"The White Tiger"-Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very interesting pseudo-narrative that tells the reader about a man who calls himself "The White Tiger". Balram is a man who has come to work as a driver from the country, only to be swept up in the conflict that comes with being a servant in a big city. The entire book is set up as a letter from Balram who is self-proclaimed fugitive (we won't find out why until later) writing to the Premier in Socialist China. Personally, I was confused with this part of as to why he was writing him, but the reason I gathered was simple-- no one else will tell us how it truly is. And for doing so, Balram is considering himself an outlaw.

I enjoyed this Man Booker Prize winner for its momentum that constantly kept the reader interested, and even though I feared I wouldn't understand the cultural differences, Adiga takes time to explain things in detail for his reader. With that said, if there are any points of confusion, feel free to pause and do some Googling... it definitely helped when there were moments involving Socialism, etc that I didn't fully comprehend.



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Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake"- Reviewed 2007

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this as part of the assigned reading for English 106 at Purdue University with a TA who thought that we should be prepared for the future... Little did I know, it was a proclamation more towards the evolution of the dystopic literature genre, versus the actual dystopia that could engulf the world. At the time, I had not been exposed to much Atwood, (besides "The Handmaid's Tale), and since this was her most recent work I was excited to read it.

There are many biblical connections that one needs to make sure they have brushed up on while reading "Oryx and Crake", simply because the plot is connected metaphorically to all of the Adam and Eve allusions... Atwood creates Eden- a paradise that slowly goes to ruin throughout the novel, but despite giving away that major detail, I'll also give away that the characters story of Oryx, Crake and Snowman are much more interesting. To see different people operate within the possibility of demise is very interesting. Looking back on my time with this novel, I can safely say that I enjoyed the experience.... Even more so, I'm THRILLED to see that it began a trilogy.

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Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

An inquisitive short young adult read that just keeps dragging you through a mystery of a ghost haunting a 14 year old girl. The only attribute that I found particularly interesting was the repetition of "where ya at?", a phrase I find commonly amongst curious teenagers.

A Place Not A Place- David Carr

Very good textbook for Library Science and Museum Studies students... I specifically like how it incorporates Education and Bloom's Taxonomy to create tiers of information exposure for patrons.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac- Gabrielle Zevin

Naomi has amnesia and had to suffer high school at the same time...The horror! Not only can she not remember why she wanted to take photography, but also forgets all about her boyfriend, best friend and the "crazy" kid, all three whom she happens to fall in love with throughout the story. Gazooks girl! Share the wealth!!

The idea was strong, title is ironic, but alas, the plot falls short in places where it needs to be stronger... Much like an actual teenager, this book often changes its mind on what it is going to do next.

"The Great Gatsby" Film Review

When I first heard that Baz Luhrmann was taking on the project of recreating one of the most classic pieces of literature AND it was going to have one of my favorite actors in it, I was counting down the months until it would arrive on the big screen. After purchasing my tickets online through Fandango.com, I was counting down the hours until I could munch on popcorn excitedly before the previews.... At every spare moment that I could dedicate to this film, I was thinking "will it be worth it?" Ladies and Gentlemen..... it was. 

A Dog's Purpose

Anyone who has ever had or loved a dog needs to read this book... I am trying my best to write this review with tears in my eyes because a dog (reborn many times) that is trying to find his purpose of existence finally found it... It also doesn't help that my dachshund Happy Gilmore is curled up next to me.

My Life in France by Julia Child

What a lovely audiobook that provides insight to THE American master of French cooking and her adventures in doing so... I would play this every morning on my way to work and felt enlightened about making various dishes that I feel compelled to go out and get the actual recipes to try. Be forewarned- hunger pains and unusual cravings for butter will ensue as you absorb this memoir.

Django Unchained

I heard quite a few things about this movie, and when my roommate sat me down to watch it with her, I must admit that I only remained on the pretense that Leonardo DiCaprio was in this movie. This will be a short review as that it's 4 am and I'm sleep deprived. This movie was quite good with the action and essence of a Quentin Taratino film....I haven't seen many of his other films, other than the first "Kill Bill", but since I heard that Django was a Western-esque film, I thought that I'd try it out. I was quite impressed. Not only was the storyline very good, but the acting was superb from Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, DiCaprio, and Kerry Washington. There are also many memorable moments with Samuel L. Jackson, in a perfectly suited role that he obviously had fun with. I was on the edge of my seat (difficult since I was sitting on a plush and comfy sofa), and was immediately knocked out of my trance when my roommate threw a ball of orange Play-Dough at my face to knock me out of it. We rented this from Netflix, but I'll most likely be purchasing it to share with others...once every bill that decided to arrive in my mailbox AT THE SAME TIME has been paid.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I chose to read this book because of all of the hype with the new "The Great Gatsby" film, and because the cover also looked interesting....Frankly, I even stretched to imagine that Zelda may have been inspiration for the Daisy Buchanan character, but that may need to be rejected.

What I did find however was a novel that started off strongly with a whimsical love story and a Gatsby-esque feel of drinking, partying and the "high life" that we've come to associate with the 1920's. Shortly after this novel plateaued (perhaps when Zelda has her first child), the novel steeps to a repetitive examination of what feminine role Zelda is meant for.

Unfortunately, she suffers through multiple movements throughout the European continent, babbling encounters with Hemingway and Ezra Pound and stints in mental hospitals before she realizes that she is meant to play a dismal role.

Zelda was a strong character who was swept off her feet into a world of glamour, but was shortly lost to the overcoming power that exists with being a celebrity, and as a reader I felt like this journey could have been more thoroughly opened, examined and maintained for an audience's interest.

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