oh, jessica reads.

A Visit from the Goon SquadJennifer Egan2010Read: April 18,...

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:44:11 -0400

A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan
2010
Read: April 18, 2011

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a collection of short stories. What seem like individual stories detailing the lives of interconnected characters, eventually come together to form a singular novel with one main character touching the lives of everyone. Ultimately, you learn how time changes everyone, even if they do their best to escape it.

PersuasionJane Austen1818Read: April 9, 2011 - April 11,...

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:36:00 -0400

Persuasion
Jane Austen
1818
Read: April 9, 2011 - April 11, 2011

While the effect of people on one other (as well as on oneself) is certainly obvious throughout the book, there’s more to it. Austen’s typical themes of love, family wealth, and age take center stage as well.

PossessionA.S. Byatt1990Read: March 2011 Contemporary and...

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:51:00 -0400

Possession
A.S. Byatt
1990
Read: March 2011

Contemporary and historical romance, which touches on the desire for ownership between lovers (the struggle of independence and feminism in relationships), as well as the entitlement felt by biographers and historical scholars toward the lives of their subjects.

Not a typical choice for me, but read based on an excerpt I’d seen some months ago. Easy and captivating read as the story unfolds in the form of letters, diaries, poems, and third-person narrative.

Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen1813Read: January 7, 2011 -...

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:36:00 -0500

Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
1813
Read: January 7, 2011 - January 18, 2011 (via Kindle for Android)

Slow going at first, but my attachment to Elizabeth was so great I couldn’t read the final chapters fast enough. I couldn’t help but see distinct personality traits shared by her and I. Tough choice for my first book read on my phone. I would have loved to hold the book in my hands while curled up in a corner of the couch.

I feel a Jane Austen kick coming on.

The Five People You Meet in HeavenMitch Albom2003Read: December...

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:42:00 -0500

The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Mitch Albom
2003
Read: December 14, 2010 - December 15, 2010

You’ve probably read far better reviews of this book than I can write. Instead, I’ll share a story. I picked this book up in the local Salvation Army for just $1.99. Yes, I wanted to read it, but I must admit I really chose to buy it because of the inscription:

Dear Mike,
Happy 65th birthday to a wonderful guy! It’s great to know you’ll let me know how these years are just 6 months ahead. We’re so lucky to share great kids and grandchildren together.
Love,
Eileen and Steve

Is a book about dying really a good 65th birthday gift? Apparently not, if it’s in a thrift store.

The Time Traveler’s WifeAudrey Niffenegger2004Read:...

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:59:00 -0400

The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
2004
Read: September 14, 2010 - September 16, 2010

A wonderful story of love, frustration, and longing, which touches on the question of free will. Plus, it’s an incredibly easy read perfect for vacations and sunny afternoons.

Let the Great World SpinColum McCann2009Read: August 25, 2010 -...

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:21:00 -0400

Let the Great World Spin
Colum McCann
2009
Read: August 25, 2010 - September 3, 2010

Singular, beautiful story told through vignettes of 11 different characters united by shared experiences.

To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee1960Read: August 19, 2010 -...

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:13:14 -0400

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
1960
Read: August 19, 2010 - August 23, 2010

Reread one of my favorites, because summer always makes me think of Scout Finch.

A Happy MarriageRafael Yglesias2009Read: August 2010 A...

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:12:47 -0400

A Happy Marriage
Rafael Yglesias
2009
Read: August 2010

A tear-inducing story about the exciting beginning of love and the heart-wrenching end of it.

TinkersPaul Harding2009Read: August 2, 2010 - August 4, 2010

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:11:12 -0400

Tinkers
Paul Harding
2009
Read: August 2, 2010 - August 4, 2010

NoVAJames Boice2008Read: February 5 - 12, 2009 With this novel,...

