Another successful and enjoyable meeting! For those of you who weren't there (as well as those of you who were), I'll be working on the notes over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, please add comments to this post about what books you borrowed from others. Since it was at my house, I ended up with leftovers, so I have:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - which I think is Kay's
The Delta Decision - Brad's
A Student Guide to the Classics - Virginia's
I think that's it... if you borrowed a book from someone, or want to know who has it, please post a comment. I'll pull them all together for the next group of notes. Thanks to everyone who made it - the next one is in January (look for a choose the date eVite soon) - hope even more people can make it then!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Books that didn't make the book club
With the meeting coming up, I started reviewing all of the books I've read since the last meeting to decide which ones I'm going to discuss - and I discovered that I read a lot of books! (on a side note, I heard a speaker yesterday quote that 58% of Americans do not read another book after high school Statistics at Parapublishing.com - a stat I find hard to believe). I can't discuss all of these at the book club since we don't have time, and it would greatly increase the already inordinate gap between the club and the publication of the notes... so I thought I'd put an incomplete list here - avoiding any that I think others may discuss (like Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, which Bev hopes to have finished by Saturday, or Empire of Ivory - the 4th book in the Naomi Novik Temeraire series that Karen introduced us to). Naturally, if you are interested in any of these, I'm happy to loan them out. So this is my list - how about yours? What have you read of interest lately that won't make it to the book club (either because you chose something else, or aren't going to make it?)? Post them into comments on the blog!
The Keep, by Jennifer Egan - a genre-defying novel about a prisoner in a creative writing class, and a shiftless guy who is invited by his formerly nerdy, now millionaire cousin whom he wronged in their youth to help restore an ancient castle somewhere in Bulgaria. This is a somewhat mind-bending book - my most frequent thought throughout it was 'What the hell...???" - but I got sucked into the story and read it with abandon throughout the final third of the book.
American Gods and Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman - I already reviewed Neverwhere by the same author at the last book club, stating that he's rapidly becoming my favorite author - and these two books don't disappoint. Kind of unfair to lump them together, as they are totally separate stories with a single character in common - but I loved both of them. They both deal with the existence of the minor gods of superstitious lore and fable, placed into today's world.
Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington - Martin and I were discussing the Gaiman books by email when he asked me when Cristopher Moore (the author of Lamb) was coming out with another book. I went to his website (http://www.chrismoore.com/ - his blog is hilarious!) to check, and sadly, there is nothing on the horizon. So I checked out his reading list - and Mil Millington was one of his recommendations. Basically, a battle of the sexes (and English vs. German sensibilities) set against a madcap series of events from a slacker's perspective, this book had me cackling throughout. I've got another Millington book Love and Other Near-Death Experiences in my stack of to-be-read.
1632, by Eric Flint - I sent my mother (or tried to - that's yet another story) Connie Willis' The Doomsday Book, a story about a young doctoral candidate who is transported back to England in the Dark Ages, right before the plague (a great book, if you've not read it). When I was describing it to her, she recommended I pick this book up, so I did (it's good to listen to your mother). And I almost put it down... The premise is that an entire town in present day West Virginia disappears and is plopped into the middle of Germany during the Thirty Years' War. The dialogue and the patriotism were hokey and overstated, to the point of being patronizing. When I complained about this to my mother, she said to stick with it, it gets better (it's good to listen to your mother). And what I found, beyond the hokey and patronizing dialogue, was a fascinating well-researched, pragmatic look at what would happen if today's technology was dropped into the environment of the past - including the dependence on diminishing resources. And I found that toward the end, I didn't mind some of the hokiness... this book has spawned a number of sequels that I'll eventually circle back to read.
The Gun Seller, by Hugh Laurie - some of you may recognize the author's name - he's the actor who plays House on Fox. If you imagine House as a British author (despite the midwestern accent he uses on the show, Hugh Laurie is in fact British... hearing him interviewed always throws me for a loop), writing a James Bond novel, bringing all of the cynicism and wit of his character, that's what you have in The Gun Seller. I really enjoyed the book, although I must admit that it was a little lethargic in the middle, and it gets kind of redundant to constantly place the protagonist into seemingly impossible, inescapable peril, only to see him use his wit, luck, deus ex machina, or an attractive woman to emerge relatively unscathed - but I could say those things about every James Bond movie (including the latest - which I thought was great) I've ever seen.
Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami - this book was recommended to me because I responded to a post on a website about Black Swan Green, one of my favorite coming of age books (by David Mitchell - I also recently read Cloud Atlas by him - another fantastic, genre-bending book that I highly recommend). Kafka is a fifteen year old Japanese boy who runs away from home. And then things get weird. Full of Japanese mysticism, fantasy and philosophy (it's easy to see where manga comes from), this book was like the feeling you have trying to do simple things like walk, get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, after getting on one of those rides at the amusement park that spins you in every direction all at once. A challenging, but rewarding experience - I've not yet decided if I'm going to seek out more of the author's work - a line in a review on Amazon sums it up best... Occasionally, the writing drifts too far into metaphysical musings—mind-bending talk of parallel worlds, events occurring outside of time—and things swirl a bit at the end as the author tries, perhaps too hard, to make sense of things. But by this point, his readers, like his characters, will go just about anywhere Murakami wants them to, whether they "get" it or not.
The Keep, by Jennifer Egan - a genre-defying novel about a prisoner in a creative writing class, and a shiftless guy who is invited by his formerly nerdy, now millionaire cousin whom he wronged in their youth to help restore an ancient castle somewhere in Bulgaria. This is a somewhat mind-bending book - my most frequent thought throughout it was 'What the hell...???" - but I got sucked into the story and read it with abandon throughout the final third of the book.
American Gods and Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman - I already reviewed Neverwhere by the same author at the last book club, stating that he's rapidly becoming my favorite author - and these two books don't disappoint. Kind of unfair to lump them together, as they are totally separate stories with a single character in common - but I loved both of them. They both deal with the existence of the minor gods of superstitious lore and fable, placed into today's world.
Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington - Martin and I were discussing the Gaiman books by email when he asked me when Cristopher Moore (the author of Lamb) was coming out with another book. I went to his website (http://www.chrismoore.com/ - his blog is hilarious!) to check, and sadly, there is nothing on the horizon. So I checked out his reading list - and Mil Millington was one of his recommendations. Basically, a battle of the sexes (and English vs. German sensibilities) set against a madcap series of events from a slacker's perspective, this book had me cackling throughout. I've got another Millington book Love and Other Near-Death Experiences in my stack of to-be-read.
1632, by Eric Flint - I sent my mother (or tried to - that's yet another story) Connie Willis' The Doomsday Book, a story about a young doctoral candidate who is transported back to England in the Dark Ages, right before the plague (a great book, if you've not read it). When I was describing it to her, she recommended I pick this book up, so I did (it's good to listen to your mother). And I almost put it down... The premise is that an entire town in present day West Virginia disappears and is plopped into the middle of Germany during the Thirty Years' War. The dialogue and the patriotism were hokey and overstated, to the point of being patronizing. When I complained about this to my mother, she said to stick with it, it gets better (it's good to listen to your mother). And what I found, beyond the hokey and patronizing dialogue, was a fascinating well-researched, pragmatic look at what would happen if today's technology was dropped into the environment of the past - including the dependence on diminishing resources. And I found that toward the end, I didn't mind some of the hokiness... this book has spawned a number of sequels that I'll eventually circle back to read.
The Gun Seller, by Hugh Laurie - some of you may recognize the author's name - he's the actor who plays House on Fox. If you imagine House as a British author (despite the midwestern accent he uses on the show, Hugh Laurie is in fact British... hearing him interviewed always throws me for a loop), writing a James Bond novel, bringing all of the cynicism and wit of his character, that's what you have in The Gun Seller. I really enjoyed the book, although I must admit that it was a little lethargic in the middle, and it gets kind of redundant to constantly place the protagonist into seemingly impossible, inescapable peril, only to see him use his wit, luck, deus ex machina, or an attractive woman to emerge relatively unscathed - but I could say those things about every James Bond movie (including the latest - which I thought was great) I've ever seen.
Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami - this book was recommended to me because I responded to a post on a website about Black Swan Green, one of my favorite coming of age books (by David Mitchell - I also recently read Cloud Atlas by him - another fantastic, genre-bending book that I highly recommend). Kafka is a fifteen year old Japanese boy who runs away from home. And then things get weird. Full of Japanese mysticism, fantasy and philosophy (it's easy to see where manga comes from), this book was like the feeling you have trying to do simple things like walk, get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, after getting on one of those rides at the amusement park that spins you in every direction all at once. A challenging, but rewarding experience - I've not yet decided if I'm going to seek out more of the author's work - a line in a review on Amazon sums it up best... Occasionally, the writing drifts too far into metaphysical musings—mind-bending talk of parallel worlds, events occurring outside of time—and things swirl a bit at the end as the author tries, perhaps too hard, to make sense of things. But by this point, his readers, like his characters, will go just about anywhere Murakami wants them to, whether they "get" it or not.
Monday, November 12, 2007
IBC # 7 - Karen's Condo, September 22, 2007
On a warm Saturday in September, after a five month drought, we finally quenched our thirst with our 7th IBC meeting at Karen's condo in Arlington. After negotiating the always spare parking in Arlington (Karen, being the gracious host, supplied us with quarters to feed the meter creatures), the Fort Knox-like security in Karen's building, and Dave's complete inability to follow directions (or at least distinguish between an East Tower and a West Tower), half a dozen of us sat in Karen's very comfortable living room to discuss our books. Being the orderly type of people that we are, we errrmmmm... went in order. Clockwise. Starting with Bev. (We're so anal).
Bev
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
In keeping with tradition, Bev reviewed a couple of children's books - the first came off of an NPR list of 'Books that will spark your child's interest in reading' (or something like that). Tanglewreck is a house in London, where the 11 year old protagonist Silver lives. When time tornadoes strike, leaving the normal chronology of events unstable (as well as disappearing a school bus full of children, and depositing a surprised division of Roman chariots, and confused, if not terrified woolly mammoths on the banks of the modern day Thames), Silver discovers that she is the prophesied 'Keeper of the Clock'. If you're current on the IBC blog entries (which is probably everyone but me), imagine UnLunDun combined with City of Ember, combined with Hyperion (sans Shrike) in this time warp of a tale. Bev warned that while some books let you dip your toes, then gradually your feet before plunging into the narrative, Tanglewreck is not such a book. Within the first couple of pages, you're caught in the time tornadoes, gasping for breath. Sounds like yet another children's book destined to be passed amongst the members of the IBC.
Sammy Carducci's Guide to Women by Ronald Kidd
The next book Bev reviewed is one that was read to Bev during her 'Children's Literature' course in college. Sammy Carducci is a slick, but diminutive 6th grader who wears a suit, tie and black high top Chuck Taylors to class everyday (and on 'test' days, he adorns his suit with a folded red handkerchief). Sammy sets his sights on Becky, the tall class beauty, and using his high-school aged brother as a role model. The tale is told from both Sammy's and Becky's points of view, with a lot of humor and references to the 80's (was that redundant?), as it was written in the early 1990s. As one amazon.com reviewer put it - 'lots of snappy dialogue and humiliation'. What more could you want from a book for and about 6th graders?
Amy
One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Amy decided to take on this Cold War classic that I had to read as a sophomore in high school (and since the only thing I remember from my sophomore year is a really bad feathered back haircut and thinking my dad's terry cloth v-neck shirt was cool because I fit into it, I don't remember much Solzhenitsyn). This tale of a single day in the life of a resident in a Gulag somewhere in Siberia was originally published in 1962, and was somewhat autobiographical - as Solzhenitsyn spent 10 years in a Gulag himself for criticizing Stalin (surprisingly Kruschev allowed it to be published, mostly because it was critical of Stalin's era - oh, the irony!). The way the book described Gulag life reminded Amy of a day in high school - of the 'Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...', drooling on the desk variety. It does have it's hope, though - how people manage to get through one uneventful day after another, taking pride in the smallest of accomplishments. After reading this, Amy felt as if she had been on a journey - just not to someplace she would want to be.
The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
Amy's second offering is the first of a fantasy trilogy written for pre-teens. The story centers around (as so many of these do) two sisters, Kate and Emily, who are orphaned, and sent to live with a distant guardian (on an estate named Hallow Hill). While wandering through the woods, they encounter gypsies that are really goblins in disguise. Kate is kidnapped to become the bride of Marak, the very intelligent, completely pitiless, but kind of hot (Amy's words, not mine) goblin king. Despite her initial reticence, she and Marak develop an 'understanding' (one Amazon reviewer compared it to the relationship in 'Pride and Prejudice'), just as the goblins are attacked by a sorcerer from afar. Amy really liked the author's writing style, and the story kept her fascinated, never knowing quite sure who to root for, with an underlying theme of protecting those you love. Yet another 'children's series' that may find it's way into the IBC's reading stacks.
