The New Classics June 23, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book News, Randomness.Tags: EW New Classics
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Saw this list over at A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore and stole the idea to post it on my blog. This is the EW’s list of 100 New Classic Books from 1983-2008. I thought it was a pretty good list. I’m going to BOLD the ones I’ve read, and try to link to some I’ve reviewed. This might be a good list to look on for a book club, or the next time you need some reading inspiration. Enjoy!
The New Classics: Books
The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008
1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998 )
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988 )
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998 )
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988 )
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998 )
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988 )
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988 )
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998 )
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998 )
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998 )
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998 )
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988 )
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)
Anyone have any books they think should have made the list but didn’t? Any you disagree with? (For example, I did not care for either Atonement or The Ruins). Any favorite books by these authors you think should have been included instead? (For example, is The Goblet of Fire your favorite Harry Potter book? Or how about is American Pastoral your favorite by Philip Roth?) Do you think there was a lack of Nonfiction? Mysteries? Any of these you think they got dead-on right? Let me know!
Heart-Shaped Box June 23, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill
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—4—
Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Boxis an unusual and exciting modern-day ghost story. Judas Coyne is the aging lead singer of a famous metal band, who is currently living with his goth girlfriend Mary-Beth, or as he calls her, Georgia. Jude has a love for collecting dark, disturbing, and strange artifacts, and consequently he jumps at the chance to purchase a ghost being sold on the Internet. Thinking it nothing more than a hoax, Jude is midly cautious upon the arrival of the dead man’s suit. However, we find that the suit is in fact haunted, and the ghost was purposefully sent to Jude in order to kill him. Now he and Georgia must try to escape, before they are killed, or they kill each other.
I thought this book was remarkable for several reasons. While it is a ghost-story, I never found it particularly scary, just thrilling and unique, which I actually think makes it better. I was surprised how well Hill developed his two main characters, Georgia and Jude. They both could have easily been boring stereotypes, with not much background or motivation. The reader, however, quickly finds that the ghost is not the only thing haunting these two characters, their pasts are as well. Much of the novel is spent exploring Judas’ life, memories, regrets, and fears. These recollections were my favorite parts of the novel. The dynamic between Judas and Georgia also develops, and what you originally assumed about their relationship, because of the type of people they seem to be, is proven wrong again and again. My only complaint comes from the beginning of the novel when the ghost first arrives. I felt that the inital part, hiding from the ghost in the house, dragged on too long. After that, however, the pace is fast and thrilling. Some readers may not appreciate all the gore, cursing, and the small amount of sexuality, so be warned if these things put you off from novels. Overall though, this book is very different than anything I’ve read, and I recommend it!
4/5
New York Times Bestsellers 6.15.08 June 15, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.add a comment
Top 5
1. NOTHING TO LOSE, by Lee Child
2. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer
3. PLAGUE SHIP, by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul
4. LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH, by Emily Giffin
5. BLOOD NOIR, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Top 5
1. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris
2. WHAT HAPPENED, by Scott McClellan
3. THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD, by Fareed Zakaria
4. AUDITION, by Barbara Walters
5. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler
The Road June 15, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Cormac McCarthy, The Road
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—5—
In an burned, postapocolyptic America, a father and son walk together, heading for the coast. Ash falls from the sky and the temperature is freezing. They have a gun, and not much else. Together they scavenge for food left in stores and homes. They come across corpses and cannibals, and must hide from everyone they encounter. There is nothing and no-one left to live for, except for each other. The father barely hangs to old-world morality, as he tries to keep his son and himself alive.
I enjoyed Cormac McCarthy’s The Road more than I wanted to. Sometimes I am resistant to books that everyone has read, or everyone has loved, especially when they come with an Oprah seal. But I couldn’t resist loving this book. It prose is simple and succinct, the bare minimum, which is all these two people’s lives are. It is haunting and powerful, forcing the reader to think about total devastation of the world we know, and how survivors may be worse off than the dead. The Road presents a world in which hope doesn’t exist, and where memories of the past aren’t enough to sustain two people after complete destruction hits. The Road is one of the best books I’ve read recently, and I recommend it to all who haven’t read it (the few of you there are).
5/5
Check out Jonathan’s review of the Road too!
The Pearl June 14, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature.Tags: John Steinbeck, The Pearl
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—3.5—
John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is the story of Kino, a poor Mexican pearl harvester who finds the pearl of the century one day. With it comes hopes and dreams of a better future with his family, a wedding for him and his wife Juana, school for his newborn son, new clothes, and a new home. But when news spreads about Kino’s find, all around begin scheming to take advantage of Kino. The pearl buyers try to cheat him, and the local doctor sickens Kino’s son so he can then cure him and charge Kino. The pearl is actually a bearer of bad fortune, instead of good, and Kino must return it from where it came.
I liked this story; it’s actually an old folk-tale. However, it is a bit depressing. While I’m sure it wasn’t the intentional message, I felt like the story was saying “when good things happen to you everyone will try and take it away and everything you love out of life will disappear”. Nice huh?
