very simple

So I thought I would begin my re-entry into blog life by catching up on the books that I managed to read while I was away…

The Jane Austen Book Club: Thought I would enjoy this, as I thoroughly enjoy all things Jane Austen (and yes, I did go see the umpteenth adaptation of Pride and Prejudice the other night), but I found it it be just…I don’t know. boring? amateurish? Yes I get that each of the characters in this book is "modeled" after a particular Austen character, but frankly, I would have preferred more "book club" time and less "meddling friend" time.

Birth of Venus: Again, somewhat overrated. I didn’t get some of the characters’ motivations, and I would have preferred slightly more focus on the art, rather than the "romance novel" aspects. I found myself often having to google the historical characters and referenced artists in order to fully understand what the characters were talking about. That being said, I read it pretty quickly. But I had to remind myself that I was basically reading a "fancy" romance novel, rather than true historical fiction. And I’m still trying to figure out who the "artist" is supposed to be.

Everything is Illuminated: Now this was a book. I had actually bought it a few years ago, and it ended up in the pile of books that I kept intending on reading and never getting around to. Well, when I was in Italy, I ran out of the books I brought with me, so I went to the bookstore and this was one of five english-language books that they had (the others all being Grisham novels that I had read years ago). So I thought, why not?

Seriously. I couldn’t put it down. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I was utterly mesmerized at how wrong I was in my assumptions. And I really felt as if I was reading from the points of view of the different "writers" – Foer captured their voices so well. This of course, led me to immediately pick up his new book when I got home…

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: I read this one over the Thanksgiving holiday. and I’m still in awe of it. The connections, the adventure, the overwhelming sadness of a little boy trying desperately to grasp the last clues left by his father who was killed on the "worst day". Again, Foer manages to capture the voice of a character who is so far removed from himself that you forget that you’re reading a novel.

Memoirs of a Geisha: This was actually my plane reading back and forth to London on this last trip, because I only travel with paperbacks. I’ve been meaning to read it for years, and again, just never got around to it. But having to follow my rule never to see a movie until I’ve read the book, it was finally time. And it was fantastic. Yet another author who so thoroughly captures a voice that is far removed from his own life. I was enthralled. And compared to Birth of Venus, this is how you write a book that encompasses sex and duty and love so fully without making your reader feel like they have to hide the cover when they’re in public.  

Tags: books