much better than The Empty Chair. it made me a little sad, especially with the introduction of sonny li. but i love that we got that glimpse into linmuch better than The Empty Chair. it made me a little sad, especially with the introduction of sonny li. but i love that we got that glimpse into lincoln and amelia's relationship, and lincoln himself - and so many things make sense now!
this is definitely one of the most important books in the series, in terms of the characters.
starting out at sea, and then all over long island, chinatown, queens and brooklyn - this is a very neat glimpse into a slice of new york life that isn't always shown. (not that i am saying it's all full of snakeheads or anything.) i liked it, and i liked knowing where everything was.
sam is smart and a great character, and i am still mourning sonny li, and finally, amelia and lincoln are so amazing.
this is the best post-9/11-new york book i've read.
i can't even wrap my head around it, the quietness, the sanctity, the small, brilliant writing. ththis is the best post-9/11-new york book i've read.
i can't even wrap my head around it, the quietness, the sanctity, the small, brilliant writing. the carefulness of the characters, the beautiful setting, the honesty of everything.
i'll be back later for a more thorough review, but seriously, pick this book up.
guinan's doesn't exist anymore, and that's really sad, but this book will remember it. for me, i found dive bar, and gwendolyn found guinan's. these things are what we remember and hold true, and what really matters in the end.
quite good and engaging. i didn't cry, and i actually don't know why so many people did - i thought this was a beautiful story of a strong woman born quite good and engaging. i didn't cry, and i actually don't know why so many people did - i thought this was a beautiful story of a strong woman born into a time that didn't know what to do with her. the way this so clearly fits into the biblical history that we do know, the transitions from jacob's god from the canaanite gods to the egyptian gods and back again - very clever and insightful book.
i wish there was more about reuben, but that's okay. i am glad that joseph was not the joseph of andrew llyod weber, but rather more true to the hebrew bible.
it's brilliant. i don't know how much i would want to read it again, but i am glad i finally picked this up. really. ...more
crazy book. i loved this crazy book. and i don't know why.
except that bella was so much more awesome in this book, after book 1. and so on and so forcrazy book. i loved this crazy book. and i don't know why.
except that bella was so much more awesome in this book, after book 1. and so on and so forth. i LOVED the showdown in the ball field, but i'm a total dork like that.
i had a lot more to say, but goodreads ate my review. regardless, the story was tighter, more together, and not as focused on bella and edward alone as the earlier books. plus, i rather loved the book from jacob's perspective, as it was seriously nice to hear from someone other than bella.
i did know the plot going in, and i thought it was so ridiculous it could never be anything but terrible, and yet . . . this was my favorite book of the series. ...more
this was a better-written book than Cathy's Book, but it lost a lot of the cleverness of the first book, the details in the scribbles and notes, etc.this was a better-written book than Cathy's Book, but it lost a lot of the cleverness of the first book, the details in the scribbles and notes, etc. it wasn't quite so mixed media as the first one, which kind of made me sad.
however, the ending is so clever, and i really love emma. i kind of wish there would be another book, but i think this is a good place to end, if they do end it here, which they seem to be doing. there are so many crazy twists that are both sad and heart-breaking, and cathy herself seems to have grown-up and turned into something new.
i really want to know about jewel though . . . ...more
just reading the SCID, DIS and a few other sections, DIB because i'm interested.
the SCID section is fairly good. it's not very entertaining, but it'sjust reading the SCID, DIS and a few other sections, DIB because i'm interested.
the SCID section is fairly good. it's not very entertaining, but it's clear enough. good intro to the scales, but a lot of important ones are missing, so this definitely isn't a need-to-buy. i would suggest just reading the relevant chapters if you are curious or want more info, but just get it from your library. ...more
it was slow, kind of boring, and frustrating. i felt like amelia WAS out of character, and lincoln toleast favorite deaver yet. really disappointing.
it was slow, kind of boring, and frustrating. i felt like amelia WAS out of character, and lincoln too.
luckily i know that the this is just a trip up - the later books in the series are well worth a read. (i only have The Stone Monkey left.)
the backwaters of north carolina are very boring, apparently, though heavily involved with moonshine. and strangely, this book did make me want to try moonshine.
i don't know. it was hard to get through. and that made me sad. ...more
while the content wasn't horrible, i despised the writing style. i didn't like the short chapters with these moral judgments and pull out quotes and awhile the content wasn't horrible, i despised the writing style. i didn't like the short chapters with these moral judgments and pull out quotes and all this stuff.
