Book Review - The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick

Title: The Minority Report  
Author: Philip K. Dick
Year: 2002 
Page: 112 
Genre: Fiction - Sci Fi

New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? Yes 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Police Commissioner John Anderton finds himself at the mercy of his own crime-prevention system when the prescient precogs he's hired to stop crime before it starts peg him as a soon-to-be murderer in Philip K. Dick's masterful short story The Minority Report. This slim volume is top-bound like an office account and perfectly timedthe movie version, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, is due out this summerbut whether fans will shell out the dough for a single short story that's available in various collections remains to be seen.

First Sentence:
The first thought Anderton had when he saw the young man was: I'm getting bald.

 
Why did I pick this book?
I came upon this book while browsing the library shelves. This book has a different format - it opens vertically. It is also a very slim book. I have heard of the movie Minority Report with Tom Cruise, and had heard good things about it but never watched it. I was intrigued by the different format of the book, and since most books are better than the movies, I thought I'd give it a try since it won't take that long to finish it anyway. It'll also expand my genre since I don't read a lot of sci-fi.


My thoughts:

• I'd call it a novella (or even a short story!) instead of a novel. But regardless what it is called, I enjoyed it! 

• It is definitely a plot-based story. Fast-paced. I wish it was written a little longer just so the characters could be developed more - I think that's why I don't usually like reading short stories because you don't really get to know the characters - and if you do care about them, you really want a longer story so they can hang around longer!

• It has a good plot twist, I didn't guess it. 

• However, I think if Anderton and his wife's relationship are developed more, it'd make a better story because it would explain more about the thoughts or decisions the characters make - why they acted the way they did. 

• I don't like sci-fi that's too out there, but this one is plausible so I think easier for me to read 

• I may borrow the movie at some point. I google the differences between the book and the movies, and there are some. Why do they do that? Why can't the movies just be true to the book? I mean, they bought the right because they like the book right, so why change?? Anyone watched the movie - is it worth watching?

 
Rating: 4 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - House Lust: America's Obsession With Our Homes by Daniel McGinn

Title: House Lust: America's Obsession With Our Homes
Author: Daniel McGinnx  
Year: 2008 
Page: 272 
Genre: Non-Fiction

New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? Maybe 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Despite the current downturn in the housing market, the country's mania for homes that exploded during the last half-decade is still alive and well, according to Newsweek writer McGinn. The fascination with homes—talking about, valuing, scheming over, envying, shopping for, refinancing, or just plain ogling homes—has continued even after the market has cooled, McGinn argues, and can be seen in the ongoing popularity of HGTV, the 24-7 real estate and home improvement cable channel and its flagship show, House Hunters. To prove his thesis, McGinn entertainingly explores the gamut of housing obsessions, from buying personally designed and oversized trophy homes, attempting large-scale renovations and spending obscene amounts of time on real estate Web sites such as Zillow and PropertyShark to actually going out and getting a real estate license, which McGinn himself does after only minimal training. It is this ability to get inside the actual lives of the housing-obsessed rather that relying purely on statistics to prove his point that makes this book as enjoyable as an episode of Flip This House, another popular housing reality show that McGinn cites in a book that is, at heart, all about behavior, not economics.

First Sentence:
Rachel Brownell is a financial analyst with three kids, but every so often she and some friends get together for a girls' night out.

 
Why did I pick this book?
I am interested in houses and watching shows on HGTV. I need to finish painting the houses and unpacking the boxes (we only moved in 3 years ago you know...) so thought I'd read this to motivate myself to work on house stuff. I found this while browsing at the library.

My thoughts:

• Well, I didn't finish the book. It wasn't bad, but it was just a bit... flat. The writing just didn't grip me.

• The author interviewed a lot of different families on different topics about home ownership, but some stories got repetitive... or sometimes, the author would start with 1 family, then went on to state other facts from research or insert his own opinion, then went back with that family... so the flow was a bit disjoint. 

• I think if I had nothing else to read in the house, I'd finish it. Nevertheless, there are too many other books I want to read more, so I decide to drop this one. When the mood strike again then maybe I'd borrow it again. 

• If anyone is interested in reading a memoir on remodeling an old house (which is a totally different book from this one as House Lust is NOT a memoir) - try All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House by David Giffels. It was a fun read, and I was amazed with what they had done! I love old houses (1920's or older), but we are so not handy that I don't feel comfortable buying something we have to restore or fix... our house is over 40 years old but still in good shape luckily... but definitely doesn't have the same characters as the older homes!

 
Rating: 0 Stars - Did Not Finish

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Title: Flowers for Algernon
Author: Daniel Keye
Year: 1966
Page: 274 
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult

New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? Yes 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence-a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon. As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?

First Sentence:

Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down waht I think and remembir and every thing that happins to me from now on.

 
Why did I pick this book? 
I forgot how I came to know about this book, probably saw it mentioned somewhere. I have never heard of it before, didn't know it's a classic. Didn't know there was a movie about it. But the premise sounded interesting to me and my ex-office mate said it was one of her favorite books, so I'd been looking forward to reading it!
 
My thoughts:

• Finally, I think I found a character-study book that I like. But I think this book has more of a plot than other character study books. It was fascinating to see Charlie's transition from the beginning till the end. Written as a diary ("progress report") format, you felt like you were right there with Charlie through his journey. 

• With the way the book was set up,  you also got to see how the others thought of Charlie through his change, and that might differ form how Charlie saw himself. I thought this added a dimension to Charlie's character - you got to see him from both 1st and 3rd person perspectives.

