I came to Murakami relatively recently. I’d heard the name before, but, like Margaret Atwood and numerous others, my perception of his work was that it existed on some literary plain far beyond my understanding. So it wasn’t until 1Q84 that I decided to give him a shot. And I don’t really even know why. After devouring every book I could find as a teenager, my reading habits tapered off in college. It wasn’t until 2009 that I really started to pick up the habit again. […]
“They bred dogs for everything else…why didnt they breed them to live longer?”
Yet another post-apocalyptic novel set in the not too distant future. I know. It’s like every fifth book written these days is set during the end of humanity. I suppose that says something about the fatalism of America in a post 9/11, post-truth world. But this isn’t the Walking Dead. There isn’t a zombie in sight, in fact. The Dog Stars is more The Thin Red Line meets The Road. It’s a somber reflection of the end of the world, at times haunting and told in a lyrical […]
Write your own ending
Last year, the estimable yesknopemaybe reviewed this book and found it arduous and almost iredeemable. But her summary of the book left me fairly curious, especially after reading The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino last year, which sounded vaguely similar. Her comparing it to Crime & Punishment didn’t hurt, considering that’s one of my favorite books. So, given what I expected based on her review, I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised for nine-tenths of the book. Though I did find […]
When not reading plot synopses bites you in the ass
I saw a book with a monster in the cover. I saw a book with “monster” in the title. I saw a book that was popular. And I never bothered to find out what it was about. “I should be more open”, I said. “Try new things,” I said. “Expand your horizons,” I said. Oh yeah. Read the kinds of books I never would have had I not joined this wonderful community. Which has been a largely successful modus operandi in my three years, here. Even […]
Instead of making me want to read Harry Potter, I’m left wanting the first seven books in this series.
I’ve been holding off on reading this and Kindred Spirits because I don’t want to live in a world without an undiscovered Rainbow Rowell book. I love her writing that much. And it is because of the Cannonball Read that I even know she exists. It’s astounding to me that something as good as Fangirl or Attachments or any number of other great novels could exist at the same time as me, and I wouldn’t just know about them because of some vague, shared cultural […]
February stat round-up!
Last year was a great year, and I had lots of fun. I marked a person best for books read, and I upped my participation here by starting the database. I don’t know if I’ll read as many books as I did last year, but I plan on continuing being the resident stat guru. And we’ve had an incredibly prolific month! It was hard keeping pace with your reviews. Anyway, on with the stats! February stats: 431 reviews (last Feb. saw 365 reviews, which was […]
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