Kylie's Book Log

Book: 12
Title: Mrs. Kimble
Author: Jennifer Haigh
Genre: Fiction
Summary: Tracks the lives of three women who at some point in their lives have the misfortune to marry the serial monogamist and all-around-schmuck Ken Kimble.
Why did you get this book? I liked Haigh's The Condition and was interested to check out her freshman effort, but the reason I borrowed it so soon after I finished The Condition is that the Central Square Library sucks and I couldn't find anything good there the first time I visited. Thank heaven for Interlibrary Loan.
Did you enjoy the book? I did. It wasn't the most spectacular reading experience in the world, but I liked it. The ending has the same problem as the ending of The Condition, where you get happy endings with pretty bows tied on for all the characters you like, and you're happy about it because you wish them well, but you still can't help noticing the bows are a little too artificially pretty. Also, just in terms of style issues, Haigh is addicted to semicolons in a way that is truly ludicrous. There were times where I could read two whole pages and go through each sentence and *every sentence* would have a semicolon in it. Once I'd noticed it I could barely see anything *but* the semicolons. OMG SEMICOLONS SEMICOLONS SEMICOLONS CUT IT THE FUCK OUT WITH THE SEMICOLONS, LADY. I can't believe that neither she nor her editor noticed it. WTF, guys.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Not new to me, no. Whether or not I'll read anything by her again is dependent on what it is. Also on whether I can flip through several pages and find that the ratio of sentences-with-semicolons to sentences-without-semicolons is less than 1:7. Seriously, if it isn't, I will not read another book by her. I AM ENACTING A ZERO-TOLERANCE 1:7 TOLERANCE POLICY WITH REGARD TO YOUR SEMICOLONS, JENNIFER HAIGH. WATCH IT.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? It was a library book, so it's already gone. I'm not displeased with this.
Anything else? OMFG semicolons!
Scale of 1 to 10: 7

Book: 8
Title: Gifts
Author: Ursula LeGuin
Genre: YA fiction, fantasy
Summary: Orrec, the protagonist, has been born and raised in the Uplands, where members of the ruling class have hereditary psychic abilities; specific abilities are passed down through specific families, and while these powers can each be used for good or for evil, they have long been used to gain the upper hand in the ongoing clashes between rival clans. As Orrec reaches puberty and the gift of his lineage -- that of "unmaking", or destroying, things and creatures with a glance -- he and his family, believing his gift to be uncontrollable, blindfold him to protect those around him. And then a bunch of other spoilery stuff happens and he has to decide what it means to be an adult.
Why did you get this book? I'd never read LeGuin, which was kind of a glaring oversight. It looked good. It was in a bargain bin.
Did you enjoy the book? I did, and yet I was reminded why I hadn't really gotten into LeGuin before (I tried the Earthsea books once or twice when I was young). It was slow to start, and then it really picked up the pace and became very compelling in the middle. And then the ending sort of fell flat for me. I felt like there was a lot of cool rising action, and then instead of climax and denouement, it sort of veered off and got moody and pensive and stayed that way to the end. Not that there's anything wrong with moody and pensive, and the themes explored in the end of the book are interesting and worth thinking about; but the structure seemed off to me.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I'll probably try her again. Her prose is *really* solid -- I loved the writing.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? There's a knack to making up names in a fantasy universe, and judging by this book, Ursula LeGuin does names better than anybody. I friggin' love the names in this book. (Orrec and Gry, the two main characters, actually have the worst names in the book as far as I'm concerned.)
Scale of 1 to 10: 7 or 8. Why is everything 7 or 8?

