The Webs of Varok by Cary Neeper

I got this book through the Early Reviewers program of LybraryThing, and here is my review. 

What's the book about? 

This is the second installment of the Archives of Varok, by the same author. It's settled in a alternate 21st century where the Earth has gone in override with environmental and economical excess and we have found that one of Jupiter's moons, Varok, is inhabited by species physically different from us but with a lot to teach us on how we should take care of our planet and each Other. Tandra Grey a human, has decided to leave Earth with her new family, composed by a Varok named Orram and and Elll named Conn as well as an adopted daughter. When arriving to Varok, their new home, they realize that something is off with the planet and will have to figure out what it  is in order not only to save it but also to save their new family.

What was different of this book? 

I've never read a book with such a strong and blunt environmental message. That said...I have a problem with a book that keeps using "germs" as a term to refer to any type of pathogen. Is it the scientist in me? Maybe. But "germs" to me is the same as say "a thingy" instead of calling something by its proper name. Just saying.  

What about the main character? 

To be completely honest, I'm not 100% sure who was the main character, both Tandra and Conn have big parts, but so does Orram and Mahntik. I think they were all very complex characters, well constructed. However, none of them gave me any feeling of empathy or connection. Tandra is the first-person narrator of portions of The Webs of Varok, like her voyage to Varok with her other family members. Other parts, like when we read about Mahntik conspiring with Gitahl, are in the third-person, and that for me made it even harder to "adopt" a character.  

The 10% moment 

It took me an awful lot of time to read this book and that also applies to getting to the 10%. I wasn't caught in the story I'm afraid. I don't know if it was due to me not reading the first book, but every review I saw said that it was ok if you didn't. There was something missing for me to fall for the characters. 

Final thoughts 

The message is very nice, very well delivered. An interesting dissertation if you may on how bad monopolies can be, how abusing the environment can have catastrophic consequences for everyone. The book is beautifully written with enough details for you to picture the varokian environment. The intrigue...well, it was sort off there but there was no climax for me, and the conclusion was weak, in my opinion. I was expecting more development on Mahntik's abilities as well as the struggle of Tara to adapting to a new home. I can see the potential in this book, but it was just not for me.

I am hesitant as to consider this book as Science Fiction since I didn't really see any science part developed. Sure there is the threat of the (ugh) new strains of germs being released as a bioweapon...but I wished there was more about this strains, what do they do, how were they developed. Not a comprehensive text book description, but something more. I almost feel tempted to put it under Fantasy more than SciFi if one might need to choose a genre.

Because of all these reasons I gave this a 2/5, it was a good book, but not a good book for me.

TSS: It has finally happened...

...I liked the movie better than the book. Not only that, I preferred the movie to the book!

This, my friends, happened with one of my latest read Idon't know how she does it by Allison Pearson. I went to this book looking for something short and sweet. Something to change my mind. And in that sense it worked...but I did not like the book.

It was well written, it was easy to read in the sense that sentences were well constructed and carried well. But the characters!!! I wanted to slap almost every single one of them, particularly the main character, Katy. 

The character in the book is an overworked mother that convinces everyone that she can handle everything that life throws at her while at the same time complains only to herself and maybe her cabby about the fact that actually she can't. She chews the inside of the cheek not to point out that her nanny/ cleaning lady/ colleagues/ husband/ everybody really, are not really helping her at all and maybe if they all worked together they could manage. 

The character in the movie, complains, sure, and also tries to convince everybody that she can tackle life...but she TALKS. She has actual conversation with her husband, she actually stands for herself at the end and most importantly for me he says the only thing I know is that it won't be perfect, but I can't and I won't give in.

So there you have it, my first. Has it ever happened to you? Similar genre or completely different?

Have a great week!!!

I don't know how she does it: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother by Allison Pearson

What's the book about?

This is the story of a working mother and how she "juggles" her life. Katy is a fund analyst, and apparently she is very good at it. She has 2 kids and a husband that love her, although they barely see her; a nanny that gets better benefits than she does; a housekeeper that can't do much and barely no social life. This is the story of how she tries to make everything work.

What was different of this book?

I guess that what makes it different from other chick-lit books is that it touched a couple of "sensitive" topics. Other than that, I feel like it was pretty much the same formula that we always have: heroine has a problem, but she also likes shopping, and is oh so hard to do everything in heels, but she does it at the end.

 

What about the main character?

I did not like Katy at all. Look, I know I am not a working mother, but I am a woman working in a (still) men dominated environment. Although there is more an more female professors in the institute right now, it still feels like a boy club. So I get the part that raising in your work as a woman is hard. That said...Katy puts everything on her shoulders and then complains that she has to big of a burden. Her nanny practically abuses her and she says nothing, but when a friend's nanny does something as reproachable her first advice: Fire her. Do as I say not as I do. All along is like that. She wants people to understand that is hard, but does everything in her power not to let it show. I get that the main competition we always have is with ourselves, we always want to do better. But you can't complain and complain and do nothing about it.