3.5/5
84, Charing Cross Road June 14, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature.Tags: 84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff
2 comments
—5—
I saw a review of this book on the blog A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore, and it sounded so cute that I had to order it from the library. And it was really good! This book is a collection of letters sent between a woman in the US to a group of people working at an antique bookstore in the UK. The letters span over 20 years, beginning in the 1940’s, and us readers watch as a relationship develops between this woman and her friends in England, and all surrounding books! This collection is sweet and quaint, and pefect for lovers of literature. It will only take an afternoon to read, but it will make you wonder if the current age of emails and amazon.com will produce anything as nice as this collection of letters.
5/5
Anniversary! June 9, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.1 comment so far
It’s the TWO YEAR anniversary of my book review blog. Hooray!
The Crucible June 8, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature.Tags: Arthur Miller, The Crucible
2 comments
—4.5—
One of the books I picked up for the library’s Summer Reading Program was Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. Although I have seen the Winona Ryder movie version, I tried to ignore those memories while reading it. The Crucible is based on the true events, and people, of the 17th century Salem, Massachusetts witch trials. The small town of Puritans becomes hysterical when accusations of witchery condemn many of the community’s most respected members. The town leaders and prosecutors will not listen to reason, and ruthlessly bring those accused to “justice”, based on the cries of girls in the community.
The Crucible was written as an allegory to the 1950’s McCarthy communist witch-hunts, bringing to light the destructive power of fear and mob-mentality. This is a short play that can be read in a few hours, but it is remarkable in it’s ability to frighten. It is all the more emotional because the reader is aware that witches are fictional, and yet these people are dying because their religion says that they do exist, and there is no way for them to prove they are not witches. They must either confess to witchcraft, of which they are of course innocent, or be hanged (talk about faulty logic). The Crucible is a powerful play that remains a warning against theocracy at any interval in time, and reading it is an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
4.5/5
The Plague June 6, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature.Tags: Albert Camus, The Plague
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—4—
The Plague by Albert Camus is an insightful work of fiction that explores a community in North Africa in the 1940’s infected by and then quarantined due to an outbreak of the plague. Our narrator is an impartial witness to the outbreak, taking us through the anger, fear, loneliness, and suffering of many in the town. As the city descends into the sickness, many find themselves cut-off from their family members and lovers who had left the town before the outbreak. Hundreds and thousands are dying, and the community must cope with the overwhelming dead to be buried and the increasing space needed for hospitals and quarantine barracks. The doctors feel helpless, and the clergy must try to explain this human suffering.
Camus’ The Plague is an allegory for the Nazi Occupation of France during World War II. Through the emotions and actions of his fictional city, he expresses the themes of resilience in the face of suffering, and the value of life. The lack of an exact time and place allows the reader to see many other historical events, times, and places in it’s themes, and allows The Plague to remain relevant today.
Those looking for a quick, exciting plot will not find it in this book. It’s pace reflects the stagnant lives of those quarantined by the plague, and the internal battles they must fight within themselves. Each day is the same in this town, only things become more desperate, more die, and each person wonders if they will be next.
4/5
The Country of the Blind June 4, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature.Tags: H.G. Wells, Public Domain, The Country of the Blind
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The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells is a Public Domain short story sent to me by my boyfriend. You can buy it here for a few dollars at Amazon, or read in its entirety on your computer from sites such as www.online-literature.com or www.readbookonline.net, or download it as a PDF or from Project Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11870.
Written in 1904, it is no longer under copyright in the US, which is why it can be downloaded for free. Basically, public domain means that the work is available for use by anyone. It can be reproduced, modified, and even republished without having to ask anyone’s permission or pay anyone royalties.
From Jonathan: Many other novels and short stories actually fall under the public domain. Almost all works published before the early 1900s do, and the public domain is the reason that some companies such as Penguin Classics are able to sell their books so cheaply. Unfortunately, copyright law in the US has become somewhat of an atrocity over the past 80 years, such that almost no published works have fallen under public domain. The maximum length of copyright before this was 28 years. Lawrence Lessig covered this topic extensively in his book Free Culture. Despite the governments increasing control over copyright law, some creators have taken it upon themselves to dictate the terms of their copyright through Creative Commons licensing. For example, sci-fi author Cory Doctorow has released all of his complete novels for free online on the same date as in the stores. He argues that it’s been a major reason for his success.
But to the review:
—3.5—
The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells begins with Nunez, a mountaineer, falling down a mountain slope. He enters a land where for generations none of the inhabitants have been able to see. To them, sight is a made-up word, a Nunez is a simpleton who speaks nonsense and does not have the hearing capabilities that they do. Thinking that the community should worship him for his added sense, he spends his time trying to describe what he sees. Eventually he gives up, and becomes acquainted with their way of life.
Nunez falls in love with one of the women in the land, but is only allowed to marry her if he agrees to have an operation that will remove his eyes. The village feels that his eyes are a disease that is tricking his brain, and by removing them he can be cured. He decides he must flee, because he loves the beautiful sights of the world too much to lose them.
Wells’ work attempts to show that isolated groups can overcome obstacles, will learn to see themselves as normal, and others as abnormal, and can function just as well just differently. It was an interesting story, which makes you wonder how you would react in Nunez’s situation, and whether sight in a sightless world is a blessing or a curse.
3.5/5
