The Throne of Fire- Rick Riordan

Are you ready for another entry in the “Am I Too Old For This?” category? Because the answer to this one is yes, absolutely.

Any book by Rick Riordan is targeted at an age group below my reading level. However, I have read all of his books, with the possible exception of anything he contributed to the 39 clues series, which is where I draw the line. This book is the second in his series about Egyptian Gods, the Kane Chronicles. Between these books and the Percy Jackson (Greek Gods) series, everything Riordan writes is kind of a sneak attack mythology lesson. The Kanes are siblings with magical powers, who can channel the powers of the Egyptian Gods Isis and Horus. In this second book, they depart on a journey to find the scrolls of Ra, the sun God, and master of all of the rest of the Gods, with expected obstacles along the way.

In all honesty, I don’t have a lot to say about this one. The most interesting thing about it is the way it’s told, Riordan gives us an author's note at the beginning explaining that what we are about to read is his transcription of audio tapes recorded by Sadie and Carter Kane, the titular characters. The way that the narrative switches between the two of their voices, with occasional sidebars to make comments outside the events of the novel is a clever way of moving the story along. Apart from that, the plot isn’t anything really fantastic. It’s exactly what you’d expect after reading a summary, and to be honest, I liked the Percy Jackson books more than these. These aren’t bad books, but unlike books like Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, what you see is what you get. There’s not a lot to read into, and there isn’t a lot of suspense. Since the story is set up as tapes recorded after these events have happened, you know that both Carter and Sadie are going to end up ok, no matter what occurs.

I’d say this is a solid 3. I’m not going to read any of these books again, but they are entertaining, pure and simple.

Next up: Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese, which Amazon has listed as a recommendation for me since I read (and loved) The Help.

Favorites- Chick Lit

Continuing on with some of my favorites in each genre, I thought I'd tackle chick lit next. Despite none of it really being pulitzer prize material, I think anyone can appreciate the value of these kinds of books. There's nothing like a good beach read when that's what you want and what you're expecting. In general, it's funny, has a heroine easily identified with, and always ends with everyone happy, or at least close. Following (in no particular order) are my favorites:

1. 

Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner- I think this might be the first book I ever read that could be classified as chick lit. Cannie is an overweight reporter who has just broken up with a boyfriend, when she sees a column in a women's magazine written by him. Mortifyingly, the main focus is on "the courage to love a larger woman," and details their relationship in excruciating detail. The book follows Cannie as she works to get over this embarrassment and on with her life, and all the hilarity along the way. After reading this book, Jennifer Weiner rapidly became one of my favorite authors. She has disappointed me a few times with her last few books, in particular the sequel to this one, however, Good in Bed will always be one of my favorites. I cannot stress enough how funny this book is.

2.
 

Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin- The morals behind this book are questionable, however, that is the draw in all of Emily Giffin's writing. She takes situations and women that are inherantly unlikable: a spoiled and selfish single woman, a woman who is in a relationship with a married man, a married woman considering cheating on her husband, and in this case, a woman in love with her best friend's fiancee, and makes them seem likable and human, though flawed. I honestly don't know how she did it, but I didn't hate the main character in this book, Rachel, who at the very beginning of the novel sleeps with her best friend's fiancee. She made her relatable, even with the situation as dire and reprehensible as it is, and by the end you are somehow rooting for her. I still remember the first time I read this book, it was one that I finished late at night after putting it down to attempt to go to bed. But I HAD to know what happened, and that in itself says something significant for Emily Giffin's writing. And can we all agree to just not even address the movie? I think among everyone I've talked to about it, whether you've liked, hated, or loved it, we can all admit that it wasn't comparable to the book.

3.
 

Bright Lights, Big Ass: a Self Indulgent, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster- I was debating whether or not to do a favorites post about memoirs, and where this book would fall, as it's somewhere in between chick lit and a memoir, but in the end, I decided that this was the best place for it. Jen Lancaster is hilarious. Sarcastic, foul mouthed, and extroverted, this book covers Jen's life in the city: her neighbors, her favorite stores, her pets, her husband, etc. This book is essentially a collection of hilarious stories about life. And I loved every minute of it. I also feel like I can roll another few books into this general category, and those are Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which amounts to the same kind of thing, and of course, Bossypants, which has already been covered.

4.
 

PS, I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern- Before Hilary Swank ruined the character of Holly, she was a sweet, sympathetic young widow working through her life after the death of her husband. Holly is suddenly alone when her husband Gerry dies of a brain tumor. Imagine her surprise when each month she receives a note and occasional gift from said departed husband. I've recommended this book before, to mixed reviews. It's sad, yes, but I think in the end the redeeming story and humorous incidents that occur both in past recollections of Gerry and as a result of the letters make it an entirely enjoyable read. I can distinctly remember being looked at like a crazy person when I was reading this in the dentist waiting room and laughing out loud.