Dave
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons, quite the prolific author, has been previously reviewed by the IBC (and will again be, below) for some of his Science Fiction work. You may remember him as the author of the Hyperion/Endymion series. The Terror is a departure from sci-fi, and fits more into an historical fiction/gothic horror/adventure genre (found in the library under... umm... well...). The Terror starts with history - the Franklin expedition of 1847 to find the Northwest Passage (just recently opened through global warming). At the start of the book, Franklin, the leader of the expedition and captain of one of two expedition ships, the Erebus, has been killed, along with several of the crew. The captain of the other ship, the Terror has taken over the expedition - which is now focused on survival. The two ships are frozen in the Arctic circle, about a mile apart, having been last seen two years previous off the coast of Greenland, stalked by a mysterious yet viciously intelligent primordial creature. Shipboard life in the British Navy of the mid-19th century, survival in the most extreme of conditions, and encounters with the nomadic Inuit round out some of the themes covered in this book. Dan Simmons was a professor of literature, and crafts an extremely engaging story with language that gives you the feeling of the bitter cold, the fear, the characters feel, and their sense of duty and tradition they embrace. I really liked the Hyperion/Endymion books, but The Terror is on a higher plain - one that I will have to revisit again at some point in the future.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
From relative, but respected obscurity in Simmons' case, to almost rock-star cult status (the legions of Gaiman fans are now reaching into the mainstream with the movie adaptation of his book, Stardust), Neverwhere is another genre-bending work. Similar in theme to UnLunDun, in that 'normal' people suddenly find themselves in an alternate society beneath the city of London, inhabited by strange, delightful and sinister beings, this is mostly a fantasy novel. Richard Mayhew is the prototypical, underachieving everyman, who through helping a wounded girl, finds himself trapped in London Below. Naturally, there's a quest. And bad guys. And lots of action - yet Gaiman has filled his book with dark humor, breathtaking images, and fascinating characters. Neverwhere reads like a bedtime story for adults, and I resisted putting it down as much as I used to resist getting ready for bed as a child. Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Colleen
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
If you are ever on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?', and a question on the Harry Potter books comes up that you aren't 100% certain you know, make sure you've saved your 'Phone a Friend' and call Colleen. As each new book in the series was released, Colleen went back to Sorcerer's Stone to re-read each one, just prior to the release of the new one. So from the time the release date for Deathly Hallows, Colleen had her work cut out for her. For months, we would be discussing the next book (there was always the fear that it would 'jump the shark'), and Colleen would start expounding on the identities of Horcruxes, the 'goodness' of Snape, whether Harry would die - and all the things being debated amongst Potter aficionados (as an aside, she is not a fan of the movies, being a Harry Potter purist). So - did she like the book? Absolutely. Deathly Hallows provided the answers to questions that existed since Book 1, and all those uncovered since, while providing a lot of action and drama. Each of the major and a lot of the minor characters had their chance to shine, and Deathly Hallows was a fitting end to a wonderful series. Now let's see if she likes the movie.
Brad
Ilium by Dan Simmons
As promised above, we have yet another review of a Dan Simmons book. In a return to his 'literary science fiction', this is the first in a series of two (the second one is Olympos) covering three concurrent and intertwined storylines of the far distant future. One occurs on Earth, where there are a few humans living very spoiled and pampered lives, with machines as servants and the ability to travel via fax (but who wants to travel to a lawyer's office?). They've pretty much lost the ability to fend for themselves, including (sacrilege!) the ability to read. The second story involves Moravecs (in typical Simmons fashion - something you have to figure out from context), a kind of biological/cybernetic species of Shakespeare and Foust fans living in relative harmony amongst the moons of Jupiter, until they bothered by a cosmic disturbance around the vicinity of Mars that they decide to investigate. And the third story, is of course that of Mars, where a super species living as the Greek Gods are out to recreate the Trojan War, under the watchful eye and guidance of a 20th century Greek scholar who much to his surprise, woke up one morning on Mars in the far distant future. Brad was enthralled by the way Simmons weaves technology, mythology and several literary references as he brings the three stories together in his typically lush and rewarding fashion - I'm looking forward to reading this one, and hearing Brad's thoughts on Olympos.
