All Consuming : GrammaG

A review of "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (GrammaG) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:25:51 GMT

You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation

by Deborah Tannen

This book was a class assignment and probably not something I would have chosen to read on my own. Nevertheless, it was a quick, interesting, and entertaining read about the differences in language between men and women and all of the miscommunication that can happen as a result. I think it needed a little less anecdote and a little more science.

3/5

A review of "Assassination Vacation" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (GrammaG) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 17:11:46 GMT

Assassination Vacation

by Sarah Vowell

This book was so much fun to read. I wish all history books were this engaging because who would have ever thought reading Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley Presidential history could make you laugh out loud over and over again?

5/5

A review of "Children of Men" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (GrammaG) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 16:36:19 GMT

Children of Men

by Alfonso Cuarón

This was such an intense movie. I don’t normally watch any kind of war or action-type movie so I don’t remember the last time I had this kind of edge of my seat, constant worrying about the characters, closing my eyes kind of movie-going experience. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it did leave me a little frazzled, and images from the movie made their way into my dreams. Overall, it was extremely dark and difficult to watch but well worth seeing.

4/5

A review of "Persuasion (Penguin Classics)" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (GrammaG) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:45:54 GMT

Persuasion (Penguin Classics)

by Jane Austen

This was my first reading of Jane Austen since high school, and I have to admit I didn’t have high hopes. Much to my surprise, the book grabbed my attention right away, and I flew through it at lightening speed. I’ve been describing it as a boring page-turner, if that makes any sense. I’m not overly interested in the details and nicities of upper class English society from the early 1800’s that this book describes, but I couldn’t wait for the love story to unfold, and the scenes of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth together kept me going.

4/5

Disappointing (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (GrammaG) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:11:55 GMT

The Inheritance of Loss

by Kiran Desai

I had high expectations for this novel considering it won the Booker Prize in 2006, and I’ve loved the other Booker winners I’ve read. It was full of characters and events that should have been engaging, moving, and exciting…a young-love story, the struggles of an Indian immigrant in NYC, the painful memories of an aging man…all set against the backdrop of growing civil unrest in India. It ended up falling short and feeling flat. I found myself unengaged, and I honestly didn’t care about the fates of the main characters.

3/5