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Currently Reading: Remainder

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:16:39 -0400

Tom Mccarthy

I'm almost done reading Remainder by Tom McCarthy. It's a very strange book so far, but I like it.

The blurb on the back made me want to read it:

"A man is severely injured in a mysterious accident, receives an outrageous sum in legal compensation, and has no idea what to do with it.
Then, one night, an ordinary sight sets off a series of bizarre visions he can't quite place.
How he goes about bringing his visions to life - and what happens afterword - makes for one of the most riveting, complex, and unusual novels in recent memory.
Remainder is about the secret world each of us harbors within, and what might happen if we were granted the power to make it real."

The user reviews on amazon for this book are very mixed. Some people loved it, and some people didn't get it. I'm anxious to get to the end to see where it's going...very unusual so far.

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Chabon, Rowling, and Clinqiue Happy

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:46:13 -0400

Tonight I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was incredibly good. I recommend this book, but must offer a warning: it's a long, rich, epic book. Make sure you're in the mood/able to read such a book whenever you decide to start it. That being said, it's definitely not a drudge to read. It moves quickly and you won't want to put it down for too long.

Michael Chabon is a gifted writer, and makes every page of this book a pleasure to read. His characters come alive and each win your heart in their own way. The subject matter (comic books, among other things) and the period in history (WWII era) work together for incredibly fascinating read. Even for someone like me, whose love for comics only went so far as Archie before picking up this novel.

Now I'm reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I need to pick up the pace if I'm going to accomplish my goal of re-reading the first six Harry Potter books before July 21. I should try to be done with 3 and 4 before the end of April.

In other news, Clinique has something fun going on right now. You can send a happy video to a friend (it's like a e-card) and for every e-card you send, Clinique will donate $1 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Plus, just for sending a video, you get a coupon to print out and redeem for a free Clinique Happy purse spray. Pretty fun promotion, I think.

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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:13:15 -0400

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Michael Chabon

I'm currently reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I'm going to his book signing in May and want to have read his most celebrated book read before then, so I figured I shouldn't put it off.

It's very fun so far. I'm not sure what to expect, but it's got a Pulitzer prize and many many recommendations from friends, so there's a good chance I'll love it.

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The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 09:52:01 -0400

The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair: And Other Excursions and Observations

George Plimpton

I'm currently reading The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair - Essays by George Plimpton.

The essays are greatly enjoyable. I've been fascinated with learning more about George Plimpton. He was such an incredible person. He lived such an incredible life, full of so many adventures, people, and accomplishments. He knew everybody! Truman Capote, Hunter S. Thompson, Jackie Kennedy, Hugh Hefner, among many, many others.

It's fun to read more about the man who founded my favorite literary journal: The Paris Review.

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Currently Reading: The Double Bind

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:30:22 -0500

The Double Bind: A Novel

Chris Bohjalian

I finished The Mysterious Benedict Society tonight. I was completely enchanted by it. It was fun to read a YA book with an interesting plot and fascinating and likable characters.

I hesitate to bring up this comparison, because I did not like the Series of Unfortunate Events books much, but The Mysterious Benedict Society is sort of in the same spirit, yet much more smartly executed. The plot is more interesting, the characters are actually lovable, and it ends before it gets annoying - and ends very satisfactory as well. I enjoyed the puzzles throughout the novel; the last one from Mr. Benedict to the reader was especially fun.

Now I've just begun The Double Bind. I trust Barnes and Nobles book recommendation series completely, and I'm interested to see what this one is like. Also, it's ties to The Great Gatsby fascinate me, I'm interested to see how it fits in. I have a feeling I'm going to desperately want to re-read F. Scott's best work after I finish this novel. It's been a while.

Endnotes: Today I found out that MIT offers free online classes (not for credit, of course). No registration is required. This is absolutely the nerdy sort of thing that I adore. I haven't had a chance to explore this much, but here is the link: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

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Currently Reading: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:54:00 -0500

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Kim Edwards

This book caught my eye repeatedly, and I got it after the holidays (Someone bought me a book I already have, so I exchanged it for this).

Just a little way in so far, but I'm really enjoying it. It's a very interesting story, and it's very well written. Everyone I know who has read it really loved it.

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Special Topics in Calamity Physics

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:42:41 -0500

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Marisha Pessl

Today I started Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. Heard very good things about it in the book club, and many reviews have placed her among some of my favorite authors such as Dave Eggers and Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm enjoying it immensely so far. I borrowed it from the library, as part of my For Goodness Sake Stop Buying So Many Books You Don't Have The Money plan. However, so far this book is begging to be purchased, to live happily on my shelves forevermore.

Also, today I listened to the KCRW Bookworm podcast featuring Marisha Pessl. It was very interesting, and I'll need to listen to it again when I finish the book. You can listen to it here, or subscribe to their podcast on iTunes. (This Friday's podcast is Dave Eggers, can't wait!)

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Currently Reading: HP1

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:03:02 -0500

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

J.K. Rowling

In anticipation of Book 7 this summer, I'm beginning to re-read all of the Harry Potter books.

I haven't read any Harry Potter since book 6 came out, and I'm so happy to be reading the first book. They are so wonderful, and so fun to read (especially the first 4). It's fun to be back at Hogwarts after so long away.

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Currently Reading: High Fidelity

nobody@vox.com(Emily) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:44:45 -0500

High Fidelity

Nick Hornby

I'm currently reading High Fidelity, which makes this my 3rd Nick Hornby book in a row. I fell hard for Nick Hornby. This is my first fiction book of his, as the other two were his essays in the Believer.

I'm really enjoying High Fidelity. I've loved the movie for years, especially since it's a John Cusack movie. It's interesting to read the book, and it will be very interesting if the experience is actually headed where I think it is: me loving both the movie and the book equally. That will be rare.

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