The Commitment

I took a break from my "let's re-read all the novels in your library" spree to read a memoir, one I've been carrying around for about a year. When sex columnist Dan Savage came to the University of Idaho last year to do a talk, I went with a few friends. I had seen Savage on Real Time With Bill Maher, and I loved hearing him talk. He's an avid gay-rights activist, and while he was there he was selling copies of his latest book, The Commitment. It discusses the gay rights issue, as well as chronicles his own feelings about it and if he and his partner of 10 years should marry.

I am also a supporter of gay marriage. I think it's ridiculous that a citizen of the United States is denied any right that other citizens share. It was done when African Americans couldn't marry Caucasians, and done when women were not allowed the vote. It's something I feel strongly about, and so does Savage. I am not sure why it took me so long to read this book... like I said, I've had this book for a while. It's also signed.

The Commitment is hilarious, and poignant. Savage is bombarded at all sides with pressure; from his mother to marry, from his son not to. The roller-coaster from beginning to end is endearing, and you are taken through both sides of this debate. I definitely recommend it to people from all walks of life; gay, straight, Republican and Democrat. There's something to be taken from this book and I think it is this: love is love. The love between Savage and his partner is no less or no more than the love I have for my husband, and their love should be just as legal, respected, and celebrated.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Tenth Circle

Just a few days after finishing book 5, The Pact, I have finished another re-read by Jodi Picoult. This one, The Tenth Circle, is probably my all-time favorite Picoult book. As an avid reader and collector of graphic novels, the included artwork by character Daniel Stone from his "Wildclaw" series is a total delight, and it mirrors the plot of the novel around it.

Stone is the father of a 14 year old girl, Trixie, who comes home one night saying she was raped. Stone's wife, Laura, is in the arms of another man. What unfolds between the family is one of loss, betrayel, pain and redemption. Their sins mirror Dante's Inferno, of which Laura is a scholar and professor of. The story reads as a classics lesson, as well as a true morality tale about the lengths you're willing to go to for yourself, for your family, and to be saved.

As I said before, this is one of my favorite Picoult books, and is probably why I chose to re-read this one second. It is more recent than The Pact, released in 2005. It seems like both have been made into Lifetime movies... I watched about 5 minutes of The Pact and turned it off, angered by how drastically the story changed in a short time. I have not seen the t.v. version of The Tenth Circle, so I'm holding my reservations on it till I see it. It stars Kelly Preston (Laura) and Ron Eldard (Daniel), and just by looks alone I am not happy with casting.

Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5.

The Pact

It seems I've started a pattern of reading a new book or two, then going back to a re-read. This re-read was Jodi Picoult's The Pact. It was the first book I read of hers, and it was the book that got me hooked on her as an author. I gobbled up her books in quick succession when I start to read her, I think two years ago. Regardless, I came back to this book and I have a distinct feeling that I will go through the rest of her books before starting anything new. Not that it's a complaint.

The Pact chronicles the lives of the Hartes and the Golds, and their children. Emily Gold, and Chris Harte, grow up together in a small town in New Hampshire. They are so close they seem like family, and eventually become lovers. Suddenly, Emily is found dead and Chris is at the scene. What first seems like an interupted suicide pact between teenagers quickly becomes something more, as you're taken through the drama of Chris's murder trial.

As I said before, this is a book that prompted a quick and obsessive love for a particular author. Picoult's chapters are short, which I personally love in a novel, and her characters are deep and intense. Even though I had read it before, I could not recall all the minute twists and turns and character details, and the twist at the end was as fresh to me as when I had first read it. This book takes place in a locale she uses often, and introduces us to a character who shows up in a few more of her novels, lawyer Jordan McAfee and his family.

This book is rich in detail and while it jumps through time, you never feel like you're lost in memories. Emily is as real a character as Chris, even though she is dead by the first page. Her story, and their love, become so real to you that you are sure you knew them.

I give this book a 4 out of 5. The only reason I didn't give it a higher rating was because I am often weary of court books written by someone who has no court experience. Picoult has done a mountain's worth of research, however, and the scenes are all believable, regardless of my trepidation.

Atonement

After much longer time than I anticipated, I have finished my 4th book 0f 2009. I feel like this book has been a labor for me to finish, but in actuality, it wasn't a book that I was unhappy to read. I think the problem is that edition I purchased used a small font, and had small header/footer space, and compared to The Reader, it was rich in detail and nuance. All this lead to a read that seemed long and intense, but never boring.

