Author: H. G. Wells
Published: 1895
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
The classic tale of the Time Traveler and the extraordinary world he discovers in the far distant future. A haunting portrayal of Darwin's evolutionary theory carried to a terrible conclusion.
Review
An interesting if not compelling read. The social commentary is overt to the point that the storyline is convoluted to fit that purpose. Particularly disturbing is the Time Traveler's condescending attitude towards all things futuristic. He treats the beings more as pets, and seems to feel no resposibility for his actions upon that future world.
Notes
This is a very short read. Worthwhile if you care about classics, the uproar over Darwinian theory in the late 1800s, and time travel.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: 1962
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.
Review
Through his creative prose style and vast vocabulary , Bradbury weaves a classic tale of good versus evil. The teenage-boy view point adds to the element of suspense and fear. And--without giving too much away--the climax is well worth the journey.
Notes
Originally read under duress for a book club, this quickly became one of my favorite Halloween tales. A must read for everyone this time of year.
Published: 1962
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.
Review
Through his creative prose style and vast vocabulary , Bradbury weaves a classic tale of good versus evil. The teenage-boy view point adds to the element of suspense and fear. And--without giving too much away--the climax is well worth the journey.
Notes
Originally read under duress for a book club, this quickly became one of my favorite Halloween tales. A must read for everyone this time of year.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A Test of Wills
Author: Charles Todd
Published: 1996
Genres: Historical mystery
Rating: 4
Summary
In 1919, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge remains haunted by World War I, where he was forced to have a soldier executed for refusing to fight. When Rutledge is assigned to investigate a murder involving the military, his emotional war wounds flare. It is a case that strikes dangerously close to home--one that will test Rutledge's precarious grip on his own sanity.
Review
Ian Rutledge is a fascinating hero. He precariously balances his intelligence in his detective work with his unbalanced mental state. The reader experiences the plot unfolding through Inspector Rutledge's investigation, which makes the solution both intriguing and unpredictable.
Notes
Thus far, I have read 10 of the (currently) 13 mysteries in this series. In each one, the author keeps "who done it" a mystery until the end--but does so without intentionally leading the reader astray. An engrossing series in which you always have to pay attention to little details and to every character.
This series feels like a darker version of the Maisie Dobbs mystery series.
Published: 1996
Genres: Historical mystery
Rating: 4
Summary
In 1919, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge remains haunted by World War I, where he was forced to have a soldier executed for refusing to fight. When Rutledge is assigned to investigate a murder involving the military, his emotional war wounds flare. It is a case that strikes dangerously close to home--one that will test Rutledge's precarious grip on his own sanity.
Review
Ian Rutledge is a fascinating hero. He precariously balances his intelligence in his detective work with his unbalanced mental state. The reader experiences the plot unfolding through Inspector Rutledge's investigation, which makes the solution both intriguing and unpredictable.
Notes
Thus far, I have read 10 of the (currently) 13 mysteries in this series. In each one, the author keeps "who done it" a mystery until the end--but does so without intentionally leading the reader astray. An engrossing series in which you always have to pay attention to little details and to every character.
This series feels like a darker version of the Maisie Dobbs mystery series.
Monday, October 17, 2011
To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
Author: Heidi S. Swinton
Published: 2010
Genre: Biograhy
Rating: 4.5
Summary
To the Rescue is the much-anticipated official biography of President Thomas S. Monson. Called as a bishop at the age of twenty-two, as a mission president at thirty-one, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age thirty-six, he has traveled the globe to minister to the Saints for more than fifty years. This book shares many of his personal experience, from his visits behind the Iron Curtain to his contributions on the Scriptures Publication Committee and in the missionary and welfare areas; it also provides up-to-the-minute information about his work as Church President. This biography is a portrait of a leader who ministers both to the one and to the many, and who is completely dedicated to doing whatever the Lord prompts him to do.
Review
A 4 for the writing. The general orgazination alternates between chronological and topical; as a result, some chapters feel disjointed, information is occassionaly repeated, and some of the trasitions are rough.
But definitely a 5 for the content! What an amazing man! Very motivational and well worth the read.
Published: 2010
Genre: Biograhy
Rating: 4.5
Summary
To the Rescue is the much-anticipated official biography of President Thomas S. Monson. Called as a bishop at the age of twenty-two, as a mission president at thirty-one, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age thirty-six, he has traveled the globe to minister to the Saints for more than fifty years. This book shares many of his personal experience, from his visits behind the Iron Curtain to his contributions on the Scriptures Publication Committee and in the missionary and welfare areas; it also provides up-to-the-minute information about his work as Church President. This biography is a portrait of a leader who ministers both to the one and to the many, and who is completely dedicated to doing whatever the Lord prompts him to do.
