Dracula, Bram Stoker, 1897
Plot: Absolutely excellent. Begins with seemingly unrelated people and events and brings them together very well. There is a great deal of suspense, which is increased all the more by the well-rounded (if a bit caricature-ish) characters. As the reader, I felt almost a part of their group of friends who are willing to do anything to help each other, a theme that is repeated frequently. 9/10
Style: This book is written, not as a novel, but as a series of journal entries, newspaper clippings, telegrams, etc. Some of the journal entries are fairly long and read very much like a novel. It was a bit difficult to follow at times, because three of the main characters have a great deal of "journaling" included, and it switches back and forth many times. I had to keep checking back to see whose I was reading so that it would all make sense. I loved this format and thought it was very clever. It was a way to put the story into first person without the assumption that the narrator survives - an important point for the suspense. 9/10
Hotness of the main character: This is really made up of an ensemble "cast" and believe it or not, Dracula is not the main character, so I don't have to go there. There are, in essence, 5 men to speak of here. Dr. Van Helsing is old, but totally smart, loyal and awesome. Dr. Seward gets points (as do all of these men) for being willing to do anything to help his friends as they hunt the vampire. However, he runs an insane asylum and spends a great deal of time there. Jonathan Harker is brave, but is scarred emotionally from all that he experiences at the beginning of the book. Damaged goods. Plus, he's married. Arthur Holmwood is also awesomely brave and loyal. His drawback? [SPOILER ALERT] He was about to be married to Dracula's first victim, so he's got broken heart issues. Then we have Quincy Morris, my pick for best of the book. He's from Texas and he's kinda shy in all the right ways. He seems to be the most fiercely loyal one of the whole bunch. No numerical ratings for this group.
The character I would most like to be: [SPOILER ALERT] Well all of the girls get killed or almost killed by Dracula and deal with pretty nasty horrors. So I'm not going to really go there. I'll go with Dr. Van Helsing. He's an awesome dude. Totally cool under pressure, always knows the right steps to take, listens well to others' ideas and concedes when they are better than his own. (By the way, if you're imagining Hugh Jackman, you're doing it all wrong.)
Re-readability: Occasionally. I almost gave this a "frequently" rating, but then you take all the good suspense out of it. You have to let it sit for a while first.
Final Decision: SHELF IT!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Miss me yet?
Just in case all (1) of you are missing me, here is the reason why I haven't posted in a while.
First, I read the autobiography of Randy Couture, a MMA fighter. It was interesting in content, but not a very good read, if you know what I mean. Not that you could expect anything different from a man who got punched in the face for a living.
Then, I began to read Dracula, but got sidetracked almost immediately by the book I'm reading now: "Three Cups of Tea". It is the non-fiction story of a mountain climber who set out to build a school for children in a Pakistani village that he accidentally found. It is a GREAT book. Once I'm done with that, I'll get back to Dracula and the classics, which is what I know you are all (1) waiting for. :)
See you soon!
First, I read the autobiography of Randy Couture, a MMA fighter. It was interesting in content, but not a very good read, if you know what I mean. Not that you could expect anything different from a man who got punched in the face for a living.
Then, I began to read Dracula, but got sidetracked almost immediately by the book I'm reading now: "Three Cups of Tea". It is the non-fiction story of a mountain climber who set out to build a school for children in a Pakistani village that he accidentally found. It is a GREAT book. Once I'm done with that, I'll get back to Dracula and the classics, which is what I know you are all (1) waiting for. :)
See you soon!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
War of the Worlds - Final Review
War of the Worlds, Herbert George Wells, 1898
Plot: Decent. There was a vague sense of "what will happen next," but I am inclined to believe that a story about a martian attack on the earth could have been much more suspenseful than it actually was. It was a well-thought out story with plenty of descriptive details about everything from the physiology of the martians to the features of a particular house. 6/10
Style: It was written in first person, from the distant point of view of a man who lived through this experience years ago and is now committing it to paper. I liked the style and the way in which he addresses his reader, saying what probably would or would not interest me. It provided a neat connection to the character. Overall though, I ended up being mostly bored. It was a good story, but I spent most of the time trying to finish it so I can move on to the next book. 5/10
Hotness of the main character: n/a I think the reason why I can't rate this is because often the way to tell is by the character's interactions with the other people he comes across in the course of the story. During the martian invasion, the main character spends a great deal of time alone. When he is in the company of a fellow survivor, the actions are tempered so much by the strangeness of the situation that it is impossible to tell what kind of person he really is.
