You follow a few groups of people throughout the novel that's locale varies from Colorado to California. In fact, some of the story happens right around where we're presently residing. It was nice to hear about Thousand Palms, Banning, and the wind farms. Back to it, the story is about a potential cure-all turned weapon by the American government. That weapon is released, accidentally, and ends up bringing the eventual end of the human civilization. It really is a cross of I Am Legend and The Stand. It's still it's own story even with the similarities. The 700-page book spans about 100 years and rarely feels like it. ;-)

It's a well written book. Cronin does a good job describing the scene and the emotions of the players. You don't need a huge imagination for his writing. I did have a little problem seeing the characters as little more than teenagers even though I believe they were mostly in their mid to late twenties. Maybe I just glossed that over.  LOL, that just made me think that this is almost a vampire Red Dawn! Doesn't that make you want to leave the book alone... and that's not my intent. If anything the book is worth the read, but I wasn't happy with the ending. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but it was left a little more open ended than I would have preferred. Perhaps Cronin is looking at doing a sequel, but I would like to know how it all went on. *sigh*

Rating: 7 CB's - good book; couldn't put it down; want real ending.

-D

Most people, whether they are into music or not, have heard the catchy tunes of Buddy Holly at some point in their lives.  They remain an influence on many artists of varied genres even today.  His untimely death (with other promising musicians) is often referred to as the Day the Music Died.  But for the musicians, songwritters, and artists of his hometown, the music never stopped.  This is the topic of my latest read: Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air: Legends of West Texas Music.  The book is a compilation of interviews with twenty-five artists who came from or drifted into and were influenced by Lubbock, Texas - the home of Buddy Holly. 
My interest in this book is based on my lifelong love of some of these very artists: Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Terry Allen.  But it is amazing just how many artists are from the flatland that makes up Lubbock's landscape.  Although I have never spent any time in Lubbock, I feel I know the story: small town hoping to be something bigger, but never qutie making it.  All the trappings of the Bible belt: a church on every corner and bars on the outskirts of town.  The struggle to find something to pass the time, to make a way out of town, and the sense of home that draws you back when you leave. 
The legacy of Buddy Holly went almost completely unnoticed by the citizens of Lubbock (until the Chamber found out it was a moneymaking venture) and many of the artists of Lubbock have gone mostly unnoticed by mainstream anything.  Nonetheless, that is just how most of them would want it.  They do it for the love of music, not to make money.  I am so happy that Chris Oglesby took the time to record some of these stories. 
If you are uninitiated in the music of West Texas (or Texas in general), this book is a great starting point.
Rating: 6 of 7
-L

A Year in Review

At the beginning of this year we challenged one another to read a book a week and thus this blog was born.  Did we make it?   Not quite, but we tried hard and read much more than we did the previous year! 
For those of you looking for excuses for not finishing our project on time, well you aren't going to get those here; but I will say it is interesting how one book can throw you off your book-loving game and another can re-ignite your passion for reading.  So here's the report card for the year:

-L:
Books read: 47 (not too far off target)
Books started and not finished: 2 (The Reader - yeah, not so much into the porn, Vanity Fair - still holding out hope in the bedside basket for books better left for tomorrow).
Books finished and not yet reviewed: 7 (yeah, that list is long, blame it on the baby growing in my tummy, so good to know I will always and ever have someone to blame things on - welcome to parenting 101)
Favorites of the year: The Road, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

-D:
Books read; 43 - farther off target, but could count 44 as I didn't count The Jesus Manifesto. Meh
Books started and not finished: Towers of Sunset, The Passage, The Stand, and Wolves of Calla. It's not that I don't want to finish the books, but I have some background to finish. With WoC I needed to read The Stand first. I stopped reading The Stand b/c of the size and thought I should try to get to 52 books but then started a couple 1000 page books in it's stead. I'm currently reading ToS and The Passage before picking the stand back up
Books finished and not yet reviewed: 1 - No Country for Old Men
Favourites of the year: That's a tough one - The Road, Soldiers Live, and The Gathering Storm. 

I was thinking about the fact that I didn't finish up 52 books this year, but I was able to read a ton of pages! I have nearly 10,000 pages in Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, and Joe Abercrombie. That's eleven books only. That's 33 300 page books. =\ But our challenge wasn't to read the most pages, but to read 52 books in a year. 

It sounds like we're going to be a little busier next year so we might not get through the same amount of reading as this year. But we'll keep plugging along with Leah reading books that people are interested in and I'll live in my little fantasy world. 



Happy New Year!