Well...this isn't a book I would typically read. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it. There were parts of it that were fast-paced and I found myself not wanting to put it down (like when Wedge was biding his time in the ocean after his botched escape attempt)! I can see how someone with an interest in cooking would enjoy Wedge's "MacGyver-like" meals for Mabbot because he was incredibly resourceful and creative when it came to putting a meal together. Heck, I really don't enjoy cooking, but I was interested in how and what he cooked! With that being said, I am not really in to pirates - even if they are pirating against evil - simply because of the death toll and cruelty to others.
This story had a point of course. Mabbot was fighting against the Pendleton Trading Company - its practices, its trading of opium, its money-hungering ways that exploited all people in its path. But she was also tracking down the Fox - which I understood - but that chase caused a lot of death and destruction. And to what end?
I liked Wedgewood and I am glad that he found love again. After his second escape attempt, I was really hoping that he would stop trying to escape before it got him killed! I just wanted him to stay safe and keep cooking. He seemed a little naive at times about other ships and/or people "rescuing" him Mabbot. I guess from his prospective, being kidnapped from the kitchen of Ramsey, he had every right to think that Mabbot and her crew were the "evil ones", but after awhile I just wanted him to stop always thinking about escaping from her!
This wasn't a happy book. It was actually quite sad, all said and done. Mabbot and her crew tried their best to take down Pendleton, but at such a HUGE cost. I guess you have to fight for what is "right" for you, no matter what the result is if you want to make an impact in this world. Obviously, Mabbot couldn't live any other way. But, the book didn't end the way I thought it would and I found it very sad. Being a pirate is not an easy life!
I was happy that Wedgewood and Joshua were able to make a life doing what they enjoyed the most. That was the shining light in this story. And I loved that Wedgewood eventually understood that people communicate different ways and that his way was only one method of communication. It was wonderful that he learned Joshua's sign language and saw the value in it.
This book would only appeal to certain people, so because of that I am giving it the following rating:
Wendy's Rating: ***1/2
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
What an incredibly well-written but sad novel. I understand that war is sad, and I certainly didn't expect this to be a feel-good book, but the underlying sadness throughout the book made me teary-eyed several times.
First of all, Frederick. He was such a sweet boy; a good friend to Werner; a bird lover. All he wanted to do it study birds, and that was taken from him. And Werner, the orphan who loved his sister; so incredibly intelligent; so intent on not dying in the mines like his father. Both of them young German boys who followed orders always, until they each made one defiant act that ended life as they knew it. In the end, they both defied their "mission" as a German - certainly for different reasons - but they each seemed to understand that what they were doing wasn't right for them anymore. They both stood up for something they believed in, despite the consequences. Werner's final redeeming action was to leave Marie-Laure's treasure behind. I have ready plenty of books set in World War II that differentiate between being a "German" vs being a "Nazi", where you despise the Nazis and their actions, but feel sympathy for the German people who didn't fully understand what was happening in their country. This book made me feel sad for the children of Germany who were living, or barely surviving, in a crumbling country in economic collapse when Hitler came to power. Their choices were limited, and they chose survival for themselves and/or their family.
And the sadness continues with Marie-Laure's father and wonderful, brave Madame Manec. Where would Marie-Laure have ended up without these two influences in her life? Her dad had such foresight to force Marie-Laure to learn how to live and survive without sight. Building the models of her neighborhoods, insisting that she learn them storm drain by storm drain, sending her the letters from prison with hidden clues. Then there was Madame Manec aiding the resistance in France, despite the risk to herself and others - and encouraging others to stand up and fight the only way they could.
Then there is Marie-Laure herself, who does so many brave things. She was a child! She was a blind child, who suffered loss after loss, and she continued to fight on. Etienne certainly wasn't a big help in the beginning, other than offering his home to Marie-Laure and her father after they fled Paris, but he came through in the end. First with his illegal radio transmissions and then stepping up to being Marie-Laure's "family" after she lost everyone else.
Excellent Read!
