Book Review: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Book: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
Publisher: 2008, Harper Perennial
Genre: Fiction
Buy It: Amazon

Description (from Goodreads): For sixty years Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. The Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. But now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end.
Homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. His life is a shambles, his marriage a wreck, his career a disaster. And in the cheap hotel where Landsman has washed up, someone has just committed a murder—right under his nose. When he begins to investigate the killing of his neighbor, a former chess prodigy, word comes down from on high that the case is to be dropped immediately, and Landsman finds himself contending with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, evil, and salvation that are his heritage.
At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a novel only Michael Chabon could have written.

My thoughts: Ever have one of those books that no matter how many times you try to read it or what environment you're reading it in, you can't focus? This was one of those books for me. I started The Yiddish Policemen's Union back in June when I still lived in Boston and was working at my old job. I guess life just got in the way for me for awhile but I'm a bit neurotic when it comes to reading, so last weekend I told myself I had to finish this one before picking up something new. For the most part, it gets good reviews (at least on Goodreads). I feel like I completely missed the boat here. The language and the characters were overly developed, I was constantly getting lost or zoning out. I had to go back to read whole chapters multiple times and found I wasn't absorbing it. It read like a textbook to me. Perhaps it's just not a subject I'm interested in (although some of my favorite books deal with the Holocaust). I still am not entirely sure what The Yiddish Policemen's Union was about even after reading multiple summaries and reviews online.  I found the story to drag on, never really grasping my attention. The Yiddish terms sprinkled throughout the book made me feel like I needed to have my internet's browser opened up to Google far too often. If it wasn't for my rule of always finishing a book once I've started, I would have thrown this one at the wall just a few chapters in. I don't have anything good to say about The Yiddish Policemen's Union, so I'm just going to stop here. I'd suggest picking up Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay instead, which gets 4 stars from me. I really feel like Chabon dropped the ball on this one, but it did win some awards, so what do I know? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a really excellent book to follow this one before I get depressed!

The verdict: 1 star 

In My Mailbox/ Weekly Reading Wrap-Up

To keep you all updated on my weekly reading progress and let you know about upcoming reviews, I've decided to start doing a weekly wrap-up. I'm also going to join in on the In My Mailbox fun. IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
This week I've been reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I should finish up tomorrow and finally be done with this book, which I started all the way back in June!


IMM:
Bought at Borders- Love Is A Mixtape by Rob Sheffield (finally!) & Paper Towns by John Green


Bought at Salvation Army: The Girls' Guide To Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank & The A-List by Zoey Dean

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish with the purpose of sharing top ten lists about different topics each week. This week, our lists are compiled of the top ten books we're dying to read. This was a fun one. It reminded me about all the books I want to read that are sitting on my bookshelves and the ones I need to get my hands on asap!

1. Love Is A Mixtape by Rob Sheffield- This one has been on my wishlist for quite some time now, but I still have not managed to buy myself a copy or pick one up at the library. I've heard so many gushing reviews, plus it's about music so right there it's got to be great.
2. Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens- There seemed to be a Jessica Z. craze about two years ago that I missed out on. Everyone was reading it but I never did.
3. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall- I saw this one in the bookstore so many years ago and wanted it so bad, but that was during my broke college years so I couldn't afford it. Since then, it's been a bit hard to find and when I do come across it at a bookstore, for some reason I always end up buying something different.
4. Paper Towns by John Green- I read Looking For Alaska 2 years ago and really dug Green's writing. I've heard a lot of buzz about Paper Towns and finally purchased a copy at Borders over the weekend. It will be knocked off this list very soon!
5. Great House by Nicole Krauss- I absolutely adored The History of Love and have heard equally wonderful things about Krauss' latest novel. I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!
6. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath- I enjoy all things Sylvia Plath and am interested in reading more about her depression through her journals. I have this one on my shelf but have been waiting for the right mood to strike before I get started on it.
7. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski- the format of House of Leaves is what most interests me. I've had this one on my wishlist for years now but haven't splurged on a copy for myself yet. Perhaps this Halloween season...
8. Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck- After having just read East of Eden, plus my recent obsession with travelogues, I can't wait to read this one.
9. Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris- I've been wanting to read this one for so long and I received a copy for Christmas last year. I have no idea why it's still sitting in my TBR pile.
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I'm one of the few people who hasn't read any of the Hunger Games series. I want to change that soon!

