I haves been in a bit of a dry spell lately, I think. Fortunately, I now seem to have passed that. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was definitely a favorite, and as a bonus it is one that I would recommend to other people. Score! Seriously, though, I have some pretty warped tastes, so it's always nice when I hit one that I liked and I think others will as well.

The novel works as an enjoyable love story (though SPOILER ALERT, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the ending; it sort of worked, but it also felt a little too cheery in some ways), a thought-provoking historical drama, and even a semi-literary piece. You can fall in love with the characters, the lush descriptions, or the ideas.

The story explores several themes, such as the impact of various forms of totalitarianism on the human spirit, and the consequences of war and violence on soldiers and civilians alike. You could do a lot with those various themes, but I was particularly interested in its exploration of various kinds of love, the relationship between love and identity, and the meaning of family. He explores those in large-scale and intimate ways. For example, we have a pine marten that is treated like a cat, and we have an occupying soldier serving a fascist country who ultimately is the hero of the story. And music, of course, plays a huge role in the story, both in terms of character progression and narrative.

I haven't seen the movie, but I haven't heard good things about it, so we might skip that one.

Keeping going with the "Vonnegut Faze," I next read Good Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. I don't have too much to really say about that one. It was pretty hilarious in parts. I laughed out loud at the telephone conversation between the father and the son; so funny. It was a very quick read. I definitely get Vonnegut's style now. I'm not sure how many of his I have left to go. Yep, that's all I've got.