An epic and riveting history of New York City on the edge of disaster--and an …
Review of 'Fear City' on 'LibraryThing'
4 stars
A great overview of the events up to and through New York City's fiscal crisis of the mid- to late 1970s. This book also provides a background of current austerity politics in US cities. In some places, I think there could be a more thorough discussion of how the racial views of politicians and businessmen were reflected in urban policies and budget decisions. I found the details about the municipal bond markets to be helpful.
Set in the present day in the rural community of Feathertown, Tennessee, Flight Behavior tells …
Review of 'Flight Behavior' on 'LibraryThing'
3 stars
I generally like Kingsolver's novels, but this one didn't particularly draw me in. It's a quick and easy read, in spite of its size. But overall, I had the sense that Kingsolver focused more on conveying her specific environmental concerns, which I happen to agree with, than writing an enveloping, rich story. I'm not sure what I would have changed, because I liked her characters. But there wasn't a depth to them that I'm used to seeing in Kingsolver's novels. I don't know.
I was really psyched about "The Lacuna" though, and maybe I set the bar too high.
The new novel from Michael Chabon, his first in 5 years, is a lovingly painted …
Review of 'Telegraph avenue' on 'LibraryThing'
2 stars
I received an advance readerâs copy of this novel from Goodreads back in the fall. Unfortunately, Iâm a bit of a slow reader, and I like to read more than one book at a time. That is why I just finished the book now. This is the first time Iâve read a novel by Michael Chabon, so Iâm not able to compare the style and content of Telegraph Avenue to his other work.
Overall, I found Telegraph Avenue to be an alternately frustrating and unsatisfying read. I would often be confronted with instances where I thought Chabon was caught up in his own brilliant, flourishing prose while not advancing the story at all. And the style of the prose often wouldnât match up with characters. For example, characters like Luther Stallings and Valletta Moore would be given voices in a scene that carried a casual vernacular that âsoundedâ natural. But …
I received an advance readerâs copy of this novel from Goodreads back in the fall. Unfortunately, Iâm a bit of a slow reader, and I like to read more than one book at a time. That is why I just finished the book now. This is the first time Iâve read a novel by Michael Chabon, so Iâm not able to compare the style and content of Telegraph Avenue to his other work.
Overall, I found Telegraph Avenue to be an alternately frustrating and unsatisfying read. I would often be confronted with instances where I thought Chabon was caught up in his own brilliant, flourishing prose while not advancing the story at all. And the style of the prose often wouldnât match up with characters. For example, characters like Luther Stallings and Valletta Moore would be given voices in a scene that carried a casual vernacular that âsoundedâ natural. But then the third-person narration around that scene would be embellished in a way that distanced the reader from the story. Iâm not sure how to put it. But itâs like Chabon wrote realistic characters that he couldnât relate to. Itâs like Chabon got advice on how to make Archy Stallings sound real, but he himself doesnât actually know anyone like Archy in a way that would allow more empathy in his writing. The exception to that rule would be scenes involving the Jaffe family. In those family scenes, the narration gives off a sense of familiarity.
The characters were another weakness for me. Many characters are introduced, which wouldnât be so bad if more of them were fully developed. Why are Archy and Nat such good friends, when the only thing they appear to have in common is music? Why are Archy and Gwen married, when they donât even seem to like each other for just about all of the book? Why would Gwen stay with Archy when he cheats on her all of the time? What is the point of Titusâ existence outside of convenient plot devices? For some reason, Titus is the only character whose inner thoughts arenât presented. As I read about more charactersâ stories, I was often wondering why their stories had to be told.
I read an article a while ago that said Chabonâs original idea behind Telegraph Avenue was a television show, which would explain a lot. The novel offers more of a setting than an actual plot. It's not a bad book. But I don't think my time was well-spent in reading it.
A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, …
Review of 'George R. R. Martin`s Game of Thrones Colouring Book' on 'LibraryThing'
4 stars
I have seen the first two seasons of "Game of Thrones" on TV, so that colored my reading of this book. One thing that is probably bad is that now I can only visualize the main characters with the appearances of the actors who play them. I was surprised by how much I still enjoyed reading the book, even though I knew the major plot points. Having watched the TV show, reading the book became a means of getting background on the characters. There was more time for backstory, and events that took place on the show were fleshed out.
I don't know if I can offer a useful review, because I'm not sure how much I would have liked the book without seeing the show. I do enjoy fantasy novels and stories that include a lot of history. But since I read a variety of books, I'm generally not …
I have seen the first two seasons of "Game of Thrones" on TV, so that colored my reading of this book. One thing that is probably bad is that now I can only visualize the main characters with the appearances of the actors who play them. I was surprised by how much I still enjoyed reading the book, even though I knew the major plot points. Having watched the TV show, reading the book became a means of getting background on the characters. There was more time for backstory, and events that took place on the show were fleshed out.
I don't know if I can offer a useful review, because I'm not sure how much I would have liked the book without seeing the show. I do enjoy fantasy novels and stories that include a lot of history. But since I read a variety of books, I'm generally not up on the latest and greatest in the fantasy genre. I know this book has been out for many years, but I didn't know of it until the TV show came about. I suppose the real test for me will be when I read far enough in the series to go beyond the events of the show.