• I wish the part about Charlie and his father could have been explored a little more

• One sad part was how some people whom Charlie thought weren't his friends, really weren't, but he didn't realize it. Probably very realistic.

• I like the ending and thought it was appropriate

• I like the name Kinnian (Charlie's teacher's last name)

• If I had read it in high school, I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much as I do now. This is labeled as a young adult book, but I think it is more a book for adults. I probably would have found it boring if I read it back then... plus all those questions the teachers made you answered for each book, it'd just have put me off :)

• While I like this book, I don't love it thus 4 stars only. It made me think - what if there was such a technology - to make you smart? Would I have gone for this kind of experiment?

• The author also has written another book - Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey - about how and why he wrote the story (and supposedly how he came up with the name "Algernon") - I have borrowed it from the library and couldn't wait to hear what he had to say! I love reading about authors' thought processes. It also included the original short story Flowers for Algernon was based on, so it'd be interesting to compare the short and long versions.

Quote:

"All the levels, Charlie, like steps on a giant ladder. And you'll climb higher and higher to see more and more of the world around you." (p72)

Strange about learning; the farther I go the more I see that i never knew even existed. (p137)

 
Rating: 4 Stars

 

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult
  

CSN Stores

I kept seeing CSN Stores reviews or giveaway on other book blogs, so I was pleasantly surprised when CSN contacted me to see if I want to do a review!

I wish I had known about their site earlier - last year we were doing bathroom remodels, while the bathrooms were not totally gutted, it'd have been nice to have a site to browse for vanity, or faucets! I particularly like this Stein World 40" Vanity Desk and Stool Set in Soft Green:

If you have a chance, go to their website to take a look!

Gosh they have so many items on their site, I really need to spend some time to decide what to chose to review. Will definitely post an update once I have decided on the product and post the review!

Delicious Book Blog Directory

Callista from SMS Book Reviews has created something amazing The Delicious Book Blog Directory!

I have always wondered if there is such a directory where we can easy find blogs similar to our reading interests (especially since not many bloggers review non-fiction!) so THANK YOU Callista for taking the time and effort to get this started!

On on, go add your listing! See this post for more info on how to join!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Movie?

I was reading this article, Lit Takes a Hit in Hollywood, and learned that:

HBO got the book world's attention with its recent acquisition of Rebecca Skloot's nonfiction bestseller "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," for Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films to produce as an HBO tele-pic. The book's reps, UTA and Writer's House, were aggressive in shopping the tome to film and TV buyers months before it hit bookstores in February.

Interesting!

After reading the book, it didn't immediately entered my mind that it's book-to-movie material, but what do I know about the movie industry! I wonder if the story will focus on Henrietta, or the author Rebecca Skloot's quest to track down Henrietta's story?

Book Review - The Accidental Tourist: A Novel by Anne Tyler

Title: The Accidental Tourist: A Novel
Author: Anne Tylerx  
Year: 1985 
Page: 342 
Genre: Fiction


New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? No 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library (inter-library loan)

Summary (from amazon.com):
Scarred by grief after their 12-year-old son's senseless murder (he was shot by a holdup man in a Burger Bonanza), Macon and Sarah Leary are losing their marriage too. Macon is unable to cope when she leaves him, so he settles down ``safe among the people he'd started out with,'' moving back home with two divorced brothers and spinster sister Rose. Author of a series of guidebooks called ``Accidental Tourist'' for businessmen who hate to travel, Macon is Tyler's focus here, as she gently chronicles his journey from lonely self-absorption to an ``accidental'' new life with brassy Muriel, a dog trainer from the Meow Bow Animal Hospital, who renews and claims his heart. Not a character, including Macon's dog Edward, is untouched by delightful eccentricity in this charming story, full of surprises and wisdom. All of Tyler's novels are wonderful; thisher tenthis the best yet.

First Sentence:
They were supposed to stay at the beach a week, but neither of them had the heart for it and they decided to come back early.  

Why did I pick this book?
Book club read for May. Definitely wouldn't pick this on my own. But that's part of the reason I join the book club, so I'll read books I won't even know about otherwise!

My thoughts:

• Argh, can I have my 3 days back please?

• I almost gave up after a few chapters. If it weren't for the book club, I wouldn't have stuck to it. Now, it's not required that we finish the book for the meeting (I didn't finish one before), but it is easier to discuss the book when you do finish it, so I kept on reading... hoping for the best...

• While the characters were a bit different to your average everyday people, I didn't care for them at all. The only character I was slightly interested in was Muriel's young son Alex, and I was glad that Macon (the protagonist) at least was a somewhat positive influence on him

• I thought the story could have been a bit more interesting - I mean, Macon had an interesting job! He got to travel and try out hotels and restaurants! But the book really had no plot... it definitely was a character study and nothing really happened. You could sum up the plot in a couple of sentence. 

• The ending also ended quite abruptly that made you think, where did that come from? How did he come up with that decision? It wasn't explained, unlike the rest of the book which was quite descriptive of everything else...

• The cover isn't very attractive. But the quote I put below explain why there were wings on an armchair... 

• Apparently there is a movie based on the book too. This is not a book I would've picked to make a movie on. Won't be watching it... I will be bored.

• But there are lots of other good views online. So judge for yourself! You know I don't like slow books with no plot though :) Will be interesting to hear what the others say at the book club!

Quote:

"While armchair travelers dream of going places," Julian said. "traveling armchairs dream of staying put. I thought we'd use this on the cover." (p89)

 
Rating: 1 Star

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading