The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

First impression

I've read so many references to this book, and yet had never approached it. I finally did and how I am happy I finally got to it.

Final thoughts

2 years ago, when my brother came to visit for Christmas I asked him to try to read the book, since I've heard it pleased even the most reluctant of readers. You see, he doesn't like reading, which off course kills me, and I am always in the quest for a book that might work for him, because I would so love to share this with him. Anyway, he made it to page 20 and that was it. So I thought maybe the hype was wrong and finally decided to try it for myself this year. The hype is not wrong, and I have come to terms with the fact that my brother is not a reader.

J.D. Salinger tells the story of a sixteen year old (that somehow I kept picturing like the younger version of Don Draper, including the sleek look) boy named Holden Caulfield. He is facing yet another probable expulsion. He hates phonies (he will let you know that several times) and the story basically shows him a couple of days before winter break, in New York where he meets with Sally, a past girlfriend; goes to a bar and sees his sister; all described with the most cynical and depressive typical voice of a teenager sprinkled with an amazing vocabulary.

One thing that I found extremely fun of this book was the way the dialogue jumped from the page in the way I feel old movies do (think 1930s, which I guess makes sense since Salinger was 16 at this time, and hence he wrote a teenager who spoke the way he did) and so the whole rhythm of the book goes fast and fun and snappy. I loved it. Caulfield is sad, he is depressed it seems to me, but he doesn't know it. He has a lot of disdain for others and yet...and yet he melts into puddles for his sister...the way I would do anything for my brothers.

I was not expecting for this book to touch so many inner fibers, but it did. I can see why it has been challenged over the years; I suppose a teen that behaves like Caulfield does can be deemed inappropriate to some audiences. But I also think people should see Caulfield for what it represents and not as "just a 16 year old who is discontent with this life". He is, to me at least, that part of ourselves that is always weird out by the society around us. This part might be louder in some and almost a whisper in other, but it is always there.

I know there are a lot of subtle details that I probably missed in my first read. There is so much I always miss in book that is written by someone with a different idiosyncrasy, a different culture. But that is not surprise. However, I was a teenager not long ago, and all that represents being in that limbo that is adolescence is beautifully represented in this book. I don't often re read books, but I see myself going back to this one, and probably bringing this review to a full 5. The only reason why is not there yet is because I feel there is still something left in the book for me that I haven't gotten out yet, and so I intend to find it and when I do so, I will revise this review and tell you: I found it!

Nonfiction November: Be the Expert

This week is the Expert Week, and I have chosen to be the expert, and hence give some recommendations to you for this Non-Fiction November. Being that I am a Science PhD student AND I saw how many of you seemed interested on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I decided to go with the science theme. All the books are already published and available ;)

If you have someone in your life that is starting their Science studies I recommend Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson. I read this book last year and as someone who is still a student I can tell you, frustration becomes a constant. However, this tiny book is full of words of someone who has done great things in his field and can tell you for sure why and how not to despair. It even made me cry a bit and I gave it to my little cousin who started her Biology Undergrad studies this year too. 

 

If you liked or want to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because you want to know a bit more about cancer and it's history, I would recommend Pandora's DNA by Lizzie Stark. This book is focused on Breast Cancer, particularly the one that you can inherit. Part memoir, part research, this book will leave you with knowledge about how this particular cancer has been treated over the years, the advances in the science and other fields; as well as the touching humane part of a whole family affected by a gene mutation. 

If what you want to learn is...well, how is it that we learn, may I recommend How We Learn by Benedict Carey. While the subtitle might be a bit deceiving (The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens, I wasn't really surprised, sorry) it seems to me like a great introduction if you want to learn about this subject. It even has a couple of exercises that can be very fun. Again, it might not be very surprising with the info unless is your first time approaching the subject, but it is very well vulgarized, it is engaging and perfect to being to journey on how do we learn. 

