Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

I chose this novel for three reasons: a) I thought it was an interesting title, b) While I have never read anything by this author I have wanted to read his 100 Years of Solitude, and c) it was short. Probably not the best reasons to pick up a book, but I thought it was a decent read for the beach. I liked the writing style and look forward to reading more by Márquez. His prose is straight forward and has an elevated style that I feel should come across as presumptuous, but somehow doesn’t. Instead, it reads like it is written by someone who knows that he knows how to write. However, I was not a huge fan of the story itself, which follows the narrator who turns 90 and decides that he wants to spend the night with a virgin. Almost every night for a year the narrator sleeps next to this young girl. I am not particularly squeamish when it comes to sex scenes and there is nothing in the book that is too graphic (it’s certainly no Girl with the Dragon Tatoo), but I didn’t really like the narrator whose views on sex and women were degrading. I am sure that Márquez was making a larger statement about that and other issues, but I didn’t really care to think that much about the narrator to figure out what those statements were. But I do think that someone with a more open mind would enjoy the story much more and have a greater appreciate for the characters that Márquez crafts.

Originally submitted on 8/8/2012.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey, SMCM Alumn ’11
Rating:  Recommended with Reservations

Thanks to all the readers who posted reviews on our Summer Reading blog.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies by Edward L. Ayers tells the story of the Civil War not as we usually hear it, from generals and presidents. Instead, he follows the experiences of Franklin county in Pennsylvania and Augusta county in Virginia. It makes the war more personal, as he shows how North and South begin to hate each other, and the dead as not statistics but as obituaries in their local newspaper. My only complaint is that the book ends in 1863, before the battle of Gettysburg. It makes the story seem half-finished.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Highly Recommended.

I finally got around to reading this book after catching the middle of the movie a few weeks ago. For those who have seen the film and not read the book (or vice versa), the spirit of the novel is well-preserved in the film, and several details were dropped or changed for brevity.

The book takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s, where black house maids are a staple of southern living. Recent college graduate and all-around non-traditional young woman Skeeter Phelan returns home looking for a writing career and the truth about her beloved maid who is mysteriously no longer with her family. Inspired by her desire to understand what happened, Skeeter begins talking to maids around town, eventually interviewing them for what becomes an anonymously authored book titled “Help.” The publication of “Help” turns Jackson upside-down.

My favorite aspect of the book was Stockett’s attention to detail. Her narrative switches between Skeeter and two maids, Aibileen and Minny, and her writing style is phenomenal. Stockett herself grew up Mississippi during the 1960s raised by her housemaid Demetrie, who served generations of her family for 50 years. It’s an aspect of mid-century life in the south that I never really recognized or learned about in school. The book has been described as today’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I highly recommend it!

Availability: SMCM Library and USMAI
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines, Alum ’11
Rating:  Highly Recommended

This is the second book in the Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. In this series, Ms. Kenyon tells the story of the Dark Hunters, immortals who hunt evil, from the perspective of a 14 year old teenager. Nick is human but has remarkable powers of his own. In the 2nd book, he is just starting to understand the extent of his powers and why he is being both hunted and protected. As with most teenagers, Nick also finds himself getting into trouble all on his own, without the help of his “super” powers. I look forward to reading about his continued adventures and what the world has in store for him.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Mandy Reinig
Rating: Highly Recommended

This is the fifth novel in Bebris’ “Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery” series which, as the name implies, follows Elizabeth Darcy, née Bennet, and her husband as they become unlikely detectives in various mysteries that take place through Austen’s other novels. While I cannot argue that Bebris is the greatest writer in the world, she does a very good job of recreating Austen’s settings and characters.

In The Intrigue at Highbury, or Emma’s Match, the Darcys find themselves trying to help Emma and Mr. Knightly solve a murder at Highbury. While I have enjoyed all the novels in this series, this one has been my favorite. I absolutely loved the interactions between these characters and I think that any fan of Austen will enjoy seeing how Bebris plays with these classic novels and puts you in the place of the characters of Elizabeth, Emma, Mr. Knightly, and Mr. Darcy. This is a very quick and light read and one that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the original stories.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey, SMCM Alumn ’11
Rating:  Highly Recommended

I listened to Bossypants as an audiobook on my way to work and spent every commute laughing out loud. In her autobiography, Tina Fey discusses the significant moments of her life from childhood to writing this book and it is packed full of Fey’s wit and ingenious humor. From her Improve Rules to Live By to her thoughts on what is needed for true equality between men and women, Fey is able to cloak deep and powerful ideas in light humor. While Fey is clearly a feminist, I think that any fan of Tina Fey’s, male or female, will enjoy this book.

I also highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook, where Fey makes full use of the media with special comments and jokes that are added specifically for listeners.

Availability: SMCM Library and COSMOS (audiobook)
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey, SMCM Alumn ’11
Rating: Must Read

This continuation of Angles in America takes up just where Part One left off. While I enjoyed the first part more (readers shouldn’t read Part Two unless they’ve read Part One, Millennium Approaches), I like the themes that Kushner brings up in this play: homophobia, the inevitable movement of time, and human decency. This play certainly isn’t for everyone, but fans of Angels in America will enjoy the second half of the story.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey, SMCM Alumn ’11
Rating:  Recommended with Reservations