you'll be able to get through this book and really enjoy it regardless
585439
Although there's a lot to be said for the casual, personal relation of stories throughout the book, ultimately it suffers from a lack of organization that weakens the book overall. Even following something as basic as a timeline--relating events in the order in which they happened--would enhance the material and, considering the information in the first chapter, create enough tension and interest in the reader to propel them through the book. As it is, however the most interesting stories are related at the beginning of the book. Therefore, the further you read in the book, the slower the pacing. If you're a GAC fanatic, you'll be able to get through this book and really enjoy it regardless. If you're not, however, this might not be the paranormal book for you.
4374991
A friend told me about this, and I wanted to read it because it had drawings and different formatting.  As a fan of ergodic literature, meaning literature that can't just be read, but requires more of a challenge for the reader, I knew this would deliver an experience I would enjoy.

The readability of the formatting was pleasant, and the metaphors made sense and were satisfying.  I found myself anxious when the characters were making discoveries, heightened by the addition of things like drawings, pictures, notes.

I'm a little confused about some things, but not to the degree that it diminished the experience.  I like the idea that the book holds some secrets that I don't know about after reading it.  Or maybe I do and I'm lead to believe there are more secrets.  Either way, I enjoyed this book thoroughly and have a feeling a re-read in a few years will also be enjoyable.

Highly recommend for someone seeking an experience that's a bit more than regular reading.
100398
You know a chapter that will never end... Well there's a few of these in here but they are super long. I'm not much of a person who dwells on a single idea for long, which is probably why its was difficult to get through this book for me, but plenty of people love this book.

One thing I did learn was about enjoying the present. There's a part where he talks about a destination and how we're preoccupied with that fixed location and that we forget where we are.
4548308
It is the sheer incredulity of an 18 year double life in this day and age that detracts from a very readable, and at times gripping tale.  The exhausting practicality of it all kept going through my mind as I tried to figure out how this guy managed not to get caught.  Once you get over that, you get quite immersed and enjoy the neurotic journey of the two very different wives.  I agree with one reviewer that in the end one wonders whose fault it all was, but I have concluded that it does not matter.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed the book, and would liken it to a grocery store chocolate bar - satisfying but there was little lingering of the enjoyment.  It has its place in my reading habits, as I tend to have a harder and an easier read on the go at the same time.  I would recommend it, especially if you enjoy e.g. Anita Shreve
1587744
Loved it, kinda hard to get into at the beginning, but loved it after a couple chapters
2074845
A Y.A. book for sure, but I still really enjoyed it.
1734113
I'm a huge fantasy fan.  I love G.R.R. Martin, am getting into Jordan, and am halfway through Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.  That said, I find it difficult to 'branch-out' sometimes into other genres, and even into 'lighter fantasy'.

I picked this book up at the book store, flipped through it, found it mildly intriguing, and showed it to my girlfriend before putting it down and moving on.  (This is fairly standard fare for me since it can take a full 6 months for me to commit to buying a book, but I also don't read too many things I don't like.)  About 3 weeks later, its my birthday and what did my girlfriend get me?  This book.  (I had initially thought it would fit her taste more than mine, but I gave it a go.)

It starts off fairly normal, a guy fixing up an old row home in Toronto, but quickly gets interesting with details of his past and the people he surrounds himself with.  I found some of the back story a bit strange, but mostly just added to my intrigue, so I eagerly plugged on, (Curiously asking myself, 'Okay, where is the author going with this?').  The characters really come to life and become really memorable, mostly likable and realistic people (for the most part) that fill this book with a bit of magic.  Their motivations are understandable given their personalities, and the way the story is woven I found myself utterly engrossed in a book, which is almost completely 'out of my element.'

The book is intelligent and lightly specked with the author's own philosophies, but unlike many writer's Doctorow is able to do this without being heavy-handed in his approach.

If you are looking for a quick, memorably enjoyable read with likable, quirky characters who like the rest of us just want to be normal, despite (and in some cases, in spite of) those traits about themselves that make them unique and beautiful.  Give this book a try, I did, despite my initial indifference and am very thankful for one of the better birthday gifts in recent memory.
223387
I wasn't familiar with the PIG series when I picked this up at the Borders closing down sale. As other reviewers have said, the fast trip through some of English Lit is well worth the ride- it is not comprehensive, but there are a lot of interesting bits in an easy-to-read form. The American Lit section is (as other reviewers have noted) pretty weak, but there are still good points there. Just skip the last section (Why they don't want you to read this) unless you are in the mood for an over-the-top rant.