Book: 7
Title: The Gift of Therapy
Author: Irvin Yalom
Genre: Psychology, nonfiction
One-sentence summary: Irvin Yalom is getting into his seventies and is depressed that he is going to die and will not be able to be a therapist anymore, so he wrote a book telling young therapists how to be like him so he will live on in them. Or something. I suppose the less flippant summary would be that he's worried about the future of therapy because he thinks managed care is ruining it (and I wouldn't altogether disagree, btw) so he wrote a book of advice on how to be a good therapist.
Why did you get this book? I like Irvin Yalom. I'm poking a little bit of fun at him up there, sure, but it's kind of a loving, "oh, Irv, you never change, do you?" sort of thing. I've read a lot of his stuff and it tends to repeat a lot of the same themes (for the record, there's little in this book that I didn't already know his opinion on from his novel Lying on the Couch). But I do like his approach to therapy: he's very interested in the interpersonal aspect of it, what he calls the "here-and-now relationship" (man does he like that phrase an awful lot), and in therapist transparency -- the idea that if a therapist and a patient relate to one another as human beings, as opposed to the old-school model where a therapist attempts to be a blank screen onto which patients can project transference, that relationship will serve as a microcosm to illuminate the patient's way of relating to other people. So I like him for that, and I like him for the fact that he's an excellent and very accessible writer.
Do you like the cover? I liked it a lot, actually. I have started taking this question out of my standard list because it bores me, but this was a photograph by Baudrillard that I really liked. Of course when I Googled it I found out that at least one experienced photographer thinks it's "to Baudrillard's credit that he had the wisdom not to quit his day job." Oh boo.
Did you enjoy the book? I did. As noted, there wasn't much that was new to me in it, having read a lot of Yalom before. But there were a few new anecdotes among the old ones, and a few new dreams among the ones he'd recycled from other books, too -- he never makes up dreams for analysis in his books, because he says something about the quality of dreamworld eludes him, so you tend to come across the same dreams multiple times in reading his books because he has to get permission from the patients to use them. But the dreams he writes about, in particular, are really fascinating and compelling. And in general, you know. I like him.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Honestly I don't know how much else there is to read. He has something out called Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, which I may pick up at some point. Among other things he has a strong existential orientation in his therapy, so sometimes reading his books can feel like "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE YOU MUST COME TO TERMS WITH YOUR DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH DEATH OMG DEATH!!!!" I sort of have to be in the mood for that. But I guess I'll probably read it at some point.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? This would be a good introduction to Yalom's work, I think, for someone wanting to become acquainted quickly with the way he works and the basics of the therapeutic process. (If you're interested in his more creative writing, try Love's Executioner or maybe Lying on the Couch, although I've a few caveats on the latter.)
Scale of 1 to 10: 7? 8? I'd give it easily an 8 if I weren't so familiar with all of the material in it.

Book: 38
Title: The Abortionist's Daughter
Author: Elisabeth Hyde
Genre: Fiction, women's fiction, mystery
One-sentence summary: When the outspoken doctor at an abortion clinic is murdered, the investigation into her death is complicated by the complex dynamics within her family and by her controversial position within the community.
Why did you get this book? The title grabbed my interest, and I picked it up and was utterly hooked by the first sentence: "The problem was, Megan had just taken the second half of the ecstasy when her father called with the news." First sentence: A+
Do you like the cover? It's fine - a sweater crumpled by the edge of a pool - but I'm irked because there was a lovely little bit of a description at the beginning of the book where they talked about the sweater crumpled by the pool and how the character's purple flipflops were lying near it, their heels darkened with sweat. I am very annoyed that they didn't put the flipflops on the cover.
Did you enjoy the book? I did. At first I was *really* enjoying it: her writing was fresh and sparkling and her characterization was great and her plot was gripping and I was thrilled because I thought I'd discovered another mystery novelist to love - I like really good mystery-genre fiction, but thus far Dennis Lehane is the only novelist who consistently grabs me, with Sarah Dunant coming in second and Ruth Rendell dragging behind in the rear. There's no one else I've read that I find to be worth bothering with at all, so I was excited about Elisabeth Hyde. But then the book kind of fell apart as it went on - her writing went from sparkling to flat, her characterization became inconsistent, and she threw in a truly heinous plot twist that ruined a lot of the last half of the book for me. I wound up enjoying it, but not loving it.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yeah, she was new to me. I may or may not read something else by her; I did like this, and yet it's hard to like a book so much at the beginning and find yourself so disappointed by the end.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Another library book. I might pick this up if I see it being sold used and for cheap somewhere.
Anything else? Not really.
Number of pages: 304
Total pages for the year: 11321
Scale of 1 to 10: 7/8

I'm back! I'm going to pick up my book count where I left off because, although I did read some new books between March 10th and now, of course, I was doing a lot of rereading, because I was feeling yucky, mood-wise, and when I am feeling yucky I default to a lot of rereading. I don't remember what-all I read, so I'm just going to start at 35.

Book: 35
Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (obv.)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Juvie fiction, fantasy
One-sentence summary: Harry Potter has to defeat Lord Voldemort while struggling to deal with the fact that as a character and even as a protagonist, Snape is way cooler than Harry is.
Why did you get this book? It's the end of the Harry Potter series. I find myself rolling my eyes at the template here.
Do you like the cover? Yeah. I sort of wonder whether Mary Grand-Pre drew it entirely alone; the covers on the first three or so weren't that impressive, and then as the furor over the series began to heat up the covers started getting better, and this final one is much more skillfully done than the first one. Maybe they paid her more to have her give more of a shit, I dunno.
Did you enjoy the book? It's a complicated question, given that it's the last book in this series, especially as the expectations were so high. I read it all and kept turning the pages, and there were parts that were really great (the scene in the Ministry springs to mind). And then there were parts that were really not great at all (the scene in Gringotts springs to mind). Her characterization is on-again-off-again, and in terms of plot, I had some major objections to certain parts of it and was quite happy with the way she resolved other parts. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun, and I liked it fine. (For the purposes of this review, by the way, we are ignoring the existence of the epilogue. I think the world will be an immeasurably better place if we just pretend that epilogue never existed.) Long, disjointed, and spoilery review here.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? I will get that encyclopedia thing she says she will be writing, whenever she chooses to write it.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? Not that can't be seen in the long spoilery review.
Number of pages: 760
Total pages for the year: 10404
Scale of 1 to 10: 7/8

