Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I really liked this book. To be more specific, I really liked the ending. There were times when the book was slow and parts where I felt like I was slogging through it because it was heavy reading (for me at least). It's pretty depressing throughout and I never like depressing books.

However, towards the end, the pace picked up and I really like the turn that Dostoevsky makes with how Raskolnikov changes. I feel like there were so many allusions to Christianity that it makes me wonder if this book is some kind of allegory to it or if it has some strong parallels to it.

In terms of the writing style, as with any author, I found it difficult to get into Dostoevsky but the way he creates flow is pretty interesting. He really gets into some details but I think it was well done and necessarily so. He portrayed Raskolnikov's mental state pretty well and the ideologies of each of the characters was well  executed.

As I mentioned before, the movement of the plot was slow (especially by the standards of popular novels nowadays) and sometimes I felt like it completely stagnated but perhaps Dostoevsky was trying to portray the stagnation of Raskolnikov's mind so it worked out in its own way.

Overall a decent read. It was heavy reading and I can see why high schoolers complain about how reading the book is "crime and punishment" (har har) but I also see the academic value in it. I want to come back to this novel some time but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because it isn't as accessible as a lot of other novels.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

I didn't like this volume as much as his other ones. There was a running theme of death which I feel he treated pretty well (comically almost, but tastefully so). I think there was another book of his that had something similar or I might be thinking of this book. I had started reading it and had put it down and forgot it for a while.

It definitely had a darker aspect than his other books. Eh.

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Got some really good recipes and ideas for recipes. Desultory style. Relaxing read but too slow-paced and plotless for my tastes.

Apparently, she has another book out. Not sure if I want to follow up.

Made me want to visit Italy.

1984 by George Orwell

Didn't know what to expect.

Not bad.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Liked it.

Sappho's Leap by Erica Jong

I can't tell if this book was supposed to be a romance or historical fiction. I thought it was historical fiction when I first bought it.

Not bad, but I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to others. It just wasn't all that good.

The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho

Liked it. Depressing. Good twists. I liked the insight into the background of Hollywood.

Better update later.