Recently, a reader of this blog emailed me to say she'd read my 2007 reading list and noticed that there was nothing by Jodi Picoult on the list. She said she thought I might enjoy this writer. Coincidentally, this particular book was in my to-be-read stack when I got that email, so I moved it up to the top of the stack.
Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. I'd picked it up and put it down a couple of times before I actually bought it. The moral dilemma described on the back cover made it sound a little heavier than I wanted to tackle initially, but reviews of the book finally won me over.
Q. Did you like the story?
A. It was an amazing story, one I'd never considered and one that made me think longer and harder with each turn of the page.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. Yes, heartbreakingly real. I loved all of them.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. Very much. I will certainly read more of this author's work.
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. I did. I couldn't wait to get back to it.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Not in the least.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Shocked at the ending.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. Yes, I will.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. I'm grateful to the reader who recommended it to me and can't find her original email to tell her so. I'm afraid I accidentally deleted her message with the last batch of spam. If you're that reader, would you please email me again?
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Whitethorn Woods (by Maeve Binchy)
Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. Because I love this author.
Q. Did you like the story?
A. Actually, this book is a series of short stories about characters who are linked to each other.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. Yes. I was rooting for some of them and shaking my head at others.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. Maeve Binchy's writing is dependably good and consistently readable.
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Yes, I looked forward to getting back to it.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Not at all.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Sorry that it wasn't longer.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. I sure will, just like I've kept all her others.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. It's what I think of as a "comfort book," one that makes things feel all better for a while.
A. Because I love this author.
Q. Did you like the story?
A. Actually, this book is a series of short stories about characters who are linked to each other.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. Yes. I was rooting for some of them and shaking my head at others.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. Maeve Binchy's writing is dependably good and consistently readable.
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Yes, I looked forward to getting back to it.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Not at all.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Sorry that it wasn't longer.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. I sure will, just like I've kept all her others.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. It's what I think of as a "comfort book," one that makes things feel all better for a while.
It Ain't All About the Cookin' (by Paula Deen)
Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. I happened across it a few days after a conversation with my younger daughter about cookbooks. In that conversation, she mentioned hearing about Paula Deen's hard life, and I was curious to know more.
Q. Did you like thestory book?
A. It was entertaining -- some parts more than others.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. We're talking about real people here, so yes, they were.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. This book was written with a co-author, Sherry Suib Cohen, who took pains to stay true to Paula's Georgia dialect. As a writer, I probably would have done it the same way, but as a reader, I got a little tired of it by the end.
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Not really.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. No. The dialect thing I mentioned didn't come close to crazy-making.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Admiration for how hard Paula worked to make something of herself.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. No.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. There was a recipe at the end of nearly every chapter, and some of those looked really good.
A. I happened across it a few days after a conversation with my younger daughter about cookbooks. In that conversation, she mentioned hearing about Paula Deen's hard life, and I was curious to know more.
Q. Did you like the
A. It was entertaining -- some parts more than others.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. We're talking about real people here, so yes, they were.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. This book was written with a co-author, Sherry Suib Cohen, who took pains to stay true to Paula's Georgia dialect. As a writer, I probably would have done it the same way, but as a reader, I got a little tired of it by the end.
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Not really.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. No. The dialect thing I mentioned didn't come close to crazy-making.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Admiration for how hard Paula worked to make something of herself.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. No.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. There was a recipe at the end of nearly every chapter, and some of those looked really good.
The Emotional Lives of Animals (by Marc Bekoff)
Hmm. When I designed my handy-dandy book review template, I wasn't thinking about how it would work for non-fiction. Obviously, I'll have to modify some of the questions:
Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. The subject fascinates me. I've seen clearly that my two dogs have distinct personalities and a range of emotions to go with with them, and I was seeking scientific affirmation of that observation.
Q. Did you like thestory book?
A. Not so much. I'd hoped to read a lot of anecdotes demonstrating that animals have emotions, and this book contained only a few of them. The point of the book seemed to be not that animals have emotions, but that because they do, we shouldn't eat them or use them for medical research. I can't argue with that; it just isn't what I thought I was getting.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. Yes, although I don't suppose characters is the correct term for non-fictional people and animals.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. The author is a scientist, which I suspect is why this book reads like a textbook. (On second thought, that's no excuse. Yajeev is a scientist, and his writing isn't the least bit tedious.)
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Nope, not at all.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Only that it was boring.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Disappointed.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. No.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. Save your time and your money. If you're interested in this subject, a much better book is Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. I highly recommend that one.
Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. The subject fascinates me. I've seen clearly that my two dogs have distinct personalities and a range of emotions to go with with them, and I was seeking scientific affirmation of that observation.
Q. Did you like the
A. Not so much. I'd hoped to read a lot of anecdotes demonstrating that animals have emotions, and this book contained only a few of them. The point of the book seemed to be not that animals have emotions, but that because they do, we shouldn't eat them or use them for medical research. I can't argue with that; it just isn't what I thought I was getting.
Q. Were the characters believable?
A. Yes, although I don't suppose characters is the correct term for non-fictional people and animals.
Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. The author is a scientist, which I suspect is why this book reads like a textbook. (On second thought, that's no excuse. Yajeev is a scientist, and his writing isn't the least bit tedious.)
Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Nope, not at all.
Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Only that it was boring.
Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. Disappointed.
Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. No.
Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. Save your time and your money. If you're interested in this subject, a much better book is Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. I highly recommend that one.
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