5.
 

Rachel's Holiday, by Marian Keyes- Marian Keyes' books always have a little bit of a dark side to them. In this case, Rachel is a drug addict sent to rehab. The story of her time in rehab is intertwined with flashbacks of her life before and while on drugs, making for a captivating read. From Rachel's perspective, you're never sure how much of what she's saying is true, or what has actually transpired, and in general whether or not things have happened the way she says they do.  Marian Keyes' writing is believable enough to place you in the rehab center with her. The book isn't all bleak though, otherwise why would it be included in the chick lit section? Despite the dark subject matter, we get a redeeming ending (spoiler alert! in case you didn't already see that coming) and quite a few entertaining and funny moments. This is the second in Keyes' Walsh sisters series, and some of the best parts come from the interactions Rachel has with her family. Which is all the more reason to read the other ones!

Honorable mentions: Can You Keep a Secret, by Sophie Kinsella, Last Night at Chateau Marmont, by Lauren Weisberger, and, let's be honest, most of the other books by the authors mentioned above.

The Tiger's Wife- Tea Obreht

Well, this one was more of a struggle than I was expecting. Two weeks and an overdue fine at the library later, I finally finished this critical darling up. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I neither liked nor disliked it. Mostly, I was indifferent. I guess it says something that I finished it, and was invested enough in it to want to know what happened, but I will definitely not read it again. And I'm also not sure if I'd recommend it.

Bluntly, for all the talk and press this book got, I was assuming it would be better. The narrator of the book is Natalia, a young doctor on a trip to inoculate children in a war torn country. She finds out while on this trip that her grandfather has died, and it feels like the book wants to focus on the relationship between Natalia and her grandfather, however, the novel is interwoven with stories from grandfather to granddaughter, which take up the bulk of the book. These stories include that of the tiger's wife.

I'll say this for Tea Obreht, she titled her book well. The tiger's wife is the story I was most invested in, the reason I kept reading. I also wanted to know how all of the stories would come together, and unfortunately they barely did, if at all.

I think that in itself was the biggest issue I have with the book: there were several stories that were interesting enough to suck me in while I was reading them, but it doesn’t seem to form one cohesive novel. The attempt to pull all the stories together- the relationship between the narrator and her grandfather- had very little time spent on it, and it seemed very disjointed. I don’t by any means think this was a bad book, the writing is good, I just would have preferred more cohesion. The sections where Natalia is present in the story, that is, the parts where she's not just recounting her grandfather's stories, were by far the weakest.

I am significantly disappointed with this book. I was really looking forward to reading it, and imagine my surprise when I couldn't get through it very quickly. I feel as though I've missed something, maybe there's a deeper meaning I'm not getting, but at this point, I'm done trying to figure it out.

All that being said, the writing style is good, I just feel like it needs to be more focused. I would try another book written by this author, but not unless I was really looking for something to read.

3- It was OK, and I don't regret reading it, but with such an unsatisfying end and disjointed storytelling, I am ready to move on to the next book.

Favorites- Fantasy

While I work my way through the Tiger’s Wife (100 pages in, and so far it’s only ok), I thought I’d keep up the posting by putting up some mini-reviews of my favorite books (all that I would rate 5’s, since I own the majority of them).  There are so many that I feel I need to break them up by genre.  First up? Fantasy/Sci Fi books, which is only fitting since the #1 on this list is my #1 of all time. The remainder of the books on this list and following ones are in no particular order.


1.
    
The Harry Potter Series, by JK Rowling- go ahead and laugh, but I can almost guarantee if you’re laughing it’s because you haven’t read these. Yes, the first few books are children’s books, but since I was about 13 when I first started reading them, it’s fitting. Sometimes I feel like I grew up with the characters in these books, which finally culminated when I was 22 and graduating from college. I am telling you, these books are amazing. I devoured the seventh book in about 15 hours and physically could not stop.  JK Rowling’s writing is engrossing, and even after reading all of her novels hundreds of times, I still find things that she’s put in that foreshadow events to come in the books. The amount of thought she put into them is truly impressive. And even though I admit the first couple books are obviously targeted at children, when you hit about the third or fourth one, you can’t possibly think that anymore. The journey that Harry and his friends go on throughout the seven books is so enjoyable that I am still disappointed to this day that there are no more books about them for me to read. If you’re wondering, my favorites are in this order: Prisoner of Azkaban, Half Blood Prince, Goblet of Fire, Deathly Hallows, Sorcerer’s Stone, Order of the Phoenix, and Chamber of Secrets. Please note that the first two are two of my three least favorite. Seriously, give them a shot if you haven’t already.


2.

