The Shipping News January 29, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Anderson Book Club, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Annie Proulx, The Shipping News
add a comment
—3—
I was originally a bit disappointed by Annie Proulx The Shipping News, and while I have not been converted into a fan, I do have a greater appreciation of the story after discussing its nuances with my family’s book club. Quoyle has thought of himself as a failure all his life. When his selfish, unfaithful wife Petal dies, Quoyle is left with two daughters who have been neglected by their mother and don’t understand death. Quoyle’s aunt takes the task of keeping Quoyle’s little family from going under. They return to the home of their ancestors, Newfoundland, where Quolye gets a job at the local paper writing the shipping news, basically keeping track of the boats that come and go.
The people here are odd, to say the least. But they are living their lives the best they can. The weather is unpredictable, and often deadly, jobs are scarce, money is tight. You have to rely on neighbors to get you through. This novel isn’t fast paced, I was often frustrated with the lack of plot movement. But I suppose this is book of characters more than plot. You see Quoyle’s transformation, and they way he truly loves his daughters. It’s the moments when he is surrounded by his family and evolving into a stronger man that this book shines. It wasn’t my type of novel, but I can respect it for the depth of its characters and the power of its setting.
3/5
My Favorite Books of 2008 January 9, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.2 comments
Ok, here comes my long awaited list of my favorite books of 2008:
Fiction
1. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
3. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
4. A Good And Happy Child by Justin Evans
5. The Likeness by Tana French
6. Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer
7. Tethered by Amy MacKinnon
8. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
9. Silent in the Grave by Deanne Raybourn
10. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
11. Anatomy of Deception by Lawrence Goldstone
12. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
13. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
14. The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth
15. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
16. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
17. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
18. The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber
19. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
20. The Girls by Lori Lansens
Nonfiction
1. The Family that Couldn’t Sleep by D.T. Max
2. Bonk by Mary Roach
3. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Breaking Dawn Book Sales January 5, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book News, Randomness.Tags: Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, Twilight Series
add a comment
I read in my Shelf Awareness book newsletter today that although the holiday season was poor for book-selling, Amazon ”sold enough Breaking Dawn books that stacked end to end they would reach the summit of Mt. Everest eight times.” I mean, I know it’s a big book, but still…
See my review of Breaking Dawn.
