Review: The Golem and the Jinni

Title The Golem and The Jinni
By Helene Wecker
Genre Adult Magic Realism Historical
Pages 486

First Sentence The Golem's life began in the hold of a steamship.

Synopsis
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world. The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice. (From Goodreads) 

What it has going for it
I really don't have many nice things to say about this book. I will say, I enjoyed the historical look at New York and Ellis Island etc. I also liked the magical element and the story held me just captivated enough to finish but I was reading it for book club and that might have been why I really finished it. The character development was good but I didn't particularly like  any of them. Chava was too...good and proper and Ahmad was kind of a jerk. 

What's lacking
Any time a book makes you drag yourself through it, it's not a good thing. And if it going to make you work to get through it, the least it could do is have a decent ending. This one feels like the whole book, or at least three quarters of it are setup. The rest was meandering nonsense where very little was happening. Back in the day authors were paid by the word. Now all those endless, wordy classics make sense, don't they? Well, guess what, Helene, you're not getting paid by the word so how about a little editing. All that set up, all that endless nothingness building up to...what? That ending? That's it?! Thanks a lot for wasting my time. Argh! 

Yea or Nay
Hell NO!   

Dune Read-along Part One Discussion

It's been a week and section one has been read!  It was a bit of a slow confusing start but really picked up and I'm eager to continue with book two.  The questions for part one were asked by Jenni, one of our lovely hosts.  Here we go.

Questions
Have you ever read a high sci-fi book before?
Nothing quite as hardcore as Dune.
Is this your first time reading Dune?

Yes
If this is your first time reading Dune, is the book anything like you expected it to be? If this isn’t your first time reading it, have you noticed anything different this time around?

This is my first time reading it. It's very much like I expected. I've read enough "older" books to know what to expect.
Were you surprised that you knew who the traitor was before everything went down at the end of this book? Did it help prepare you? Or, were you bugged by it?

It didn't bug me. When I know and the characters don't though I'm always screaming at them to see what's happening but I still enjoy knowing something they don't.

What do you think of the idea of recycling the water from your body to survive in such an arid climate? 

I don't think it's gross but I did wonder, when they were describing the stillsuits, if recycling sweat  etc. in that manner was even possible. I'm sure it probably is and I think Herbet is smart to think of it. Plus the whole idea really makes you realize how desperately important water is.  

What was your favorite part of this section? Why? 

Obviously I liked when the action picked up but I think my favorite part of this section was the dinner party. I like that we get to hear all the main character's thoughts and all the political intrigue just makes me happy.
Which character(s) do you find the most interesting? Why? 

Of course I like Paul and Jessica the best. I also really liked the Duke and since his death was very for-shadowed I tried not to become attached but I did anyway. I'm also very intrigued by Kynes.
Are there any revelations in this section that surprised you?

Oh yes!  Totally didn't see Jessica being the Baron's daughter. Now I want to know what the hell's going to happen there.
What do you think of Dune so far? Are you having a hard time following what’s going on? Is it engaging? Boring?

I'm really liking it. The first bit was very confusing but as soon as they get to Arrakis it gets good. I thought so anyway.
Do you have any predictions about what’s going to happen in the next section?

I think we can expect to see more about Paul and his destiny unfold, but no, I don't really have any predictions. 

So, yeah. I'm enjoying the book more than I thought I would. And because it wasn't mentioned it the questions can I just say how pissed I was that the Baron escaped! I know, I know. He can't very well die off, he's the main villain, but I still was pissed!   Anywho, I'm enjoying things so far and anxious to continue. 

Don't forget the Twitter chat tonight at 9:00pm MST. It's a fun conversation. So far we've been discussing cheating (for those who are struggling through this part) Tsk. Tsk. It's a riot! Rember to use the #DuneRAL hashtag.

Read-a-thon!!

Final Update

Well, I had to take a break to plan a lesson for church tomorrow that ended up turning into 3 hours but then I continued reading Cress. It was far too exciting to quit. I'm calling it a night.  I've got to get up early so sleep calls.

Pages Read: 300

Books finished: None

Snacks consumed: Sadly,  not much.  I didn't even break out the M&Ms.

Interruptions: Just the one really.

Total Hours Spent Reading/tweeting: About 10 not too shabby.

Good night! Good luck to those of you hard core readers.  You can do it!

Update 2

After a shower I've been reading Cress by Marissa Myer. Sooooo good! I think I'll order a pizza for dinner and keep reading Cress for awhile and then start in on.  Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen.

Pages read: 300

Snacks consumed: Buncha Crunch and licorice.

Interruptions: Minamal. Though I have been trying to keep up with social media.

I seriously love this, guys. Think of how many of us are reading at this very moment. Love it!
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Update 1

Doing great! Finished part one of Dune for the read-along. Had lunch and now I think I'll shower for the day and read Cress for awhile.

How's everyone else holding up?

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Alrighty! Getting off to a late
start but here we go.  I've got my couch...and kitties.

I've got my snacks...

And of course my books.  Sorry no pictures. Mostly I'll be reading off my Kindle. I think I'll start with catching up on my read-along book Dune. Ouch! Maybe a bit heavy reading for first thing in the morning. Aw well. I'll keep you all updated on this post through out the day. Here we go!!!! 

Finally! Some Reading Time!

It's time!  I'm very excited to participate this year mostly because my reading has really died down and I miss it! So while I won't be pulling a 24 hour readathon. I'm definitely spending the day reading, pigging out and snuggling my kitties. Hopefully all at once. 

Are you joining us?  Let's do this thing! 

Dune Read-Along

I shall be joining this Dune read-along hosted by Jenni, Suey and Kami because...well we're reading it for book club so I have to read it anyway.  No I'm Teasing. It's going to be fun.  There's Twitter chats and a mini series watch -along and discussion posts and it's just going to be awesome. Hopefully the book is as good. ;) 

Schedule

• Section 1: April 19 – 27
• Section 2: April 28 – May 6
• Section 3: May 7 – 16

Discussion Posts

Each discussion post will go up on either Suey’s, Kami’s, or Jenni's blog at the end of each section.

• Section 1: April 27 on Jenni's blog (jennielyse.com)
• Section 2: May 6 on Suey’s blog (It’s All About Books)
• Section 3: May 16 on Kami’s blog (Kami’s Library Thoughts)

Twitter Chats

• 
  Section 1: Monday, April 27 at 9:00 pm MDT
• Section 2: Thursday, May 7 at 9:00 pm MDT
• Section 3: Saturday, May 16 at 9:00 pm MDT

Watch-along

The watch-along will be onSaturday, May 30 at 6:00 pm MDT and we'll watch until we’re done with the whole mini-series (about 5 hours). Join us via Twitter using #DuneRAL.

If you've been wanting to read this book or if you're just a fan of scifi, you should totally join us. These ladies really know how to host a read-along. Link up here if you want to join.