Review
A 4 for the writing. The general orgazination alternates between chronological and topical; as a result, some chapters feel disjointed, information is occassionaly repeated, and some of the trasitions are rough.
But definitely a 5 for the content! What an amazing man! Very motivational and well worth the read.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Women of the Silk
Author: Gail Tsukiyama
Published: 1991
Genres: Historical Fiction (China 1919-38)
Rating: 3.5
Summary
Pei is the third of five daughters born to rural parents in China. When the fortune teller reveals that she is unlikely to form a good marriage, she is sent to work in the silk factory to earn money for her family. There she grows up and forges a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in the vast factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own.
Review
The novel is well-written, captivating, sometimes sensual, and often haunting. The girls form intense friendships in reaction to the second-class, property-type role they play in their male-dominated society. And, ironically, they end up better off than if they had remained with their families.
Notes
If you are looking for a light read with a happy ending, this isn't it! This book made me very grateful that I wasn't born in China in the early 1900s.
Published: 1991
Genres: Historical Fiction (China 1919-38)
Rating: 3.5
Summary
Pei is the third of five daughters born to rural parents in China. When the fortune teller reveals that she is unlikely to form a good marriage, she is sent to work in the silk factory to earn money for her family. There she grows up and forges a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in the vast factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own.
Review
The novel is well-written, captivating, sometimes sensual, and often haunting. The girls form intense friendships in reaction to the second-class, property-type role they play in their male-dominated society. And, ironically, they end up better off than if they had remained with their families.
Notes
If you are looking for a light read with a happy ending, this isn't it! This book made me very grateful that I wasn't born in China in the early 1900s.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
My Name Is Mary Sutter
Author: Robin Oliveira
Published: 2010
Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War Fiction
Rating: 1
Summary
Mary Sutter is a brilliant young midwife who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Eager to run away from recent heartbreak, Mary travels to Washington, D.C., to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of two surgeons, who both fall unwittingly in love with her, and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the difficult birth of her twin sister's baby, Mary pursues her medical career against all odds.
Review
What began as a promising work became very disappointing about half-way through due to a very vulgar and frankly unnecessary scene involving a minor character. I did not finish reading it.
Published: 2010
Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War Fiction
Rating: 1
Summary
Mary Sutter is a brilliant young midwife who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Eager to run away from recent heartbreak, Mary travels to Washington, D.C., to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of two surgeons, who both fall unwittingly in love with her, and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the difficult birth of her twin sister's baby, Mary pursues her medical career against all odds.
Review
What began as a promising work became very disappointing about half-way through due to a very vulgar and frankly unnecessary scene involving a minor character. I did not finish reading it.
Buster Midnight's Cafe
Author: Sandra Dallas
Published: 1990
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
May Anna Kovacks was discovered on the dustry streets of Butte, Montana and went on to become a Hollywood star. War, fame, marriage, love, and heartbreak came and went. What never changed was the bond she shared with her two best friends, Effa Commander and Whippy Bird. When scandal, murder, and betrayal made a legend of May Anna, only Effa and Whippy Bird could set the record straight.
Review
This is a story of the brutal realities of life in the 1920s in the mining town of Butte, Montana. It is a story that includes the liquor, situations, and language you would expect to find in such a setting. It is a story of flawed characters doing the best they can with what they have been given. But above all, it is a story of friendships that last a life time.
Notes
This novel was particularly interesting to me because my great grandfather was a miner in Butte, and my grandparents met while attenidng high school there. If the characters in this novel were real, they could have been my grandparents' classmates.
Published: 1990
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
May Anna Kovacks was discovered on the dustry streets of Butte, Montana and went on to become a Hollywood star. War, fame, marriage, love, and heartbreak came and went. What never changed was the bond she shared with her two best friends, Effa Commander and Whippy Bird. When scandal, murder, and betrayal made a legend of May Anna, only Effa and Whippy Bird could set the record straight.
Review
This is a story of the brutal realities of life in the 1920s in the mining town of Butte, Montana. It is a story that includes the liquor, situations, and language you would expect to find in such a setting. It is a story of flawed characters doing the best they can with what they have been given. But above all, it is a story of friendships that last a life time.
Notes
This novel was particularly interesting to me because my great grandfather was a miner in Butte, and my grandparents met while attenidng high school there. If the characters in this novel were real, they could have been my grandparents' classmates.
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