Category: Review

Friday Fifteen

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Another Friday Fifteen already? Get your dose of fifteen reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola
Don’t remember a lot of story details, but I remember the art.

2. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Try to remember the kind of September before you fell on the steps…

3. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Dresden parts very moving; the time travel/sci-fi aspects didn’t work for me.

4. The Vile Village (The Series of Unfortunate Events #7) by Lemony Snicket
The series starts to expand to include the Snicket side of the Baudelaire mystery.

5. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Volume 1: Modern Poetry ed. Jahan Ramazani, Richard Ellmann, and Robert O’Clair
Nice variety, found some new favorites. Got to use this in class with Ramazani!

6. The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever
Required reading (aka peer pressure) for the MFA.

7. Little House in the Big Woods (Little House #1) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mom read this aloud. I made her change Mary’s name to Anne. I was invested.

8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
And you thought middle school was bad.

9. Curious George by H.A. Rey
I was always a little nervous when George got in trouble.

10. Leonardo – A Scrapbook in Words and Pictures by Grace Catalano
I thought Leonardo DiCaprio and I were going to get married. Sorry, Leo.

11. Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
Very thoughtful, moving graphic novel. A fellow book clubber got my copy signed!

12. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Chilling is pun-esque but also appropriate. Really enjoyed this one.

13. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Dynamic, but for some reason I remember it less than I do Woolf’s novels.

14. River Secrets (The Books of Bayern #3) by Shannon Hale
Probably my least favorite in the series, but it doesn’t miss the mark by much.

15. The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders
One essay made me laugh hysterically on the El. Others very moving.

Friday Fifteen

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You’ve been waiting all week for the Friday Fifteen (haha) and now it’s here! The latest in fifteen word-or-less reviews:

1. Bunnicula by Deborah Howe and James Howe
What evil lurks within the hearts of bunnies? Harold knows!

2. Self-Help by Lorrie Moore
Every undergrad in a fiction workshop should read this.

3. Disgrace by J.M. Cotzee
It felt like there was an interesting story that kept getting blocked by the protagonist.

4. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Eerie account of a teen struggling with anorexia, avoids being an “issue novel.”

5. Knuffle Bunny: a Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
A beloved stuffed animal is left behind, with a sweet and surprising ending.

6. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
I’ve only attempted once recipe so far, but I love flipping through this one.

7. Karen’s Cartwheel (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #29) by Ann M. Martin
Karen was annoying. but this was about gymnastics and dolls. Of course I read it.

8. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Everyone has nine names. Levin and Kitty were may more interesting than Anna.

9. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman
Probably would like this more now, but as a 9th grader I was suspicious of Feynman.

10. Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry ed. Billy Collins
A lovely collection of poetry, especially good for reluctant readers.

11. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003, ed. Dave Eggers and Zadie Smith
“A Primer for the Punctuation of Heart Disease” by Foer is great. Can’t remember others.

12. Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme by Nadine Bernard Westcott
My sandwiches are peanut butter-only but I loved this lyrical book as a kid.

13. The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L’Engle
Read this before I knew about the Austins. The non-Austin characters were my favorites.

14. Night by Elie Wiesel
First book that made me cry. Arresting account of the Holocaust, a must-read for humanity.

15. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare or grindhouse? Your call!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Friday Fifteen

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Another Friday, another Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath, Karen V. Kukil (Editor)
It became immediately apparently that Plath was way smarter at 18 than I’ll ever be.

2. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Love the vignette style, fantastic voice. Even jock senior boys in English class liked it.

3. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Feels forced in parts, but moving overall. Foer’s best novel so far.

4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Made me very nervous as a child. People shouldn’t mess up your house!

5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Hated it initially, then got pulled in by Gilbert’s voice. Some nice local history, too.

6. The Witch’s Sister by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
First in a series; read these obsessively in fifth grade. My limit on horror reading.

