Claudia > Recent Status Updates

Part of my brain loved this perilous and adventuresome coming-of-age story. After The Hunger Games and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, I really want another gripping against-all-odds triumph.

The other part of me kept hearing, “Yada yada yada.”

Too transparent?
Not as authentic in voice?
Too copy-cat?

This book fell short and I couldn’t rave about it, despite what many have said.

Abandoned

Abandoned…agreeing with other reviewers.
The detail is exceedingly narrow at times. The scope of the book and its historical place attracted me, but I, too, felt “talked to” rather than shown.

I’m appreciating the ways writers are confronting and illuminating colonial narratives, though the market seems saturated with the telling rather than showing writing.

Oh my…I hope to carve out some time this winter for this intriguing story. Sometimes the timing isn’t quite right for me when I pick up a book. I will try again.

Stuck…I was intrigued through much of the novel. Now I’ve stalled. It seems that once I have the gestalt, I lose interest in the author’s details.

Loving the characters…and I’ve stopped caring about the action/plot. Ha!

Abandoned—too transparent and formulaic

J’aime liser en Français du temps en temps.

I loved The Hummingbird's Daughter when I listened to Urrea narrate the story. Because of the sheer entertainment of listening to the author, I decided to listen to The House of Broken Angels. I'd started reading a while back and couldn't make it sing inside my head the way the author does. Oh, how I love his use of words. Listen, rewind, listen again. Urrea's characters are expertly drawn-so human, so transcendent.

This book's a motivator! It's just the right combination of prescription, anecdote, and inspiration to fire you up to prioritize your health and fitness. I flipped through and my eyes landed on a page that talked about gaining muscle mass into our 90s. I got right up and did a 42 minute session of strength training. Don't miss a workout--your future vitality depends on it!

A graveyard lark! Little Willie Lincoln dies and, in the voices of those who populate "limbo", we take a romp through a Civil War era ghost town of folks who've perished, yet find themselves stuck in the graveyard. Absolutely inventive prose! I find myself adoring a few of the specters even. Such personality! Clever beyond clever.

I've become a fickle reader. This book got rave reviews, and I was eager to read it. I wasn't impressed. I guess I wanted more...more insight...more reflection...more substance. It was a ho-hum read. Makes me appreciate memoirists who are good writers.

Just read The Round House by Louise Erdrich. Excellent!

I am reading The Apothecary by Maile Meloy. It's a wonderfully written adventure written for middle school readers.