May 19, 2003
The same stuff as stars - Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson's novel, The Same Stuff As Stars is a decent read. The characters are believable, likeable, and interesting.
Posted by katester at 02:52 PM
More, Now, Again - Elizabeth Wurtzel
I should know better than to read Elizabeth Wurtzel. I find myself sucked into her drama, somehow feeling sympathetic to her neuroses and addictions. More, Now, Again seems to pick up where Prozac Nation left off. Fascinating and interesting, yet horrific. Like a car crash that you can't help but watch.
Posted by katester at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
Define "Normal" - Julie Anne Peters
This book is listed as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and I tend to agree. The characters are easy to relate to and very believable. I found Antonia's disdain for Jazz to be incredibly frustrating, yet totally realistic. That would have been me in high school. Define "Normal" deals very well with Antonia's mother's clinical depression, but something tells me that the foster parent situation was over simplified. I'd like to read more by Julie Anne Peters.
Posted by katester at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)
Cocktails for Three - Madeleine Wickham
Madeleine Wickham's Cocktails for Three is a quick, amusing read. Some parts are predictable, but still enjoyable as the characters are fleshed out well. I can see this novel being made into a film that has the potential for excellence. Of course, it could really stink, like Bridget Jones's Diary did on the big screen. I'll probably check out some of Wickham's other novels.
Posted by katester at 02:50 PM
All Over Creation - Ruth Ozeki
My friend Amy first turned me on to Ruth Ozeki last year, when she recommended the fabulous novel My Year of Meats. Ozeki's latest novel, All Over Creation is very well done, interesting, and engrossing, but lacks the oomph that her previous novel contained. I kept putting it down and coming back, whereas I read the first novel in one sitting. All Over Creation was entertaining and educational - I learned more about seed propogation and potato farming and agriculture than I ever knew before. I wish Ozeki hadn't taken her time in developing the characters - it took me quite some time to find Yummy interesting or likable. I wanted to know more about Lloyd, her father, and her mother, Momoko, was mostly a shell. Perhaps that was intentional, though, as her character faded in and out due to dementia.
Posted by katester at 02:50 PM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2003
Welcome
This blog supercedes the page originally found at http://www.katester.net/misc/books.html. My goal in creating this blog is to force myself to think about the things that I'm reading. It's one thing to make a list, but something totally different if I have to make a list and annotate it
Posted by katester at 02:53 PM