Sunday, July 17, 2011

Elephants on the Edge


Title: Elephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us about Humanity
Author: G. A. Bradshaw Page
Publisher: Yale University Press (October 26, 2010)

ISBN-10: 9780300167832
ISBN-13: 978-0300167832
ASIN: 0300167830

I bought this book with great expectations for enjoyment. I was stepping out of my comfort zone in that it wasn't another book on skepticism, or a book about quantum/theoretical physics, but I still was looking forward to reading it as it was one of Scientific American's top picks.

Unfortunately, I found that I just couldn't get into it.  So much so, that I just couldn't finish the book.  It isn't that the subject matter was uninteresting, it is more the writing that the author delivered.  I just didn't find it compelling.  Wait, that isn't entirely true. There were bits and pieces that I found quite interesting, but on the whole, I found the writing boring.

I personally, would only give this book 1 out of 5 stars.

To anyone who disagrees with me, I do like elephants, but I found it boring...sorry.

Treasure Island


Title: Treasure Island
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Publisher: Public Domain Books

ASIN: B000JML7EC

I remember reading this way back in elementary school. But it had been so long since I read it that as it turned out it was one of those stories that you know, but don't really know.

Over the many years since reading the story, I had lost virtually all of the finer plot points as my memory gets filled with other day-to-day junk, and I have to make room by getting rid of the old junk.  Hence, my loss of everything up until about grade six.  I figure, by the time I reach 80, I'll only have about a 30 second recall of memory left in my head.

I quite enjoyed reading this book again, and while it is a book for the younger reader, I could totally appreciate the time and dedication that Stevenson put into the writing.  The dialogue, while not Shakespearean, seems to capture what life was like in Jim's world.  One thing that I found quite surprising, is the description that Stevenson writes for Long John Silver, does not match (at all) how many actors seem to portray the character.  The Long John of the book a very commanding character, and in many ways a chameleon; morphing in order to fit the situation he was in at any given time.  Many actors seem to take quite a comedic tone with the character, often oafish.  I like the literary character much better.

I give Treasure Island 4 out of 5 stars.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

How I Became a Famous Novelist - Steve Hely


My second venture into reading on a Kindle...it's possible I'm still reading too quickly as compared with a print novel, so must do another trial.

To the book itself...  I thought that this book was cute, but very forgettable.  This is unfortunate given that it's now been about three weeks since I finished it.  I will say that I felt a bit like I was reading something akin to chick lit and that made me a shade nervous.  However, that does mean it was a nice light read.  In a nutshell, the main character seeks to write a bestselling novel as revenge against his ex-girlfriend (now getting married to someone else).  He uses a unique technique to do this, however.  He analyzes the bestsellers list, notes the common components and pulls them all together into his book.  The rest of the book follows his subsequent misadventures.

A light read and not a bad read...good enough for summer vacation.

Cold Earth - Sarah Moss


This is the first book I've ever read about Greenland...but if they are all as good as this one, I can see a new reading trend coming.  I found this book fascinating.  Moss captured the bleakness of the environment so well, along with the desperation of the characters.

This story revolves around an archaeological dig in Greenland, and is told from the perspective of each character (though some get more play than others).  One character in particular is plagued by "ghosts" of Greenland-past, which worries her team members for a range of reasons.  As the summer moves on, the time for them to be picked up arrives--however, nobody comes.  The cold and lack of food makes things increasingly dire.  I hurtled towards the end of the book, desperate to find out their fate.

All in all, an excellent book and a great introduction to the Greenland landscape.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Rupture - Simon Lelic



It's been a while since I've read this now, so my memory could be a bit hazy...  That said, I do remember thinking that this book was quite average.  It kept me interested enough, but certainly didn't compel me to pick it up either.

It tells the story of a police investigator looking into a school shooting.  In particular, it examines the role that bullying and the lack of response from authority figures played in the shooting.  Lelic also draws parallel comparisons between the school shooting and the young female investigator's experience on the police force, which I thought was a bit contrived.  I am starting to wonder if this type of book has limited appeal for me--I also was in the very small minority who did not like We Need to Talk about Kevin.

Essentially, not a bad book but also not a great book.