The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery
From sci-fi to science, and, inadvertently, politics... Brad next presented Tim Flannery's (a noted paleontologist and mammologist) attempt to close the book once and for all on the link between Global Warming and Climate Change and man's impact on both. Along the way he addresses the economic impact, and an argument on how to ween ourselves from our dependence on fossil fuels. Brad enjoyed the book, and he learned a lot, but wasn't as satisfied as he might have hoped. Brad, ever the scientist, felt the author could have included more cutting edge research, and was left with a lot of questions on how the science was applied (and few answers). Brad felt this was a decent primer, but occasionally was too 'flowery' and sometimes lacked coherence.
Karen
Karen, perhaps IBC's first intentional 'theme-reader' (I've found that I have a lot of unintentional themes in books that I read, but Karen goes about it with a vengeance!), decided that she wanted to become versed in James Thurber - ergo the three offerings below. James Thurber, a contemporary and friend of E.B. White (of Charlotte's Web fame) wrote, and illustrated, a number of short stories, including 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', and 'The Catbird Seat', among others.
My Life In Hard Times by James Thurber
My Life In Hard Times is a semi-autobiographical series of short stories about Thurber's upbringing in Columbus, Ohio. Many of the stories start out with some unusual set of circumstances (e.g., Thurber's mother throwing a shoe through a window and his grandfather shooting a policeman), and then drop back to explain in intricate detail how they got there. Also included are a number of Thurber's illustrations, including a self-portrait of the author, and a Yorkie, obviously angry with each other that makes me smile just to think of it. This book reminded Karen of Dave Barry, but with fewer burger jokes.
The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber
The Thurber Carnival is a compendium of Thurber's short fiction, including classics such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Catbird Seat. Karen enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but this book didn't grab her like Life in Hard Times did. She felt many of the stories come across as bitter - as Thurber aged, his ever-present issues with his eyesight worsened to the point of near blindness, and this may have been reflected in his writing. Still, for anyone who is interested in reading some of Thurber's other work, this is a good collection.
Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel the Way You Do by James Thurber and E.B.White
Some writings withstand the passage of time - alas, according to Karen, this one does not. Written in collaboration with the aforementioned E.B. White, this book satires the prevailing 'how-to' books on sexuality, romance and love of the first half of the 20th century. It may have been hilarious when it was first published, but to Karen, it just seemed dated.
Bev
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
In keeping with tradition, Bev reviewed a couple of children's books - the first came off of an NPR list of 'Books that will spark your child's interest in reading' (or something like that). Tanglewreck is a house in London, where the 11 year old protagonist Silver lives. When time tornadoes strike, leaving the normal chronology of events unstable (as well as disappearing a school bus full of children, and depositing a surprised division of Roman chariots, and confused, if not terrified woolly mammoths on the banks of the modern day Thames), Silver discovers that she is the prophesied 'Keeper of the Clock'. If you're current on the IBC blog entries (which is probably everyone but me), imagine UnLunDun combined with City of Ember, combined with Hyperion (sans Shrike) in this time warp of a tale. Bev warned that while some books let you dip your toes, then gradually your feet before plunging into the narrative, Tanglewreck is not such a book. Within the first couple of pages, you're caught in the time tornadoes, gasping for breath. Sounds like yet another children's book destined to be passed amongst the members of the IBC.
Sammy Carducci's Guide to Women by Ronald Kidd
The next book Bev reviewed is one that was read to Bev during her 'Children's Literature' course in college. Sammy Carducci is a slick, but diminutive 6th grader who wears a suit, tie and black high top Chuck Taylors to class everyday (and on 'test' days, he adorns his suit with a folded red handkerchief). Sammy sets his sights on Becky, the tall class beauty, and using his high-school aged brother as a role model. The tale is told from both Sammy's and Becky's points of view, with a lot of humor and references to the 80's (was that redundant?), as it was written in the early 1990s. As one amazon.com reviewer put it - 'lots of snappy dialogue and humiliation'. What more could you want from a book for and about 6th graders?
