Jennifer’s blog

Here's my review of "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins. 

Here is my review of "The Hunger Games."

If you wish to read my review on Oprah's newest choice...Here is it....

Here is the link to my newest review.

I've just discovered Google reader, and it has an Iphone App!! 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog [An Unabridged Production(9 Hours)]

Muriel (Author); Barbery

Reason for Reading: The RBC book club chose this book, and unfortunately I was going on vacation when the discussion began. Once I came back, I began reading it. 

Review:

In short, this book is a must read. When I first started the book, I thought it was a very “odd” book. Once I started reading it, I thought it was hilarious. My favourite entry would be “Journal of the Movement of the World No. 2.” 

I really enjoyed the character Mmd. Michel and Paloma. It was very interesting to see their views on the world. They both seem to believe that everyone and everything has a role to play in life, and there is no way around it. Mmd. Michel believes she is the concierge of the building and nothing more. She doesn’t even think of herself as a neighbour. She hides her intelligence because as a concierge she must fit into her stereotype and the overall hierarchy. Paloma is afraid to become an adult and plans to commit suicide before her 13th birthday. It seems that Paloma believes adults are tarnished. Her mother has been in therapy for ten years, and she clearly has issues with her father and sister. Paloma  begins to drink “tea” rather than coffee because coffee is a nasty persons drink. Paloma views tea as “elegant and enchanting.” 

When Mr. Ozu comes to live in their building, Mmd. Michel is no longer able to hide. He has a suspicion that she is not merely a concierge, he believes her cat is named after Tolstoy and he begins to observe her. Eventually, Mmd. Michel gives in to her convictions. She comes out of her shell, and befriends Mr. Ozu. I believe her change brings out hope in Paloma, and ultimately saves her. 

This book  is a must read, it’s entertaining and really makes you think. 

I believe this quote sums up the book. 

“I derived two certainties: the strong live and the weak die, and their pleasure and suffering are proportionate in the hierarchy. Lisette has been beautiful and poor, I was intelligent and indigent but like her I was doomed to a similar punishment if I ever sought to make use of my mind in defiance of my class. Finally, as I could not cease to be who I was either, it became clear to me that my path would be one of secrecy: I had to keep silent about who I was, and never mix with that other world."

The White Tiger

Rating 5/5

This book was really great. I didn't realize it was from the same author of Q&A (Slumdog Millionaire). This is a story about a poor boy trying to find his way in modern India. This poor boy miraculously rises to become a rich man's taxi driver. He is suppose to give the money he makes back to his family, but he decides to keep the money for himself. It seems that everyone in this story is corrupt. I didn't want to put this book down. A must read!

The Historian (only half read)

I could not finish this book. It wasn't that it was not interesting, I just could not get into it. So, I put it aside for now. I'll pick it up at a later date.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 2/5

This book was a disappointment. I felt like nothing was happening in the book. 

Escape 5/5

This book was great. It's the story of Carolyn Jessop. She managed to escape the FLDS community. She comes from six generations of polygamous. After their prophet started preaching about an apocalypse she feared the saftely of her family. Her husband was a prominent figures in the community and she new that her family would be uprooted to follow the leader. She fled to a safehouse, and had to fight her husband in court for custody of her children. She was the first woman to win in court. I was sad to learn her oldest daughter returned to the community on her 18th birthday.

The Road 5/5

I read this book after it was recommended to me by a coworker. It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months. The characters remain nameless. The mother commits suicide when she feels that life is unbearable. She decides that this is her only power and does not want to die of starvation.

Finger Licken Fifteen 5/5

This is the fifteenth book of the Stephanie Plum series. I love these books! Every summer I wait for the new one to be released. This book did not disappoint. Stephanie Plum is still a horrible bounty hunter. Her friend Lula witness' a murder and instead of hiding from them she tries to find them to win the million dollar prize. Grandma Mazur still loves funerals and Stephanie's mother still wishes she would get a "normal" job.

The Shack 3/5

I don't know what I expected from this book. I think I wanted more. It was weird for me that God appeared as a woman. The main character jumps into the water to save his son in a canoe accident, and in the mean time his daughter is kidnapped. She is murdered and Mackenzie being living with a great sadness. He receives a letter from "Papa" (GOD) and is told to return to the shack where is daughter was raped and murdered. His weekend in the shack is where is confronts God. It was an interesting read, but I wanted more.