In unrelated news, I've been completely swamped this week with applying for job and going to interviews. I had about a month's worth of a dry spell where I wasn't getting any calls after my first round of interviews but it's really picked back up this week. Hopefully by next week I'll receive a job offer and get back into a routine.

Book Blogger Hop

It's Friday! That means it's time for this week's Book Blogger Hop at Crazy-for-Books. This week we have the task of posting a link to a favorite post or book review that we've written in the past three months.

My favorite: East of Eden review 
I haven't been on the blog scene for long so I don't have tons of content yet, but the review I did for East of Eden is my favorite so far. I haven't been that excited about a book in awhile. I had the most fun writing that review because I was so excited to share my thoughts on the novel.

Book Review: Numb by Sean Ferrell

Book: Numb by Sean Ferrell
Publisher: 2010, Harper Collins
Genre: Fiction
Buy It: Amazon

My thoughts: *may contain spoilers* "Numb" is the journey of an amnesiac who can't feel pain. He has no recollection of his true identity or where he came from, so he does what any lonely person with a unique talent has at least thought of doing, he joins the circus. During his time in the circus, we begin to see that the people around him tend to use him for their own gain. He cannot feel pain but he does come away with many horrible scars that serve as a reminder. After an incident in the lion's cage, Numb (as he has come to be known), and his friend Mal head to New York City with a single clue to Numb's former life, an old, bloody business card. In New York, Numb is overwhelmed with how much the people around him use his sudden fame to make money. They nail him to bars for money despite his protests. Finally, Numb gathers the courage to break his ties with Mal. He gets himself an agent and a girlfriend, and things seem to be really looking up.
"Numb"is a wild ride in one man's search for identity. Along the way we see how it feels to be used for fame and fortune. Although Numb can't feel physical pain, this story is all about the emotional struggles he has. Even when Numb was doing stupid things like cheating on his sweet, blind girlfriend, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Ferrell did a great job of creating a flawed but likable protagonist. There was nothing amazing about this book, but it was a quick read that I found interesting. "Numb" offers a different take on human nature that I found refreshing, albeit dark. It's hard to imagine the condition Numb is in, desperately wanting to feel the pain that others feel. If you're squeamish, you may have some difficulties getting through this one as it's quite graphic at times. Ferrell is a great new writer that I'm excited to see more from.

My Rating: 3 Stars

Book Blogger Hop

I'm late to the blogger hop this week because I spent the long weekend up in San Francisco. I had a great trip although it was way too short. Unfortunately, it was very foggy while I was there so I didn't get the best photos. Anyway, this week's question on the hop is:

Do you judge a book by its cover?

My answer: Usually I do judge books by the cover. I won't rule out a book based on its cover if it's been recommended to me but if I'm in a book store or at the library, I typically will buy a book if it has a cool cover and sounds interesting. Many of the classics I own have old, plain covers. I've been tempted to buy a new copy when I see all the cool artwork on the covers lately.

Book Review: Hotel Du Lac

Book: Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
Published: EP Dutton, 1986
Genre: Fiction
Buy it: Amazon

My thoughts:
I wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t. Hotel Du Lac is the story of Edith Hope, a woman and author who is sent by her friends to a hotel in Switzerland to get over a mysterious lapse. Most of the story is about Edith’s impressions of the other hotel guests. There is plenty of description in this novel, in fact that’s about all that fills the 184 pages. We learn about the lives of a self-absorbed, rich widow and her daughter; the beautiful Monica with a secret past; and the interesting Mr. Neville. I wanted more of a story here. I found myself zoning out a lot. I know that learning about the other hotel guests was an integral part in helping Edith to confront her own issues with herself, but I just found it very boring. She was too preoccupied with the others because she was afraid to reveal any part of herself to the guests or even to the reader. If I were more of a fan of poetry, I would have probably enjoyed this more because the language is meant to be quite beautiful. I felt like Edith was too nosy and hypocritical. I also felt that Mr. Neville’s proposal was odd and forced. Brookner spent too much time on the descriptions and then had to rush the ending a bit to tie up Edith’s loose ends. Her revelations about her true self were anti-climatic for me because I wasn’t very invested in the story.

My rating: 1 star