![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23The Anatomy of War - written by The Arbinger Institute - People love this book and everything by Arbinger. I must be in the minority. This book is for the interpersonal and the business world, and suggests how we can get past those difficult relationships- unruly teenagers, complaining employees.
There is a lot to like here. The chief concept to getting to 'peace' is to look at people and treat them as people and not things. Arbinger puts a lot of thought into fleshing this thought out, and it's worth thinking about. Using one of the longest-running conflicts (Arabs & Israelis) as background, there were plenty of metaphors to shed light on your daily issues.
Still, I hate the Arbinger's style. Making the concepts into a novel with characters who are having conversations with each other, just make the thing laborious. I couldn't wait for it to be done, and it seemingly could be summarized in 50 pages. I wouldn't recommend it, but Amazon readers love it
Terminal - written by Andrew Vachss This is my first Vachss novel, but I know at least one person here is a fan. I liked this. I realize I don't have enough hard-boiled fiction under my belt to make an adequate comparison, but seemingly it would be comparable to Ellroy, in that it is snappy dialogue, hard-boiled definitely adult action, and fascinating characters. Vachss always has a touch of morality (He's a child advocate lawyer) to his world of bad, bad men.
It's Vachss's dialogue that makes it- every bit as mesmerizing as Chandler and Tarantino. Although the plot is interesting, I found that I had some trouble following some of the actual action. I realize that may just be me, but the dialogue carries everything through. It makes it a minor complaint.
I have already set my sights on reading some more Vachss soon.
Water for Elephants- written by Sara Gruen- This was first on my radar a few years ago when someone in a book club I was attending said it was their all-time favorite novel. It again caught my eye with the recent movie, which was heavily advertised as a 'chick flick' (No complaints, it's true).
Elephants is excellent, and it's hard to believe it is someone's third book, with its origins written during National Novel Writing Month (!) . It reads like the work of a well-established writer who has punded a lot of pavements. It also is a lot more than the love story that sold the movie. It is a strong character study that captures some nostalgia, some one-of-a-kind characters, and a thorough look at the world of working for the Circus in the 1930s.
This book won a lot of awards when it came out, and it really is that good. It has broad appeal and should be enjoyed by both those looking for a love story and those with more pessimistic 'tudes. It does what a good book will do- it will stick with you for a long time. Recommended.
There is a lot to like here. The chief concept to getting to 'peace' is to look at people and treat them as people and not things. Arbinger puts a lot of thought into fleshing this thought out, and it's worth thinking about. Using one of the longest-running conflicts (Arabs & Israelis) as background, there were plenty of metaphors to shed light on your daily issues.
Still, I hate the Arbinger's style. Making the concepts into a novel with characters who are having conversations with each other, just make the thing laborious. I couldn't wait for it to be done, and it seemingly could be summarized in 50 pages. I wouldn't recommend it, but Amazon readers love it
Terminal - written by Andrew Vachss This is my first Vachss novel, but I know at least one person here is a fan. I liked this. I realize I don't have enough hard-boiled fiction under my belt to make an adequate comparison, but seemingly it would be comparable to Ellroy, in that it is snappy dialogue, hard-boiled definitely adult action, and fascinating characters. Vachss always has a touch of morality (He's a child advocate lawyer) to his world of bad, bad men.
It's Vachss's dialogue that makes it- every bit as mesmerizing as Chandler and Tarantino. Although the plot is interesting, I found that I had some trouble following some of the actual action. I realize that may just be me, but the dialogue carries everything through. It makes it a minor complaint.
I have already set my sights on reading some more Vachss soon.
Water for Elephants- written by Sara Gruen- This was first on my radar a few years ago when someone in a book club I was attending said it was their all-time favorite novel. It again caught my eye with the recent movie, which was heavily advertised as a 'chick flick' (No complaints, it's true).
Elephants is excellent, and it's hard to believe it is someone's third book, with its origins written during National Novel Writing Month (!) . It reads like the work of a well-established writer who has punded a lot of pavements. It also is a lot more than the love story that sold the movie. It is a strong character study that captures some nostalgia, some one-of-a-kind characters, and a thorough look at the world of working for the Circus in the 1930s.
This book won a lot of awards when it came out, and it really is that good. It has broad appeal and should be enjoyed by both those looking for a love story and those with more pessimistic 'tudes. It does what a good book will do- it will stick with you for a long time. Recommended.
