Book Review - "Her Fearful Symmetry"

"Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger

My grade: B-

This book is along the same lines as "A Time Traveler's Wife", with no fewer supernatural and unbelievable bits. Although this is described as a ghost story, it's not exactly what I understood under that description. There is a ghost in the story, but the reader is familiar with it and there is no 'spookiness' involved, essentially.

The writing, in one word, is mediocre. The characters are not very well-developed. The story is at best unbelievable, if not downright absurd (and I mean that in a bad way). I will most likely forget what this book was about in one month. But, it is a fun and fast read, tear-jerking at moments and perhaps worth the time.

Book Review - "Born on a Blue Day"

"Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant" by Daniel Tammet

My grade: B

As the title clearly states, this is a book about a savant, a condition that is extremely rare. This is a non-fiction work, written by the man himself, which is quite a feat all in itself. I was definitely surprised to what extent Daniel is aware of his condition and conscious of the problems it imposes (speaking about autism here).

I did feel, however, that many of the behaviors Daniel described are somewhat common to children in general, or perhaps not that odd. I don't think that he knows that, though, and get the feeling that he considers all of his behavior to be unusual. Also, as the general public has become more aware of autism and its symptoms, his behavior is that much less striking. What I was personally most interested in are his thought processes related to the savant syndrome, which he could have focused more on. Again, I believe that it is difficult for him to differentiate between normal and abnormal behaviors and attitudes, as he is virtually incapable of getting inside another person's head. Nonetheless, I see this as a major shortcoming to the book.

Book Review - "White Oleander"

"White Oleander" by Janet Fitch

My grade: A-

This book, in many ways, is very beautiful, while being ugly at the same time. Mostly, this is a story about a girl and her mom; it makes many statements about mothers and daughters, and human relationships in general. The novel is written almost like a poem, where the author has not only a wonderful control of the reader's reaction, but is also incredibly well-read. This is a very good read, although epic I would not call it.

Book Review - "desert flower"

"desert flower: the extraordinary journey of a desert nomad" by Waris Dirie

My grade: B-

For those of you who don't know who Waris Dirie is, she is a model from Somalia and a special ambassador to the United Nations. She was one of the first women to speak out about and against female circumcision, having gone through it herself at the ripe age of 5.

Her story, in many ways, truly is extraordinary. At least to me, a person who is not so familiar with Somalian/African cultures and practices. Her writing, needless to say, is not all that extraordinary, but writing a book is quite a feat in itself for a person who learned to read and write as an adult.

I was especially shocked to learn about the practices that surround female circumcision, and just how many small girls and women are affected.

Book Review - "The Stranger"

"The Stranger" by Albert Camus

My grade: A-

Needless to say, this winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature is among the greats. His style is somehow reminiscent of Hemingway and Kafka, and perhaps even Dostoevsky for the literary experiments he undertakes. The main character in this short novel, and in many ways the only character, is quite absurd. If he wasn't so apt at life, I would want to call him autistic, even though that was clearly not the aim of the author. His life takes on a tragic fate, due to an accidental event. His analysis, and sometimes lack of, portray a dreary image.

Book Review - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson

My grade: C+

Probably the majority of people have at least heard of this book. For those of you who haven't, this is the first book of a thriller trilogy. Honestly, the chances that I will read the second and third are slim.

The book is written well enough. Thrillers are generally not my genre of choice, although I occasionally read one or two. This one was not definitely not my style. Firstly, the style of the author allows for the reader to discover the resolutions to the several different parallel crimes at the same time as the investigators in this book. In other words, there is no shocking tada at the end, or anywhere in the middle either. I personally don't like that much.

Additionally, one of the main 'crimes' in this novel deals with financial fraud and the likes. Larsson goes into extensive detail (for my taste) on the subject. He largely lost my interest there. I prefer thrillers to be more of a murderous nature, although murder and rape are a great part of this novel as well.

Book Review - "The Half Brother"

"The Half Brother" by Lars Saabye Christensen

My grade: A+

I struggle to remember the last time I read a book of this caliber. This truly is something huge! The writing is absolutely amazing, not to mention the translation from the original Norwegian. It's inspiring and intimidating to see how much control the author has of everything novel.

It's difficult for me to say what this book is about, because it's about so many things. To oversimplify drastically, the story is that of a family and the people that surround and compose it. The narrative is extremely Scandinavian and unsentimental, in a refreshing sort of way. But the novel is much more than just this single family; it's really a statement on life. A certain kind of life, without a doubt; would leave any advanced reader, though, with questions to reflect on.

I very highly recommend this novel to those with patience. It's neither a short nor an easy book, but well worth the time and effort. Especially to the writers out there, I personally found a whole lot of inspiration and ideas in this masterpiece.