Book: 34
Title: A Child's Book of True Crime
Author: Chloe Hooper
Genre: General fiction, mystery
One-sentence summary: An elementary school teacher is having an affair with the father of one of her students, whose wife has just completed a true-crime novel about a young girl who was murdered after she had an affair with a married man. As the narrator begins to fancy more and more similarities between her life and that of the murdered girl, she becomes obsessed with the past murder, and writes her varying theories on the murder into a dark, fanciful children's book populated by talking animals.
Why did you get this book? I found it at a used book sale in New York. I'd heard good things about it, and it's cover-blurbed by Jennifer Egan, whom I like.
Do you like the cover? It's all right, but it kind of drives me crazy because near the bottom there's this tiny little square that I think is supposed to be the cover of the narrator's children's book, and then on the spine there's this random stripe that is patterned with the very edge of that picture. It's hard to explain, but it's really weird.
Did you enjoy the book? Meeeeeh. You know, I feel like I should have... and I sort of did... but I mostly didn't. It was well-written, and there are certain aspects that are great. The book is full of insightful/witty asides, and the chapters from the "child's book of true crime" are good, and there's a wonderful running theme where the narration is interspersed with bits of classroom dialogue. The voices of the elementary school children are very real, very well done. But the overall theme... you know... I don't know, the plot as a whole struck me as a low-rent version of Suzanne Moore's In the Cut, and I didn't like In the Cut. Blah blah blah, sexual obsession with danger, blah blah blah spiraling out of control, blah blah inevitable climax blah. Sorry. It just doesn't really do much for me.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes, and I'm not really sure. I think the book was a bit disorganized for me, and I know that was the point, but meh.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? There are wombats in this book.
Scale of 1 to 10: 7
Number of pages: 230
Total pages for the year: 9644

Book: 27
Title: Flip-Flop Girl
Author: Katherine Paterson
Genre: YA fiction
One-sentence summary: Vinnie Matthews' father has just died, her family has moved to a new town, a new school year's just started, and her younger brother has become mute in response to all the stress. Stressed to the breaking point herself, Vinnie finds solace in a crush on a kind, compassionate teacher and a growing friendship with a compellingly unique classmate (the eponymous flip-flop girl).
Why did you get this book? For the last few years I've been working on and off on a YA novel myself, one of whose central themes is death/grieving. I have little experience with death and grieving myself (I know, I know, you have to write about what you know about, but the grieving theme kind of evolved out of a central theme that I *do* know about, and... well, anyway), so I have had to resort to my usual tactic of reading about things I don't know about. And if you're looking for a YA book about death and grieving, and one by Katherine Paterson turns up, you buy it.
Do you like the cover? Eh - it's fine, a painting from a particular scene in the book. I like the new cover (which I just saw on Amazon) much better: a girl's flip-flop-clad feet standing on playground asphalt in front of a chalked hopscotch square.
Did you enjoy the book? I did, although it was no Bridge to Terabithia, Lyddie, or The Great Gilly Hopkins. Katherine Paterson has written so many amazing books that a good book looks weak in comparison. This book was good, quite good really. I just wouldn't call it amazing.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Oh, gosh, I couldn't even list all the books I've read by Katherine Paterson throughout my life, and I've no doubt I'll read more by her. She's prolific.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? Though from the summary it's clear that this book borrows a lot of themes from Bridge to Terabithia, the atmosphere is really quite different. I'm not saying everyone should read this book, but it shouldn't be discounted on the grounds that if you've read Bridge this would feel like an inferior retread, because it doesn't, really.
Scale of 1 to 10: 7
Number of pages: 120
Total pages for the year: 8085

