ralovesbooks's reviews
1431 reviews

Would recommend: Maybe

I had heard from a bunch of people that this novel was impossible to put down, and I will give them that. I blew through it in about four hours of reading time, but I never found the story THAT convincing. The teaser in the prologue helped to keep me hooked so that I could find out what happened, but if that hadn't been there, I don't know if I would have stayed attached.

Would recommend: Sadly, no

It pains me so much to write this review, because I loved the beginning of this book so much! The introduction and first five chapters were just lovely. I even chuckled my way through the physics portion, so I had high hopes for the rest of it. Of course, the chemistry chapter warmed my heart.

Then I got punched in the face by evolutionary biology, whose friends, molecular biology, geology, and astronomy came to finish the job. I barely skimmed the last chapter from my sheer drive to return the darn thing so I wouldn't have to renew it. I think only the parts I naturally liked (with the exception of physics, shudder) resonated strongly with me, and the rest was like an assignment.

Also, judging from the subtitle, "a whirligig tour of the beautiful basics of science," I assumed that this book would be a lot more ... fun. It was ridiculously dense. May I suggest some section headings, editors, so as to make poor readers feel like they accomplished something a little more often? Ugh. I wish I had liked this book more. It's so disappointing.

Would recommend: Ehhh...

I am a huge fan of Madeleine L'Engle. I collect her books, and I have high expectations for what I should get out of them. The Joys of Love was just okay for me. The characters were lovely, and I was eager to find out what happened to them, but it wasn't as good as her other books are.

I had a dim view going into it because it was published posthumously; I couldn't shake the feeling that if Madeleine L'Engle wanted it to be published during her successful, prolific career, why wouldn't she? Maybe she didn't want it to be published, you know? There was a slim chance in my mind that it would be brilliant, the previously undiscovered work of hers, but that was not the case.

The book is pleasant enough, but there are so many other books of hers that I'd recommend before this one.

Would recommend: Maybe

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Tender at the Bone. It was less about food than it was about Ruth Reichl's infidelity and troubles in marriage. Sure, there was food, but it wasn't central to me, and I kept feeling like I was reading the wrong book. It was entertaining, but not what I expected.

Would recommend: Probably

I think Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a very good novel about a China that is all but gone. The scenes that foot-binding and camaraderie between women are really vivid, and I wanted to keep reading. Overall, I thought it was a sad book. Even though this part of China is not part of its modern persona, a lot of the deep-seated cultural aspects linger. The most poignant one to me pertained to the attitude toward daughters, often referred to as "useless branches."

Would recommend: Probably not

So, the gist of this book is that the author was verbally abused and manipulated by her entire family, and they are horrible, weak people. Also, the Communist and Cultural Revolutions took place. Um, does that sound pleasant? Because it wasn't. When I wasn't horrified by the author's family, I was bored to tears by the history. If you are looking for something in the Asian nonfiction arena, I would suggest Amy Tan's collection of essays, The Opposite of Fate, instead.

Would recommend: Yes, but not to an adult

I think this book has a clever concept, but the execution was clumsy to me. I don't think this is a YA book that translates smoothly to adults. Or at least, to this one.

Would recommend: Probably not.

There were some really good, thought-provoking ideas in here --- I am still turning around some of them in my mind --- but I had to push through a conceit that did not work for me to get to them. I can see how this book might appeal to people, but it wasn't for me.

Would recommend: Maybe

I read this memoir to preview it for my book club, and I thought it was only okay. I just wasn't compelled. Is that horrible to say? There were some parts that were really vivid and painful to read, but I didn't have a good sense of place or time (a map would have helped) or political perspective. I don't think it's a good fit for a book club discussion.

Would recommend: Yes

I borrowed this biography from the library after reading American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld, because it was one of the first books listed in the acknowledgments section. I enjoyed seeing the parallels between the novel and the biography, and I think Ronald Kessler did a nice job giving dimension to Laura and George W. Bush. I really liked reading about their lives before the two presidential terms. However, once Bush's presidency started, everything started to blur for me. The anecdotes didn't seem as tight or interrelated, and I got all the names mixed up. The last quarter of the book was much less interesting to me, even though it probably should have been the most relevant. Overall, I liked this book very much, and I'm glad I read it after I read Sittenfeld's novel, rather than the other way around.