May 10
Out today, The Pier Falls is Mark Haddon’s latest book. Although I was cutting it down to the wire, I was able to finish and review the book before leaving for Book Expo America. Hope to see some of you there. Here’s what I thought of the book: Read more
May 9
I accidentally posted this review a few months ago when it was half finished. It took me a long time to finish writing up my section because it’s hard to review such a monster of a book (monster in length and heaviness of content). I finally got around to finishing my review. Book Worm and I reviewed it together and she was much better and wrapping up her review in a timely manner. Here’s what we thought about the book: Read more
May 6
Book Worm is charging ahead with her reading of the Bailey’s Prize nominees. Here’s what she thought of The Glorious Heresies: Read more
May 3
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
Published in: 2015
National Book Award Finalist
Rating: 4 stars + a favorite
Reviewed by Jen
Find it/buy it here: The Soul of an Octopus
Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus is part memoir and part exposé on the world of octopuses. It was nominated for the National Book Award last year although it lost out to Coates’ Between the World and Me. When I first heard about the book, I was intrigued. I love learning about animals and the only thing I knew about octopuses was that they were considered incredibly intelligent.
Who knew that octopuses could be so interesting ― enough so that a whole book about them would fascinate me? Montgomery’s book was a pleasure. I don’t typically read a lot of nonfiction but this book drew me in and made me fall in love with a creature I had previously found quite repulsive. The book is filled with a mix of scientific facts about octopuses and the author’s emotional reactions to them.
Much of the book is based on the author’s experience interacting with a variety of octopuses behind the scenes at the New England Aquarium, although she also pulls in anecdotes from the Seattle Aquarium’s Octopus blind date night (yes, they actually do this and you can watch a video here), and scuba diving in Polynesian waters.
The book is incredibly informative and surprisingly touching. The author describes a plethora of people who have been really touched by their interactions with these smart and personable creatures. Several adolescents seem particularly affected by their interactions with the New England Aquarium octopuses and one girl even claims that her interactions saved her from spiraling into a dark depression after a friend’s suicide.
This book will be a favorite for me but I only gave it 4 stars because I was bothered by two things. First, the author often attributes human emotions, intentions, and thoughts to these octopuses. She does so in a way that reflects her interpretation of their behavior but I found it to be an irritating contrast to the scientific data she presented. This isn’t to say that I don’t believe octopus have such feelings, but rather I don’t believe we can interpret them based on our own thoughts. To be fair, Montgomery doesn’t do this too much but, when she does, it stands out in a bad way.
Second, and most problematic, was that there is one chapter dedicated to her consideration of buying an octopus as a pet. It is hard for me to understand how someone who is so clearly infatuated with a wild animal, would think it appropriate to contribute to a trade that captures them and sells them for personal amusement. If you truly believe that octopuses have unique personalities and use their intelligence to escape their small containers, then how could you possibly think it ethically acceptable to keep one inside your home?
Normally, these two drawbacks would have prevented me from enjoying the book, yet I was still loved it. Any book that is able to move me from being repulsed to wanting to touch an octopus is pretty powerful. Some of the anecdotes brought tears to my eyes and I can honestly say that I will never be able to order octopus at a restaurant again.
Want to try it for yourself? You can find it your copy here: The Soul of an Octopus
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think? If you haven’t read it, does it interest you?
Apr 27
Two joint reviews in a row! Book Worm and I are on a roll. Were we more aligned on this book? Keep reading to find out. Read more
Apr 20
I’m finally back on track! After close to a month of reading very little literary fiction and too much “escapist” fare, I finally got around to reading a book that I can actually review for this blog. Today’s book has been sitting on my TBR shelf at home for a while so it’s about time. Keep reading to see what I thought, although those of you who know me well can probably guess. Read more
Apr 5
Book Worm and I review Russell Banks’ epic tale of the Brown family and we disagree. See what we thought of the book and let us know with whom you agree. Read more
Mar 22
The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes is one of the books on our March Book Madness Bracket and was ranked number 1 in the “fiction by non-U.S. born authors. Did you pick it to go all the way? The book doesn’t come out in the U.S. until May but it has been out in the U.K. for a few months. Here’s my review: 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?
Feb 24
Last week I reviewed the latest Indiespensables box from Powell’s Books that came with a copy of Mr. Splitfoot. This book has been on my radar for a while and I coincidentally had been approved for a galley of the book prior to receiving my book box. The novel is getting an incredible amount of buzz in the book world. Here’s my review.
The Reader's Room 