The character I would most like to be: How about not anyone in the greater London area during the time this book takes place?!? Tons of them are killed by the martians and many others surely end up with PTSD after the stuff they witness. No Thank You.
Re-readablility: Probably never again. It wasn't that it was awful, it just wasn't that great.
Final decision: Sell it.
(Note: I will be taking a break from the classics to read the biography of Randy Couture. Jealous, much?) :)
Plot: Decent. There was a vague sense of "what will happen next," but I am inclined to believe that a story about a martian attack on the earth could have been much more suspenseful than it actually was. It was a well-thought out story with plenty of descriptive details about everything from the physiology of the martians to the features of a particular house. 6/10
Style: It was written in first person, from the distant point of view of a man who lived through this experience years ago and is now committing it to paper. I liked the style and the way in which he addresses his reader, saying what probably would or would not interest me. It provided a neat connection to the character. Overall though, I ended up being mostly bored. It was a good story, but I spent most of the time trying to finish it so I can move on to the next book. 5/10
Hotness of the main character: n/a I think the reason why I can't rate this is because often the way to tell is by the character's interactions with the other people he comes across in the course of the story. During the martian invasion, the main character spends a great deal of time alone. When he is in the company of a fellow survivor, the actions are tempered so much by the strangeness of the situation that it is impossible to tell what kind of person he really is.
The character I would most like to be: How about not anyone in the greater London area during the time this book takes place?!? Tons of them are killed by the martians and many others surely end up with PTSD after the stuff they witness. No Thank You.
Re-readablility: Probably never again. It wasn't that it was awful, it just wasn't that great.
Final decision: Sell it.
(Note: I will be taking a break from the classics to read the biography of Randy Couture. Jealous, much?) :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Oliver Twist - Final Review
Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens, 1837
Plot: Good. Fairly complex, but only because of the number of characters involved. Overall it was very satisfying with all of the loose ends tied up into a neat little bundle by the end. Just like I like it. 9/10
Style: This is hard to judge. On the one hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the humor and sarcasm that Dickens uses which makes it a really fun read. One of my favorite quotes, which I marked to be sure to share with you:
"The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by post, a day or two previous."
On the other hand, well, let's just say that I'm glad I never had to diagram a Dickens sentence. He is famous for his convoluted phrasing for a good reason. For the most part, I enjoyed deciphering his paragraph-long sentences and found myself smiling at the unique way he put the words together. But when it came time to explain the conclusion to the convoluted plot, I was at a loss to understand what was going on. I eventually figured it out by context later, but I'm convinced that I lost a good 5-10 pages. My final complaint would be the number of characters. Characters that seemed minor would make a reappearance in later pages and serve to completely confuse me as I wouldn't remember their significance from before. I feel like I needed to make a flow chart or a web graph to get it all sorted out. Anyway, I loved this book overall and am excited to read more Dickens. 8/10
Hotness of the main character(s): Well Oliver Twist is a little boy, so how bout we don't even go there. There are too many characters to list here, all young, old or completely unsavory. There was, however, a side plot that involved one Mr. Harry Maylie who was very reminiscent of an end-of-the-book Mr. Darcy. So that gets 10/10 automatically. :)
The character I would most like to be: I suppose Rose. She is sweet and kind and well...basically...Harry loves her. That's all I need to say about that!
