The Gum Thief

The Gum Thief: A Novel by Douglas Coupland


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I got this book because it sounded like a Nick Hornby book, and I was in the mood for some comedy. The description I read said something about coworkers at Staples writing diary entries to each other, and one writes his first novel, Glove Pond(a book inside a book). I thought it would be full of clever, witty banter and maybe some sarcasm and black humor. It's ironic that the would-be author of Glove Pond, says that he is trying to write a novel full of clever, witty banter; ironic because niether Glove Pond or The Gum Thief has anything remotely witty or clever in it. The characters are depressed, and though they write long and hard about the pointlessness of life, of how they are too old to do anything great anymore, or about how everyone in their life leaves them eventually, they don't seem to benefit from this cathartic journaling--instead, everything in their life just seems to get worse.
The book inside a book, Glove Pond, follows two absurd characters throwing a dinner party, and while slightly amusing, the characters are ultimately so tragic that all it leaves you with is saddness.
The whole book read like an off-off-off Broadway play. And not one I'd want to watch.

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The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This got 4 stars solely because it was the first real chapter book my 9 year old finished. That is cause alone to celebrate.
I read it and liked it. I really enjoy mythology, and this was a great way to introduce it to young readers. I liked how Riordan set the gods in modern time--really great stuff. And some of the adventures read just like a modern day Homer quest. Meeting Ares and Medusa were great scenes. Retrieving Ares shield was great, mixing the old myth with new technology. And the Lotus Casino was pretty good re-imagining, too.
However, I couldn't wholly rally behind the book, either. It lacked...gravitas. A monster attacks and he swipes his sword, and the monster dies. Just like that. And a lot of the plot lines are readable a mile away. A lot of the plot lines. And the author is not subtle at all in putting forth his agenda: "America is the best, but Americans don't appreciate or respect the earth and btw, NY is WAAAY better than LA".
But once again, this book is written for tweens and my tween loved it.


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Love in a Fallen City

Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm not sure how this title ended up on my To Read list, but I'm glad it did. This was a collection of novellas and short stories by Eileen Chang, well known in China, but not in America, although she moved here in her 30's. All of the stories deal with love, marriage, and money or stature. I imagined she was China's Jane Austen, though the mood tends to be darker, and the endings don't always end happily--so perhaps it would be better to compare her to Edith Wharton.
I have to admit it wasn't the easiest read--I think some things were lost in translation. But the stories were well-told, intriguing, and beautifully written. In "Aloeswood Incense" where a poor country girl comes to live with her wealthy, worldly aunt to continue her education, (and receives an education of an entirely different type)--she finds a closet full of clothes that her aunt has made up for her. "Weilong couldn't go to sleep; as soon as she shut her eyes she was trying on clothes, one outfit after another. Woolen things, thick and furry as a perturbing jazz dance; crushed velvet things, deep and sad as an aria from a Western opera; rich, fine silks, smooth and slippery like "The Blue Danube," coolly enveloping the whole body." Or in "Sealed Off", a short story about Shanghi being shut down (Chang lived through the Japanese occupation): "The huge, shambling city sat dozing in the sun, its head resting heavily on people's shoulders, its drool slipping slowly down their shirts, an inconceivably enoromous weight pressing down on everyone." There are little jewels like that all over.
"Love in A Fallen City" is perhaps my favorite (and is also the happiest)but all of the stories are thought-provoking, well-written, and entertaining. No wonder she is a classic in her own country. Thanks to Kingsbury who translated these, perhaps she will become one here.

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The Hunt for Dark Infinity

The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second (and latest) installment in the 13th Reality series by James Dashner. We bought both of these books for Tritan, and he really seemed to like them.
I faulted the first one for lack of orginality--it read like a Harry Potter knock-off. I can't say that about this one. It is one of the most imaginative books I've read in a while. The story is much more suspenseful and complex than the first one. In fact, it is so much more fantastic and involved, that at times it could be confusing. But Dashner works it all out in the end. In fact, I would predict that with a few more novels, he could be a first-rate story teller.
From a parental p.o.v., it is much darker than the first one, but it seems as though most YA literature is darker.
I am looking forward to finding out what happens to Tick and the rest of the Realitants in the next installment.

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The Journal of Curious Letters

The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It's hard not to compare every YA book with Harry Potter esp. since a lot of YA books read a lot like Harry Potter. This, too, is about a boy (Atticus, aka Tick ) who is awkward and nerdy who finds he is chosen (along with a smart aleck girl and devil-may-care boy) to help save lives by mysterious means. There are flying motorcycles, and a wise English elder (Master George), a giant, an annoying dwarf, and Tingle Wraiths. I suspect that even his birthmark that he covers up with a striped scarf, marks him as the Most Special of the special youths (not unlike a certain scar, ahem). But we will have to continue to read the series to find that out.
If that all sounds hauntingly familiar, it is. But there are differences, subtle though they may be. Master George is quick to point out that the special "magic" that is exhibited is not magic at all, but science (Quantam Physics) that is behind it all. Perhaps one of the most welcome differences is Tick's home life is loving and caring. Tick's father in particular is supportive and compassionate.
It's an OK book, with a good message and the fight scene near the end was actually exciting. It's not Harry Potter but it's as good of a copy cat as I've read. (And I suspect that most YA, for whom it's written, won't even care.)

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The Ghost at the Table

The Ghost at the Table: A Novel by Suzanne Berne


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. It was everything I hoped Sing Them Home would be. It's a book about the relationship between two sisters and how they remember their childhood and the events that happened when they were children. Berne perfectly captures how memories of the same time can be so different and how we perceive ourselves may not be how others see us. The only wish I could have is that Berne would write a sister novel from the perspective of the other sister!
P.S. No swearing or sex!

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Love is a Mixed Tape

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Rob Sheffield takes an original spin on the memoir: he relates everything that happens in his life to music. He starts each chapter with a mixed tape listing from that point in his life or that exemplifies the feelings of that time. Unique idea. Probably would have been better if the book actually came with those songs. Unfortunately, being a few years younger and not exactly in tune with his musical tastes, I couldn't relate as much to what he was trying to portray. In fact, he relies so heavily on song, artist, and movie refrences that I didn't know that I never really cared about him or his wife, although I really wanted to.
I would recommend this to Alyssa if she is ever delayed at the airport or is bed bound for some reason, if only because he lives in Charlottesville, VA, and you may get a kick out of knowing some common places.

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