The Grapes of Wrath

Title: The Grapes of Wrath
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Classic (1939)
Pages (words): 619 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Steinbeck's classic depression-era novel follows the Joad family as they are forced to leave their Oklahoma homestead and head to California in search of a better life. As they encounter the harsh reality of an American divided into Haves and Have-nots, they battle to simply sustain themselves and maintain their dignity.
Thoughts: I tried to read this book a couple of years ago and couldn't get past the first 100 pages. Jenn also started it but didn't get far before giving up. So this time I was determined to read it, like it or not, because it just seemed like I needed to read this book in order to be well-read. The first 100 pages were a real struggle again, but I pushed through and I'm really glad that I did. I'm not sure why I disliked the preliminaries so much...I just got really bored with it. But eventually the plot begins to move, and by the end of the book I was really enjoying it a lot. It has so much to say about human nature, ranging from how awful we can be when we have power, to how noble we are when we band together. The ending (I won't ruin it) was especially poignant. It's definitely a landmark book, and a worthwhile read, even if I didn't give it five stars.

As a sidenote, I couldn't help but compare The Grapes of Wrath to How Green Was My Valley, which I reviewed just before this book. Both were written in 1939, and both are viewed as books that define a nation in the midst of major transitions: How Green Was My Valley chronicles Wales' transition from small farming communities to an integral part of the United Kingdom, while The Grapes of Wrath is the Depression-era novel for the U.S. Both novels are extremely moving, and have a lot to say about human nature. But How Green Was My Valley made me want to be better, while The Grapes of Wrath simply taught me a lot about people in general. The Grapes of Wrath a worthwhile read, to be sure, but for me, How Green Was My Valley is the better book.
Disclaimer: This book has plenty of "farm language," and some references to sex, but nothing explicit. It deserves a rather mild warning.

How Green Was My Valley

Title: How Green Was My Valley
Author: Richard Llewellyn
Genre: Classic (written in 1939)
Pages (words): 494 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): *****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A coming-of-age novel about growing up in a Welsh coal-mining town, How Green Was My Valley follows Huw Morgan as he struggles with the reality that the way of life he has known is slowly being absorbed by the modern world. Through hardships and trials, both personal and town-wide, Huw's family is stretched and torn, and Huw struggles to make sense of it all and find his place.
Thoughts: Okay, I really struggled writing a description of this book, so don't judge it by that! This is only the third 5-star book that I've put on this list. I really enjoyed it a lot. It is narrated by the protagonist, Huw Morgan, who is only a boy for most of the book. This puts an incredible viewpoint on all of the events that happen, bringing issues which are important to a 12-year-old into sharp focus while other, more adult issues are left without much detail. That's not to say the book is childish; I just really enjoyed the writing style and it actually brought some things to the forefront that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. So, why five stars? 1) I loved the writing style. It was utterly Welsh, through and through. You'll know what I mean when you read it. 2) The book made me want to be a better person. For me, that's a requirement of a 5-star book. 3) It was extremely engaging. There isn't really a single climax in the book but more just a series of events in Huw's life that are all their own short stories. Each chapter had some tight spot that either he or someone else had to get out of, and that made it hard to put down. All in all, How Green Was My Valley is an incredible book, an important addition to English literature.
Disclaimer: How Green Was My Valley contains some light swearing, plenty of fist fights, and some sexual material. Although it does deal with sex, everything is very tastefully written and I was never uncomfortable while I read it. However, I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone under 16 or so.

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood

Title: Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years
Authors: Jim and Charles Fay
Genre: Nonfiction Advice
Pages (words): 175 (N/A)
Readability:N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): Advice: **** Writing: *
Reviewed by:Ben
Description: Gives advice on parenting techniques. Love and Logic is a method of dealing with disobedient children that was developed by the Fay's and they lay out their advice for parenting younger children in this book. The main idea is to (a) always show love towards your children and (b) help them solve their own problems with logic, hence "Love & Logic."
Thoughts: Jenn was introduced to the Love and Logic method back in her teaching days, and she is reading this book right now for her book club. I figured I'd better read it too so that I didn't screw up all that she was trying to do with Henry (and soon baby #2)! First, the bad: I really couldn't stand the writing style of this book. Okay, the authors aren't English majors, they're child psychologists, so I can cut them some slack. But really, a lot of things in the book were really cheesy and the whole book seemed more like a giant sales pitch even though they aren't trying to sell anything. The other thing that bugged me was that it was full of anecdotes that "proved" that their methods work, but there was no real data at all. Maybe that's just the academic in me coming out, but that bothered me. So, the writing in the book only gets 1 star. The good news is that the book is short, so I got through it quickly. The other good news is that I think that the actual advice is really good (worth 4 stars, even!). Much of what the book taught coincided with my personal beliefs about parenting, namely, that we should give children as many opportunities to choose for themselves as possible. We should even let them choose incorrectly and let them face the consequences of those mistakes. Even though that's what I wanted to do as a father before reading Love and Logic, the book gave tons of practical examples of how to actually do that with your children. Jenn and I have been trying a few things that the book suggests and have already seen a big difference in Henry as a result. I truly believe that if we follow what it advocates that we'll have a lot higher chance of being successful as parents, and enjoying parenthood more at the same time. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a parent--it will make a huge difference! Just be forewarned that the writing is pretty cheesy! :)
Disclaimer: None.