7. The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Poetical and historical bedtime reading in my household. Fun for New England kids!

8. Happy Birthday Samantha!: A Springtime Story (American Girls: Samantha #4) by Valerie Tripp
The first AG book I read, sparking enthusiasm for the series and the Victorian period.

9. Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers by Walter Hoving
Christmas gift that I kept glancing through. Surprisingly useful stuff for an eleven-year-old

10. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
Some classic Dickensian style, but the ending fell flat for me.

11. Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Selected Early Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
The title story is exquisitely eerie, others follow the same unsettling tone.

12. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
A recent favorite. Love a heroine who’s not afraid to be clever, bold, and ambitious.

13. Knights of the Kitchen Table (The Time Warp Trio) by Jon Scieszka
I’m holding it in pictures from first day of first grade, so probably liked it.

14. The Emperors Embrace Reflections On Animal Families And Fatherhood by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Summer reading for Bio, ended up enjoying it. Found out why beavers are so awesome.

15. Holidays and Birthdays (Childcraft: the How and Why Library #9) by World Book-Childcraft International
What’s your birthstone? When’s Yom Kippur? My source of all calendar knowledge as a child.

Happy weekend reading!

Joining the YA Party

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At Salon, an article suggesting what many of us have known for a while: that YA novels can be as well (or better) written and as touching as any novel for adults. About The Fault in Our Stars and There is No Dog in particular, Laura Miller writes:

“Both of these novels ask questions as difficult as those posed by any serious writer: Why do we suffer, why must we die, and what meaning can be found in any of it? More important, they are not afraid to respond to these questions unflinchingly. These books are often — very often — funny, but they aren’t frivolous. I can think of a dozen acclaimed contemporary adult novelists who blunder through this territory, wallowing in sinkholes of sentiment, tangling their narratives in thickets of saccharine fabulism. It makes no sense that the maudlin goo that is “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” should be classified as a work for adults, when “The Fault in Our Stars,” a far more mature rumination on the same themes, is regarded as a children’s book. Likewise, why should grown-ups be subjected to the cutesy “The Life of Pi” while teenagers get to revel in an astringent fable like “There Is No Dog”?”

I’m glad to see a review for YA novels that doesn’t include the phrase “Most YA novels are bad, but this one is surprisingly good.” It’s nice to see the genre get some recognition. Just as in fiction for adult audience, there’s a huge range of good and bad, and many readers would find favorite novels in the YA category.

Unfortunately, Miller also says:

“It’s debatable whether Rosoff’s shrewd, trim prose might not occasionally fly just over the heads of teen reader…”

Considering the teens I’ve heard from who read books like Rosoff’s or Green’s, there’s no question about whether or not they get the prose. These are teens who are actively pursing crisp writing and compelling stories, and can certain understand as much as any average adult reader. More respect for YA novels? Awesome. But we also need respect for young adult readers.

Friday Fifteen

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Another week, another Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less. Here we go!

1. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
One of my favorites. Gorgeous writing about human connections. Read it in Regent’s Park.

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Accidentally spoiled the ending for my husband. Worst moment ever. Works well as penultimate novel.

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Beautiful art, excellently written picture book. And it’s science!

4. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Made me forever paranoid that my parents aren’t my parents.

5. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
What it feels like when friends stab you in the back. Love Mark Antony’s speech.

6. Teacher’s Pet (Sweet Valley Twins #2) by Francine Pascal
The younger version of SVH. Twins still obnoxious and size 6. They did ballet briefly.

7. The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lenox
The kind of book Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey would have read.

8. Babylon Revisited and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Title story is great; others are good. None as good as Gatsby.

9. Heidi (Great Illustrated Classics) by Johanna Spyri
The easy reader Heidi, with lots of pictures. Didn’t need to read the real thing.

10. Something Upstairs by Avi
Inspired me to write a lot of bad, historical ghost story knock-offs.

11. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Chilling look at real-life violence in rural America. Capote’s best.

12. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Engaging premise (lesbian grows up English and Pentecostal) and vivid writing.

13. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Didn’t love it as much as I hoped. Is it wrong to love the musical?

14. Witch Week (Chrestomanci #3) by Diana Wynne Jones
Only one I’ve read in the series. Fun, non-HP book about boarding school and witches.

15. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Green’s weakest, in my opinion. Fun, but doesn’t carry the emotional weight of his others.

Happy reading/reviewing!

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome to another edition of the Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less!

1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Inspired take on a lesser known fairy tale. First in a series.

2. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Mom got this for me thinking it was YA. Scandal! Still prefer the Blume YA/MG.

3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
So good I wrote about it on the AP English exam. Not embarrassed.

4. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Got it without knowing anything about it and was initially confused. Still loved it though.

5. Go Away, Bad Dreams by Susan Hill
I had nightmares a lot as a kid. This book helped.

6. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
Really enjoyed it when I read it, but can’t remember much about it now.

7. Baby-sitters’ Summer Vacation (Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #2) by Ann M. Martin
The BCS goes to summer camp, encounters poison ivy, romance, and racism. Typical camp experience?

8. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. Love Elinor and Marianne.

9. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Touching novel, with only one or two missteps. Ashima and Ashoke shine.

10. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Didn’t have a good professor, probably I could have gotten more out of it.

11. Coyotes: A Journey Through the Secret World of America’s Illegal Aliens by Ted Conover
Fascinating look at immigration as Conover lives and works with people crossing over.

12. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Makes me glad I had Buffy in middle school.

13. Civilwarland in Bad Decline by George Saunders
The title story is excellent. Others are good, some don’t hold up as well.

14. Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon
Hilarious and heartfelt look at growing up in pre-WWII New York.

15. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
Amy has the best party games for kids.

Happy reading/reviewing, everyone!

Not Everyone Is a Member of Your Fan Club

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Part of writing is wanting other people to read your work. And when other people read your work, you’re probably going to get some feedback–good and bad. At Babble, Alice Bradley asks: Should you read reviews? Bradley cautions writers:

“So: someone’s going to disike you. It’s a fact. An unpleasant, painful fact. And the wider an audience your book (or article, blog, etc.) reaches, the more people are going to read it who don’t get you at all. Or who begrudge you your popularity, or who think you might be anti-Irish because you said the color green doesn’t work with your skin tone. Sometimes people are just unhappy, or having a bad day, or nuts. You can’t control who reads your work, or how they’ll react.”

This is particular good to remember in light of the recent YA author/review clash. Not everyone is going to love your work, or even be nice about it. Fortunately, I think most reviewers would rather write a thoughtful review than post something unhelpful, but bad reviews are going to happen. If you can read those reviews and still remember why you write, awesome. If you know you’re going to get upset, avoid them.

Friday Fifteen

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Live from New York, it’s the Friday Fifteen! Here’s my weekly review of fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
They were fools to leave the boxcar. Fools!

2. The Boxcar Children Houseboat Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Didn’t know it was a series, then picked up this. Didn’t read the rest.

3. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Lovely writing, fun plot, Dickensian feel. Ending didn’t quite hold for me.

4. Circling the Drain by Amanda Davis
Eerie stories with a fantastical feel. Sad to lose Davis so young.

5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Loved the wild ride in 12th grade; wonder if I’d see it differently now.

6. Ballistics by Billy Collins
Worth it if only for the poem Hippos on Holiday. On holiday from what indeed?

7. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Based on his stories, I was expecting something a little quirkier.

8. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Interesting ideas, but I didn’t much care about the characters. Prefer The Handmaid’s Tale.

9. The Witch Down the Street (Tale from the Care Bears) by Stephanie Morgan
Spoiler alert: the “witch” is a nice old lady. I know. Shocked.

10. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Let’s all get drunk and watch the bull fights, shall we?

