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Month in review

Reviews:
Acting Class: Take a Seat by Milton Katselas
All in Fun by Jerry Oltion
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
Dance of Shadows by Fred Chappell
Diary of a Dead Man by Walter Krumm
Earth Odyssey by Mark Hertsgaard
eNursery Rhymes by Mother Mouse
Ella: A Baby Elephant's Story by Kathleen Duey
Emily Waits for Her Family by Carol Zelaya
The Exchange by Inga C. Ellzey
Festival of Deaths by Jane Haddam
For the Love of St. Nick by Garasamo Maccagnone
Forgive My Trespassing by Cynthia Blomquist Gustavson
A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seed by James Fenton
The Illusion by Tony Kushner and Pierre Corneille
Jimmy Buffet: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed by Steve Eng
The Little Lame Prince and His Travelling Cloak by Dinah Muloc Craik
Mojo Hand by Greg Kihn
The Monopoly Man by Barry B. Longyear
Nana Volume 2 by Ai Yazawa
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
The Perfect Infestation by Carol Emshwiller
Rising Waters by Patricia Ferrara
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Sea by John Banville
Seafarer's Blood by Albert E. Cowdrey
Shadow on the Stones by Moyra Caldecott
Signatures of Grace edited by Thomas Grady and Paula Huston
Silence is Golden by Penny Warner
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly" Said the Sloth by Eric Carle
The Tall Stones by Moyra Caldecott
The Temple of the Sun by Moyra Caldecott
Tsunami by Gordon Gumpertz
Written on the Knee by Dr. Theodore Electris and Helen Electrie Lindsay (translator)

Don Quixote:
Q and Sancho Panza Strike Back
Harold and Kumar
The La Mancha Story
Disarmed and Dangerous

Miscellaneous:
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5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish



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The Sea: 01/12/09

The Sea (2005 Man Booker winner) by John Banville follows Max Morden as he revisits his wife's last year before she died of cancer. Much of the novel is written as a flash back as the scenery brings back memories. Max's daughter comments near the end of the novel that her father lives only in the past and after a short protest ends up agreeing with her.

The back of the book compares Banville's writing style to Vladimir Nabokov. I've read a number of his books and can see the connection but he isn't the author that first jumped to mind. The two the came immediately to me were Daphne du Maurier for the lingering melancholia that permeates the story and Marilynne Robinson for how environment reflects the protagonists emotional state.

The Sea is light on dialogue and heavy on description. The novel exists mostly in Max's head as he dwells on Anna and the memories of other people in his life. His thoughts are a carefully choreographed portrayal of stream of consciousness but there is a traceable narrative thread from start to finish.

I have to admit that I started The Sea feeling somewhat intimidated. I've only read two other winners, Blind Assassin (didn't like) and The English Patient (loved). When I saw the it didn't have chapters I wasn't sure at first if I would finish The Sea. Then an hour had passed and I was a quarter of the way through the novel. Although it was a challenging book to read it was a rewarding one.

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Comment #1: Saturday, January, 17, 2009 at 18:10:14

B

Thanks for the review. I've got this on my TBR list this year. Looking forward to it...B.



Comment #2: Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 23:20:41

Pussreboots

You're welcome. Enjoy the book!



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