All Consuming : Inditra

A review of "Thursbitch" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:14:16 GMT

by Alan Garner

This is in some ways the most confusing book I have ever read in my entire life. I wish there was an index to translate some of the wacky speech. However it is a great story, especially at the end.

A review of "The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:04:59 GMT

The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation

by Paulo Coelho

A wonderful read about good and evil and basic human nature.

A review of "Angela's Ashes" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:08:47 GMT

Angela's Ashes

by Frank McCourt

A beautiful narrative that will break your heart. Everyone should read this book.

A review of "What I Loved: A Novel" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:06:30 GMT

What I Loved: A Novel

by Siri Hustvedt

A beautifully written novel. This is what Zadie Smith’s On Beauty was trying so hard to be. Great for anyone who loves family sagas and art.

A review of "Don't Move" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:58:26 GMT

Don't Move

by Margaret Mazzantini

An interesting read. It was kind of fascinating to read a book about a rapist, written by a woman, and to eventually see how he was the only truly powerless character.

A Wonderful Read (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:44:53 GMT

The Colour: A Novel

by Rose Tremain

I read this right after I read Everything is Illuminated, which was such an emotional rollercoaster, so I appreciated the easy going nature of this book.

Not to say that this is a light read, it’s full of wonderful twists and turns. It brings to mind The Poisonwood bible in some way. A great read by a female writer.

Believe the hype (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:31:26 GMT

Everything Is Illuminated

by Jonathan Safran Foer

I was worried about this book. I had heard so much about it and it had a movie made from it so I was anticipating being disappointed. Happily, I found this book very enjoyable. Alex’s broken English rides the fine line of humorous bordering into the realm of tedious, and becomes believable. The humor and tragedy offset each other and make this a book both laugh out loud funny and crying your eyes out sad.

All aboard for dysfunction

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:59:04 GMT

The Corrections

by Jonathan Franzen

As far as your Mid-Western dysfunctional family saga’s go, The Corrections is at the top of it’s game.

That being said, I thought that the author did some unnecessary verbal gymnastics and the book could have been about 150 pages shorter.

A beautiful piece (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:15:38 GMT

The Body Artist: A Novel

by Don DeLillo

The Body Artist is a short book. At 126 pages it took me two days to read, but it is a book I will reccomend. It is less a story and more of a look into the inner workings of the mind of Lauren, a body artist who has lost her husband and finds a mentally handicapped man in her home, who imitates the interactions of her and her late husband.

Do not underestimate this book due to this size. The Body Artist is a book that will stay with you.

Why I recommend "Unless: A Novel (P.S.)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:38:38 GMT

Unless: A Novel (P.S.)

by Carol Shields

I love Carol Shields. I had read the Stone Diaries last year and had been excited to pick this up. I am happy to say that it did not disappoint. Shield’s talent is writing a feminist book for a not quite feminist audience. I will recommend this book to every woman I know.

A review of "The English Patient" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:40:48 GMT

The English Patient

by Michael Ondaatje

This book can’t decide when the story starts and ends. It doesn’t transition well from actual plot to the musings of the characters. The author also seems to be in love with his own voice. Worth consuming, but get it used.

Lives up to expectations (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:07:08 GMT

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics)

by Barbara Kingsolver

I put off reading this book for the longest time. Almost everyone I knew had read it and raved about it. I’m really cynical about popular books as they rarely live up to expectations but this one did. It felt like a more tragic Little Women written for a modern audience. The only complaint I can express is that I felt like the character of Nathial was a little one demensional and overdone.

Why I recommend "Cloud Atlas: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:44:56 GMT

Cloud Atlas: A Novel

by David Mitchell

This book was awesome. I loved the themes of the present’s effect on the future and barbarian vs. savage. Beautifully presented and wonderfully written.

Read at your own risk (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:24:43 GMT

Dining on Stones

by Iain Sinclair

This book is not for the weak. For one, this book has no plot. None. It has a story but it jumps around like a cricket on crack in a hot frying pan. Characters come in and out of left field and you’re never quite sure where you are. It’s worth reading for the experience, but it will be awhile before I pick up anything else by this author.

Also, it would be interesting to re-read it and see how many times J.G. Ballard is mentioned. Answer is: a lot.

Good filler book (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:22:05 GMT

The Lambs of London

by Peter Ackroyd

This is a good book but it needs more meat on its bones. It’s got good stucture and ideas but it needs more substance in my opinion. I did enjoy it quite a bit, though.

Wonderful (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:17:22 GMT

The Master: A Novel

by Colm Toibin

This is a beautifully written book by an author I will make sure to read more of in the future. The only thing I had trouble with is that I’v never read anything by Henry James. I’ll have to revisit this book after I’ve consumed something by him.

Loved it (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:14:33 GMT

The Plot Against America

by Philip Roth

I had read the reviews and I was not sure what to make of it. On one hand people raved about the story and on the other people couldn’t even finish it due to Roth’s writing style. I am happy to say that Philip Roth is one of my new favorite authors.

Eh (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:18:44 GMT

The Sea (Man Booker Prize)

by John Banville

This is a good book. I’m glad I bought it and it is worth consuming. That being said this book is pretentious. It’s like a “HEY LOOK HOW MANY BIG WORDS I CAN CRAM INTO A 200 PAGE BOOK” statement. The prose is overbearing and has a tendency to ramble. It’s a book worth reading, but I found myself rolling my eyes a few times.

A story about "Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Mon, 26 May 2008 06:34:14 GMT

Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls

by Matt Ruff

I met Matt Ruff at a book reading. He’s so nice and it was amazing to hear him read passages of the book.

A story about "Vanishing Point: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Mon, 26 May 2008 06:28:01 GMT

Vanishing Point: A Novel

by David Markson

I read this book immediately after reading The Master, so it was interesting to read the little anecdotes about Henry James.

Two halves that never quite meet (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Inditra) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:54:42 GMT

The Red Queen

by Margaret Drabble

This book starts off strong. The Crown Princess, while a bit pretentious and contradictory, is a strong, likable character. I finished the first half of this book in about two days. The second half took two weeks to slough through.

The first half of this book is written as a beautiful narrative that flows kind of peacefully, which is perfect considering it’s written from the view of a dead person.Then I was then completely thrown off when in the first few pages of the second path we get a full paragraph description of “Babs’” (horrible name) pubic hair. I’m not squeamish at all but this was so crass compared to the first half of the book I actually found myself squinting in disgust.

Then Drabble pulls of my biggest pet peeve and in my opinion the worst thing an author can do. She inserts herself into her own book. Thankfully it’s for only a few pages but I muttered “Oh, come on!” I was glad when this one was done.