Bookshelf: The Little Bee

A book I want to read and a cover I love!  Obviously I haven't started it yet, but I did read the inside flap and it made me even more excited.

WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.
The story starts there, but the book doesn't.
And it's what happens afterward that is most important.
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

I already know this book is going to be a tough one to start...my expectations are already so high based of the cover and this little synopsis.

Bookshelf: Nemesis

"Jo Nesbo is a musician, songwriter, economist, and one of Europe's most critically acclaimed and successful crime writers. His first novel featuring Police Detective Harry Hole was an instant hit in Norway, winning the Glass Key 1998 for Best Nordic Crime Novel of the Year—the most prestigious crime-writing award in Northern Europe." --Boarnes & Noble Biography

I read one of his other books, Redbreast, a couple months ago and enjoyed it. I love a good crime novel, the twists and the turns really draw me in. What I am not a huge fan of however is the gruesome nature of so many current crime novels. I just don't understand why crime novels have to focus on the graphic details. The good writers don't need gore and guts to make a reader interested.

Guilty

Not reading it, but I love the cover. I have definitely been guilty of buying a book for its cover and this website does nothing to help my cause. Check out thousands of book covers at the book cover archive. They don't mess around with content, descriptions or reviews just covers.

I mean how wonderful would this look sitting on my coffee table. Of course I am not going to start buying books just for their covers unless I plan on eventually reading them. Book covers might be the most overlooked art-form.

Bookshelf: The Witch of Portobello

I have a lot of books that are waiting to be read, some are actually on my bookshelf while some are in a pile next to my bed.  This one I bought soon after reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  He is so different than what I normally read it can be a nice break, but it also requires a certain mood, hence the pile.  Also my book has a little "Buy 2, Get the Third Free" sticker and I don't remember now which books this was purchased with but I will be honest when I say it wasn't a book I went to the store for specifically.

What Would Google Do?

Definitely not the typical book you would find here, but my dad told me to read it and I do whatever my daddy says.  Currently I am about 70 pages into the book so I will wait to pass my verdict until I finish.

A Man Without a Country

Witty, sarcastic, and funny.  I love this book and his observations about the world.  Kurt Vonnegut is great with words.  Practically everything written made me stop and think, either because it makes you laugh or you admire his intelligence.  

Some examples include:

“ I am one of America’s Great Lakes people, her freshwater people, not an oceanic but a continental people.  Whenever I swim in an ocean, I feel as though I am swimming in chicken soup.”

“As a kid I was the youngest member of my family, and the youngest child in any family is always a jokemaker, because a joke is the only way he can enter into an adult conversation.”

“Here is a lesson in creative writing.  First rule: Do not use semicolons.  They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing.  All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

Of course he has a lot to say about politics to, but nothing that can so easily be summed up in a sentence or two.

Beginning

It is my belief that the first ten pages are the hardest part of reading a book.  For me part of the problem is that I have a lot of expectations for most books I buy. I start getting a little flustered if the beginning isn't incredibly attention grabbing.  I just really want books to be good, maybe I shouldn't put so much pressure on them.  Last night I forced myself through the first ten pages of Caravans by James Michener, then the next thing I knew I was 90 pages into the book. 

Don't worry I won't try to make some larger metaphor for life based on this observation, although it is very tempting.  Hopefully you see where I am heading.