also, all the jesus stuff made me a little uncomfortable. and even though she claims she isn't using her kids, it still felt a little . . . dirty.
at least it's a fast read? i did like hearing about the early years of her life, but i still remain confused about why this book was somehow related to her sister, sandra. lynne seems to have a pretty big ego herself. ...more
another kind of mixed-media story - i don't know how to classify it, exactly. the version here on the site isn't the one that i read - mine came from another kind of mixed-media story - i don't know how to classify it, exactly. the version here on the site isn't the one that i read - mine came from the library without the "packet of numbers and things" but i don't think that took away from the story and the coolness of it, because the information was drawn in doodles and things in margins and on the pages. also, there were two pages in the middle of the book that showed the photographs and other "evidence" that cathy had collected - i don't know if that's the same stuff in the envelope, but it's still neat.
i have to admit i had to return this to the library before i read the last three pages. umm, i know. but still. take from this what you will.
it's a fascinating read. cathy has a great voice, emma is hilarious, victor is really, really strange, and you can see why the mystery is appealing to cathy. i liked the trip back to san francisco - sometimes i miss home a lot! - and everything ran true.
"cathy" has notations on the things she has already written - little notes to emma, or herself, as she tries to work through things. i think my favorite use of the mixed-media idea was the pages of IM conversations, where cathy is talking to both emma and victor at the same time, only victor doesn't know that cathy's talking to emma. it's SO realistic and kind of perfect.
i thought it was fairly brilliant and engaging, and i can see recommending this to kids who claim they don't like the read. it makes you think, it draws you into the story because you have the exact clues cathy does. apparently the phone numbers are real and you can get the voice messages that they get, and all this fabulous stuff.
i've already requested the sequel from the library. (and maybe then i'll figure out those last three pages!) ...more
once upon a time, there was a book being called controversial, and a girl who was drawn to it.
i suppose this isn't for the light-hearted, as this isnonce upon a time, there was a book being called controversial, and a girl who was drawn to it.
i suppose this isn't for the light-hearted, as this isn't what i would call a "fun" read. however, i think it's a brilliant read. so, if you don't want to pick it up, i would understand. ("alice" has been kidnapped and is now kept with ray, who abuses her in all sorts of ways.)
the writing style blew me away, with its brief chapters, sentences that sometimes seem carefully constructed right next to a sentence that ends in a sense of stream of consciousness. it isn't always clear what alice says, and what she doesn't, and even the plot is sometimes a little unclear on what is actually happening in the moment. this so adds to the character, and the story, in a way i haven't read in YA fiction since . . . i don't know.
it's very sophisticated, it showcases what you can do with language. i was very much reminded of the poet Claudia Rankine's book The End of the Alphabet, which is a story of a relationship and pregnancy, told backwards in verse. (sounds insane, i know, but it is INCREDIBLE.) i am glad that this is out there for teens, i am glad they are being exposed to both writing and topics such as this. i found alice to be perfectly honest and real, the situation to be sad but true, and the ending to be one of my favorites.
this is a truly spectacular piece of writing. disturbing, yes, but hauntingly and breath-takingly beautiful. pick this up. really. i read it in an hour, and i'll be reading it again quite soon. ...more
i honestly don't know how to rate this book. as soon as i would think, hey, that's not bad, this actually isn't that painful, meyer would do somethingi honestly don't know how to rate this book. as soon as i would think, hey, that's not bad, this actually isn't that painful, meyer would do something that infuriated me. usually it had to do with characterizations and gender issues.
so it does start better. and bella finally seems to have a brain by the end, which is nice. i am thrilled to finally know about rosalie. there's action, there's tension, there aren't five million mentions of edward's eyes. but there are still a lot of things wrong.
firstly, i think she needs to learn to self-edit better, and then let her editor chop whole sections away. there was no reason the book had to be so long, and it dragged at times.
second, edward still creeps me out. i'm sorry, but he does. and holding him up as this illustration of "perfection" really creeps me out. (though i liked him better near the very end of the book.) it disturbs me to think that so many young girls think that this level of obsession is healthy and happy and what we should look for - though he was less annoying this time.
third, STOP BUTCHERING YOUR OWN CHARACTERS. i'm sorry, i think jacob was completely out of character for most of the book. i wanted to throw the book across the room after the first scene in the forest with the broken hand, and how NO ONE seemed to think this was a big deal. hi, people, if someone keeps going when you say no, you shouldn't be expected to just forgive him and move on. also, charlie's reaction boggled me - i know he has a soft spot for jacob, but this is his daughter! and for everyone to just play it off as if it was nothing . . . really bothered me, to say the least.