Those are my suggestions. If you do read any of them, please come back and let me know what you thought. I you already did, even more so! Have a wonderful nonfiction week!!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin

First impression

When I first read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I was pleasantly surprised; the book had a fair amount of diverse characters and most importantly the whole story was driven not by the romance part between Mara and Noah, but on the mystery that IS Mara. I was very excited to read the second book. As it turns out, it was very entertaining…I almost gave it a full 5, but then…the end left me rolling my eyes a bit too hard, and hence I took a full star.

Final thoughts

In general I really like the series so far. Mara is complicated but not in an annoying way, she reads as a smart, complex girl with a big problem that she cannot understand, nor control. I like that, while she is crazy about Noah, the story doesn’t seem to revolve around their relationship.

I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks in India; I was looking forward a full mythology development, with the references to Maat and other points I thought that was where the author was going to take us, and oh boy was I hoping for something like that. Even with the Santeria everything was pointing to something more mythological….so when the end came I was flabbergasted and not in a god way. I am going to try to not ruin the end for you guys, so I will not mention the specifics. But the truth is that the end for me was ludicrous, at the same time in satisfying and worst of all, seemed like it belonged to a completely different story. One thing that I ask from fiction is that everything happening in the described world makes sense in it.

Maybe the author wanted to throw us in the wrong direction, with diversion all along the way. But really? This “explanation” felt as farfetched as they come and not to sound like 14 year old me, but I can’t even deal with the end you guys, I can’t.

And still I gave it a 4. Why you ask? Because removing the past 20 or so pages of the book I really liked it. The whole psychological part for Mara; the new character;, the fact that Jamie was back; the fact that I read this book in 2 days because it flows so easily; it all account to a very amusing read. Will I be reading the next book? Probably, just to close the trilogy. But I will remain frustrated about the end of this one.

 

Three Daughters: A novel by Consuelo Saah Baehr

I asked and received this book through NetGalley for free. This review is not sponsored nor influenced in anyway. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the book. The expected publishing date is November 25.

First impression

When I first saw this on NetGalley it grabbed my attention almost immediately; beginning with the gorgeous cover and then reading that it was a three generation saga of Palestinian women. I had to read it!. I have to admit that when I saw it was 720 pages I was a bit overwhelmed, but I was so interested in the story I told myself to just start reading. While I am happy I did, after finishing it I still feel the book could've been considerably shorter.

Final thoughts

The story begins with the story of Myriam, from 1882 to 1920. She is the first daughter in this trigenerational story. Daughter of Jamilla and Mustafa who happens to be deaf. Her fair skin and reluctance to speak marks her as the odd one, and then when she finally speaks she has a very deep voice, which doesn't help her. She will feel ostracized by her own mother, but she will have the opportunity to go to school learn not only to speak but also to write a bit. She is the first step into improving (to my eyes) the conditions of the women in her clan. Myriam will give birth to 4 kids, the last one being Nadia (the second daughter) who will go even further in her education and way in live, having the last daughter: Nijmeh. I don't want to give anything away, but both Nadia's and Nijmeh's stories are way more than what you might think.

That said, since every daughter in the story was going further, at least education wise, I was expecting this to be more relevant in their outcomes. Don't get me wrong, it did have certain relevance, but inevitably the women in the story seemed to be framed by the man they would marry or get involved with. I though Nadia was going to be a stronger character but then she gets pretty much swayed away and for me it felt like a flickering light going out.

I mentioned that the book could've been shorter. Once again, this is just my opinion. You see, a lot of times the story would go on the branches; several situations would be developed to all of the sudden get closed abruptly. For a book this long there were many sudden changes that at times felt out of nowhere. In the same chapter I would be confronted with side stories that didn't bring that much to the main story, yet will take a big part of the chapter while at the same time there would be a completely change of character that felt random and awkward.

It was certainly a lovely story, and if you are looking for a multigenerational story set in the middle East this would be perfect for you.

Life of a Blogger: Concerts

In the words of Jessi from Novel Heartbeat:

It’s a weekly feature. Each week I will choose a subject and talk about that subject in my life. The topics will be non-bookish so that you can get to know me on a more personal level! I definitely encourage you guys to participate, too. I want this to be meme style with a linky for you to add your posts to. I want to know more about you guys as well!