Wendy's Rating: *****
First of all, Frederick. He was such a sweet boy; a good friend to Werner; a bird lover. All he wanted to do it study birds, and that was taken from him. And Werner, the orphan who loved his sister; so incredibly intelligent; so intent on not dying in the mines like his father. Both of them young German boys who followed orders always, until they each made one defiant act that ended life as they knew it. In the end, they both defied their "mission" as a German - certainly for different reasons - but they each seemed to understand that what they were doing wasn't right for them anymore. They both stood up for something they believed in, despite the consequences. Werner's final redeeming action was to leave Marie-Laure's treasure behind. I have ready plenty of books set in World War II that differentiate between being a "German" vs being a "Nazi", where you despise the Nazis and their actions, but feel sympathy for the German people who didn't fully understand what was happening in their country. This book made me feel sad for the children of Germany who were living, or barely surviving, in a crumbling country in economic collapse when Hitler came to power. Their choices were limited, and they chose survival for themselves and/or their family.
And the sadness continues with Marie-Laure's father and wonderful, brave Madame Manec. Where would Marie-Laure have ended up without these two influences in her life? Her dad had such foresight to force Marie-Laure to learn how to live and survive without sight. Building the models of her neighborhoods, insisting that she learn them storm drain by storm drain, sending her the letters from prison with hidden clues. Then there was Madame Manec aiding the resistance in France, despite the risk to herself and others - and encouraging others to stand up and fight the only way they could.
Then there is Marie-Laure herself, who does so many brave things. She was a child! She was a blind child, who suffered loss after loss, and she continued to fight on. Etienne certainly wasn't a big help in the beginning, other than offering his home to Marie-Laure and her father after they fled Paris, but he came through in the end. First with his illegal radio transmissions and then stepping up to being Marie-Laure's "family" after she lost everyone else.
Excellent Read!
Wendy's Rating: *****
Thursday, October 8, 2015
The Art Forger by BA Shapiro
I really loved this book! I have an all new appreciation of painting as an art form. I have always loved music, dance and literature - but I have never been that interested in paintings or sculpture - or architecture for that matter. I was completely enthralled while reading about the painstaking process of painting a work of art. Who knew?! I can sincerely say that from now on, when I visit a museum, I will be taking a much closer look at the paintings in the art gallery. I had no idea that there were so many layers upon layers of paint; the differences between painting wet on wet vs. wet on dry; the time it takes for a painting to actually be "dry"; brush strokes going left to right or vice versa; painters having their signature style, whether they paint in the realism style or the impressionist style. My list could go on and on because it became quite apparent to me that I know next to nothing about painting!!
THEN, we get into art copying vs. art forging - and that whole process. Incredibly fascinating! This book was really well-written. It kept my interest - and kept me turning pages - despite an almost zero interest in painting before picking up this book. Despite the author describing, in detail, the processes involved in both painting and copying/forging, the details were so interesting - and the storyline so intriguing - that it ended up being a "page-turner".
I wasn't thrilled with the ending. I didn't necessarily hate it, but I was disappointed. Claire was like the pot calling the kettle black. Both Claire and Aiden lied by omission; they both knowingly and willingly committed a crime for the benefit of themselves; neither one was completely honest with the other. Who is Claire to judge Aiden so harshly, especially after she had been so harshly and unfairly judged by others in the preceding years?? I don't need to have nice, tidy, happy endings in books, but I wasn't crazy about this ending.
Art forgers and/or copiers are incredibly talented. Not only can they paint as well as the artist himself paints, they can study and mimic the brush stroke, pressure, colors, shading, layers of paint, style of the original artist. Quite impressive. I am happy that Claire's skill and artistry was finally acknowledged by the art world - not only as a "copier" but as a legitimate painter in her own right.
I DID wonder why Claire didn't suspect that the painting she was looking for was at Sandra's. The sub-basement was a good idea as a hiding place, but I would have looked for it @ Sandra's first!
Loved it!
