#0019A The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

It really took me forever to read this book. Another NYTimes best seller and yet I wonder why I was on there. Although I can see why people would like it, I just did not. The synopsis sounded great.

A fifty-something year old concierge is one protagonist. She dumbs herself down because someone with her status should not be intelligent. The second protagonist is a twelve year old genius who has figured out how life truly is for most adults and has decided to commit suicide on her 13th birthday.

So, basically the book has the two characters bloom in personality and show how they are on the inside, outside. It really sounded like a good book to me. One thing that really bothered me was the two characters did not meet until like the last 100 pages. The fifty year old's chapters I could easily understand and follow, while the 12 year old's chapters were more difficult for me to get. I figured out how the book would end after a couple of chapters in. So, it was no surprise and it made me more depressed. Life should not have turned out that way for them. But all books cannot be cheerful. 3 stars.

#0028K: Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Vonnegut is a favorite author of mine. Out of the books I own of his, Mother Night is the only one that I'd only read once. This would be the second time- 2009's first re-read, too!
This second time through was probably much like the first. I didn't remember terribly much of it. I've not seen the movie yet, either.
Mother Night is about an American in Germany during WWII. He was a writer and ended up being recruited as an American spy. He was to write and relay Nazi propaganda through coded radio broadcasts. The code was a series of stutters and coughs that was presented to him by persons unknown. As such, he had no idea the kind of information he was giving to the Americans.
After the war ended, he lived a quiet life, for the most part. Those who knew his name either loved or hated him. During the course of this story, Jerusalem begins looking for him to put him to trial. This sparks a series of meetings with new folks and a continuance of the lie he was living while he was a Nazi.
The style of this novel is somewhat unlike other Vonnegut novels, but still retains his charm. It's more serious and less bumbling, but still heart-wrenching. Vonnegut himself was a survivor of the attacks on Dresden, so much of his own experience is felt through his texts. I'd like to think that writing was a sort of catharsis for him, but one can never be sure. All I know is, "he's in Heaven now." 4.5 stars

#0027K: How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers

Alyse and I both read and reviewed another title by Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity! and had both enjoyed it greatly. The same friend who lent me that book to read dropped off How We Are Hungry a few nights ago. It is a collection of short stories, ranging from about a page long to twenty pages in length.
The subject matter varies greatly, as does the writing style. First person, second person, and third person narratives are all employed. One first "person" is actually told by a dog in "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned".
Eggers is addicting. I've only read two book-style works of his, but I was unable to put either one down until the end. His words really shine. In How We Are Hungry, one short story brings back Hand and Pilar, two characters from YSKOV! and briefly mentions the main character as well. I appreciate the continuation. 4 stars

#0026K: The Opoponax by Monique Wittig

This novel is a French translation. I came across it at a free market, and it seemed promising. One of the quotes on the back of the book reads "It is a remarkable and very important book because it is governed by a single iron rule: that is, to use nothing but pure description conveyed by purely objective language. A masterpiece."- Marguerite Duras
And indeed, that's precisely how the book is written. I feel that it enables the reader to have a very intimate relationship with the story. There is a main character, but the prose switches easily between third-person and second-person narrative. Second-person narrative is extremely rare, unless you're reading a choose-your-own sort of story.
There are no paragraphs in the novel, and only 4 different sections continuing the same story. It rapidly takes you through life as a toddler up through high school (would be my guess, anyway...). I suggest it mainly for the experience of reading such a unique book. 3.5 stars

#0025K: Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick

Jason Taverner does not exist. Not in any legal files, anyway.
We are introduced to Taverner as a television celebrity with over thirty million viewers. That is, until he wakes up in a parallel universe where nobody knows who he is. He is suddenly an unperson. The rest of the story follows him as he tries to figure out where his identity went. None of his old friends or coworkers recognize him or his name. He has no ID cards, there is no record he was even born.
Philip K. Dick explores the metaphysical in this futuristic novel. Futuristic is an interesting term to use, as the year we start in is 1988 and the society we are introduced to is very, very "advanced". I put that in quotes since there is little mention of technology, but the world is a very different place (named Terra, in fact) and we have contact with Mars. Neat!
Before April, I hadn't explored the realm of science fiction, and I'm finding a slight interest in novels that lean that way. I suppose I'm just a sucker for good writing and Dick makes excellent use of the English language. No wonder it won a Hugo award! I was able to devour all 233 pages of this book within a day, with slight regret that I didn't take longer to let it all soak in. I feel like it was a good chaser to the Tom Robbins book I just finished off, though. Heck, I'd even say that their writing styles are more closely linked than Robbins' and Vonnegut's!
Enough babbling. I will surely be reading more Philip K. Dick, and I hope you pick up some of his works as well. 5 stars

#0018A Twilight - Stephanie Meyers

Yikes. I know that I'm going to get a lot of crap from this, but whatever. It helps with my goal of 1000 books.