Re-readability: When I'm in the mood to really READ, like, take time to understand each sentence, I would love to read this again. That doesn't happen super often though, so let's go with occasionally.
Final decision: Shelf it
Plot: Good. Fairly complex, but only because of the number of characters involved. Overall it was very satisfying with all of the loose ends tied up into a neat little bundle by the end. Just like I like it. 9/10
Style: This is hard to judge. On the one hand, I was pleasantly surprised by the humor and sarcasm that Dickens uses which makes it a really fun read. One of my favorite quotes, which I marked to be sure to share with you:
"The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by post, a day or two previous."
On the other hand, well, let's just say that I'm glad I never had to diagram a Dickens sentence. He is famous for his convoluted phrasing for a good reason. For the most part, I enjoyed deciphering his paragraph-long sentences and found myself smiling at the unique way he put the words together. But when it came time to explain the conclusion to the convoluted plot, I was at a loss to understand what was going on. I eventually figured it out by context later, but I'm convinced that I lost a good 5-10 pages. My final complaint would be the number of characters. Characters that seemed minor would make a reappearance in later pages and serve to completely confuse me as I wouldn't remember their significance from before. I feel like I needed to make a flow chart or a web graph to get it all sorted out. Anyway, I loved this book overall and am excited to read more Dickens. 8/10
Hotness of the main character(s): Well Oliver Twist is a little boy, so how bout we don't even go there. There are too many characters to list here, all young, old or completely unsavory. There was, however, a side plot that involved one Mr. Harry Maylie who was very reminiscent of an end-of-the-book Mr. Darcy. So that gets 10/10 automatically. :)
The character I would most like to be: I suppose Rose. She is sweet and kind and well...basically...Harry loves her. That's all I need to say about that!
Re-readability: When I'm in the mood to really READ, like, take time to understand each sentence, I would love to read this again. That doesn't happen super often though, so let's go with occasionally.
Final decision: Shelf it
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New Books and Reading Order
So for my birthday I recieved these books:
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
The Jewel of Seven Stars - Bram Stoker (about mummies)
Cycle of the Werewolf - Stephen King (okay, probably not a classic, but it fit the theme!)
These will most likely be the next books I will read and review:
(these I have)
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Dracula - Stoker
Frankenstein - Shelley
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Cycle of the Werewolf - King
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Jewel of Seven Stars - Stoker
(these I need)
Emma - Jane Austen
Winter of our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Lorna Doone - Richard Doddridge
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Vicar of Wakefield - Oliver Goldsmith
The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (I saw this one in a bookstore today. Good Lord it's long!)
1984 - George Orwell
Cannery Row/Sweet Thursday - John Steinbeck
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
The Jewel of Seven Stars - Bram Stoker (about mummies)
Cycle of the Werewolf - Stephen King (okay, probably not a classic, but it fit the theme!)
These will most likely be the next books I will read and review:
(these I have)
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Dracula - Stoker
Frankenstein - Shelley
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Cycle of the Werewolf - King
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Jewel of Seven Stars - Stoker
(these I need)
Emma - Jane Austen
Winter of our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Lorna Doone - Richard Doddridge
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Vicar of Wakefield - Oliver Goldsmith
The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (I saw this one in a bookstore today. Good Lord it's long!)
1984 - George Orwell
Cannery Row/Sweet Thursday - John Steinbeck
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Saturday, January 10, 2009
PSA
Okay, so it's more like a Me-SA, but anyway. I'm looking for a job. If you hear of anything, please let me know. I'm happy to send my resume to anyone who wants it. :) I'm also on LinkedIn so if you are, find me!
Thanks everyone!
Thanks everyone!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
a thought...just one
I have read the first 5 chapters of Oliver Twist (Dickens) and I just HAD to share that I find it absolutely hilarious and incredibly entertaining. I have been told that Dickens is not always funny, but it makes me look forward to everything I have on my list by him. That is all.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Of Mice and Men - Final Review
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, 1937
First of all, I'd like to say how incredibly grateful I am not to have been forced to read this for high school English. I could read the book for the characters and story and not to analyze the social commentary. (At least until my jerk brother started asking pointed questions. He did have to read it for class.)
