The Giver
"When I was a child, and everyone was reading this book, I thought I did not like futuristic stories (and to this day I’m a bit wary of most Sci Fi). But this story, while set in the future, is beautiful in its simplicity. This story is so simple and pure its fable. It suggests a tale that has been told and will (should) be told for centuries."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/march-newbery-winners/
Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood St.
"In this modern take on the all-too familiar Robin Hood tale, Peter Abrahams creates a truly charming heroine who unexpectedly begins on an adventure of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/the-galley-way-robbie-forester-and-the-outlaws-of-sherwood-street/
Other Waters
"In Eleni Gage’s Other Waters we meet Maya, a high achieving Indian- American woman living in New York City. On the surface her life is ideal: she has a family who loves her, a successful career in psychiatry, and a sweet boyfriend. But after her beloved Grandmother passes away, and her family is cursed by a bitter servant back in India, things begin to fall apart."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-galley-way-other-waters/
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business
"For fans of Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point, this book is another great look at these powerful forces in our lives, and the greater society, that we somehow constantly overlook."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-galley-way-the-power-of-habit/
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
"In her debut novel, Pulitzer prize winning reporter, Katherine Boo, takes the reader on the tour of one of Mumbai’s numerous slums where we encounter a cast of characters- ranging from the lowliest trash pickers, to a up-and-coming family of trash sorters, to a duplicitous and politically-minded slumlord and her lovely college-attending daughter"See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/the-galley-way-behind-the-beautiful-forevers/
One Hundred Years of Solitude
"It’s a sweeping epic tale, that at the same time never strays far from the, at times grand, at times crumbling, ancestral home (which fits nicely with the title). Thanks to Marquez’s eloquently dense, yet also at times breezy language, this book was truly a joy to read."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/february-in-translation/
Lovers
"Arsand is able to pack quite a story into such a short book; but the story, such as it is, is full of heartbreak. Lovers is a very beautifully written, yet sad novella."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/february-in-translation/
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
"This book is the total package: with it’s beautiful language and philosophical ramblings, it still manages to have heart, and be funny and sarcastic."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/february-in-translation/
The Little Prince
"The main appeal of the story comes from de Saint Epery’s poking fun at adults. When the little prince recounts for the narrator all the adults he encountered before visiting earth, we are treated to a parade of human folly, from workaholics to alcoholics. Who doesn’t love a story that points out that for all our pretensions, adults are amazingly stupid compared to children?"See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/february-in-translation/
Shards
In beginning a description of Ismet Prcic's (pronounced Per-Sick) debut novel "Shards" I first must mention that novel is filled with stories, scenes, and characters that are truly enjoyable to read and range from heartbreaking to humorous. But what really makes the book stand apart was Prcic's fluid nature of storytelling that made the novel *novel* for me.The bulk of the Story is set in 1990's Bosnia, where Prcic comes of age the war ravaged city of Tuzla. It is in Bosnia that his stories are the most common and can resonate with any Young Adult. While the war rages, Ismet (main character of the same name of our author) and his friends carry on and live like most teenage boys caught up in girls, drugs, and under the sway of a charismatic theater director.The main action of the story centers around Ismet's flight from Bosnia to be sponsored by his uncle in California, but it is when he arrives in California that Ismet begins to come unglued, suffering from insomnia, alcoholism, memories from the war, and beginning to fuse his memories and identity with Mustafa- a young man (or figment of Ismet's imagination?) that fought in the war and serves as Ismet's mirror image. Prcic alternates between Mustafa's and Ismet's story and the reader is left uncertain what is 'real' and what is fiction- where Mustafa ends and Ismet begins.Not only was it refreshing to read about a time an place that I'm largely unfamiliar with- but Prcic's style plays fast and loose with the conventions of story telling. Is it a memoir or a novel? Will the real Ismet Prcic please stand up? The story delightfully sends you 'round the bend with Mustafa's and Ismets shared and diverging histories- and strangely was reminiscent of the main character(s) of 'Fight Club'- complete with a killer ending.Note: This is a Goodread First Readhttp://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/the-galley-way-shards-2/
Shadow and Bone
This galley came to me by way of a friend. I’m strangely glad he only loaned it to me because I had to make sure to move it up to the top of my reading list to return it to him this week (my to-read list is getting a bit bogged-down).Now, I have grown to hate the phrase “unputdownable”. Not only is it grammatically dubious, but it seems to skirt the question of whether or not the reviewer was actually “able to put the book down” or not. So I’ll just flat out say it- I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in over the course of one day- stopping only for work, trips down to the laundry room, and ultimately sleep.The plot of Shadow and Bone is nothing groundbreaking- we have an (orphan) protagonist plucked from obscurity, magic- dark and otherwise, evil creatures, etc. While the book stands on it’s own merits and is excellently written, it pulls from many sources- or to be more precise is calls to mind other works (at least for me) as varied as Beauty and the Beast and Snow White to X-Men and, of course, The Hunger Games. As this book won’t be coming out until this Summer, I don’t really want to say much more. Suffice it to say I enjoyed it- it’s good fun and I’m sure will be a quality series. For all the YA readers out there- keep you’re eyes peeled- this one’s gonna be a big deal.http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/the-galley-way-shadow-and-bone/
Time and Again
"Since our protagonist, Simon, is completely engrossed in the sights and sounds of 1882 New York, we are treated to painstaking detail of what it would be like to live in New York City at the time. Basically, a really fun read- as we all know, if you don’t have the ability to time travel, a book is the next best thing."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/january-new-york-city/
Brooklyn
" I was a little surprised by the simple story that mostly centers around Tony and Eilis idilic budding relationship. But, I should say that overall I really enjoyed the story. It was like candy… but good, expertly made candy."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/january-new-york-city/
The Fortress of Solitude: A Novel
"Particularly brilliant is the novel’s first half detailing the main character’s childhood growing up in Gowanus/ Boerum Hill on the cusp of its gentrification. Lethem has a gift for capturing character’s personalities and nuances, be it the delicate dance of getting “yolked” or the hollers of “Yo” throughout the neighborhood, or the eloquent ramblings of wayward boy genius, Arthur Lomb"See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/january-new-york-city/
A Happy Marriage
"It was a great chance to be introduced to a talented New York author that I, shockingly, had never heard of, and even though by end of the book I didn't really like the protagonist, Enrique as much as I had hoped- it was an honest and all too real portrayal."See full review at:http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/january-new-york-city/
Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty
Note: this book was a Goodreads First ReadI was intrigued by simply the title of this new book. I had taken an Early American literature class in college and read Sarah Vowell's (highly recommended!)Wordy Shipmates so I was vaguely familiar with Roger Williams and the fact that he was one daring Puritan.This book was a great treat just to get to know more about Roger Williams, who definitely isn't as well known as an early American as he perhaps should be. One little quibble I have with this book is that it's not until about page 136 that Mr. Barry actually focuses his attention on Roger Williams, and instead gives us a LOT of background. While it is interesting to get a little background about Coke's (Williams' mentor) influence on Williams, and certainly necessary to get an overview about the history of Puritan involvement in "The New World", it is not until Barry is discussing the life of Williams himself that the story gets interesting.Overall if you are a fan of American history (especially a chapter that is not ridiculously over-trod) this would be a good choice.http://sometimesjenniferreads.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/the-galley-way-roger-williams-and-the-creation-of-the-american-soul/
