47 - Finnie Walsh, by Steven Galloway, 165 pages, Raincoast Books, 2000
WHY I PICKED IT: Rereading one of my favourites
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Required Reading
As a re-read, it's not a contender for the Hassan Book of 2011... but it's still one of my favourite books. Telling the story of a young boy growing up in a mill town in rural Canada. Telling the tale of his family (including his Dad who lost an arm at the mill, his clairvoyant younger sister), his best friend (Finnie Walsh), and their experience learning to play hockey.
Hockey and friendship; what else is really important?
This blog is a simple review of every book that I read... For all books I’ll tell you why I picked it, how long it took me to read it, and give it a rating (burn it, not good, meh, good, very good, and required reading). I ask (encourage?) all readers of my blog to post their thoughts of any of the books in my comments :). Thanks!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
2011-46 - Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan
46 - Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan, 178 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 1999
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Meh.
Wow. The first half of this book is required reading. Telling the tale of two old friends, at the funeral of a mutual ex-lover of theirs... their stories woven with such beauty to make me think of my own old friends.
But the story takes a bizarre and hateful turn; and the second half of the book reads like a bad tragic drama. With a slow-developing plot that shows these men to be self involved and self aggrandizing.
I would not recommend this book.
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Meh.
Wow. The first half of this book is required reading. Telling the tale of two old friends, at the funeral of a mutual ex-lover of theirs... their stories woven with such beauty to make me think of my own old friends.
But the story takes a bizarre and hateful turn; and the second half of the book reads like a bad tragic drama. With a slow-developing plot that shows these men to be self involved and self aggrandizing.
I would not recommend this book.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
2011-45 - The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve
45 - The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve, 293 pages, Little, Brown, and Company, 1998
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good
I've been in a reading funk the past month an a half... and this book sucked me right in. I went through the emotional arc with Kathryn Lyons - Losing the pilot husband, realizing that she doesn't know him, and dealing with that... I went through the emotions when everything in my head made me want to flip to the end to see how it turns out.
As it turns out, I'm glad I didn't... this book is a well told story, and the last chapter would simply have confused me had I not read it through in order.
I would recommend this book to voracious readers... but there are many better books out there too.
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good
I've been in a reading funk the past month an a half... and this book sucked me right in. I went through the emotional arc with Kathryn Lyons - Losing the pilot husband, realizing that she doesn't know him, and dealing with that... I went through the emotions when everything in my head made me want to flip to the end to see how it turns out.
As it turns out, I'm glad I didn't... this book is a well told story, and the last chapter would simply have confused me had I not read it through in order.
I would recommend this book to voracious readers... but there are many better books out there too.
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