Book: 24
Title: Bait and Switch
Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
Genre: Social science/political science
One-sentence summary: In Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover as a low-wage worker; in this book she goes undercover as a white-collar worker! That'll work just as well... won't it?
Why did you get this book? I loved Nickel and Dimed, and I love Ehrenreich's writing style.
Do you like the cover? Sure, whatever.
Did you enjoy the book? I did, though it was quite flawed. Ehrenreich seemed to think that her falsified resume, which emphasized her PR skills and basically consisted of her having listed a consultancy at any company where she knew someone who was willing to lie for her if they got a call, should work just as well as any real one in getting her a white-collar job. So she determined that she wouldn't take any job that paid less than $50,000 (!) and/or came without benefits. Which struck me as kind of reaching for the moon, especially because, honestly, I suspect she might have done better on the job market if she'd had a solid last *job*, rather than a bunch of consultant work, to give her a reference. So, anyway, she never finds a job, but the book still carries on quite entertainingly as it details the ludicrousness of various "networking events" and "career consultants." Ehrenreich will always have that dry wit and that passion for social change, and that went a very long way towards making the book readable and entertaining. Still, her inability to find a job isolates her from the most central part of white-collar culture. Alternating chapters of personal anecdote with chapters of interviews with people who do or have held white-collar jobs would have done a whole lot to improve the book; as it is, it sort of drifts by its goal. My other complaint about the book is that all these career coaches and networking events cost a truly astonishing amount of money, and that's fine if your publisher is paying for all of it (as I assume hers was, and if not, she has got a substantial tax deduction here), but if not... well, how reflective is this of most "in transition" (read: unemployed) white-collar workers' actual experience? Maybe they do all shell out thousands of dollars to have people tell them that their thought forms are creating negative energy and keeping them from the jobs of their dreams, I don't know. If so, then Ehrenreich has done quite a public service in a.) mocking such programs mercilessly and b.) demonstrating conclusively that they do not work.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No, I'd read Nickel and Dimed, of course, and a fascinating book she co-authored (I think that means the other person did the researching, compiling, and structuring of the book, and Ehrenreich did the writing) called For Her Own Good, which was about the history of the medical profession and the ways it's worked to keep women in a subservient, little-mother role. I'd like to read some more of her stuff.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? It's really, really cold in my apartment right now. Holy shit.
Scale of 1 to 10: 7
Number of pages: 256
Total pages for the year: 7390

Book: 22
Title: In the Company of the Courtesan
Author: Sarah Dunant
Genre: Historical fiction
One-sentence summary: A courtesan and her pimp dwarf (no, really) flee from the sack of Rome in 1527 and attempt to build a new life for themselves in Venice.
Why did you get this book? I'd read Sarah Dunant before, and rarely been disappointed.
Do you like the cover? It's all right. Pretty standard for historical fiction: a piece of period art, the title in raised gilt lettering with wildly curlicued capitals. Whatever.
Did you enjoy the book? I did, though it was a tiny bit slow for my tastes and I will say that Dunant doesn't really have a flair for historical fiction. She ought to stick with contemporary mysteries, which she excels at. This... I don't know, it didn't make me *feel* 16th-century Venice, you know? In a lot of ways this is like a knockoff Slammerkin, but Donoghue is much, much better at immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and smells (!) of her chosen time period. Plus, her characterization is better. Anyway, if you're going to read Dunant, pick one of her contemporary mysteries.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No, and yes.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? I don't really think so. This was a pretty good read, but I suspect it will not be a terribly memorable one.
Scale of 1 to 10: 7
Number of pages: 368
Total pages for the year: 6974

Book: 21
Title: Astonishing Splashes of Colo(u)r
Author: Clare Morrall
Genre: General fiction
One-sentence summary: Our synaesthetic narrator attempts to make her way through her teetering piles of issues, including mental illness, a miscarriage that has left her barren, and a host of family secrets.
Why did you get this book? The title rang a bell; it was shortlisted for the Booker, and that's the book award I trust most; it was (of course) on the bargain table at the Brookline Booksmith.
Do you like the cover? It's not bad, but I think given the visual imagery of the title they could have done a lot better.
Did you enjoy the book? I did, mostly because it's a pretty good page-turner and the writing is good. Morrall doesn't seem to know quite where she's going with her plot, or with her character, for that matter; there were several plot threads that I particularly enjoyed, but they kept unraveling and getting lost and then reappearing six chapters later. With a lot of editing and refocusing, this book could be parceled out, expanded and revised into three or four absolutely *killer* novels. But even as it is, it's good. I'm not 100% sure whether it's deserving of the Booker nom - unless the rest of the nominees were all really weak, I can see this deserving to be on the longlist but not the shortlist.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes, and yeah, I'll be interested to see where she goes from here. This is her first published novel (though she's written *five* novels that were never published! Lady, you have more perseverance and dedication than I have), and it does feel pretty first-novely. If she tightens things up some, I think her future books could be really great.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping.
Anything else? The title is a reference to the main character's synaesthesia, and I was all excited at first, thinking of how much october31st would be likely to enjoy this book - but then that was another one of the plot threads that petered out. I mean, it recurred occasionally, and the first section is very strong in that regard, but I wanted to see it be more of a pervasive theme throughout. It didn't feel like a new/different way the character saw the world, it felt like a thing the author threw in when she wanted to make a point. I wanted to read a book with a synaesthete's perspective. Sadly, this is not that book.
Scale of 1 to 10: 7/8
Number of pages: 322
Total pages for the year: 6606