Reviews

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Nifenegger
From Booklist: On the surface, Henry and Clare Detamble are a normal couple living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Henry works at the Newberry Library and Clare creates abstract paper art, but the cruel reality is that Henry is a prisoner of time. It sweeps him back and forth at its leisure, from the present to the past, with no regard for where he is or what he is doing. It drops him naked and vulnerable into another decade, wearing an age-appropriate face. In fact, it's not unusual for Henry to run into the other Henry and help him out of a jam. Sound unusual? Imagine Clare Detamble's astonishment at seeing Henry dropped stark naked into her parents' meadow when she was only six. Though, of course, until she came of age, Henry was always the perfect gentleman and gave young Clare nothing but his friendship as he dropped in and out of her life.

I enjoyed this book. There were a couple of times that I had to re-check where I was in the story, but other than that it was easy to follow the story. I am interested to see how the movie is done.

Challenge – Raved About Reads, Naming Convention, Unread Authors, On The Porch Swing

The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Haddon
From School Library Journal: When a teen discovers his neighbor's dog savagely stabbed to death, he decides to use the deductive reasoning of his favorite detective to solve the crime. Employing Holmesian logic is not an easy task for even the cleverest amateur sleuth and, in Christopher's case, it is particularly daunting. He suffers from a disability that causes, among other things, compulsive behavior; the inability to read others' emotions; and intolerance for noise, human touch, and unexpected events. He has learned to cope amazingly well with the help of a brilliant teacher who encourages him to write a book. This is his book-a murder mystery that is so much more. Christopher's voice is clear and logical, his descriptions spare and to the point. Not a word is wasted by this young sleuth who considers metaphors to be lies and does math problems for relaxation. What emerges is not only the solution to the mystery, but also insight into his world. Unable to feel emotions himself, his story evokes emotions in readers-heartache and frustration for his well-meaning but clueless parents and deep empathy for the wonderfully honest, funny, and lovable protagonist. Readers will never view the behavior of an autistic person again without more compassion and understanding. The appendix of math problems will intrigue math lovers, and even those who don't like the subject will be infected by Christopher's enthusiasm for prime numbers and his logical, mathematical method of decision making

I could not put this book down and read it in 2 hours. The subject material I could relate to as I have friends that have kids with Asperger's Syndrome. This book does have strong language. Take that into consideration if that bothers you.

Challenges: Raved About Reads, 1% Well Read, What’s In A Name, What An Animal, Unread Authors. Book Awards

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
From the book: In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies? It describes life in what was once the US, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and sharply declining birthrate by reverting to and going beyond, the repressing intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids. Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her lover, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

I put off reading this book because I thought it would be too futuristic for my taste. While I am glad I read it, because it really was good, I finished the book feeling like I had been through a ringer. It sucks you in and does not let you go until finished.

Challenges: Book Awards