Book review: Andrew's Brain by E.L. Doctorow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've enjoyed many (perhaps most) of Doctorow's short stories, but I wasn't enamored of the only novel of his I tried, City of God. I did really like the short story, though, so I may need to go back and give the novel another chance.

This is a beautifully written, quirky, and nonlinear exploration of the workings of a man's mind. It's filled with dark humor, which is my favorite kind. The stream-of-consciousness style enhances the narrative, and Doctorow's prose leaves me more than a little envious of his talent. I thought about quoting a passage or two here, but it would be hard to single just one out for special mention. The addition of the White House segment, especially Chaingang and Rumbum, was a nice touch and had me laughing out loud.

I don't recommend this book if you're one of those readers who demands plot and structure in every novel, but if you enjoy immersing yourself in elegant prose, read it. It will leave you pondering its intricacies days and weeks after you've turned the last page.

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Book review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second book this month that involves two stories in one, and both books were by two of my favorite YA authors. In this one, however, the secondary story happens mostly in the background, unlike Scott Westerfeld's Afterworlds, in which the chapters alternate between two very different stories.

The writing was, as usual for Ness, excellent: quirky, well-developed characters, settings with just the right amount of detail to make them come alive, and a compelling narrative voice. Somehow, though, the book just didn't grab me by the throat and shake me until my teeth rattled, which is something I've come to expect from Ness. Instead, it was more of a slow, simmering process. Well worth reading, though.

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Book review: Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I couldn't give this a perfect score, only because I have very high standards when it comes to Scott Westerfeld: I expect every book to be uniformly excellent. This one was pretty damn good, but it was missing just the tiniest touch of his magic.

The dual-story concept was a bit jarring at first, but I actually liked it as I went along. I may be doing something similar for a novel I'm working on (1st-person narrative with 3rd-person main story), so the book was helpful from that standpoint.

Like many reviewers, I thought the premise of the whole Darcy story was pretty far-fetched (as much as I'd like to have that much faith in the publishing industry). But hey, this is fantasy, right? Still a good read.

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