Forever

by Pete Hamill

In 1740, an Irish boy arrives in America, fleeing famine in his home country and pursuing revenge of his father's death. He makes friends with a black slave, who saves his life with some voodoo magic that grants him the gift of eternal life, as long as he never steps off of Manhattan Island. Forever tells the story of New York, covering some three hundred years of change, growth, revolution, etc. through the eyes of this one character. It is quite in-depth and detailed, yet gets tedious at times. The amount of attention given to different periods of New York felt rather unbalanced: two-thirds of the book covers the 17-1800's, leaving the 1900's and more current events (like 9-11) feeling rather tacked on at the end. And those were the parts I might have related to more, and been more interested in! Actually, my favorite part of the book was the beginning, when it was set in Ireland with the mythical stories and Celtic lore.

I found this book to be better than Winter's Tale (a similar story), but still did not care much for it. My chief complaint is probably its length. The story began to drag, I lost interest in the main character, he seemed to loose his purpose, it all became rather boring. I'm actually rather surprised that I finished it. I don't think I'm going to try and read any more books about the history of a city. I've discovered it's just not my thing.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 613 pages, 2003

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Win a Free Book!
My next book giveaway is a hardbound copy of The Children's Ward, by Howard Weiner. Leave a comment to enter by tuesday 5/27 for a chance to win! This book is looking for an appreciative reader... could that be you?

Embraced by the Light

by Betty Eadie

I read this book out of pure curiosity after being told not to. Now I can't recall who warned me against reading it, or why they did so. In Embraced by the Light, Betty Eadie recounts a near-death experience she had when dying on a operating table, then being revived. Most of the book is about her experience visiting "heaven" and all the questions she had answered there, told in lots of details. I was rather surprised to find that a lot of concepts were very close to those taught in the LDS church, is she Mormon? The book is written in a very simplistic style, so it's a pretty quick read. There's a lot of internal contradictions, and although the main message seems to be one of acceptance and unconditional love, overall it came across as being rather cheesy and unbelievable. I rate it a "2" because at least I finished it, and at the time it made me think about some religious ideas. I remember discussing it some with A. But now I can't remember most of the details. It was pretty forgettable. I categorize it here under "Inspirational" books because well, that's the topic and I know lots of people have found it inspiring. But I didn't. Oh, and I really dislike the cover image. Something about it just makes me cringe.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 147 pages, 1992

Call It Sleep

by Henry Roth

This is one I picked up years ago purely on whim from a secondhand store, which has become one of the treasured books in my library. I've probably read it a dozen times, and enjoyed every one. Call It Sleep is a vividly painted experience of Jewish immigration in the early 1900's. It is told through the eyes of a child, David Schearl, who arrives from Austria-Hungary as a toddler with his parents. The book encompasses several years of David's childhood, as he navigates the streets and gangs of a poor New York neighborhood, the stifling cheder where he learns the Hebrew of his heritage, and the tumult of his family life (his father paranoid and violent, his mother meek and secretive). One of the great things about this novel is its use of language. Yiddish is the most fluid and pure language, (written as English in the book). David's awkwardness with English and the slang of the street kids are rendered phonetically. Then there are Hebrew and Polish phrases, languages David struggles to understand- Hebrew veiling the secrets of religion he yearns to own, Polish used by his parents to conceal information from his innocent ears. But David wants most of all to understand, to belong, to feel safe- and his quest soon brings him to a loss of innocence. I've never read another book that more eloquently depicts what it is like inside the mind of a child. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5 ........ 462 pages, 1934

Geek Love

by Katherine Dunn

Another book recommended by a family member- this time my husband. It's one I felt quite unsettled by, and at the end still unsure exactly what to make of it. It is well-written, interesting and hard to put down. Until you start to feel utterly disgusted. Geek Love is about a family of freaks, in a traveling circus. There is a boy with flippers instead of arms, an albino midget, a pair of siamese twins, etc. But their parents intentionally used drugs, chemicals and radiation during pregnancy in order to create a family of freaks. If that isn't horrifying enough, the manipulative, greedy and egoistic characters are pretty unpleasant, and there are lots of disturbing situations, including the building of cults, incest and intentional self-mutilation for attention. I really didn't understand most of this book and found most of the characters unlikeable. I only finished it because A. said what a great book it was, but I found I couldn't really agree with him. I'd like to know what others think of it, do let me know if you've read it as well.

Rating: 2/5 ........ 355 pages, 1989

winner!

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My husband participated this time, drawing the name from a handheld fan of paper slips. Congratulations go to . . . . .

Heatherlo of Book Addiction.
You're a winner!

Sending a copy of The Awakening your way.
Just drop me an email with your address.

The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats

A Journey Into the Feline Heart
by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

When I began reading this book, I wasn't really enjoying it much. I disagreed with many of Masson's observations, was skeptical about his conclusions and a bit bored. But the more I read the more interesting it got, and by the end I'd decided it will definitely remain in my library. My husband picked the book up once, read a page at random, and began laughing. He really wants to read it himself now, too.

The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats is similar in many ways to Elizabeth Thomas Marshall's The Hidden Life of Dogs (which Masson himself refers to several times, being a personal friend of Marshall's- a fact that tickled me pink). Marshall's book is the result of an experiment in which she followed free-roaming dogs, to discover what they do when left to their own devices. Similarly, Masson - a psychoanalyst- went out and purposefully acquired five cats to live with him, then observed their behavior and interactions. Each chapter of the book examines in depth the character of cats via nine distinct emotions or mental states: narcissism, love, contentment, attachment, jealousy, fear, anger, curiosity and playfulness.

As the book- and Masson's relationship with his cats- progressed, I was surprised and intrigued to see how his cats' behavior changed. They became more bold, confident and affectionate. They accompanied him on daily walks along the beach- even in rain- and made friendly advances on the neighborhood dogs. I enjoyed speculating along with the author why cats do many eccentric things, and comparing his observations with my own experiences living with cats. If you've ever lived with a cat, or wondered at their alien nature- aloof, uninvolved, mysterious- you will certainly enjoy and learn from this book.

Rating: 4/5........ 259 pages, 2002

Jackdaws

by Ken Follett

This fast-paced, suspenseful war novel was recommended to me by my father. It's one I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own. Based on true events, Jackdaws tells the story of a group of secret agents who went into France near the end of WWII. Their mission was to take out the main telephone exchange, in order to disrupt German communications. The team was made entirely of women. Warfare, code-breaking and secret spies are not usually among my reading subjects, but this book was one I could not put down. I was immediately caught up in the suspense and twists of plot, wanting to know what happened next, if the characters would achieve their aim, and survive to tell about it. I pass on the recommendation: this book is a darn good read.

Rating: 3/5........ 451 pages, 2001

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Win a Free Book!
I've decided to make giving away books on my blog a regular thing. At least once a week, is the plan. Most of my giveaway books are ones that somehow came into my collection but I never liked them, so I'm glad to find them new homes with readers who will appreciate them. Others are multiple copies of books I've loved. I used to pass these up with a sigh at secondhand shops and library sales, because I wanted them but couldn't justify spending money on books I already own. Now I have a reason to gather extra volumes of my favorite books- I can put them in the hands of fellow readers!



So here's the next one up for grabs- an ex-library paperback (in good shape) of Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Anyone want it? Leave a comment here to be entered to win by Sat 5/17. Spread the word (don't foret to let me know about it) and you get entered twice. Sorry, only open to US and Canada residents.