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Book: Menachem's Seed
Author: Carl Djerassi
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 192
Rating: 2/5
The widowed Melanie Laidlaw is the director of a foundation that supports research in reproduction. Menachem Dvir is a married nuclear engineer living in Israel. They meet at a conference and are immediately drawn to one another. Djerassi explores the themes of scientific ethics, sex, and nuclear proliferation in this novel about the dilemmas that advancement of science places us in.
This book had a lot of potential. Djerassi's writing style is good, but he weaves too many divergent themes into a novel and barely skims the surface of any of them. I picked this book for my Book A Month challenge theme because one of the themes was the Melanie's desire to become a mother and the lengths that she went to achieve that goal. This theme could have made a great novel, but instead it was compromised by the other avenues that Djerassi chose to explore.
Next up: The Warden
18/50 books read
6600/15000 pages read
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- Mood:
thoughtful
sadI don't have a lot of knowledge of horse/veterinary sciences so I'm honestly incredulous that a broken leg is a death sentence.
- Mood:
indescribable
Thanks eb!
- Mood:
impressed
:)
- Mood:
silly
- Mood:
happy
Author: Gregory Maguire
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Pages: 568
Rating: 3/5 stars
I loved Wicked so I was very much looking forward to this retelling of the Cinderella story. Confessions is intriguing. In retelling the fairy tale of Cinderella, Maguire creates the fairy tale of the Ugly Stepsister, complete with its own wicked witch and over-arching morality tale. This book fit into the book of the month challenge even better than I realized because Maguire analyzes what beauty is in this novel. The character of Cinderella is physically beautiful, but she is timid and petulant. Iris, the youngest stepsister, is plain in features, but has a genuine heart. Maguire finds imaginative ways to explain the magic of the original Cinderella tale and manages not to leave you yearning for Bibbity bobbity boo.
Next up: Kenilworth
15/50 books read
5666/15000 pages read
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15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and dearjanesociety)- Mood:
nerdy
I understand what he's saying here, but sometimes a movie is just a movie, and maybe this is the opportunity for parents to talk to their kids?
- Mood:
surprised
UPDATE: They rescinded the policy, but I'm still appalled that it was ever in effect.
- Mood:
tired
Author: John W. Milton
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 550
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This month's Book A Month Challenge theme was "craft." I chose to read The Fallen Nightingale by John Milton, which is a fictionalized account of the life of Enrique Granados, a Spanish composer and pianist. He lived during the turn of the 20th Century, and counted among his friends and colleagues some of the best artists of that time. He was a piano virtuoso from an early age, but because Spanish composers were not as well received as French and Italian during that era, he taught piano to make ends meet. The novel is a moving account of the process of writing music, from the inspiration to the premiere. The author illustrates the difficulty of finding venues for new music and the inherent prejudices against regional artisans. I greatly enjoyed reading about how Granados harnessed his "butterflies" to make beautiful music.
Next up: Undaunted Courage and The Golden Compass
11/50 books read
3855/15000 pages read
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- Mood:
accomplished
Politicians and the media focus on some stupid sh*t.
And no, this isn't sponsored by LJers for Obama. I am/was an Edwards supporter. This endless campaign is just starting to piss me off.
- Mood:
annoyed
However, should this be the thing that brings him down when Troopergate didn't? I dunno. I think back to other politicians that people think are so grand (JFK?, RFK?) who had serious issues keeping it in their pants. Why is America so puritanical and yet salaciously devours the sordid details of other people's lives?
I don't get it.
Anyway, meet the new NY Gov: http://gothamist.com/2008/03/12/meet_you
EDIT: If it turns out that he used public money to finance his romps, then he should absolutely fry.
- Mood: curious
- Mood: shocked
Woman: Oh, you got an iced coffee? Where do they sell those around here?
Man: This is actually Hennessey.
Ha! Happy Friday!
- Mood: amused
- Mood: surprised