The fact that she mothers EVERYONE!

And while I'm talking about Katy, let me tell you about Richard, her husband. Do I know that men are wired different that women and hence process information differently? Yes, I know that. Do I think that Richard is a big incompetent? Yes, yes I do. Partially Katy's fault for patronizing him. But is like he is oblivious to what's happening in Katy's life and since the situation doesn't work to his liking, he takes the simple (IMO) way out.

The 10% moment

Although I passed through the 10% of this book like a breeze, I was already saying to myself: she will change, right? She will awaken and then show them all...she did at the end kind off to something cool...but I was so mad at her for 3/4 of the book that it wasn't enough

Final thoughts

I will expand this thoughts later, but you guys...this books was ok, just ok. So much that I actually, for the first time ever, liked the movie better than the book. They took the best moments (in my opinion) and built a whole new panorama with characters that I enjoyed far better than the ones in the book. 

TSS: Judging a person by the cover of the book they hold.

On Wednesday Book Rioter Rebecca Joines Schinsky sheared with us a short piece entitled: Margaret Atwood Says It’s OK toRead Whatever You Want, and it got me thinking about how many times I feel like I have to defend what I am reading to others.

I'm not clean of fault you see, since I also look at other people's books in the metro or...well, basically everywhere. Just the other day we went to the spa (don't you love spas?) and for the nth time I forgot to bring a book for the relaxation room, but I didn't help to notice another girl reading 50 shades of Grey. I remember thinking that I wouldn't want to be seen reading that book...but that has more to do with the fact that now a days EVERYONE knows what the book is about and I would feel very awkward if anyone would ask me about it...I'm turning red right now, so let's move one.

For a long time I felt defensive when anyone asked me if I read Twilight. -Yes, I would answer, but I was a teenager (read: I didn't know what I was doing), it was a long time ago, blah blah. The thing is, I did know what I was doing, and mind you, it wasn't that long ago. But the look in their faces! I felt the need to say that I was also reading something like Dostoyevsky (which incidentally I have never read) or Dawkins, just in case they where thinking I was a stupid bubblehead.

And then  we have the other case, when I was reading books like 1Q84, The Interrogation or Faust. -Why would you read that? (the appalled face was more common at school than in later years, reading wasn't cool I guess) and apparently saying -Because I felt like it, wasn't good enough because we go back to my sensation of being harshly judged.

Here is the thing. When I was reading 1Q84 I was having a very good time, with all the things happening (good or bad) in the book. I was being fully entertained. And as it so happens, so I was when I was reading Twilight. Granted, the entertainment was different, just as I loved going to The Nutcracker this Christmas and then I watched Family guy and laugh my ass off. They are both relevant for my entertainment, they just fill different moments of my life. 

Just last year I mentioned me liking what people call "light books" (I call them sherbet books thank you very much) as a dirty little secret. But I mentioned it there, I do not feel bad about reading this books. I do not go around proclaiming I do, but I don't do that about any book either. That is call bragging people, and no one likes that. 

Anyway, this post is mostly because reading Rebecca's post made me  think about it more consciously. It made me realize that at some point in my life I manage to stop caring (that much) about  what other thought about my reading list, and I think we should all do the same. I will still mention the good points that a book has, in my opinion, but I don't expect nor hope to change anyone's opinion, just to express my own. And if you feel the same, great! And if you still don't...maybe one day you won't need to defend your book, just say I like it because of this, but if you don't...is ok too.

P.S: I finally made the time to post the reviews for Bossypants and Dead Reckoning if you feel like staying here a bit longer. 

Have a great week

Reading frustration

I've been trying to finish reading a certain article. It has taken me the whole day. Is not that long, 7 pages, and yet I haven't made it through page 3. I've been having a similar problem with a book. I don't want to put the book down, because I won it and it seems only fair to finish it and give my review. I can't put down the article because I need to read it for a class...and then it hit me. I am reading frustrated. 

Is not the article's or the book's entire fault as one could've thought at first. I have a bunch of frustration at work and instead of being able to escape I'm reading a book with very big environmental agenda and an article far from my field that keeps sending me to google terms. So I get more frustrated...and so the wheel spins, and I'm a bundle of frustration. It doesn't help that I'm trying to loose the weight I gain during the holidays and hence I've been controlling my comfort foods. Do not fear I am not starving myself. I can't and I won't do that. But I'm staying away from pizza and chocolate for a while. 

Anyway, back to the problem. I think that's why it was so easy to read Bossypants. It was far from everything happening at work (or real life if you prefer), it was light hearted, it was funny. I picked up Dead reckoning hoping for something like that too, something that would lighten my mood...I was disappointed.

What do you guys do when this happens to you? I just reserved I don't know how she does it at the library. It has mixed reviews, but if is anything like the shopaholic series it should be light, not too demanding and might take out of this spiral. Any advice?