Mar 15
It’s been a while since both Book Worm and I have given the same book 5 stars. We are both fairly stingy with our 5-star ratings. So when a book comes along that gets 5 stars from both of us, we get very excited to share it with you. See why we thought it was so good and let us know if you loved it too! Read more
Mar 13
The list of basketball teams have been released so now we know which books and teams are matched together. It is the perfect time to join our challenge! See the challenge page for more details. Find out what prizes we will be offering and scroll to the bottom to see how teams and books are paired up. Read more
Mar 11
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Published in: 1961
Reviewed by: Book Worm and Jen
Rating: ★★★★
Find it here: Solaris
Synopsis from Goodreads: A classic work of science fiction by renowned Polish novelist and satirist Stanislaw Lem.
When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories. The Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates these incarnate memories, though its purpose in doing so is unknown, forcing the scientists to shift the focus of their quest and wonder if they can truly understand the universe without first understanding what lies within their hearts.
Book Worm’s Thoughts: 4 stars. I read this book after having watched the George Clooney film and I have to say the book is 10 times better. It is a deeper, more philosophical exploration about what it means to be human.
While the book is classed as a sci-fi classic, it reads equally as well as a study of guilt, obsession and sacrifice. That is not to say there is no science in it, there is, a lot. Some readers may be put off by the detailed description of the ocean and the way it behaves especially the long detailed descriptions of the kind of structures it makes. This wasn’t a problem for me as I enjoyed seeing what the author imagined an alien mind could come up with.
The first person narrative gives the story a creepy, edgy kind of feel, it also means that everything we are told comes from one source which means that source can be questionable. This technique works well to convey the isolation of the space station, the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in one place with no communication with the outside world it also suggests the way the mind can play tricks on you.
I would recommend this to those who enjoy sci-fi and weirdly those who like a good romance.
Jen’s Thoughts: 4 stars. I have often made the claim on this blog that I generally dislike science fiction but perhaps that is because I have read the wrong books (I often wonder if Robert Heinlein has biased me against all science fiction). I really enjoyed Solaris for many of the reasons Book Worm mentioned above. I actually liked the movie which I had seen prior to reading the book although admittedly my tolerance for bad quality movies is quite high. While I may be a snob when it comes to books, I will pretty much watch and enjoy all movies. Yet as Book Worm writes above, the book was superior in all ways to the movie.
Solaris was a very engaging, intelligent, and well-written book. It is described by many as philosophical science fiction and it raises issues about what makes us who we are. It is a book that blur the lines between reality and hallucination bring us to question the very nature of our perception. Maybe it’s no wonder that I liked the book despite it being in the science fiction genre. Lem was never really part of the science fiction establishment. Philp K. Dick accused him of being a communist agent and he was booted out of the Science Fiction Writers Association (Wired magazine, 2002). Lem himself wrote that science fiction was a “whore, prostituting itself with discomfort, disgust, and contrary to its dreams and hopes.”
As Book Worm has warned above, the book is filled to the brim with scientific digressions that at times can be quite dry. These digressions serve a purpose in building the backdrop to the book but they are fairly extensive and may be off-putting to those who don’t like this element in their science fiction books. That said, I enjoyed the book and found it quite thought-provoking. It was a creepy read.
Want to try it for yourself? You can find a copy here: Solaris
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
Mar 10
At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier
Release date: March 15 2016
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: At the Edge of the Orchard
This ARC was provided by Penguin Group Viking (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: From internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, a riveting drama of a pioneer family on the American frontier
1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck – in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life. Read more
Mar 9
The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell
Published: March 1, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Jen
Find it here:The Madwoman Upstairs: A Novel
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and Simon and Shuster in exchange for an honest review.
The Madwoman Upstairs is Catherine Lowell’s debut novel and was released on March 1st by Simon and Shuster. It has been described as “a modern-day literary scavenger hunt” and centers on clues related to the Bröntes.
When Samantha Whipple’s father dies, she becomes the sole living relation of the Bröntes. Rumors surround Samantha about a mysterious Bronte estate. Many scholars speculated that her father had hidden away a vast fortune of unpublished works and Bronte memorabilia. Five years after her father’s death, Samantha travels to Oxford to study literature. She is housed in an old tower and when copies of her father’s old books (books she had presumed destroyed in the fire that killed her father) start appearing in her room, she starts to wonder if there is any truth to rumors of vast estate. What ensues is a sort of literary scavenger hunt where Samantha uncovers clues to her father’s life and a potential literary treasure. Read more
Mar 8
This morning the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist was announced. The Bailey’s Women’s Prize is one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious literary prizes. It is annually awarded to a female author for the best original novel written in English and published in the U.K. in the preceding year. The award in 1992 began after a group of journalists, reviewers, agents, publishers, and booksellers realized that the 1991 Booker Prize shortlist did not include any female writers despite the availability of talented women writers. By 1992 only 10 percent of novelists shortslisted for the Booker Prize were women despite the ratio of books published by men to women being 60/40. The Bailey’s Women’s prize was a way of bring “outstanding writers to the attention of readers.”