Plot: The story kept my interest throughout. It was short, so there wasn't any superfluous lame stuff. All important. I appreciated the relationships between the characters and the fact that most of the people you met were more than 2-dimensional stereotypes. However, (I will take a moment to remind you that these reviews are based on my enjoyment, and not of the "quality" of the novel) Steinbeck loses points here for the lack of happy ending. And more for the fact that not only was it not happy, it was downright depressing. 7/10
Style: Good pace. Straightforward and easy to follow. In stark contrast to Wells, Steinbeck takes time to paint the scene in a way very reminiscent of a long exposition shot in a movie. I would almost forget that characters were going to make an appearance and that plot was going to happen because it is easy to get wrapped up in the beauty of the scene. Authors can most certainly spend too much time on description (cough, Mark Twain, cough) but for me, Steinbeck was perfect. Also, like I said above, I really love the way that he wrote the characters. Though the story was short, I feel like I really got them. 9/10
Hotness of the main character(s): George Milton - Small, sharp-featured, curses frequently. Doesn't own anything of his own. But, he takes care of his slow-witted friend no matter what he does. Oh, and he didn't get a whore when all the other guys did. At least that's the assumption. Points for a heart of gold. Loses some (most?) of those for [MAJOR SPOILER!] killing the slow guy in the end. 2/10
Lennie Small - Really big, really dumb, kills small animals [SPOILER] and some people(accidentally!), doesn't remember much. But, he's a sweet guy. Still... 2/10
The character I would most like to be: Slim. This was a hard, and sort of weird, decision. So I picked the guy who got all the respect. People liked working on his team, he invited confidence, he was kind-hearted and reassuring and really good at his job. His word went, too. That would be nice.
Re-readability: The depressing ending will bring this one down lower than it probably should go. So - once in a blue moon.
Final decision: Shelf it (purely for Steinbeck's writing skill. I wouldn't be heartbroken to lose this one)
First of all, I'd like to say how incredibly grateful I am not to have been forced to read this for high school English. I could read the book for the characters and story and not to analyze the social commentary. (At least until my jerk brother started asking pointed questions. He did have to read it for class.)
Plot: The story kept my interest throughout. It was short, so there wasn't any superfluous lame stuff. All important. I appreciated the relationships between the characters and the fact that most of the people you met were more than 2-dimensional stereotypes. However, (I will take a moment to remind you that these reviews are based on my enjoyment, and not of the "quality" of the novel) Steinbeck loses points here for the lack of happy ending. And more for the fact that not only was it not happy, it was downright depressing. 7/10
Style: Good pace. Straightforward and easy to follow. In stark contrast to Wells, Steinbeck takes time to paint the scene in a way very reminiscent of a long exposition shot in a movie. I would almost forget that characters were going to make an appearance and that plot was going to happen because it is easy to get wrapped up in the beauty of the scene. Authors can most certainly spend too much time on description (cough, Mark Twain, cough) but for me, Steinbeck was perfect. Also, like I said above, I really love the way that he wrote the characters. Though the story was short, I feel like I really got them. 9/10
Hotness of the main character(s): George Milton - Small, sharp-featured, curses frequently. Doesn't own anything of his own. But, he takes care of his slow-witted friend no matter what he does. Oh, and he didn't get a whore when all the other guys did. At least that's the assumption. Points for a heart of gold. Loses some (most?) of those for [MAJOR SPOILER!] killing the slow guy in the end. 2/10
Lennie Small - Really big, really dumb, kills small animals [SPOILER] and some people(accidentally!), doesn't remember much. But, he's a sweet guy. Still... 2/10
The character I would most like to be: Slim. This was a hard, and sort of weird, decision. So I picked the guy who got all the respect. People liked working on his team, he invited confidence, he was kind-hearted and reassuring and really good at his job. His word went, too. That would be nice.
