Weekly Geeks #12 Part II

Weekly Geeks #12 asked that we post a list of books we've read recently (but not reviewed yet) and get our readers to ask us questions about them. Here are mine:

Molly wrote: "I've been wanting to read "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". How does it compare to his other works of fiction?"

I loved The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. That and The Final Solution are the only Chabon novels I've read. That said, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is completely different from both. It's set in a modern-day alternate reality, based on some research Chabon did about the government's plan to turn Alaska into a sort of Jewish settlement following WWII. The writing is very different - it reads almost like a noir or pulp mystery. I especially loved all the Yiddish. My favorite word was "sholem," which literally means "peace," but was slang for "gun" in the book. Get it? Because a gun is sometimes referred to as a "piece"? I thought it was clever. On the whole, I enjoyed the novel (although it was very dense and took me a while to get through it), but I didn't think it was as good as Kavalier and Clay. It was a very good story, though.

Alix has three questions for me:
I recently re-read Forever. I really had issues with it reading it from an adult perspective and not a giggling 12 year. How did you feel the relationship between Michael and Katherine was handled did you find it realistic, did you believe in it?

I actually found their relationship to be really believable for a teenage couple. I didn't read it as a teen, so that probably gave me a different perspective. But I can remember my first "real" high school boyfriend, and feeling like we were going to be together forever. I even liked that Katherine's disappointment and heartbreak seemed to pass fairly quickly, because I know I've felt that way before too, unfortunately.

His Dark Material - these are three of my favourite books of all time, especially The Subtle Knife. Did you enjoy it? What did you think about the whole atheism/church agreement that runs throughout? Did you think the end was necessary or unnecessarily harsh on Lyra and Will?

I love this series! I've read it twice now - my BFF bought me a copy of Northern Lights when she went to England last year, so I had to read it over again. I also like The Subtle Knife best. It's interesting to read Lyra from someone else's point of view. :) The religious aspects of the novel didn't bother me; the fact that Pullman self-identifies as an atheist has no bearing on the story, in my opinion, because it's a fantasy. I don't understand why people get so upset about it. To me, the books are about the importance of knowledge and free will and love. I love that the ending parallels the Garden of Eden, but I did think it was pretty sad that Lyra and Will had to be separated. I always cry when I get to that part. I also really love the idea of deamons. The idea of having part of my soul outside my body is scary, but a nice idea.

Finally have to ask The Twilight saga Edward or Jacob :)

TEAM EDWARD!!!!! And I'm not just saying that because I just finished Breaking Dawn. Jacob annoyed the crap out of me, up until this last book. Go, Stephenie Meyer! You actually made him likable.