A Room With A View

Title: A Room With A View
Author: E. M. Forster
Genre: Classic (early 20th century)
Pages (words): 240 (65,952)
Readability: 6.1
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A classic late 1800's/early 1900's novel about a girl who is beginning to discover herself and is forced to decide whether she will abide by the rules that society has set, or whether she will push them.
Thoughts: I have to admit, it took me a while to begin to really enjoy this book. I'm not sure why that was. Forster's writing style is a little bit vague (poetic?) and it was difficult for me to get used to. But, once the plot started moving along, I really enjoyed the book a lot. More than I really expected to, actually. I think that there are some good nuggets of wisdom hidden in some of the dialogue, and I felt that I connected to a few of the characters very well. Overall, I would give it 4 stars for plot, and 3 for style, so 3 1/2 stars overall seems fair. If you like Jane Austen or Edith Wharton, you'll really enjoy this book.
Disclaimer: None.

The Tipping Point

Title: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Genre: Non-fiction (popular science)
Pages (words): 294 (68,870)
Readability: 10.1
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: The Tipping Point is about epidemics of all sorts, exploring topics from the spread of STDs to the stellar success of Sesame Street. Gladwell summarizes research in epidemiology and concludes that in many cases very small changes push small movements past a Tipping Point and into worldwide epidemics.

Thoughts: I liked this book, but not as much as Blink. Still, I think that Gladwell does a great job of mixing together technical studies and particular case studies into a single theme that is both interesting and surprising at the same time. In The Tipping Point, sometimes he goes a bit far trying to make connections between different thoughts, but I think that his overall point that little things are often the difference makers is a good one. If you're looking for an interesting, easy-to-read, non-fiction book, this would be a good bet.
Disclaimer: None.

The Moonstone

Title: The Moonstone
Author: Wilkie Collins
Genre: Mystery/Detective
Pages (words): 482 (172,929)
Readability: 8.3
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A large, mystic diamond from India is given to Rachel Verinder for her birthday. The next morning she awakes to find it has been stolen! Who took it? The family calls on the famed Sergeant Cuff to solve the mystery, but the story twists enough to fool even him.
Thoughts: T.S. Eliot called this book, "The first and greatest of English detective novels." I don't claim to know all that much about English detective novels, but I would have to agree that this is the best one that I have read. The author, who happened to be good friends with Charles Dickens, does a marvelous job of weaving the narrative and leaving you completely in the dark for most of the novel. Not only that, but there are several sub-plots (love! greed!) that really move the story along while Collins presents all of the evidence. Add on top of that some great writing, and you've got a super book. We got this book from Jenni Davis, so a big thanks to her!
Disclaimer: None.

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

Title: Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling
Author: Richard Lyman Bushman
Genre: Biography
Pages: 561

Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Many are calling this the definitive biography on Joseph Smith. Bushman (an emeritus Columbia professor, as well as a patriarch in the Mormon church) has spent his whole career researching church history, and beautifully pieces together all of his work in this book.

Thoughts: The subtitle to Rough Stone Rolling is "A cultural biography of Mormonism's founder." Growing up in the church, I never really thought about the culture that Joseph Smith grew up in, and what I really loved about this book is that it tells about Joseph Smith in the context of 19th century frontier America. Every chapter highlights how Joseph was a product of his age and geography, including the dirt and grit incumbent with living on the frontier. Of course Joseph was a "rough stone." At the same time, Bushman is careful to also show the ways in which Joseph was a visionary and revolutionary man, completely different from anyone else in any era. This book did nothing but increase my respect for Joseph as a man and a prophet, while at the same time adding a lot color to his personality that I didn't know about.
Disclaimer: None, except that this book is a long 561 pages. Unfortunately the text stats were not available on Amazon, but I'm sure this book is in the 98th or 99th percentile for length. And that's not even counting the nearly 200 pages of notes after the epilogue! Personally, I felt it was worth every page, but you should know that it's a bit of a project.

A Christmas Carol

Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Holiday/Classic
Pages (words): 86 (28,393)

Readability: 6.7
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: This classic tale tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the original Christmas humbug. Scrooge practically has no heart in him at all, until visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come show him the consequences of his steely demeanor. When he awakes on Christmas morning he is a new person compeltely, and spreads Christmas cheer the rest of his life.
Thoughts: This has really taken me a long time to post--sorry. I think that this story is familiar to almost everyone, but it is still worth an hour to read it Dickens' orignal version. I read it during my commute the last two days before Christmas, and really enjoyed it. Great moral, great writing, fun story.
Disclaimer: None.