Earth: The Book, A Northern Light, Revolutionary Road, The Namesake and The Slap
by Jenners • 07/20/2012 • 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, 4.5 Stars, Contemporary, D Authors, E Titles, Fiction, Historical, Humor, L Authors, Literary, N Titles, Non-Fiction, R Titles, S Authors, S Titles, T Authors, Y Authors • 38 Comments
I’ve let my list of reviews to write accumulate until it has reached an insane level. At this moment, I have a list of 33 books waiting to be reviewed. Crazy, right? Most people would just say “Well, I won’t write reviews of all of them.” However, I can’t do that. I just can’t. So I’m going to do myself a favor and write insanely short reviews. After all, I’m not going to stop reading, and the list is just going to get longer and longer and longer.
Earth: The Book by Jon Stewart and Company
Where I Got It: Bought it from Amazon
Genre: Non-Fiction, Humor
My Rating: 4.5 stars
A guide to life on Earth for the aliens that will eventually rule the planet after we destroy ourselves, this book is laugh out loud funny. If you like Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, this is a must-read. I’ve heard people say they listened to it on audio, which I can’t quite imagine as the book is jam-packed with photos that accounted for at least 33.3% of my laughs. Irreverent, smart, and hilarious.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Where I Got It: Paperback Swap
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA
My Rating: 4 stars
A beautifully written YA book that deals tangentially with the murder that was the subject of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, A Northern Light is a wonderful example of what a YA novel can and should be. Not only is it wonderful introduction to historical fiction, but it also offers a smart heroine who transcends the cookie-cutter heroines of so many YA books. Get this in the hands of your young adult and elevate their reading.
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
Where I Got It: Bought it from Amazon
Genre: Fiction, Literary
My Rating: 3.5 stars
The story of an unhappy marriage circa the early 1960s, Revolutionary Road was my introduction to Richard Yates. Although this book didn’t quite do it for me for reasons I’m still unclear about (it felt dated? I needed more details?), I still want to explore more of Yates’s writing. If nothing else, it made me want to watch the movie version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (although Leo doesn’t fit my image of Frank Wheeler in the slightest).
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Where I Got It: Paperback Swap
Genre: Fiction, Literary
My Rating: 4.5 stars
After falling in love with Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story collections (Unaccustomed Earth and The Interpreter of Maladies), I was curious to see what her first novel was like. Turns out, it feels like an extended version of her short stories. Chronicling the Ganguli family’s immigration to America from India and their assimilation into their adopted country, the novel takes many of the themes from Lahiri’s short stories and bundles it into a long-form narrative. As always, the writing is spare, poetic and wondrous. I don’t think Lahiri could write badly if she tried.
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Where I Got It: Bought it from Amazon
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Written by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas using multiple narrators (each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character), The Slap is about what happens when a man slaps a child who is not his own at a suburban barbecue. The fallout from the slap is far-ranging and surprising, and along the way we get different versions and interpretations of what happened and what it meant. Fascinating and compulsively readable, I found the book hard to put down. A bit of a warning: The book deals with lots of gritty issues (abortion, adultery, drugs, profanity and such) so it might not work for some readers. It would make for a great book club discussion though!
Want to know what other bloggers thought about these books? Check out the Book Blogs Search Engine.
cforms contact form by delicious:days
We are Stewart fans here and I’ve looked through Earth but not ‘read’ it yet. I loved and was depressed by the movie Revolutionary Road and it made me want to read the book. I’m pretty sure I did pick the book up at some point. I know I’ve got Northern Light. I really should be reading books right now!
Great reviews Jenners, now you’ve gone and made me add to my wish list. I have Revolutionary Road sitting on Mt TBR already, haven’t seen the film yet. A Northern Light sounds fantastic.
Northern Light was really well done. And I was thinking I had to rent Revolutionary Road (the movie) but found I had recorded it from HBO ages ago and had forgotten all about it. It was like finding a gift!
ack! I hate when goodreads does not have a book (Earth: the Book) because I am afraid I will lose track of wanting to read it. It is the only place I can keep track of these things in any kind of real way. I have The Namesake and keep meaning to read it but haven’t yet. I need to do that before the year is out.
Ah good news. While a search for the book was not successful, searching for Stewart’s books turned it up. All is right with the world again.
Good to hear. I just commented without seeing your follow-up. I’m glad the world is realigned again. : )
Goodreads doesn’t have Earth: The Book? Look under Jon Stewart. They must have it … it was a pretty big seller when it came out.
Wow, and I thought I was far behind with 13 reviews to write!
I’m impressed with your concise reviews. I have such a hard time keeping my opinion short. So happy to see you liked A Northern Light – it’s one of my favorites!
