Tag Archives: memorable

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Thistle

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic coming of age story set around the turn of the century in immigrant-heavy Brooklyn. It’s so much more than a coming of age story, though. This is the third time I’ve read … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Thistle

Before I describe the plot of this book, I want to say that it sounds really, really cheesy when summarized. Please bear with me. I’ll keep it short. Gregor and his two-year-old sister, Boots (nickname), are doing laundry in their … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Children's, Prose | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Thistle

When the unnamed narrator of this story meets Maxim de Winter, whose wife drowned and left him a widower a year previously, she doesn’t imagine that he will ask her to marry him and take her back to his home, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Thistle

…people were never quite what you thought they were. There will be spoilers in this review, because I want to discuss the philosophy behind this book rather than the plot. Since most people know the general plot of Lord of … Continue reading →

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Between Mom and Jo, by Julie Anne Peters

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Thistle

Nick has a good life and a good family. His moms, Erin and Jo, don’t always get along, but they love each other and love Nick. An occasional classmate makes fun of him for having lesbian parents, but for the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Thistle

[joint review and recipe by my husband and me] Recipe: Gignac Tiramisu Ingredients: 24 Milano cookies, 5 egg yolks, 1/3 C sugar, 1/2 C heavy cream, 2 tsp REAL vanilla (no extract!), 14 oz cream cheese, 3/4 C espresso Jason: So… … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

After, by Amy Efaw

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Thistle

Warning: gushing, incoherent review coming up… When a baby is found barely alive in a garbage can outside an apartment complex, the last person anyone would expect is model student, soccer star, straight-laced Devon Davenport. No one – not even … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Thistle

East of Eden is too gigantic and un-plot-based to really have a synopsis. I suppose I can say it follows the sometimes-intertwined lives of the Trask family and the Hamilton family for many years, mostly in the Salinas Valley in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Crossed Wires, by Rosy Thornton

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Thistle

Mina is a 27-yr-old single mom caring for her 10-yr-old bookworm daughter and her (Mina’s) 17-yr-old juvenile delinquent sister. She works at an auto insurance call center, and hasn’t thought about romance in a long time. Peter is also a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Trial, by Franz Kafka + graphic novel

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Thistle

Spoilers. Josef K. wakes up on his 30th birthday to find himself arrested. No one will tell him why, and he’s free to go about his own business in the meantime. Over the course of a year, he must defend … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments