upcoming titles

books waiting to be read

flowers for algernon (daniel keyes) - fiction book club book for september

in the middle of

i am the cheese (robert cormier) - lilly recommended it as one of her favorites, a young adult psychological thriller

sophie's world (jostein gaarder) - a thinly disguised philsophy 101 textbook

Saturday, September 30, 2006

contact (1997)

Contact (Carl Sagan)

i like to re-read "contact" periodically because it's filled with so many great ideas. it touches on technology, human nature, religion, science, personal relationships, everything. carl sagan was an amazing man (i've read his non-fiction stuff too and loved it, cosmos for example) and his writing ability would have been astonishing by itself, nevermind the expertise in the sciences. a top five book for me, i think.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

curious incident of the dog... (2004)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)

i'd avoided this book out of habit as it was always featured prominently in bookstores. but many people i know enjoyed it and i got a free copy so i finally read it. it took me a two fifteen-minute work breaks and a lunch to get through about 3/4ths of it. it's a light, breezy, easy read and is charming in its observations and perspective (the story is told from the viewpoint of an autistic boy). well, until he solves the mystery and starts on his "adventure." then it gets boggged down in its charms and perspective. too bad, it all started out so good.

i think i enjoyed helen dewitt's "the last samurai" better, which is similar to this book, and more engaging overall.