The author is deeply familiar with Christian imagery, allegories and scripture, which makes a lot of English and some pieces of American literature 'click' for her and may be part of why she can assert that 'most great literature' was written by dead white males. There is amazing literature from other cultures but it less accessible without the comfort of familiar names and the shared cultural references that we have with English literature.

I am a fan of taking the classics, respecting them for what they are, and (especially) understanding them in their own context. However, there is also some merit to taking the classic texts and revisiting them thematically or in light of context (for example, I know of a couple of courses that look at literature in colonial eras, comparing the literature of the colonial power with the literature of the colony at a given time in their shared history).
2275066
I am only partway through this book, but I am enjoying it so much already that I wanted to leave my review.

I have never known a ton about Hope Solo, so I did go into this book knowing who she was and such, but other than that, I knew nothing.

The honesty in this book is really well done. The book talks about sadness and family issues in a matter-of-fact way, but without dwelling on the same instance constantly. I really appreciate that Hope is so forthcoming with her family issues because it does add a lot of to the story, and its told in such a way that its readable, but doesn't come across as whining.
2891399
I find myself in the odd place between knowing this is a great book and not enjoying it as much as I wanted to. There is so much that this book has going for it but there are also quite a few things that brought it down for me.

The book starts off rather strong with a  great opening line and  a seemingly immediate pull into the world, however it slows down significantly after that initial opening. It has a lot to do with the fact that the overall story is one of detail and depth, it requires set up to get to that point the book opens with. I found that my interest waned quite a bit towards the beginning because it took so long to get to the meat of the story. The writing is similar to what you would find in literary fiction, it's very fluid, with wonderful details and noticeably higher vocabulary...however while this is a good thing it is also a downfall for me. There are moments where things are far too lengthy, for instance there are some sentences that are literally a paragraph long. It felt like I was going no where fast, I'd read for hours and then realize that I'd only managed about 60 pages at most. The overall plot is one of mystery, intrigue, and historical clue finding; much like the DaVinci Code but targeted for the YA audience. I enjoyed seeing the past unravel in an unlikely fashion and I loved seeing real history being incorporated with fiction in a way that other than few points it could have very well been an actual event that occurred. I thought having actual people from history involved in this storyline was a fantastic touch and brings  a sense of realism to it.

The characters are interesting in their own rights but I found that i didn't connect to most of them. Nora, our main character and narrator, is a extremely intelligent high school student who takes classes at the university on scholarship. She knows Latin which is a skill she uses quite frequently throughout the novel as she translates letters from a woman named Elizabeth. She also has a entertaining wit about her, but the company she keeps leads to me dislike her a bit. Chris is likeable but besides his humor he's fairly forgettable in the overall story, he felt like a plot piece. Adriane has far more personality and it's one that I simply couldn't stand, she's a closet-smart girl and she's fairly impersonal when it comes to most situations yet she's friends with Nora. This is actually a subject that comes up in the book and I like that it was acknowledged but I failed to see the point of their continued friendship when it's obvious there is very little there. Max is interesting and for most of the book I wasn't exactly fond of him, he has a temper and he seemed too emotional about fairly stupid things but I liked where his character ends up. Then there is Eli, who is the only character in the book I actually liked. He's funny, sarcastic and one of the only ones capable of thinking things out clearly; I found myself looking forward to the scenes where he was involved.

All of the characters have secrets, and it's not something they are good at hiding. To me it was obvious when someone didn't seem right and there are even a few instances where Nora knows she's being lied to, but it adds a level of intrigue to the story that makes it hard to put down. The ending was a tad disappointing and while most of the story is tied up I found myself wanting more out of the ending.