Yeah …. I think I could win any “number of reviews to write.” The sheer number made me procrastinate even more. These short reviews seem to be quite popular (even preferred) so I think I’ll keep on with them. Once I got into “concise” mode, I was amazed how easily I could write!!
I liked this style of quick reviews. And girl I am always floored by how much you read. I mean I know you read a lot but it always does surprise me. I am trying to read a book but I just can’t find time to ever get to it.
I think this review style is going to be my norm now. Everyone seems to prefer it. And I have one kid. You have three. Of course I can read more!! : )
I really want to read The Slap after having heard so much about it. I think it reminds me of some of Tom Perotta’s work, particularly The Leftovers. It wasn’t really the incident that had so much impact, but the repercussions, I think. I also loved The Namesake, and that was the book I handed out at the mall on World Book Night. Great mini reviews today!
Well, I’ll tell you, The Slap is a lot nastier and dirtier than Perotta but in some ways it does have a similar feel. And I think you made a grand choice with The Namesake. The more people who read Jhumpa Lahiri in any form, the better!!!
33 books awaiting review? That takes some beating. Interested to read your thoughts on The Slap I have only read bits of it after finding it read a bit like an Australian soap. Not my kind of read at all.
Isn’t it nuts that I got so far behind? I think it became so big that I just stopped writing altogether but I know I need to get in motion and these short reviews are turning out to be quite popular.
And The Slap is very much like an Austrialian soap — I got sucked into it like you would a soap — but, of course, not everyone likes a soap (especially one with nasty words).
Yeah for short reviews. Honestly I just need a little bit of info….if my interest is peaked then I look for more. I agree about “earth”, it is laugh out loud funny.
I’m going to keep up the short reviews then. Why labor over a long review when people just need a little info.
Short reviews are great, who needs all that pressure, certainly not you! Thanks for the giveaway!!!
I think I’m learning that people would rather have short reviews than long ones so I’m going to keep it up. I tend to be a bit too wordy.
Earth: The Book sounds like an entertaining read.
I’ve read The Slap, and I must say, the profanity in that book astounded me. I didn’t like it all that much, except for paragraphs here and there.
I agree with you about The Slap — tons of profanity and bad behvavior. Yet I got caught up in it — like I was watching a car accident or something.
I’ve only read The Namesake from your list. I enjoy these mini reviews.
I think I’m going to keep them around — people like brevity I’m learning. It is amazing I have any readers at all since I’m so wordy usually.
Considering I’m now just skimming blogs, I like that you have several short reviews lumped together like this.
I’m getting a lot of feedback that people like the short reviews. I’m going to keep that in mind. I could stand to be a little more pithy.
DAMN GIRL, look at you go! I finally got caught up, but I’m moving at such a snail’s pace in reading, it is no wonder. I have The Slap on my shelves, and I really really want to read it. My head is just spinning on how many I want to read right this very minute.
It may look impressive but some of those books were books I read in January!!! Not impressive. It is pure desperation. And I still have like 25 more to write. It is INSANE!!!!!!
Whoa…to be a woman of few words and review as you did! I bow in deference to your power, oh mighty one. Loved it.
In honor of the cultural roll I am on, the Indian book I am reading and the curry I ate last night (which really makes for a terrible morning mouth this morning!) I am hoping for a chance at The Namesake!! I don’t know if I can handle Bollywood yet, but I’m getting culture-fied!
Can’t wait to see what other books you’ve been reading, I love the diversity. You never cease to surprise me.
I’m glad you liked the shorter reviews. Once I got rolling, it was easier to do. And you are very committed to your books — eating Indian food and all that. Please don’t read a book about a serial killer … I beg you!!! : )
I really must read The Slap. It has been sitting on my shelf since BEA 2010 for heaven’s sake. Bad Trisha.
Bad Trisha … especially since it is a pretty good read. What have you been doing — having a baby or something!? HAHA!
I’m one of those who listened to The Earth and it wasn’t as good as you describe on audio. I really want to read The Namesake so I appreciate the giveaway.
The book was so visual that I can’t imagine how it would have worked on audio. It definitely felt like a print read. Have you seen the print copy? It is just FULL of photos — which provide quite a bit of the humor. Good luck in the giveaway.
It’s true, most people prefer short reviews. I think I’m genetically incapable however, and much admire your prowess at it!
You know you are talking to Ms. Wordy McWordyson here. It was only easy to do since I had 33 reviews to write!!!
I actually prefer to read short reviews! Thanks for the chance to win. Good luck with the rest of your reviews
Good to hear that you like short reviews because they are easier to write!!!
Pingback: Books Read In 2012 | Life…With Books