and really, bella's biggest concern about changing and not being "bella" anymore is that she won't have had sex with edward? GAH. i feel like all the characters have turned into these trite stereotypes and charicatures of themselves, and it's annoying.
i don't know. the book weighs a ton to carry around, and i don't know if it was worth it. though i am glad i did read it, if just so i would know. i have my request for Breaking Dawn in at the library, but i probably won't get it for months - though i don't know how i'll react to that one if i had such a bad taste in my mouth after this one. at least i understood edward and rosalie and jasper better this time. i really like jasper. i hope he doesn't get screwed in the next book.
i just wish the messages that i find in the book weren't so repulsive and . . . unsettling. i still don't think she does right by her female characters at all, but who knows. ...more
i had a bit of hard time getting into the story. but then it picked up - emily black is an awesome female character. she has all the flaws and dreams i had a bit of hard time getting into the story. but then it picked up - emily black is an awesome female character. she has all the flaws and dreams and baggage of a teenager you can relate to.
i agree that i could have done without a lot of the louisa sections, which seemed melodramatic and over the top. however, they did provide good background and contrast to emily, and what her decisions. reagan was awesome, and i love her and tom. i also love molly. and michael.
i have a soft spot for stories with strong father-daughter connections, though i also love the strong mother-daughter stuff.
the main thing that disappointed me was the lack of looking into what seems like obvious post-partum depression on the part of louisa. i understand that this was emily's story, but the one scene of louisa's recurring dream where she nurses emily only to end up having her breasts leak blood - that's a pretty strong image that stuck with me throughout the book, and i wanted it to be brought up somewhere. that it wasn't entirely louisa's fault - not just the stuff that happened at the old house in carlise. but that's the psychological part of my brain being nit-picky.
it's fast, once it gets going. i love emily. i think the ending was brilliant. as someone else said, this was a great feminist ending, and i love the evidence of strength and learning from faults and growing out of our mistakes. i do admit i don't get a lot of the music references, but i would have expected more of what i thought was true punk - not nirvana, etc.
still. the book beats with the pulse of the music, and i love that. ...more
i cried. i cried a lot. seriously. this is not an easy book, at all. the illustrations are beautiful, the lettering is classic, and the dialogue makesi cried. i cried a lot. seriously. this is not an easy book, at all. the illustrations are beautiful, the lettering is classic, and the dialogue makes sense. it aches. it's based on a true story, which is really what made me feel completely horrid.
the story of four lions who escape from the baghdad zoo after it is bombed, there can be no happy ending. i know that.
but i still cried. a lot.
stupid animals.
(i would NOT recommend this book to leigh and amy.)...more
to be honest, i was expecting to like this a lot more. i think the main problem was that this was supposed to be a maura/jane book, and after The Bonto be honest, i was expecting to like this a lot more. i think the main problem was that this was supposed to be a maura/jane book, and after The Bone Garden, i really wanted to see them again. instead, i felt like way too much time was spent on josephine, who really, i could have cared less about.
mystery comes to boston in the form of archeology, mummies and tansas. which is interesting, but the reason i loved this series was jane and maura, and maura's hardly in this. (also, if you hadn't read the last two books in the series, it would be difficult to understand all of maura's story - though she's so miniscule in this, it might not matter.) jane on the other hand, and adorable barry frost - while i usually don't like the repetitious introduction of characters because i already know, i felt like she almost didn't do enough here. or to fill in where we saw them last.
i miss jane, and gabriel. there's one glimpse of regina, no frank . . .
i am worried the series is losing its steam the way so many others do. it's like the authors get bored of their own characters, or start doing really weird things with them (see Iris Johanson for an example of that) and it's really sad because i love jane and maura and frost and the whole lot of them.
it's an interesting enough mystery, though the twist comes so late that it almost loses its potency. it wasn't great, it wasn't bad, and i am sad it will be so long before i get anything new again. but mostly, i was disappointed. then again i might have just had unreasonably high hopes for this. ...more
the art in this isn't incredible. but the words, this time. the words totally enthralled me. and sacco seemed to get more and more comfortable with ththe art in this isn't incredible. but the words, this time. the words totally enthralled me. and sacco seemed to get more and more comfortable with the medium as the book went along.
