2011 Q2/Q3 Book Report

I read by the soft glow of my Nook for fun at night. I have no right to critique volumes of literature, but I do anyway. Here's my take:

The Passage . Justin Cronin
At 784 pages, I can almost assure you that The Passage is the longest book I've ever read. Perhaps because it was a page turner from chapter one, but I also think reading it on the Nook tricked me into not fully realizing the heft of the volume. Either way, this post-apocalyptic vampire thriller is a fantastic debut for a forthcoming trilogy. The story lends itself easily to being imagined on the big screen, so the movie buffs can get a start on what is surely summer 2013's blockbluster* by reading it today.


The $64 Tomato . William Alexander
My mom recommended I read this account of "How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden" (the complete title of this novel) as I was deep in my obsession over my garden and landscaping. On a much, much smaller scale I could relate to the highs and lows of gardening - gathering the fruits/vegetables of you labor (a high) or watching absolutely nothing come of it because mother nature and her minions of wild beasts and insects beat you to the harvest (a low). Read it all and then decided for yourself if the blood, sweat and tears of gardening is worth it all.


Never Let Me Go . Kazuo Ishiguro
A well-paced novel about friends growing up in boarding school; touching upon the highlights of the childrens' years at an elite institution until 'graduation'. As the protagonist grows up and advances through the system, you see a broader picture that slowly reveals itself and shows a reality that is radically different than a simple boarding school book. I'll just leave it at that. (Sorry, I realize this is possibly the worst book review ever, I just don't want it to be a spoiler.)


The Magicians . Lev Grossman
I read a review of this book that alluded to The Magicians as being the sex, drugs, rock'n roll version of Harry Potter. Despite never having read a single page of a Harry Potter novel, I still found the premise alluring. Mr. Grossman spins a seemingly authentic tale of teenagers (lust, angst, all the good stuff of teenhood), save the setting of a hidden magician's school and a parallel storyline to a dark, very C.S. Lewisian kingdom.


Einstein Never Used Flashcards . Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff
Forgot to read the periodic table aloud whilst pregnant to ensure your little bambino will ace 10th grade chemistry? Your child is already 4 months old and doesn't recite three poems by heart? No sweat, this book carefully details several studies that show childhood experience (i.e. playing) trumps forcing the little one to memorize details any day. It also goes over exercises that help children learn from newborn to school age. Now if it could only guarantee entry into that coveted preschool...


*I would like to submit for your consideration the trailer for this movie should be to Desert Song by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (just hear out the whole song and ignore the slow start).