The Hunger Games and Chasing Fire, by Suzanne Collins- Set in a postapocalyptic world where a dictatorship has taken control, The Hunger Games is a fantastic book with a fairly morbid concept.  Every year, two young “tributes” are sent to the capitol to compete in the Hunger Games, essentially a brutal reality show-esque fight to the death where the last one standing is the winner. To tell you more would ruin the plots of the two books, but suffice it to say that they are unbelievably difficult to put down.  This series is actually a trilogy, but I can’t in good faith recommend the third of the books. After how the first two end, it is impossible to not read the third to find out what happens to the characters, but it’s just not the same.  


3.

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card- I read this book in high school for the first time and have read it several times since then.  Who knew a book about kids being sent to space to attend battle school and fight for the survival of the Earth could be so interesting?  Before you say anything, yes, there are aliens involved, but no, it’s not that weird. It’s entirely plausible as a futuristic world, and was the one of the first (and only?) books I have ever read that could be classified as science fiction that I actually enjoyed.  Ender is a child military prodigy, born to two extremely intelligent parents and who has natural leadership and skills that attract the attention of battle school.  He is sent to space to train for an upcoming war with the “buggers,” an alien race that has already attacked Earth, and is threatening once again.  Battle school is looking for a commander to lead the army to defend against the buggers.  It sounds bizarre, but I promise you the book is more about the relationships between the children at school and the preparations for the upcoming war than the aliens. It was an excellent read.


4.

Anything ever written by Roald Dahl- I wasn’t sure how to classify these books at first. However, after thinking about it, what else would you call books that consist of a young girl with mind powers, a chocolate factory with a flying glass elevator, talking animals, and a giant peach with giant talking bugs? I can definitively tell you that Roald Dahl’s books are the reasons I love to read. I loved Matilda more than anything I had read before when I first came upon it when I was little, and from there I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, the Twits, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and all the rest.  Roald Dahl is an amazing author, and though nearly all of his books are decidedly more for children, I encourage you to pick up and read a few if you haven’t read anything written by him. Start with Matilda. You’ll love it.


5.

The Artemis Fowl Series, by Eoin Colfer- another favorite from when I was younger, that I will still occasionally pick up and read. Artemis Fowl is smart, well written, and addictive. The titular character is a young, rich, genius with absent parents who is bored with his life, and obsessed with making any money that he can to increase the Fowl fortune. This leads him to a world that is decidedly magic, including fairies, centaurs, and dwarves. Kidnapping a fairy and requesting a ransom in gold for her return, the first book follows the conflict between Artemis and the fairies, and springboards from there into the following books.


Maybe this genre should actually be young adult fantasy books? It seems that with the exception of some of the later HP books and the subject matter of the Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, which are still nonetheless marketed as young adult, I haven’t read (or maybe I just haven't liked?) a whole lot of fantasy or science fiction that is written specifically for adults.

Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

My mom suggested this book to me after hearing about and reading it at the middle school where she works.  I am a sucker for well written books that are targeted at age groups below mine and after reading the summary thought it sounded interesting, so after Wolf Hall bombed so badly, I thought my brain could use the break.

Well, as it turns out I didn’t get much of one. Thirteen Reasons Why has quite a morbid subject matter, and was fairly upsetting, but bear with me on this one.  If you trusted me with Room and its weirdness, you can trust me on a teen book about suicide. 

From the very beginning of the book we know that Hannah Baker killed herself.  After days have passed, Clay Jenson, who went to school with Hannah and had a crush on her, receives a brown package full of cassette tapes with no return address. On these tapes is Hannah’s voice, explaining thirteen reasons why she gave up, thirteen people who contributed actions and words to the snowball effect that eventually caused her to take her life.  Each of these thirteen people will receive the tapes and listen to them before passing them on.  The book chronicles Clay as he listens to each recording, following a map that was given with the tapes to the places where significant events occurred, providing us with Hannah’s running commentary interspersed with Clay’s reactions. This was not unlike an audio tour at a museum, which is where the author got the idea for this writing style.

Most of all I enjoyed the style of writing in this book, it was a genius idea from Asher to cut the present day thoughts Clay was having with Hannah’s discussions about life and high school.  In addition, although it was a serious and morose subject matter, at no point did Asher take it to a deeply psychological perspective, instead merely documenting the events that lead to Hannah’s depression.  It was a page turner for sure, and I think given more free time in the past couple of days I could have read it in a matter of hours. The book is written like a suspense novel, and there is lots of material for the reader to wonder about: How Clay fits into the tapes chief among them.

3- All in all, I found this to be an important book about the way that high schoolers, or people in general treat each other.  It certainly makes you think twice about the way that you interact with others. I don’t need to read it again, but I did find it an engrossing and worthwhile read.

Next up: The Tiger’s Wife, which is getting a lot of press for its author, who is ironically the same age as me, yet has already been named on the New Yorker’s 20 authors under 40 to watch.