Re-readability: The depressing ending will bring this one down lower than it probably should go. So - once in a blue moon.
Final decision: Shelf it (purely for Steinbeck's writing skill. I wouldn't be heartbroken to lose this one)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Invisible Man - Final Review
I finished H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man just now. I was planning on going to sleep, but much to my surprise, the suspense and action that ended the novel kept me reading beyond my scheduled sleep time.
Plot: Short - the elapsed time in this novel was only a few days or a week as far as I can tell. But the story was engaging, unpredictable, and didn't leave many, if any, gaps in explanation. For me though, it was not ENTIRELY satisfying. 8/10
Style: As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was easier to read than I had expected, being written in 1897. There were still some areas of difficulty, but I will chock that up to differing cultures and my own unfamiliarity with this style. I did appreciate how Wells would move the story along at a brisk pace, then throw in a teaser/flashback to keep me on my toes. 7/10
Re-readability: Because of the suspense and depth of story, I believe that I could read this again and appreciate it further. Although it is rather short. (The re-readability rating will not be a 0-10 scale, but will instead get one of these ratings: constantly, frequently, occasionally, once in a blue moon, never again.) Re-readability - occasionally.
And now for some newer rating criteria:
Hottness of the main character(s): The Invisible Man is...well...invisible. And in order to maintain that quality, must run around naked all the time. Which I suppose for some, would help his case. But that's just gross. He is in his early thirties, but he's pretty much a jerk [SPOILER ALERT!] who decides that the only worthwhile thing he can do with his invisibility is to institute a Reign of Terror and try to rule the world. Or country. Or whatever. And he's really not afraid to kill people. 0/10
The character I would most like to be: I would have to go with Doctor Kemp. [THE REST OF THIS SECTION IS PURE SPOILER! MAJOR ONES!] He is smart enough to outwit and eventually bring down The Invisible Man, but maintains compassion for him, even to the end. When The Invisible Man dies. All the way dead. Hey, I warned you!
(Stay tuned for further interesting rating criteria, and feel free to submit ideas.)
Final Decision: Shelf It.
Plot: Short - the elapsed time in this novel was only a few days or a week as far as I can tell. But the story was engaging, unpredictable, and didn't leave many, if any, gaps in explanation. For me though, it was not ENTIRELY satisfying. 8/10
Style: As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was easier to read than I had expected, being written in 1897. There were still some areas of difficulty, but I will chock that up to differing cultures and my own unfamiliarity with this style. I did appreciate how Wells would move the story along at a brisk pace, then throw in a teaser/flashback to keep me on my toes. 7/10
Re-readability: Because of the suspense and depth of story, I believe that I could read this again and appreciate it further. Although it is rather short. (The re-readability rating will not be a 0-10 scale, but will instead get one of these ratings: constantly, frequently, occasionally, once in a blue moon, never again.) Re-readability - occasionally.
And now for some newer rating criteria:
Hottness of the main character(s): The Invisible Man is...well...invisible. And in order to maintain that quality, must run around naked all the time. Which I suppose for some, would help his case. But that's just gross. He is in his early thirties, but he's pretty much a jerk [SPOILER ALERT!] who decides that the only worthwhile thing he can do with his invisibility is to institute a Reign of Terror and try to rule the world. Or country. Or whatever. And he's really not afraid to kill people. 0/10
The character I would most like to be: I would have to go with Doctor Kemp. [THE REST OF THIS SECTION IS PURE SPOILER! MAJOR ONES!] He is smart enough to outwit and eventually bring down The Invisible Man, but maintains compassion for him, even to the end. When The Invisible Man dies. All the way dead. Hey, I warned you!
(Stay tuned for further interesting rating criteria, and feel free to submit ideas.)
Final Decision: Shelf It.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
