Tinkers

By: Paul Harding
Genre: Fiction
Stars: 5 out 5
George Washington Crosby is dying. As he lies dying, his mind starts reeling with the memories of his childhood in New England and his father. Going back between present day and then into George’s childhood and Howard’s (George’s father) childhood and life, this story is about the relationship between a father and a son who’s story never really ends. And until George’s last moments, you are still gripped with this philosophical and touching tale.
Paul Harding’s novel has won this year’s 2010 Pulitzer Prize – and for good reason. His writing style is absolutely phenomenal and I love how he adds little tinker (clock) quotes into his story. Here is a sample of just how detailed and fantastic his writing is: “When the blood left, it was as if it had evaporated; it was as if the blood had turned to some fumy spirit too thin to carry its own minerals. And so, it evaporated and had left a residue of salt and metal along the passages of his dry veins” (Harding 182). That language is just beautiful and paints such a wonderful image. I certainly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a touching story about a parent-child relationship and some philosophical aspects as well.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larsson
Genre: Crime Fiction
Stars: 5 out of 5
After being sentenced for libel and defaming a huge Swedish financer in his magazine The Millennium, Mikael Blomkvist decides to take a break. However after being summoned by Henrik Vanger to write his family’s biography and investigate the disappearance of his niece over forty years ago, Mikael gets thrown into a world of corruption and violence. With the help of Lisbeth Salander, a pierced punk who is a sneaky investigator, Mikael and Lisbeth unlock a mystery that will shock more than Henrik Vanger’s world.
It is really too bad that Stieg Larsson is no longer around to see how his novel has become such a major hit. This is really a fascinating and intriguing read. A little slow going at first because Larsson explains the Swedish financial system and also provides a lot of family history and background about the Vanger’s. But once you read past the first hundred pages, you are flung into a mystery that shocks you. I only picked this book up because so many customers at work were buying it – and now I know why. I cannot wait to read the second and third installments.

Beatrice and Virgil

By: Yann Martel
Genre: Fiction
Stars: 4 out of 5
A writer spends five years writing what he considers his greatest masterpiece. But after it is rejected from his editor, in defeat he moves with his wife to start a new life. In his pursuit of something different, Henry receives a strange fan mail. It’s a scene from a play by an old author as well as a scene from the fan’s own play. In curiosity, Henry goes to pay the fan a visit. He finds out the fan is actually an old taxidermist and has been writing this play about a monkey and a donkey for years. Henry then becomes involved in editing and listening to this odd man’s play and finds out the play may be more than he expected.
This book was interesting to me. I have not read Yann Martel’s bestselling novel “Life of Pi” so I did not know how his writing style was. But I do like his writing style. It is different from mainstream fiction writers and so it was entertaining to read and see what happens next with this man’s play. However, it was a little slow going at first, but overall a great and different read.

Little Nuggets of Wisdom

By: Chuy Bravo with Tom Brunelle
Genre: Humor
Stars: 3 out of 5
This little book is advice from Chelsea Handler’s little nugget Chuy. It’s nothing literal just little quotations of advice that Chuy thinks we should take to heart. He has advice for different categories such as when it comes to friends, families, technology, and entertainment. One of my favorite pieces of advice is: “Never sit in the front row of a theater unless you have a bloody nose and you’re trying to stop the bleeding.” See really good advice from such a little guy.