Posted in Adventure, Bluesocks' Picks, Books, Characters, Coming of Age, Literary fiction, Neil's Picks, Quick read, Sense of place, Sports, Subculture on June 16, 2008 | No Comments »
It’s a sign of a good book when an author can take subject matter that is completely alien and render it in a way that immerses you, fascinates you, moves you. The Australian Tim Winton did that for me with Breath, a coming-of-age tale about surfing and other extreme adventures.
In Breath, two boys in their early teens [...]
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According to Pete Hautman’s young adult novel Rash life in the future will be much more safe, and that, in turn, could be very dangerous. In the late 21st century Safer States of America, alcohol, littering, being overweight, even saying something mildly rude is illegal. Minor offenses result in sentencing to work for the country’s [...]
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To wrap up this week’s theme of Women’s Nonfiction, permit me to introduce you to one of the most intellectually challenging books I’ve ever read. Don’t be deceived by the illustrations: yes, it’s a graphic novel, but it nonetheless had me racing for the dictionary, the encyclopedia, and, on three separate occasions, a volume of [...]
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Posted in Books, Characters, Coming of Age, Historical Nonfiction, Jessica's Picks, Memoir, Nonfiction, Quirky characters, Sense of place, Setting, Women's Nonfiction on April 8, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Here in the oldies-but-goodies category we have Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady. You can tell it was published in 1985. Just look at that cover. That particular shade of pink has been extinct for well over twenty years now.
The story itself, fortunately, has aged far better than the garish cover art. This is the [...]
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Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is a narrative by a former student at Hailsham, a peculiar boarding school in England. An adult now, Kathy H. describes scenes from her early childhood, adolescence, and the year immediately after graduation, when the students were moved to “the cottages” before they requested intensive training for their [...]
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Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, was an international best seller, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2003, and the summer 2007 pick for Oprah’s Book Club. Many people have read the fascinating story of Callie/Cal, an intersex [aka, incorrectly, hermaphroditic] adolescent. But there are other readers out there who have not yet read [...]
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What is your life worth? Imagine a future in which those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice have fought a second civil war over the sanctity of life. They end the war by compromising on a “Bill of Life” that states all pregnancies must come to term; however, parents and guardians [...]
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Having always been fascinated by Viking Mythology I naturally gravitated towards reading award-winning, Australian author, Jackie French. This historical novel was originally published in Australia as They Came in Viking Ships and then in U.K. as The Slave Girl.
Jackie French’s historical novel is based on real events in the Icelandic Sagas written about eight [...]
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I’m going to get flak for this post, even if it’s just sour looks from my colleagues, so at least I can say I know what I’m getting into. I read The Golden Compass, mostly because a group of blathering troglodytes told me I can’t, but if this is the biggest challenge organized religion has [...]
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After having him on my To Be Read pile for a long time, I finally found my way to T.C. Boyle, and was immensely rewarded by the read. Drop City is a great example of a culture clash – wanderers searching for purpose and identity coming up against a rooted community that doesn’t want the [...]
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