this is a book about sacco's trip to the occupied palestinian territories in the early 90s. while i know there is a lot of change since then, it's kind of crazy to see this, at least, for me, in new york, where israel is such a political topic. and in america - we tend to almost pathologize the palestinians as terrorists, as part of the islamic extremist movement - and so this was a little eye-opening.
of course, there's spin, and these are the stories out of gaza and the west bank. there isn't a lot of balance - there are almost no mentions at all of the israelis outside of them being soldiers.
but it's a brilliant way to tell the story. the repeated images of the rain, the mud, the curfews, the tea, make sense with the words and kind of allow a more comprehensive story to be told. check it out, seriously, this is one i'm going to buy and put next to Maus, Barefoot Gen, and Persepolis.
so i'm trying to think of what this reminds me of, and it definitely has an element of Uglies in it, with a dash of battlestar galactica's politics.
iso i'm trying to think of what this reminds me of, and it definitely has an element of Uglies in it, with a dash of battlestar galactica's politics.
it's the same dystopian setting. terrible things have happened in the districts, and when they tried to rebel, they were crushed. district 13 disappeared all together. now the remaining 12 districts stay far from the capitol, each separate and distinct, each not that well off.
once a year, to remind the people how much control they have over them, they choose a boy and a girl from each district to compete in the hunger games, broadcast everywhere.
the goal of the game? be the last one alive.
enter katniss everdeen, one of the most frustrating and yet appealing characters i've encountered in a while. she thinks of herself as confident, strong, and able to do anything. she's been in charge of her family, she produces food, cares for them, loves them. she takes the place of her younger sister, prim, in the games.
it's brilliantly written. i couldn't put it down. it has the reality show part down, the manipulation of the game-masters to make things more "interesting", the concept, the training, the introduction of the players.
it also has strong characters that you can root for, that you want to beat over the head with a reality stick, that you can somehow relate to, despite the strange setting.
absolutely loved it. just as a warning though, it's the first book in a projected trilogy. which, the book stands alone, but man, i want the next one NOW....more
the only thing i wish that this book would have had was an updated epilogue. i want to know where the pairs are now! especially the chinese . . .
ANYWthe only thing i wish that this book would have had was an updated epilogue. i want to know where the pairs are now! especially the chinese . . .
ANYWAY.
this is the story of the 2002 olympic pairs competition. (now that i've read this, i want to watch all the performances again.)
it's not just the story of the games, which is nice. there's background on how all the teams got to that point in 2002. i fell in love with the russians, and still love the canadians, and hope that the chinese are doing okay. the difference between the state system and the free-market system, the preference of the former soviet judges vs. the north american ones - it's kind of fascinating.
the book also addresses the judges, the CRAZY federation rules, and the insanity of the ISU. i also wonder what would have happened if the games were somewhere outside of north america - would the media have stuck so hard on the story? would a double gold have been given?
i honestly will never look at figure skating the same way again. it IS a giant popularity contest! i mean, yeah, it's totally a sport, but the judging is soooo subjective with that second mark (the artistic). i also feel really badly for kids who want this to be their life. and the way shen xie can't eat . . . it breaks my heart.
oh, and guess what? THERE MIGHT BE A RUSSIAN MOB CONNECTION TO THE WHOLE VOTING SCANDAL. HAH. (no, seriously.) ...more
more about gymnasts than figure skaters, i read the version that included the 2000 epilogue. which is great, because the first version was written in more about gymnasts than figure skaters, i read the version that included the 2000 epilogue. which is great, because the first version was written in 1995, before the americans won gold in atlanta. i'd still like to read a more recent book on gymnastics/ice-skating, but wonder if the fact that the country has had more success in the olympic arena has pushed down the urge to write about it.
there's a lot of heart-break in this book. girls who died as a result of bad vaults, or extreme eating disorders. competing broken and battered at the age of 15. thinking your life is over at 17.
in a way, i never thought of after, that they do retard their body growth so much that they never turn into physical adults. and when your career is over at 18, 22, and you have bone problems and hurt all over, what do you do? when you are done with gymnastics, or gymnastics is done with you - what options do you have? i mean, we know shannon miller won heaps of medals, but what is her life like now?
anyway, this is a really good, incisive, non-apologetic look at the sports and the risks and things that we don't want to hear about. i think the most shocking chapters were about the parents, who either made the problem worse or refused to see anything - who still can't give up the dream, and the coaches.
i will never look at bela karolyi the same way. i think that's good, but it makes me a little sad that he isn't the big bear hugging personality he seems to be. but it makes me more sad to think how many little girls are sent to his gym because their parents see him that way too, and then their girls are torn apart. ...more