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brittanieshey's reviews
281 reviews
Swimming to Cambodia by Roger Rosenblatt, Spalding Gray, James Leverett
4.0
I adore and miss Spalding Gray. One of my main writing inspirations.
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
3.0
Short and fairly easy, once you get past the long intro chapter. I don't think this book will really stick with me, but it's full of Classical references, which is fun.
Maggie, a Girl of the Streets and Other New York Writings by Stephen Crane
2.0
Short and to the point, though I think it could have benefited from a bit more detail. It's so sparse that I barely cared what happened to the characters, especially Molly, who seems almost secondary.
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
3.0
Decided to read this book after seeing Colum McCann speak with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, since I'm somewhat obsessed with the walk of Philippe Petit. The book focuses less on Petit's walk and more on what life was like in gritty 70s-era NYC. hile low on plot, there is plenty to keep one entertained here, though some chapters (each is told from the POV of a different character, all of whose lives intertwine) are more interesting than others. The character I found most compelling was Gloria and I was a bit annoyed at how neatly the storylines were tied up in the end (I mean, would you really marry the woman who killed your brother?). Good, but not great.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
4.0
At first I could not stand this book, the theatrical language and the epistolary intro. Precocious is a word another reader used. But I took it to my inlaws for the holidays and decided to give it a hundred pages or so before I gave up since I'd read so many good things about it. Now I'm much more interested and involved in the story and more reluctant to put the book down.
Okay, finally finished this book on a long rainy weekend. It ended up being much better than the first few chapters indicate. I wasn't so interested in the socio-political or academia themes, but I found the book's look into interpersonal relationships to be the most interesting and moving.
Two sex scenes, one utterly cringe-worthy and the other full of tenderness, were actually quite enjoyable to read, and I'm one of those people who thinks sex scenes in books are always, as a rule, awful. Towards the end, one portion of the book made me tear up a little. Always a good sign when a book can elicit that kind of physical response.
I really think the reason I liked this book so much is because it reminded so much of a favorite, Ali Smith's "The Accidental" — odd, because both were shortlisted for the Orange for these novels in 2006. That book is still in my Top Whatever Number List, but thanks to this one I'll definitely give Zadie Smith another try.
Okay, finally finished this book on a long rainy weekend. It ended up being much better than the first few chapters indicate. I wasn't so interested in the socio-political or academia themes, but I found the book's look into interpersonal relationships to be the most interesting and moving.
Two sex scenes, one utterly cringe-worthy and the other full of tenderness, were actually quite enjoyable to read, and I'm one of those people who thinks sex scenes in books are always, as a rule, awful. Towards the end, one portion of the book made me tear up a little. Always a good sign when a book can elicit that kind of physical response.
I really think the reason I liked this book so much is because it reminded so much of a favorite, Ali Smith's "The Accidental" — odd, because both were shortlisted for the Orange for these novels in 2006. That book is still in my Top Whatever Number List, but thanks to this one I'll definitely give Zadie Smith another try.
Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
3.0
6-29-10: Since I'm spending almost a month in Sweden I decided I'd read some Swedish books. I'm not really into vampires but this surely seems more interesting than those other vampires books, and it came well recommended by the book store lady. I read excellent reviews of the film, and it is, after all, named after a Morrissey song, so you know, that's a pretty big selling point for me.
7-11-10: I'll say again that I'm not into vampire fic (or horror fic) so I'm not sure how these novels usually go, but part of the reason it took me so long to read this one was the plot was frustratingly slow. I bought this book with the hopes of getting some sense of Swedish culture, but much of the book is dialogue driven and offers little in the way of description, setting or introspection. In short, it is written like a movie script (more on this later).
The book is nearly 500 pages long but it wasn't until about halfway that I began to feel invested in the characters enough to not want to put the book down. The story is definitely character-driven instead of plot-driven, but I didn't find that aspect all too frustrating because there were still times when I wondered What will happen next?
What I did like is the fact that the book deals with some weighty issues unrelated to the supernatural aspect: alcoholism, violence, poverty, pedophilia and bullying. The overriding theme, beyond the vampire story line, is the search for love and acceptance, as several characters struggle to find this in some way or another.
