1.
A book about a parent,
siblings, or other family members
The Shining
Genre:
horror
Number
of pages: 659
First
published: 1977
Setting:
small town
Rating:
5 stars
First sentence: Jack Torrence thought:
Officious little prick.
One sentence comment: This is my first
book by Stephen King then I know the scariest horror is from human.
I
misunderstood Stephen King as the mainstream art world did. He is ahead of our
time at least by 20 years. In the book,
he talked about addiction, hatred, trauma, and madness, which are the major
topics when we deal with kids’ problems nowadays. He will be one of my favorite
authors that I read every year.
2. A book with a child or a house on the
cover
O Pioneers
Author: Willa Cather
Genre: fiction
Number of pages: 230
First published: 1913
Setting: Nebraska in 19th
century
Rating: 5 stars
First sentence: One January day, thirty years ago, the little town of Hanover,
anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away.
One sentence comment: It’s a very beautiful book that took me by surprise.
I love the two women protagonists that are
very different but lovable in the same way. Symbolic scenery and inner thoughts
of the characters are fascinating like poetry. The culture and the ensuing sin
and crime are responded drastically different by the people then from our era.
It provokes me to have a better understanding of human condition.
3. A book that was first published during
your parent’s lifetime
When the Bough Breaks (# 1 of Alex Delaware series)
Author: Jonathan Kellerman
Genre: mystery
Number of pages: 426
First published: 1985
Setting: Boston
Rating: 3 stars
First sentence: It was shaping up as a beautiful morning.
One sentence comment: I like the part about the psychologist world but not the action
packed plot.
I can be drawn to any book with Freudian
elements, but a psychologist with an Indian Jones trope is ridiculous. However,
considering the author’s good language ability, I will give the series anther
two chances to see whether he can give the protagonist a better shape.
4. A book by an author who is/was a parent
Neverwhere
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: fantasy
Number of pages: 372
First published: 1996
Setting: London
Rating: 2 stars
First sentence: The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not
enjoying himself.
One sentence comment: The story has no spine, and I have the problem of finding my way
through it.
Gaiman’s prose is OK, but what’s the point
of putting on two ugly and brutal baddies from the beginning? I have absolutely
no interest in them. It would be more appealing to tell about the protagonist’s
relationship with his girlfriend in London Above. I was quite taken by the
starting point of the book.