Amy
One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Amy decided to take on this Cold War classic that I had to read as a sophomore in high school (and since the only thing I remember from my sophomore year is a really bad feathered back haircut and thinking my dad's terry cloth v-neck shirt was cool because I fit into it, I don't remember much Solzhenitsyn). This tale of a single day in the life of a resident in a Gulag somewhere in Siberia was originally published in 1962, and was somewhat autobiographical - as Solzhenitsyn spent 10 years in a Gulag himself for criticizing Stalin (surprisingly Kruschev allowed it to be published, mostly because it was critical of Stalin's era - oh, the irony!). The way the book described Gulag life reminded Amy of a day in high school - of the 'Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...', drooling on the desk variety. It does have it's hope, though - how people manage to get through one uneventful day after another, taking pride in the smallest of accomplishments. After reading this, Amy felt as if she had been on a journey - just not to someplace she would want to be.
The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
Amy's second offering is the first of a fantasy trilogy written for pre-teens. The story centers around (as so many of these do) two sisters, Kate and Emily, who are orphaned, and sent to live with a distant guardian (on an estate named Hallow Hill). While wandering through the woods, they encounter gypsies that are really goblins in disguise. Kate is kidnapped to become the bride of Marak, the very intelligent, completely pitiless, but kind of hot (Amy's words, not mine) goblin king. Despite her initial reticence, she and Marak develop an 'understanding' (one Amazon reviewer compared it to the relationship in 'Pride and Prejudice'), just as the goblins are attacked by a sorcerer from afar. Amy really liked the author's writing style, and the story kept her fascinated, never knowing quite sure who to root for, with an underlying theme of protecting those you love. Yet another 'children's series' that may find it's way into the IBC's reading stacks.
Dave
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons, quite the prolific author, has been previously reviewed by the IBC (and will again be, below) for some of his Science Fiction work. You may remember him as the author of the Hyperion/Endymion series. The Terror is a departure from sci-fi, and fits more into an historical fiction/gothic horror/adventure genre (found in the library under... umm... well...). The Terror starts with history - the Franklin expedition of 1847 to find the Northwest Passage (just recently opened through global warming). At the start of the book, Franklin, the leader of the expedition and captain of one of two expedition ships, the Erebus, has been killed, along with several of the crew. The captain of the other ship, the Terror has taken over the expedition - which is now focused on survival. The two ships are frozen in the Arctic circle, about a mile apart, having been last seen two years previous off the coast of Greenland, stalked by a mysterious yet viciously intelligent primordial creature. Shipboard life in the British Navy of the mid-19th century, survival in the most extreme of conditions, and encounters with the nomadic Inuit round out some of the themes covered in this book. Dan Simmons was a professor of literature, and crafts an extremely engaging story with language that gives you the feeling of the bitter cold, the fear, the characters feel, and their sense of duty and tradition they embrace. I really liked the Hyperion/Endymion books, but The Terror is on a higher plain - one that I will have to revisit again at some point in the future.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
From relative, but respected obscurity in Simmons' case, to almost rock-star cult status (the legions of Gaiman fans are now reaching into the mainstream with the movie adaptation of his book, Stardust), Neverwhere is another genre-bending work. Similar in theme to UnLunDun, in that 'normal' people suddenly find themselves in an alternate society beneath the city of London, inhabited by strange, delightful and sinister beings, this is mostly a fantasy novel. Richard Mayhew is the prototypical, underachieving everyman, who through helping a wounded girl, finds himself trapped in London Below. Naturally, there's a quest. And bad guys. And lots of action - yet Gaiman has filled his book with dark humor, breathtaking images, and fascinating characters. Neverwhere reads like a bedtime story for adults, and I resisted putting it down as much as I used to resist getting ready for bed as a child. Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Colleen
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
If you are ever on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?', and a question on the Harry Potter books comes up that you aren't 100% certain you know, make sure you've saved your 'Phone a Friend' and call Colleen. As each new book in the series was released, Colleen went back to Sorcerer's Stone to re-read each one, just prior to the release of the new one. So from the time the release date for Deathly Hallows, Colleen had her work cut out for her. For months, we would be discussing the next book (there was always the fear that it would 'jump the shark'), and Colleen would start expounding on the identities of Horcruxes, the 'goodness' of Snape, whether Harry would die - and all the things being debated amongst Potter aficionados (as an aside, she is not a fan of the movies, being a Harry Potter purist). So - did she like the book? Absolutely. Deathly Hallows provided the answers to questions that existed since Book 1, and all those uncovered since, while providing a lot of action and drama. Each of the major and a lot of the minor characters had their chance to shine, and Deathly Hallows was a fitting end to a wonderful series. Now let's see if she likes the movie.
