5
Followers
5
Following
christianelliott
I enjoy reading for the absolute joy of it and am always on the lookout for a great new read. Most interested in fiction and great storytelling. I also enjoy books on cooking, yoga and philosophy.
The Sisters Brothers
What an amazing little book! Regardless of their profession, it is hard not to become totally enamored with Eli and Charlie Sisters. Like a really good Cohen brothers movie. Funny, clever and impossible to put down.
 - Ami McKay)
The Wise Man's Fear: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two (Kingkiller Chronicles)
The misadventures of the young Kvothe the Arcane are highly addictive and this 2nd installment of The Kingkiller Chronicle does not disappoint. There are some slow periods where our hero studies with the Adem and learns the way of the Lethani but his courtly intrigues amongst those in the land of Severen and his work for and with the Maer are real page turners. All this AND losing his innocence to Felurian, the mythical Fae woman that no man has ever survived...until now. Excellent!
 - Patrick Rothfuss)
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
A well-crafted, Gothic suspense novel with memorable characters. A great book for late evenings and/or long journeys.
The Shack
This book was an incredible chore for me to read. The book is tagged as Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity and, for the most part, the tragedy part was mildly compelling. However, once inside The Shack, (where the original tragedy occurred and where the lead character is summoned years later by a cryptic letter signed only by Papa), the novel turns into a religious diatribe on how we deal with loss, love and forgiveness presented by a Holy Trinity comprised of characters from different ethnic background thus confirming that Affirmative Action is alive and well in residing in Heaven. I do no think that The Shack will shake any religious foundations and, if it does, then it is safe to assume that those foundations were shaky to begin with. For the most part. I found it to be a big, preachy snooze but...for those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they would like.
The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel
An amazing book that truly captures the madness that seized the masses during the Salem witch trials. Kathleen Kent beautifully weaves the fictional story of Sarah Carrier, (whose mother Martha is condemned as a witch), with the factual information of terror and superstition which gripped Massachusetts from 1690 to 1693. Martha Carrier was, indeed, a living character so the book takes on the kind of non-fiction novel like that of Capote's In Cold Blood. If you are a fan of such themes as mass hysteria, religious belief, treachery and the propensity for human beings to harm one another to justify their own ends, then you will love this novel.
A Visit from the Goon Squad
A very enjoyable read although the last chapter was a bit of a chore. Because it is neither a true novel nor a collection of short stories but rather a series of interconnected stories in which characters reoccur, intertwine and influence the events and themes of disconnectedness in past, present and future, the premise can be sometimes confusing.
For a more in-depth analysys, check out Sarah Churchwell's review for The Oberserver at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/13/jennifer-egan-visit-goon-squad