Wendy's Rating: *****
THEN, we get into art copying vs. art forging - and that whole process. Incredibly fascinating! This book was really well-written. It kept my interest - and kept me turning pages - despite an almost zero interest in painting before picking up this book. Despite the author describing, in detail, the processes involved in both painting and copying/forging, the details were so interesting - and the storyline so intriguing - that it ended up being a "page-turner".
I wasn't thrilled with the ending. I didn't necessarily hate it, but I was disappointed. Claire was like the pot calling the kettle black. Both Claire and Aiden lied by omission; they both knowingly and willingly committed a crime for the benefit of themselves; neither one was completely honest with the other. Who is Claire to judge Aiden so harshly, especially after she had been so harshly and unfairly judged by others in the preceding years?? I don't need to have nice, tidy, happy endings in books, but I wasn't crazy about this ending.
Art forgers and/or copiers are incredibly talented. Not only can they paint as well as the artist himself paints, they can study and mimic the brush stroke, pressure, colors, shading, layers of paint, style of the original artist. Quite impressive. I am happy that Claire's skill and artistry was finally acknowledged by the art world - not only as a "copier" but as a legitimate painter in her own right.
I DID wonder why Claire didn't suspect that the painting she was looking for was at Sandra's. The sub-basement was a good idea as a hiding place, but I would have looked for it @ Sandra's first!
Loved it!
Wendy's Rating: *****
Thursday, October 1, 2015
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I really do like dystopian novels. The Hunger Games trilogy will probably always be my favorite, but I like many other dystopian stories as well. The Maze Runner is one of them. It's interesting to me that it's always about children! The saying "our children are our future" really rings true in these books! The strongest, the fastest, the smartest.... Sometimes you forget that they are only children. I believe though that you can gather a group of people, regardless of age, and put them in a stressful situation and leaders will emerge.
I like Thomas, not only for his intelligence and strength, but for his compassion for others. I am really sad about Chuck, even though I wasn't surprised by his action. I actually wondered how he ended up being chosen for the maze trials in the first place. Chuck was a really nice person, but without any particular skill. Just made me wonder. I don't think he would have been happy about what's coming ahead for the survivors though! Who was he really named for? Charles Darwin doesn't seem to fit him, unless I missed something. And what's with "Group B"?? Totally curious about that!
I feel like we have only scratched the surface of this story. We don't even know much about Teresa. I am glad there is a girl involved! I didn't realize there was a prequel to The Maze Runner until I went to buy the book. I decided to read the books in the order the author wrote them, although it was tempting to read the prequel first! I am really curious about Teresa writing WICKED is good. It doesn't appear that is true...but we are early into the story I guess. I did not pick up on what WICKED stood for at all! It seemed obvious once I knew!
I am really looking forward to continuing with this story. I may even watch the movie, which I am usually reluctant to do. The Hunger Games movies are some of my favorites though, so I think it's worth a shot!
Wendy's Rating: ****
I like Thomas, not only for his intelligence and strength, but for his compassion for others. I am really sad about Chuck, even though I wasn't surprised by his action. I actually wondered how he ended up being chosen for the maze trials in the first place. Chuck was a really nice person, but without any particular skill. Just made me wonder. I don't think he would have been happy about what's coming ahead for the survivors though! Who was he really named for? Charles Darwin doesn't seem to fit him, unless I missed something. And what's with "Group B"?? Totally curious about that!
I feel like we have only scratched the surface of this story. We don't even know much about Teresa. I am glad there is a girl involved! I didn't realize there was a prequel to The Maze Runner until I went to buy the book. I decided to read the books in the order the author wrote them, although it was tempting to read the prequel first! I am really curious about Teresa writing WICKED is good. It doesn't appear that is true...but we are early into the story I guess. I did not pick up on what WICKED stood for at all! It seemed obvious once I knew!
I am really looking forward to continuing with this story. I may even watch the movie, which I am usually reluctant to do. The Hunger Games movies are some of my favorites though, so I think it's worth a shot!
Wendy's Rating: ****
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