This is one of those books where I can see why everyone loves it so much and I can completely understand their reasoning. It's certainly a finely crafted novel with fantastic depth and it's like an ultimate historical mystery, but due to personal issues with it I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest.
315018
If you are interested in this subject, this book is worth the effort it will take to wade through it.
2707797
I galloped through this book. I've been reading the author's blog for quite a while, so I was eager to see how she'd make out with a novel. I was very glad to realise that I was going to enjoy it very much. The characters are engaging and the ending isn't what I expected, which made it even better. I would have given it 5 stars (excellent in its genre,which is women's mass market fiction, I think). But the large amounts of bad language from both the teen character (plausible) and the 50-year-old narrator (less plausible) might not appeal to everyone. Overall, a terrific summer beach or winter fireplace read. I think I'd read a sequel, if it gets written.
3426213
There are a couple of things that I had to get used to in this book, that make this book somewhat unique. The first is present tense narration. Something I've read very, very few times - if ever - before. The second, is that the protagonist cannot speak. The Vagrant has no dialogue, nor are we afforded the luxury of knowing his thoughts and motivations. Instead we observe our protagonist from an outside view, our opinion of him fueled by his actions alone. It makes for very interesting reading. Top it off with an interesting (if somewhat bleak) world, and solid prose, and you have a worthwhile story. I look forward to reading The Malice.
2449128
Comparison, but this book is a great on its own. I found the beginning a little tough, especially since the main character is a bit whiny, but then it really picks up. Make sure you keep track of the dates as the book jumps around. Reading this book was a very enjoyable way to spend a day.
2663878
Honestly this book was just such a delight to experience.  The writing was beautiful and had the level of description and finesse that I find common in the fantasy genre and have been missing as I've been reading more contemporary and sci-fi at the moment.  I will say that the passage of time in the beginning was quite confusing.  It's not really clear how much time has passed - I for some reason thought it was 5 years...but it's 16.  Once you get past the first couple chapters and realize this, it's smooth sailing for the rest of the book. I especially loved how the romance was handled.  I won't give spoilers, but it was subtly done and surprising, and definitely takes a backseat to the big parts of the story (which in my book is a good thing).  So if you are looking for swoons, you probably won't find many here.  There may have been a few things I wish more time had been spent on, like fleshing out the villain a bit more, but honestly the book was such a fun read that I just don't care that much. This is a good book to go for if you just want a really fun light read to get you through your day.

The full review can be found on my blog.
3501411
I began to read this book at a time in life when I was feeling most 'stuck'. I haven't finished it yet, I have a back and forth relationship with it. After about a year and a half since I began reading, I am a good portion of the way through and looking forward to returning to it again soon. This is not the sort of book you stay up all night reading or 20minutes each day on your commute. There is a lot to digest from the thoughts it raises and has incredible therapeutic impact if you are open to it. It may not feel lovely as you work your way through, as Hunter encourages the reader to look further into who they are and what they are doing, but it is well worth it.
3524639
As someone who reads usually several books a week, this book took me a whopping 20 days to inch through. Given, I was pretty busy so it's not entirely the books fault...but a fair bit of it was.

I'm a big fan of Eddie Huang and have enjoyed the stuff he has produced in the past, even Fresh Off The Boat which I'm realizing is maybe not the most accurate portrayal, but a fantastic TV show nonetheless. So with this next statement I'm going to sum up what is both fantastic about Eddie and what made this book so difficult to get through:

Eddie writes EXACTLY how he talks.

If you've seen him in an interview, you'll know that he tosses out pop culture references and slang like candy, and the footnotes in the book are entirely indicative of that. More pages than not have several lines of explanation which to me seems like it would have been better to just work into the text or leave out altogether.

But we all know how picky I am. (You didn't? It's really picky.)

That being said, the premise of this book is top notch. Eddie goes to China as an Asian-American to see if he and his cooking would be as well received. Everything about that concept was awesome and I enjoyed his portrayal of everyone's reactions to his food. What I found harder to swallow was his ramblings on love...yes, generally my favorite part. Will it work? Won't it work? Who knows? Probably not even Eddie is my guess.

What did I think?: Overall, I found the story to be very enjoyable, but the writing a good bit more difficult to follow. I would have to sit down for larger chunks of time to really get into it but when I did, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the story that Eddie has wanted to share.

Who should read it?: If you're already a fan of Eddie's or if you're wondering about your own cross-culture heritage, or even if you're just looking for something that will make you look at race and food in a different light, I really think you would probably enjoy this one.