November 2006 Book Reviews

1. A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, Rating: 4.3
Hayden recommended this book highly - he said that he was finding himself staying up for hours reading every night, unwilling to put it down. I should say that fantasy is not one of my usual genres, and yet I too found it fascinating. Not so much that I stayed up all night, but I do have the next one here in the house, and can't wait to crack it open. EPIC scope (think Lord of the Rings, with more characters), fully imagined settings, great heroes and villains (plus lots of people that could be either - only time will tell). It's really fun.
2. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha Pessl, Rating: 1.9
I absolutely loved the first 100 pages of this book. Pessl has a very clever way with words, and uses bibliographical references to describe people and events. It's very effective. The plot, and its strong parallels to Lolita, works well well the characters are on the road. When they stop, and the author is left to invent her own plot twists, everything falls apart. The Washington Post says it well: "But hunkering down for 514 pages of frantic literary exhibitionism turns into a weary business for the reader, who after much patient effort deserves to feel something stronger than appreciation for a lot of clever name-dropping and a rush of metaphors."
3. Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan, Rating: 4.2
Another book outside my normal genres - this time, science fiction. No aliens (thank goodness), but it is set in a future with habitation on multiple planets. Much to my surprise, I really, really liked this. It's set in San Francisco (a few hundred years in the future), has a great lead and several suitably villanous villains, and is packed with absolutely fascinating ideas about future technology. I can't say much without giving away the plot, but if you can handle some fairly aggressive, graphic violence, I'd recommend checking this out.
4. One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children, David Elliot Cohen, Rating: 2.9
There's not a lot I can say about this book that isn't covered in the subtitle. I saw this at the library and thought, "huh. That must have been interesting and difficult." And it was - for them. For us, the readers, it's kind of dull. Their kids are young - 3, 7, and 8 - and the trip was planned to make them happy. I love the idea of traveling for a year, but not just to places that interest a first grader.
5. The Last of Her Kind, Sigrid Nunez, Rating: 4.0
First of all, what a beautiful cover. I think it's just great, and perfect for the contents of the book. This story is told through the eyes of one woman, who's relating her own life, and those of the three women (her sister, her best friend, and her mother) who shaped her. With three younger women are all shaped by the civil rights movement and the 60s and 70s in general, but in very different ways. It's really fascinating.