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

NoVA
James Boice
2008
Read: February 5 - 12, 2009

With this novel, James Boice became my new favorite author. He has the incredible talent of insight and the ability to depict detail in a way that enthralls a reader. The novel has many characters, most of whom aren’t directly connected, but Boice does a great job of giving each his or her own voice.

The story begins at the end with the suicide of a 17-year-old boy, Grayson Donald. From there, the novel delves into the world of a Northern Virginia suburb in 1998. The book details the snobbery, isolation, dysfunction, and keeping up with the Joneses attitude of a subdivision perfectly. Anyone who has ever lived in a cookie cutter neighborhood will feel familiarity in this novel. Some of the characters are so spot on I had to burst out laughing while reading. The book explores what about his life drove Grayson to suicide and in the mean time exposes the idiocy and neuroses of the average suburbanite.

The book is insightful and caustic, disturbing but funny. I loved it.

(Confession: Despite the fact that I believe myself to have an extensive vocabulary, I had to read this book with a dictionary.)

Animation made for promotion of Sharp Teeth accompanied by a...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Animation made for promotion of Sharp Teeth accompanied by a reading of an excerpt from the novel.

Sharp TeethToby Barlow2008Read: January 17 - 20, 2009Favorite...

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Sharp Teeth
Toby Barlow
2008
Read: January 17 - 20, 2009
Favorite Passage: the bullet we’re running from / is almost never the one that hits us

Saying that I read a book about packs of werewolves in LA seems incredibly lame. In fact, I wasn’t so sure it was even worth checking this book out of the library. I admit that I can totally get behind Harry Potter, but fantasy isn’t usually my thing. Luckily, Sharp Teeth isn’t a fantastical novel. Instead, it’s a multi-faceted look at the city of LA in general and how lonely it can be.

Written in prose like an epic poem, Sharp Teeth tells a story of friendships, love, and loss from many different perspectives. Human or lycanthrope, each character suffers in some way by the end of the novel. Some in very gruesome ways. Often the book reads like a graphic novel, and the reader can easily see the scenes that Barlow sets. At times the gore and details can be nauseating (especially for me and my over-active imagination), but the story comes together in the end with a conclusion that’s more sweet than bitter. Depending on who you’re rooting for.

(Bonus: Toby Barlow is a creative director at JWT in Detroit, and we all know I am obsessed with advertising.)

Leather MaidenJoe R. Lansdale2008Read: January 2 - 3, 2009 I...

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Leather Maiden
Joe R. Lansdale
2008
Read: January 2 - 3, 2009

I admit that I am not a good reader of thrillers/suspense. I have a habit of trying to figure out the story before it unfolds itself. This usually results in me guessing what will happen correctly, and then being disappointed. That exact scenario happened a few times while reading this book, but I wasn’t discouraged. The story held my attention quite well. I intended to read this book on both my departing and returning flights between Philadelphia and Denver, but I couldn’t make it last that long. In fact, I read it the whole drive from Denver to Breckenridge and finished it along the way, despite numerous distractions by the breath-taking landscape.

The novel is well-written, dark, and even nauseating at times - a good combination for a thriller. Plus, the final twist took me entirely by surprise, which left me feeling the book was much less predictable than it originally seemed.

(Confession: I only checked this out of the library, because I liked the cover.)

Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë1847Read: December 2008 Wuthering...

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
1847
Read: December 2008

Wuthering Heights is billed as a love story, but many have trouble seeing it as such. Love may be the backbone of the novel, but the outward violence, cruelty, and selfishness are far easier to see.

The “love” that Emily Brontë depicts is in contrast to our accepted definition of the word. We often see love as beautiful, kind, and comforting - all rainbows and butterflies. The love between Catherine and Heathcliff is, instead, violent and all-encompassing. It’s an unstoppable force. They don’t actually have to be together in life or participate in the daily actions we associate with love to keep it alive.

While you may not like the characters (I admit I didn’t), I think you have to respect the notion of a love determined by nature rather than outlined by society’s norms. In that regard, Wuthering Heights could be the most romantic story ever written.