Vacation Reading

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I actually finished this before vacation started. I started thinking that I'd just read a few pages and before I knew it, I had finished. I checked this book out of the library after hearing several people fawn over it. Even the librarian gave it high marks as I was checking out. Great story that includes too many crazy things to fit into one storyline, but it works. I loved the story, but I'm not sure all the explicit sexuality was worth it.

While hinting at poignancy at times, the story borders on "cute."

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Recommended by my sister-in-law with a caveat for crudeness. I'd also recommend this one. (You can read the plot summary on Amazon if want some context for my review. It's easier and better than writing my own.) This was a rather ironic choice of books to read while I sat in luxury on Florida beach. I think I left the hotel house cleaner a bigger tip than I normally would have. It reminded me of reading Anna Karenina, hoping the characters would find hope and somehow knowing they wouldn't. Hopefully I don't surprise anyone with that, but you really shouldn't read this book expecting a happy ending. Mistry's writing is excellent--subtle yet thorough character development, plenty of foreshadowing, irony, interwoven stories, and of course, a depressing ending. (It can't be literature without a sad ending, right?) Thoroughly Indian in its setting, I couldn't help but wonder what a book about American depravity would look like.

Not a cute book at all, but seriously good writing.

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card
One of the many books meant to capitalize on the success of Ender's Game, a "save the world" science fiction novel. Unfortunately, Shadow of the Hegemon is not very successful, in my opinion. In Ender's Game it seemed like the kids were smart and insightful problem-solvers. This book just seemed to be full of kids who thought they were smarter than they really were, and those type of kids (people) just aren't very endearing. Add to that a sloppy treatment of cultural ideologies, and I didn't become a fan. This is the "cleanest" book of the three, but I didn't gain anything from reading it either.

Not bad airport reading.

(By the way, I would recommend Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow for their insight into human interactions--and for the pure enjoyment of reading them.)