I had watched the film version of Atonement a year ago, and was immediately struck by the story and the twist ending (which I won't ruin in case someone is not familiar with the story). I knew it was based on a book, but had not read it. My mother told me that the book and movie are identical, which is important for me. I hate books and movies that are two separate entities... When I read Atonement this month I was pleasantly surprised. They are exactly the same, and the movie images do not compete or challenge the ones drawn up by my mind's eye.

The beautiful thing about this book is that you completely understand the main characters involved, and while you may hate their choices and know how it will all fall apart, you still know that it had to be done. I loved the characters of Cecilia and Robbie, and the telling of their romance in particular. The descriptions where great, even if they were a bit overwhelming when I read at a late hour or with noise in the background.

Overall, though, I was very happy that I finally read this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

The Reader

I started 2009 thinking that I would spend the first part of it re-reading books that meant something to me. I re-read book 2, The Time Traveler's Wife, with this in mind. After, something happens that always does when I re-read that book; I had to find something totally different to follow it. Nothing I had read already would suffice, I had to start fresh. So, I picked up The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink. It was exactly what I needed.

The story reads like a memoir, but isn't. It follows the life of Michael Berg, and his romance with Hanna, which starts when Michael is 15 and Hanna is more than twice his age. Their romance is short-lived and tumultuous. They separate, for reasons unknown to Michael, only to meet later when Hanna is being tried for war crimes, although that is not her worst secret. All takes place after WWII, in Germany.

Overall, I liked the story very much. You feel for Hanna, which is unusual in books about people who were involved in WWII. She is not painted as a monster, in Michael's eyes, but she is in other's. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down, and finished the book quickly. At first I attributed that to the largish type and low page count (218), but in all actuality it was the story that kept me riveted and would not let go. The book has been made into a movie, starring Kate Winslett, released the 9th of January.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

The Time Traveler's Wife

The second book I read this year is one I've read a million times... I think I read this book at least once a year. It is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a book recommended to me by my brother a few years past, and I fell in love with the story. The book chronicles Henry, who involuntarily time-travels, and his romance with Clare. Clare's live is dotted with Henry's appearances, and she grows up knowing him before he has ever really met her. They meet in real-time, though, and theirs is a love story that time has no control over.

Like I mentioned, this is a book I've read a million times before. Every time someone asks me for a book request, this is the first thing I tell them to read. I have two copies of this book, even, a trade-paper back and a special edition hard-back with cover art by Niffenegger.

A movie version of this book, starring Rachael McAdams and Eric Bana. I have mixed feelings about this, since I am worried they will totally screw this up. The movie will be out this year, so I'm holding my breath...

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

A Lion Among Men

The first book finished in 2009 was Gregory Maguire's A Lion Among Men. This book is the third in the Wicked Years, coming after Wicked and Son of a Witch. Where Wicked followed the life of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), and Son of a Witch followed her "son" Liir, this book follows the story of the Cowardly Lion, also known as Brrr.

I really enjoyed the first book, and found the second lacking. I also found this one hard to read. I suffered through the first 2/3 of the book, only to be rewarded in the last third. I was invested more in the side character of Yackle than I was in the Lion. When everything started to come together at the end of the book, however, I was very interested and had a hard time putting the book down. That was a stark contrast to when I started the book, where I often left it lying around and didn't feel obligated to pick it up.

There were a lot of loose ends at the finish of this book, but there have been at the end of the two predecesors, so I was expecting it. I assume Maguire will write more in this series, and I'll probably end up reading them as well.

Overall, I give this book a 2.5 out of 5.

welcome

Hello everyone. I just wanted to write out a quick post to say hello, and explain what this blog is about.

I am an avid reader, and for the last few years I've had a goal of reading 50 books in one year. 2007 I didn't make it, but I did in 2008 (just barely). I kept a running list of the books that I read, but I realized that in 2009 I wanted to make it a little different. This year I want to keep a blog of the books I read. So, each time I finish a book I'll update the running list, but I'll also post a review of the book and give a bit more information than just the author and title.

If you've got any questions, or if there's anything you'd like to ask, don't hesitate to leave a comment, or even send me an e-mail.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what you read here, and that it inspires you do to more reading yourself!