This week's subject is concerts; I have an issue with concerts you see, I love music, I love live music...I hate crowds. I am very uncomfortable when everybody is pretty much over me, and since I am quite small I can easily get smashed by the crowd.

But sometimes you have to just breath deeply and get to see your favorite artists, right? Luckily, being able to hold A's hand all the way has always helped. Here are some pictures of the concerts we've been to. Our first concert together was Silversun Pickups, but we've been to concerts by Zero 7, Muse and Misteur Valaire (local, from Quebec, you should really check them out ;)

Lately we have stuck to a bit more classical music, going to a couple of Operas (so far our favorite being Rusalka) and several violin concerts, since I used to play it. No pictures of those though :$.

What about you? what is your favorite concert that you have been too?

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

First impression

I got this book for Christmas in 2013 and for some reason or another I didn't get to it until now (Oct 2014). To clarify, I got the book because I asked for it and I was really looking forward to reading it, since I've heard wonderful things about it. As it turns out, it was not my cup of tea. It is the first Western, or Western-like book that I've ever read and I guess it is just not my genre. The writing was witty and it made me laugh a couple of times, but the story itself never got to me in the way I thought it would based on the reviews

Final thoughts

The book was entertaining but I never engaged with any of the characters. More often that I would like to admit I found myself forgetting who was who, and there aren’t even that many characters in the story.

Charlie and Elie Sisters work for the Commodore and their job is fairly simple: to dispose (a.k.a kill) of people who get in his way during the Gold Rush. This time they are ordered to Herman Kermit Warm, only with the knowledge that he took something that didn’t belong to him. They set on their quest, moving across Oregon all the way to San Francisco, dealing with the inclement weather, the dessert, a bad tooth and each other.

Something that I found extremely amusing was the whole ordeal with tooth paste; it was a perfect example of the type of humour the book has. Is just that the funny parts were not enough for me to get grabbed into the story.

The writing was flawless; the description and construction of setting was spot on. But the characters…and is not a “they are not likeable” complaint. They are not, but they are not meant to be. I do not think that characters have to always be likeable; but I do think they have to be engaging, make you want to know what is going with them.

This book was not for me at the end. But I am not the Western type, even in movies. I like Blazing Saddles, but that is the extent of it. If you do enjoy this type of genre, I would say go for it!

My Year in NonFiction

Kim, from Sophisticated Dorkiness is kicking up the Nonfiction November event!. While the year is not officially over, part of NonFiction November is reviewing your Nonfiction year, and so here we are. Above you have the nonfiction books that I've read (or listen to) this year in no particular order.Now, let's answer some questions

• What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

I have 2 books so far that I really enjoyed: Smarter than you think by Clive Thompson was enlightening and was a fun read too, both for me and my boyfriend. We are very different as readers, so a book that makes us both happy gets extra points. The second book would be Pandora's DNA by Lizzie Stark, it was touching, full of personal experiences and with a lot of information I didn't know about the prior treatments of breast cancer.

• What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? 

I have recommended The Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. While is not the book I have enjoyed the most, out of the books I've read so far is the one that I've mentioned the most to a lot of people looking for a nonfiction related to science. The author did a very nice job vulgarizing a lot of the subjects, and as first approach to science nonfiction books is a perfect one.

• What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet? 

Ironically enough, reading! and that's why my selections for the event are both relating to reading :)

• What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

Well, so far barely 10% of my reading this year has been Nonfiction. The main reason to that guys is...when I get back home from the lab, I feel like reading things that disconnect me, that are very different from the scientific articles I read. However, the same way that I want to read more diversely, authors wise, I want to read more diversely SUBJECT wise and this is the main reason for joining the event, I want to fall in love once again with nonfiction :D. 

So there you have it, what about you? Leave me a link to your post, give me recommendations! And have a lovely week