Amber Luck » 50-Word Book Reviews

50: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee

Amber Luck — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:30:45 +0000

I’m glad I read this detailed and open-minded exploration of where our Chinese food comes from (both the recipes — many of which are all but unknown in China — and the people who cook, serve, and deliver it to us). I’ll never look at General Tso’s chicken the same way again.

50: All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot

Amber Luck — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:29:06 +0000

This third installment in the autobiographical series about a Yorkshire veterinarian is just Herriot: charming and funny literary comfort food. Since this book encompasses Herriot’s time in the Royal Air Force during WWII, it also includes some charming and funny stories about military service — and lots of clunky flashbacks. Forgivable.

50: Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul by Kenneth R. Miller

Amber Luck — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:21:12 +0000

In his defense of evolution and its moral implications (yes, it has some), Miller remains clear and objective, thoughtful and respectful, even as he indicts the intelligent design movement for imperiling the American mind and science itself. Required reading for anyone who accepts Darwin’s idea — and for anyone who doesn’t.

To Gimmick or Not to Gimmick?

Amber Luck — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:03:29 +0000

In my last post, I mentioned that I’d been nurturing some ideas that would motivate me to write here on a regular basis. Today I’d like to unveil one of those ideas, but because it doesn’t do anyone any good if I write things no one wants to read, I want this to be more of a test screening than a ribbon cutting. My idea is this: a 50-word review of each book I read, as I finish it. The longer I’m out of school, the easier it is to consume and discard books without giving them much thought. I like the idea of forcing myself to think about what I’m reading again, and the challenge of paring those thoughts down to 50 words (exactly?) appeals to me. On the other hand, I’m allergic to instituting gimmicks for the sake of gimmicks, and I want to know if this piques your interest or makes you cringe. My first review is below for your consideration. Please comment, and be honest.

50: Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins

This love story - set against the buildup to the atomic age, intertwined with the themes of Moby-Dick, and made epic by the ordinariness of its lovers – is one of the best novels I’ve read: at once humble and celestial, heartbreaking and joyous, literary and compulsively readable. I felt every character.