Much of the novel, however, seems suited mainly to prurient details, which are not seamlessly woven into the story line and for me served as roadblocks. Some of the imagery is quite vivid, but some of it is just plain unbelievable, or goes overboard just for shock value. Not being familiar with the genre, however, I'm not sure if this is common.
SPOILER ALERT!
In the end, though, what ruins the book for me is the myriad of questions Lindqvist leaves unanswered while going to great pains to explain some of the better-known aspects of vampire folklore. For example, the title and several scenes in the book are based on the idea that vampires must be invited in. But almost no time is spent explaining Eli's history, despite the fact that Lindqvist raises a major question about the character during an integral scene. Why spend so much time on what I thought was common vampire knowledge while neglecting the character development? In addition, I counted a number of inconsistencies in the story too, which should have been caught in the editing process.
Finally, the screenplay-like apsect of the film makes sense once you know that Lindqvist helped write the 2008 movie that was based on the book. The trailer for the film looks awesome, by the way, and I think the story might work a lot better as a horror film than a book. The movie got tons of good reviews from indie movie experts but it was overshadowed by the big-budget frenzy of the first Twilight release. I just read today that it's being remade into an American version that will be released later this year. Hop on the bandwagon.
Wow. Longest review ever. And I didn't even love the book.
7-11-10: I'll say again that I'm not into vampire fic (or horror fic) so I'm not sure how these novels usually go, but part of the reason it took me so long to read this one was the plot was frustratingly slow. I bought this book with the hopes of getting some sense of Swedish culture, but much of the book is dialogue driven and offers little in the way of description, setting or introspection. In short, it is written like a movie script (more on this later).
The book is nearly 500 pages long but it wasn't until about halfway that I began to feel invested in the characters enough to not want to put the book down. The story is definitely character-driven instead of plot-driven, but I didn't find that aspect all too frustrating because there were still times when I wondered What will happen next?
What I did like is the fact that the book deals with some weighty issues unrelated to the supernatural aspect: alcoholism, violence, poverty, pedophilia and bullying. The overriding theme, beyond the vampire story line, is the search for love and acceptance, as several characters struggle to find this in some way or another.
Much of the novel, however, seems suited mainly to prurient details, which are not seamlessly woven into the story line and for me served as roadblocks. Some of the imagery is quite vivid, but some of it is just plain unbelievable, or goes overboard just for shock value. Not being familiar with the genre, however, I'm not sure if this is common.
SPOILER ALERT!
In the end, though, what ruins the book for me is the myriad of questions Lindqvist leaves unanswered while going to great pains to explain some of the better-known aspects of vampire folklore. For example, the title and several scenes in the book are based on the idea that vampires must be invited in. But almost no time is spent explaining Eli's history, despite the fact that Lindqvist raises a major question about the character during an integral scene. Why spend so much time on what I thought was common vampire knowledge while neglecting the character development? In addition, I counted a number of inconsistencies in the story too, which should have been caught in the editing process.
Finally, the screenplay-like apsect of the film makes sense once you know that Lindqvist helped write the 2008 movie that was based on the book. The trailer for the film looks awesome, by the way, and I think the story might work a lot better as a horror film than a book. The movie got tons of good reviews from indie movie experts but it was overshadowed by the big-budget frenzy of the first Twilight release. I just read today that it's being remade into an American version that will be released later this year. Hop on the bandwagon.
Wow. Longest review ever. And I didn't even love the book.
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola
3.0
"When men are in a blackout they do things to the world, but when women are in a blackout things are done to them."
Better than your average addiction memoir, Hepola sets her own vice against the backdrop of her burgeoning feminism, the insecurity of creatives, the mid-90s and one very troubling encounter in a hotel.
The book especially excels when Hepola talks to experts about the effects of alcohol on the brain. If you've ever wondered how those extra drinks are affecting your body and your mind, this book reveals some pretty scary shit.
Better than your average addiction memoir, Hepola sets her own vice against the backdrop of her burgeoning feminism, the insecurity of creatives, the mid-90s and one very troubling encounter in a hotel.
The book especially excels when Hepola talks to experts about the effects of alcohol on the brain. If you've ever wondered how those extra drinks are affecting your body and your mind, this book reveals some pretty scary shit.