11. The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey Into The Land Of The Chemical Elements by P.W. Atkins
I couldn’t even learn chemistry when it came in fantasy form. Good try though.

12. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Funny, poignant, and real. Maybe it’s not high literary fiction, but I love it.

13. A Raisin in the Sun  by Lorraine Hansberry
The only reading in tenth grade with a moderately happy ending.

14. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Scotland, witches, murder–what more could you want from the Bard? My favorite tragedy.

15. Intensely Chocolate by Carole Bloom
I love chocolate. Bloom writes fantastic cookbooks. A match made in heaven.

And there you have it! Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome to the third Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less. Onto the books!

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Creepy, well-written. Love it even more every time I read it.

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
I was very proud to have figured out what the deal was with Crouch.

3. Waiting for the Rain by Sheila Gordon
7th grade, learned about apartheid. I remember kids go to the movies and share chocolate.

4. A Certain Strain of Peculiar by Gigi Amateau
Very sweet, gets the small Southern town vibe. Made me want to say y’all afterward.

5. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett is the tragic protagonist. You’re not supposed to like her.

6. The Winner (The Gymnasts #4) by Elizabeth Levy
Another 90s tween series. I read one or two instead of taking gymnastics.

7. Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Three mice discover red, yellow, and blue can make other colors too. Blew my mind!

8. Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume
Read this a zillion times. Judy gets the weirdness of shifting friendships in middle school.

9. Women Artists: An Illustrated History by Nancy Heller
Won this as part of the art award in high school. Lots of cool images/info.

10. Snow in August by Pete Hamill
Assigned in 9th grade. I liked it until the end, which went off the rails.

11. The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker
Want to cook bear? That’s in here, along with pretty much everything food related.

12. Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle by Stephen Dunning
6th grade, first foray into poetry that didn’t necessarily rhyme. Didn’t understand most of it.

13. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Very clear memories of reading this at my desk in first grade.

14. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
Wizenberg combines the best of food writing with a touching memoir.

15. Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey by Martin Handford
He’s on a boat! Or the beach…

Feel free to share your own Friday Fifteens in the comments. Happy weekending!

Friday Fifteen

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I’m back with the second edition of Friday Fifteen, in which I review fifteen books in fifteen words or less.

1. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Good, but mostly I remember the puppy.

2. A Sick Day For Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
One of the cutest, coziest books ever, with lovely art.

3. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Read it obsessively for a while, then found it lacking.

4. The Giver by Lois Lowry
The first book I can remember really making me think. A forever favorite.

5. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Felt more like a collection of ideas than actual characters or plot.

6. Kate’s Camp-Out (Sleepover Friends #6) by Susan Saunders
90s tween series about sleepovers. I think this one was a kind of ghost story?

7. The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole
This book taught me about mass vs. weight. Miss Frizzle’s class meets the universe.

8. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
The novelization of the history of philosophy. Awesome, but the end got really weird.

9. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The second book to make me cry. More sadness about puppies.

10. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
The first in a series. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle helps parents manage their obnoxious kids, hilarity ensues.

11. The Ghost in the Attic (Haunting with Louisa #1) by Emily Cates
Non-scary ghost tale with a historical fiction twist. The only one I read in the series.

12. The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes by Ted Allen
Impressed my family with Allen’s recipes. Not too hard, but not too basic either.

13. Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson
Read this a lot, but I wanted to shake Louise and punch Caroline. Patterns understands isolation.

14. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Chilling and captivating. I liked this way better than Capote’s short fiction.

15. The Best American Travel Writing 2006 by Tim Cahill and Jason Wilson
First foray into travel writing. Now terrified to sail alone (not that I planned to).

I didn’t get to finish The Fault in Our Stars for the Friday Fifteen, but I might end up giving that a full review instead. Or I’ll save it for next week. Either way, feel free to share your own fifteen-word reviews in the comments.