Tag Archives: memorable

Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Thistle

I hardly know what to say about this book. I’m not even going to try to describe the plot. A plot description really doesn’t tell you anything. Each moment of this book illuminated nothing but the moment before it, nothing … Continue reading →

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Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Thistle

It’s been awhile since I read a slow classic, over several days, and Death Comes for the Archbishop was just perfect for me: nicely paced, quiet and calm, evocative, and something that transported me to a different time. This was … Continue reading →

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Thistle

Pretty much everyone knows the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and if you don’t know, it’d be better if I don’t give any details at all, so I’m not going to talk about the plot at all. I … Continue reading →

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Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Thistle

A parson named Kumalo from a small town in South Africa is called by another parson to Johannesburg to help his “ill” sister (meaning she’s gotten into prostitution and illegal alcohol/drug distribution). Kumalo fears Johannesburg – every member of his … Continue reading →

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Readathon: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Thistle

This is another of my dystopias. North America was destroyed by an ambiguous series of climate-related events, and a new country, Panem, emerged. Panem formed a Capitol in the Rockies, with 13 surrounding districts. When the districts rose up in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, 2010, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Thistle

Note: When I wrote this review, I didn’t think I was giving away any spoilers, but I’ve been told since then that my summary gives away the big secret of the book. The “big secret” was something I caught from … Continue reading →

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

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Thistle

Minor spoilers. Rather than post a plot summary of this book, I’d rather take you through my thoughts about the story as I went along. This book blew all my expectations out of the water, simply put. I expected to … Continue reading →

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Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Thistle

[For ease of reading this book review, every instance of the word “letter” will refer to notes people write to each other, and “character” will mean a letter of the alphabet. I won’t use the word “letter” to refer to … Continue reading →

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

An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Thistle

I read this book the first time in 2001, and finished it within a few days. It made a strong impression on me, which makes rereading it for my book club now a little more difficult. It was not a … Continue reading →

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Harry, a History, by Melissa Anelli

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Thistle

You know you’re a Harry Potter dork when you read – with enjoyment – the end-notes and bibliography to a nonfiction book about the HP phenomenon. Oh yes. I am that dork. I received Harry, a History – appropriately named, … Continue reading →

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