Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books I've read in a long time. You should read it too.

Fluke

Whales. Hawaii lingo. Boats. Marine Biology and Scientific method. Nautical political-awareness. Reunited lovers. Fictitious whale human hybrids... This book has it all.

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings is an extremely funny novel centered around Nate the polite, Canadian, marine-biologist.  Nate is in Hawaii studying humpback whales, most specifically why they sing. I love whales, which is what attracted me to this book, and I unwittingly learned a lot about them.

As with all of Christopher Moore's novels (that I have read so far), the book starts with a logical and engrossing story. Once the majority of the characters have been thoroughly introduced and we learn fascinating little tidbits about them, the plot twists arrive in full force. I think this is one of Moore's best works.  It reminds me a lot of Coyote Blue in that it has wonderfully fleshed out (and likable!) characters, an excellent plot, a good amount of randomness all backed up by a heavy dose of research and some serious underlying themes.  I seriously considered going back to school to attain a degree in Marine Biology for at least a month after reading this.

Fluke introduces us to cetacean behavioral researchers, cooky Hawaiians, Naval "researchers", and researchers who will make the data show anything that the highest bidder wants.

Autistic & Unreliable Narrators, Day 2: Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime

Yesterday's post was about a heavy-handed Asperger's narrator. Want to read a good exploration of autism? In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the main character just happens to be autistic. Unlike Mockingbird's main character, there's a plot beyond the autism aspect.

Of course, through his autism, Christopher John Francis Boone - Curious Incident's protagonist - sees the world differently. Emotions confuse him so he still buys wholeheartedly into his father's lies, even at age 15. The dead neighbor's dog is an injustice in his highly logical world (the chapters are numbered in chronological prime numbers because he likes math). But because he loves Sherlock Holmes, Christopher wants to solve a mystery: why did the neighbor's dog die? Because the book starts as a mystery with an unusual narrator (and it is now said that Sherlock Holmes himself would be diagnosed with a form of high-functioning autism), it is wonderful. The author isn't trying to make a point about autism. His autistic narrator has a journey to explore. His youth and sheltered world-view make that journey unique. Curious Incident is an unusual hybrid: coming-of-age mystery. And it is highly recommended.

The Graveyard Book

I (Older Sister) happen to have a signed first edition of The Graveyard Book. Perhaps meeting Neil Gaiman himself was enough, or something (he drew me an illustration as part of his signature!), but it took me two years to finally get around to reading it; I don't really have a good reason for the delay. And of course, Graveyard Book won the Newbery award since. It's well deserved (though, frankly, I don't remember the other contenders that year; if there was controversy over the win, I don't know).

I really liked the story: an orphan is adopted and raised in a graveyard. Usually Neil Gaiman tends to write a little staidly for me: not enough atmospheric description or inclusion of emotions or deep inner thoughts. But I both read and liked this book. An author's note in the paperback explains that Graveyard Book came together as short stories that ended up linked together, ultimately forming the arc of a childhood. I appreciate the art of writing in a novel comprised of short stories contained in chapters (Jim the Boy comes to mind).

And the bits of history really kept my interest and are what have me still thinking about the book weeks later. What else happened on the bit of earth chosen as a graveyard? Romans and Celts lived in England - where Graveyard Book is set - far before Victorians and modern Brits did.

Little Sister also liked the book but perhaps not as much. She is of the opinion that the plot - an orphan is adopted into somewhat magical circumstances is overly reminiscent of Harry Potter (and perhaps she'll further explain her thoughts...hint, hint). Older Sister rarely reads fantasy; Little Sister frequently does. So we wonder: how many ways are there to tell a fantasy story about an orphan?

Room by Little Sister

Room: amazing book.  I can't recall being so invested in a character's fate within the span of one book.  Donoghue obviously thoroughly researched the topic and she artfully addresses the physical and psychological consequences of such extreme captivity, down to Jack's stunted visual development.  This is one of those books in which the characters seem so real that you find yourself wondering how they're faring now.

I would recommend this book to college psychology classes, all mothers, and anybody who loves to read and is interested in a story that is simultaneously heart pounding and heart wrenching.  Donoghue's novel will truly change the way you see the world.

Previously: Older Sister's review

Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Read Room. Five-year-old Jack tells readers about his world. It's small. He and his Ma are the only people in the world. Sometimes Old Nick visits at night. Jack isn't sure where he stays the rest of the time. Room is the universe, nothing exists outside it: this is the premise of the book.

Emma Donoghue unfolds Jack's world so that readers gradually understand the truth. We know there's a world outside the room where Ma is captive and where Jack was both conceived and born. How Jack comes to understand this is only a part of Room; there's so much more to the book and his story. Donoghue gets a five-year-old's voice perfect.

Another much heralded recent book had a similar premise: a woman is kidnapped and held captive. It's a thriller and horrible. The author may have just published her psychological files. Room is the opposite. It's not a thriller, it's an exploration of parenthood and child development.

Read Room now: you'll be proud to have discovered it before everyone else does.