Friday, May 6, 2011

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

I just returned from eating Indian food at a wonderful restaurant with my book club friends where we discussed this interesting study in point of view. Most of us felt that seeing the world through Christopher's autistic perspective was very enlightening. A few of us are in education and found the novel an important reminder that not all of us learn or understand directions in the same way. One friend had a hard time getting into the story and thought it slow and boring, but the majority of us, including me, loved it. In addition to the interesting point of view, I enjoyed the surprise and compelling twists in plot. At one point in the story, I could not put the book down till I had finished it.

Maybe more than others in my club, I truly enjoyed being shown by the narrator how to work through certain logic and math problems. I especially liked the situation of the three doors, with the prize behind only one of them and how to use logic to choose your door. Very interesting stuff!

I would highly recommend this novel.

The Lady and the Unicorn, by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier has done it again in this realistic look into the French Renaissance through the eyes of several characters living different sorts of lives, but all connected somehow to a tapestry making business. There's love, mystery, betrayal and a lot more in this relatively short read. I absolutely loved it.