A lot of people are embarrassed to say that they read this book, and don't even think about liking this teenie bop novel, but yes most do. Basically I was in the mood for a love story, that was clean, and it was the only one lying around in my place.

The writing however is quite easy to read. I believe the reason why girls like it so much is because Edward treats Bella the way every girl wants to be treated. Plus, there is so much tension in the book you don't want to put it down. I have not read Stephanie Meyer's The Host, but from what I've heard, her writing is the exact same as the Twilight Saga. But she is a first time author by accident.
Even though I know people will make fun of me, this is a good book. Mentally, no, it's not, but for a quick mindless read, it's quite good. 4.5 stars

#0024K: The Poetics of Music by Igor Stravinsky

I am a big fan of Stravinsky. I nerd out over his music all the time (with the scores, when I have access), and I've even made a stencil of the man's portrait. Imagine my elation when I found The Poetics of Music at a book store in Texas for $4. Beautiful.
Back in March I learned that Stravinsky was friends with Dylan Thomas (a favorite poet of mine) and they were set on creating an opera together. Thomas' untimely death prevented that, however. Stravinsky enjoyed the company of Picasso as a contemporary, and as such Picasso was considered for set design for an opera by Stravinsky. The man had connections. His friends were vast and wonderful, and my heart flutters a bit to think of such minds coming together.
The Poetics of Music is a transcript of a series of lectures Stravinsky did. There are 6 lessons, each focusing on a different faculty of music. By the end of the lessons, one comes to realize the unifying features inherent in all humans, in all music, and perhaps with the Superior Being.
5 stars.

#0023K: Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

This book arrived at my door with my friend in it's hand. Or something to that effect. Still Life was my first venture into the world of Tom Robbins, and I have to say I enjoyed it. His writing style reminded me of a slightly more polished, slightly vulgar Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. That is to say, certain things were uncomfortable, but fluent enough to be amusing rather than offensive... though I feel he lacks the sort of bumbling charm that Vonnegut seems to keep in his pockets.
Still Life was nearly a fractured fairytale. Our main character happens to be a princess with a pet frog. She falls in love with a self-proclaimed outlaw who's got a passion for making things go "boom boom". And on and on, in that fashion for approximately 277 pages.
The description on the book cover calls it "sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes." That sentence is likely the first thing you'll read from the tangible object of the book (aside from the title, of course), the first thing you'll forget about it, and the first thing to make sense once you've finished.
I find little use in trying to describe the narrative, as I think it should just be read, but let me give another thumbs up to the word play employed by Robbins. His wit is rather charming. At the moment, I feel like I'm making this novel out to be something less-than-desirable. Disregard any such notion. 4.5 stars

#0022K: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Driving from Connecticut down to North Carolina in the beginning of may, I heard an interview with Michael Pollan on the radio, which I found erudite and most engaging. Then, when I was in line to purchase books for the first session of summer school, I saw that it was 15% off and decided to purchase.
This book opens up a whole world of things we as comsumers hardly think about. The three main lessons are Eat food. Mostly plants. Not a lot. Seems like common sense, yeah? But then, before reading this, I felt like I was a healthy eater. While reading this, I was condemning myself for things that I had bought. The whole food industry is messed up and needs a resurfacing. I highly recommend this book to those who are health conscious and/or curious about the evolutionary history of food as a culture. We have things all wrong, and it is just a matter of time before we start moving in the right direction (which may be back in time!). 5 stars.

#0021K: The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester

I got this book waaaay back in September and just got around to reading it in the past month or so. It's about a subject I'm very interested in0 lexicography. More specifically, it was on the process of the conception, creation, and eventual publication of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Winchester writes in a most befitting style, making excellent use of his evident intellect and wide vocabulary, which I greatly appreciated. There's a certain charm to reading about a dictionary and needing a dictionary to further clarify some of the words used. I've got a list next to me as I write of words I learned thanks to The Meaning of Everything.
Winchester is also the author of another book on the OED titled The Professor and The Madman, which is not currently in my possession. I'd given it to my dad for Christmas a few years ago, and I hope to get my hands on it when he's done. The two men referenced by the title were discussed briefly in The Meaning of Everything.
Being a word nerd and hopeful future lexicographer, I give this 5 stars.