Recent Reads

135. The Round House
Having really liked two other books by the author (The Master Butchers Singing Club and Shadow Tag), I was looking forward to this 2012 National Book Award winner.

This coming of age story is about Joe, a thirteen year old, whose entire life changes over the course of a summer when his mother is attacked on a reservation in North Dakota. Told from his perspective, we learn about his family and friends, the community he lives in, and the laws that govern people on the reservation. This is a character driven mystery of sorts, and the writing is beautiful in places, but overall I was not gripped by the story telling. Something was missing for me. The chapters seemed disjointed, and many of them could have been standalone short stories. Maybe that was the problem - I never got into the flow of the story, and if I was not reading this for book club, it would have ended up on my Did Not Finish pile. I read somewhere that this book is a prequel to The Plague of Doves, a book I have yet to read, so probably did not help the situation any.

I know most people loved this, so maybe it is just me. Like I said, I have enjoyed other books by the author, and do plan to read the rest of her back list. Rating: 2 stars.

136. Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page
Let me first confess that I have yet to read Moby-Dick. I tried once, and gave up right about the time I hit the word Circumambulate. Don't get me wrong, I love the word, but realized I was not in the right frame of mind to read the book at that time. 

Which brings me to this delightful book. The author has a fascination with Moby-Dick, and created an illustration a day, for each page of the 552 page paperback version of the story, on found papers using a variety of mediums. Each illustration is accompanied by a bit of the original story text, so I've now read a piecemeal/snapshot version of Moby-Dick, which has whetted my appetite for more.

I'd recommend getting the fat, heavy, print version - an ebook will simply not do - surround yourself with colorful creativity, and see if you too get obsessed with whales. Rating: 4 stars.

137. Divergent
Now that the trilogy is complete, and I have all three books in hand, decided to go back and re-read Divergent before diving into the other two books. I looked at my earlier review and have nothing new to add - this is a fast paced YA book for fans of the Hunger Games, with a kick-ass girl protagonist. I look forward to reading how this story unfolds.

Jan 21, 2012 review:
New author #4. This young adult (YA) book as gotten rave reviews and I needed a quick read - a palate cleanser if you will - so dived in. Dystopian novels seem to be all the rage, both in adult and YA fiction lately. Wonder why. At any rate, I read this book in a day. Stayed up late to finish it. Tris is not as kick-ass as Katniss (Hunger Games), but you gotta root for a girl protagonist amidst all the boy centered books. The next book in the trilogy will be released this spring and is on my TBR list. If you're looking for a fun, fast read, check this one out. Rating: 4 stars.