Previous 10 winners:
2015: Ali Smith for How to be Both
2014: Eimear McBride for A Girl is a Half-formed Thing
2013: A.M. Homes for May we be Forgiven
2012: Madeline Miller for The Song of Achilles
2011: Téa Obreht for The Tiger’s Wife
2010: Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna
2009: Marilynne Robinson for Home
2008: Rose Tremain for The Road Home
2007: Chimamanda Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun
2006: Zadie Smith for On Beauty
Find out who made the first cut for this year’s prize. Read more
Mar 7
Our next stop in our world tour of literature is Egypt. Join us as we explore some of what Egypt has to offer in terms of literature and find out which book we selected. We hope you help us to add to the list of recommended reading for Egypt!
Mar 4
Castles in the Air by Alison Ripley Cubit
Published in: 2016
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: Castles in the Air: A Family Memoir of Love and Loss
This ARC was provided by Lambert Nagle Media (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Netgalley: An eight-year-old child witnesses her mother’s secret and knows that from that moment life will never be the same.
After Molly, her mother dies, Alison uses her legacy to make a film about Molly’s relationship with a man she had known since she was a teenager. What hold did this man have over her mother? And what other secrets was her mother hiding?
Castles in the Air follows the life of Molly Ripley through the eyes of her daughter Alison. From Molly’s childhood in colonial Hong Kong and Malaya; wartime adventures as a rookie office girl in the far east outpost of Bletchley Park then as a young nurse in the city; tangled romance and marriage… to her challenging middle-age when demons from the past seem set to overwhelm her.
The writer in Alison can’t stop until she reveals the story of Molly’s past. But as a daughter, does she have the courage to face up to the uncomfortable truths of Molly’s seemingly ordinary life?
As she unravels the private self that Molly kept secret, Alison realises that she is trying to find herself through her mother’s story. By trying to make sense of the past, can she move on with her future?
Honest yet unsentimental and told with abundant love and compassion, this is a profoundly moving portrait of a woman’s life, hopes and dreams. We learn not only about Molly, but about mothers and daughters, secrets and love. A story for readers struggling to come to terms with the trauma of losing loved ones.
Book Worm’s Thoughts: I don’t normally read non-fiction, but the description of the book really appealed to me. Molly’s childhood and teenage years are fascinating. She is living through a dangerous period in history, in a culture very different from the one left behind in England. The problem is we don’t really hear about what is going on in the world. Instead we are given highlights of the letters that Molly sent to family friend, Steve — a friend for whom she has deep feelings. The letters themselves are what you would expect from a teenage girl. They are basically written with news updates about people known to both parties and largely contain details about how much Molly is missing Steve. Due to the ongoing war, the letters are censored. So even if she had wanted to, Molly could not tell Steve all the details of in which the family were involved. I would have liked the author to have added more detailed descriptions about what was actually occurring in Malaya, Singapore, and Colombo at the time her mother was living in those places, but the opportunity is missed.
The later sections of the book are told from Alison’s point of view as she recalls the mother she thought she knew and the family life she remembers. We learn about Molly’s life after marriage and about the challenges facing her and her husband– to support their family, to do their best for their children, to grow and function as individuals, and to find happiness together something that becomes increasingly impossible.
Molly is a fascinating character and Alison has an interesting story to tell. However, the way it is written and the introspective focus let book down.
Who would enjoy this book? Anyone with an interest in individual people and how they function in their daily lives within their families.
Want to try it for yourself? You can find a copy here: Castles in the Air: A Family Memoir of Love and Loss
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
Mar 2
Have you ever noticed how some books seem to drive a wedge between people? You check the reviews and find almost no middle-of-the-road ratings. Instead people either seem to love it or hate it. Well, welcome to the Love it or Hate it post category! Each month, we’ll pick one book to review and two contributors will battle it out to convince you to pick it up or throw it out. Last time we discussed The World According to Garp. The “Love its” won with 80% of the vote. Many thanks to our reviewers. My husband, Dan, was our Love it Reviewer and Andrew (a newly added contributor) was our Hate it Reviewer.
This month’s selection is The English Patient
Mar 1
Our brackets are ready so it’s time to sign up for our March Madness reading challenge! Many thanks to all the early participants who nominated books and to those who voted on the books. Over 70 people voted on all 64 books and, based on those votes, we tabulated rankings for each category. Keep reading to see how the nominated books were ranked and to see a copy of our official challenge bracket. Read more
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Nicole Del Sesto
The Reader's Room 