Brad
Ilium by Dan Simmons
As promised above, we have yet another review of a Dan Simmons book. In a return to his 'literary science fiction', this is the first in a series of two (the second one is Olympos) covering three concurrent and intertwined storylines of the far distant future. One occurs on Earth, where there are a few humans living very spoiled and pampered lives, with machines as servants and the ability to travel via fax (but who wants to travel to a lawyer's office?). They've pretty much lost the ability to fend for themselves, including (sacrilege!) the ability to read. The second story involves Moravecs (in typical Simmons fashion - something you have to figure out from context), a kind of biological/cybernetic species of Shakespeare and Foust fans living in relative harmony amongst the moons of Jupiter, until they bothered by a cosmic disturbance around the vicinity of Mars that they decide to investigate. And the third story, is of course that of Mars, where a super species living as the Greek Gods are out to recreate the Trojan War, under the watchful eye and guidance of a 20th century Greek scholar who much to his surprise, woke up one morning on Mars in the far distant future. Brad was enthralled by the way Simmons weaves technology, mythology and several literary references as he brings the three stories together in his typically lush and rewarding fashion - I'm looking forward to reading this one, and hearing Brad's thoughts on Olympos.
The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery
From sci-fi to science, and, inadvertently, politics... Brad next presented Tim Flannery's (a noted paleontologist and mammologist) attempt to close the book once and for all on the link between Global Warming and Climate Change and man's impact on both. Along the way he addresses the economic impact, and an argument on how to ween ourselves from our dependence on fossil fuels. Brad enjoyed the book, and he learned a lot, but wasn't as satisfied as he might have hoped. Brad, ever the scientist, felt the author could have included more cutting edge research, and was left with a lot of questions on how the science was applied (and few answers). Brad felt this was a decent primer, but occasionally was too 'flowery' and sometimes lacked coherence.
Karen
Karen, perhaps IBC's first intentional 'theme-reader' (I've found that I have a lot of unintentional themes in books that I read, but Karen goes about it with a vengeance!), decided that she wanted to become versed in James Thurber - ergo the three offerings below. James Thurber, a contemporary and friend of E.B. White (of Charlotte's Web fame) wrote, and illustrated, a number of short stories, including 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', and 'The Catbird Seat', among others.
My Life In Hard Times by James Thurber
My Life In Hard Times is a semi-autobiographical series of short stories about Thurber's upbringing in Columbus, Ohio. Many of the stories start out with some unusual set of circumstances (e.g., Thurber's mother throwing a shoe through a window and his grandfather shooting a policeman), and then drop back to explain in intricate detail how they got there. Also included are a number of Thurber's illustrations, including a self-portrait of the author, and a Yorkie, obviously angry with each other that makes me smile just to think of it. This book reminded Karen of Dave Barry, but with fewer burger jokes.
The Thurber Carnival by James Thurber
The Thurber Carnival is a compendium of Thurber's short fiction, including classics such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The Catbird Seat. Karen enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but this book didn't grab her like Life in Hard Times did. She felt many of the stories come across as bitter - as Thurber aged, his ever-present issues with his eyesight worsened to the point of near blindness, and this may have been reflected in his writing. Still, for anyone who is interested in reading some of Thurber's other work, this is a good collection.
Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel the Way You Do by James Thurber and E.B.White
Some writings withstand the passage of time - alas, according to Karen, this one does not. Written in collaboration with the aforementioned E.B. White, this book satires the prevailing 'how-to' books on sexuality, romance and love of the first half of the 20th century. It may have been hilarious when it was first published, but to Karen, it just seemed dated.
That concluded our 7th experience in the IBC - looking forward to seeing everyone for IBC #8!
Cool HTML Book Tracker Table Below (I'm such a geek):
| Borrower | Borrowed | Borrowee |
| Bev | Un Lun Dun | Amy |
| The Hollow Kingdom | ||
| Amy | The Stolen Child | Dave |
| Dave | Throne of Jade | Karen |
| Black Powder War | ||
| My Life In Hard Times | ||
| Brad | Bellwether | Karen |
| One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich | Amy | |
| Karen | Tremor | Colleen |
| TangleWreck | Bev | |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day | Gretchen |
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