Books

I make one little comment on the blog about having an affinity for signed books and they start popping up. For the record I also like DVDs, I need a new suit, maybe some gift certificates...oh and you can just buy yourself stuff, too, from Amazon, just click on my links ;).

It is truly a family affair, both sisters and the sister-in-law-to-be. Thank you Alison for my package. It is a good thing that you asked if I had gotten it yet though, it was placed by my front door. I NEVER go out my front door. Who knows how long it would have sat there...

I have always wanted to read David Sedaris (author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Naked) so thank you for my signed copy of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. I am very excited.

Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon, will begin promoting his new book, and second in the Inheritance Trilogy, Eldest in New York and moving on to 22 cities.

A complete list of the tour stops is listed Here.

Appearance of note:
Michigan
Wednesday, August 31st at 7:00 pm
Borders Bookstore
3527 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Eldest comes out on August 23, 2005. Preorder a copy Here.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Rob is a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend, Laura, has just left him for the guy upstairs, and Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection? Rob seeks refuge in the company of the offbeat clerks at his store, who endlessly review their top five films (Reservoir Dogs...); top five Elvis Costello songs ("Alison"...); top five episodes of Cheers (the one where Woody sang his stupid song to Kelly...). Rob tries dating a singer whose rendition of "Baby, I Love Your Way" makes him cry. Buy maybe it's just that he's always wanted to sleep with someone who has a record contract. Then he sees Laura again. And Rob begins to think (awful as it sounds) that life as an episode of thirtysomething, with all the kids and marriages and barbecues and k.d. lang CDs that this implies, might not be so bad.

Buy it from Amazon | Discuss it

For the record, I do accept bribes. Oh, say you are going to be joining my family, by maybe marrying my brother. Dropping off an autographed copy of Nick Hornby's latest novel, A Long Way Down is a great start. If you are unfamiliar with the name Nick Hornby, you might be more familiar with some of his work.

High Fidelity (book - movie)
About A Boy (book - movie).

Thank you for my book, Kristen.

With only a yellowing photograph in hand, a young man--also named Jonathan Safran Foer--sets out to find the woman who may or may not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war; an amorous dog named Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior; and the unforgettable Alex, a young Ukranian translator who speaks in a sublimely butchered English, Jonathan is led on a quixotic journey over a devastated landscape and into an unexpected past.

As stated in the synopsis of the book, a young American (Jonathan) flies to the Ukraine in search of a woman who allegedly saved his grandfather from German soldiers. While in country he meets up with his translator (Alex) and driver (Alex's grandfather).

The book is laid out in what I understood to be three different formats. The first of which was Jonathan, the American's book which is a work of his family's history. There were some extraordinary happenings in his ancestry; many of them are then detailed on paper. The second style that at first glance may seem to be actual events as they occurred as if Alex were the main character recounting them; I interpreted as Alex's book. Both characters, then, are young authors. The third and final format (italicized) is Alex's letters to Jonathan.

The back and forth between the three different formats was annoying at first. The hardest part was Jonathan's family history. Before you realize it you are plunging generations into the past to a small village in Eastern Europe to follow the lives of characters that ultimately have little to do with the plot. Next you have Alex's narration and perspective both in his letters to Jonathan and also his telling of the story. Alex speaks English, though he struggles. Certain things he says, like many (in my experience) who are branching out into a language other than their primary, are too literal in their translation. This is funny at first as my American arrogance allows me to laugh at Alex, which is fine. I believe it was put in to be funny. After it was funny, it became tiresome. The gimmick of having someone who speaks broken English try to express himself as he tells tales of his sexual prowess only goes so far. It wore thin.

Like almost every other book, Everything is Illuminated has quotations of praise from "respectable" members of the media. There was some very high praise for author Foer. I had no problem with my expectations, they were not exalted due to the praise, but as I read I did remember the praise on the back and was disappointed...to a point. That point came with about 100 pages to go. When young Jonathan has reached his grandfather as he digs through layers of genealogy, specifically once his grandfather meets the gypsy girl, the book was transformed.

To be fair, I do need to circle back and discuss the relationship between Alex and Jonathan. The timeline of Alex's letters was: funny - tiresome - worthwhile. There is a turning point in his correspondence with our young protagonist that beyond which I viewed Alex in a new, significantly more positive, light.

(I am not positive which happened first, this specific happening or the introduction of Jonathan's grandfather to the gypsy girl. I apologize if Alex changed first, for my above comment about when the book "got good" is inaccurate.)

I had a slow time through the beginning of the book, but I was captivated towards the end. The remaining pages were though they were written by someone else. My thought was that the story was in that final 100 pages and what came before it was filler. The author had an idea and had to wrap it in story. When I saw author John Sandford speak he advised that, when writing, your last four chapters would be your best writing and it would take much editing so the level was that throughout. Maybe Sandford is right, maybe Foer just did not go back and edit. Who knows? At this point it does not matter. Foer earned his praise with Everything is Illuminated.

I was worried when I read that the book was about an incident that happened during the Nazi regime. I became apprehensive of a book that would then be too deeply rooted in the historical significance of the war. I did not want to read a book like that. As it turns out, I did not have to. The war is mentioned; but it comes to light in a way that made me wish for more.

The author set the hook and reeled me in. I recommend this book, but do ask that you be patient.

Buy Everything is Illuminated $11.16

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