January Book Review

I am in such a reading slump.  I have really struggled the past two months to get through my nightly books.  Maybe it’s because it’s winter and I’m just so blah and tired by bedtime, or maybe I’ve just picked a lineup of stinkers to read, but I usually fall asleep 2-3 pages in.  It might also be because I’ve been doing Words With Friends/Hanging With Friends/Scramble with Friends on my phone and have about 5 games going that I usually get caught up on before my nightly reading, and all that thinking is obviously not good for my tired brain.

So anyway, here are my last five books.  I hope they keep you awake.

Wish You Were Here by Stewart O’Nan- Tara at Taradactyl said in her last book review that she is really loving Stewart O’Nan, especially his book, Emily Alone.  Unfortunately, my library system didn’t have Emily Alone, but it did have this one, which apparently is the sequel to Emily Alone (though it can stand on its own).  I can’t say I was crazy about Wish You Were Here, but I liked it enough that I will try to read Emily Alone when I can get my hands on a copy.  It had all of the elements I usually like in a book:   good character development, the story was told from multiple characters’ perspectives, an interesting premise and family dynamic, but since I fell asleep every 2-3 pages (darn that Words With Friends!) I really just felt like I never connected with it.  By the way, it’s about an extended family’s last stay at their mountain cottage….Emily (title character in Emily Alone, remember this is a sequel) is going to sell the house after the family spends one last week there.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner-Again, this had a great premise, but I just couldn’t connect!  This is about four women who are all connected by a baby:  the egg donor, the surrogate mother, the intended mother of the baby, and the stepdaughter of the intended mother.  I have to say that I don’t think this one was all me.  There was too much backstory (and I don’t usually mind that) and I really didn’t like the stepdaughter and found the intended mother’s whole background unbelievable.  Bottom line:  I wouldn’t recommend this one.

 

All is Vanity by Christina Schwartz-  Finally, I got a good one!  This novel follows two women, friends since elementary school.  Margaret has always been the overachieving star, while Letty has always been the wind beneath Margaret’s wings, so to speak.  This novel is a satirical look at vanity today.  Satire, if you remember from high school English, is when an author makes fun of or exaggerates someone’s shortcomings in order to teach a lesson.  In this case, Margaret displays vanity by wanting to be a famous author (and these are some of the funniest parts of the book, when she tries to write her novel) whereas Letty’s vanity is illustrated by her over-the-top need to “keep up with the Joneses” as she slowly works her credit cards up to an insane amount of debt, all the while obliviously making excuses for her choices.  If you decide to read this, know that the first third of the book, as you are slowly introduced through flashbacks to both women’s formative years, is fairly slow reading, but things really pick up when Margaret makes a bad decision and Letty’s expenses start to go crazy.  (By the way, this author also wrote Drowning Ruth, another good one you might want to try.)

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier-Have you read Cold Mountain by this author? That, my friends, is an excellent novel.  It was made into a movie sometime in the last decade starring Nicole Kidman, which was also good, but read the novel, please.    Anywho, Nightwoods takes place in the mountains of North Carolina and is a much quicker read than Cold Mountain.  Luce inherits her sister Lily’s twin children after Lily is murdered by her husband (which the children witness).   Bud, the husband/killer who is not convicted of his crime, tracks down Luce and the children, partly to make sure the kids don’t squeal, and partly because he’s certain that Lily has hidden a large amount of money with the children.  The novel is somewhat suspenseful, but Frazier’s gorgeous writing is the reason to read this book.  He’s the kind of author that doesn’t just tells a story, but puts it all together with vivid imagery, subtle, dry, sly occasional humor, and who, unfortunately, is not afraid to have bad things happen to his main characters.  Having read Cold Mountain and knowing that both his good and bad characters are sometimes equally “punished”, I was not entirely certain that all would be well in the end.  And I’m not going to tell you what happens either.   So there.  Nyah.

By the way, this one is not showing up on my Goodreads widget over there on the right, but I did read it!  (Actually, no books are currently showing on the widget…I’m not sure what’s going on.)

Matched by Ally Condie-This is another one recommended to me by Tara.  This young adult novel is set some unspecified time in the future, where society has become near perfect.  Most cancers and diseases have been cured, and everyone lives long (at least until age 80) because “the society” makes all of your choices for you so that they are all healthy ones.  You are matched with your spouse based on statistics, your food is delivered to you and based on your own dietary/caloric needs, every hour of your day is scheduled-- you know exactly what time your work and school hours are and even your leisure hours are programmed and the leisure choices presented for you.  Unfortunately, the society has its downside, and that is what Cassia, the seventeen year old heroine of the novel is starting to see.  In the beginning of the novel, Cassia is “matched” with her future husband, but she soon starts to fall for someone else.  Also, her grandfather, whose 80th birthday occurs days after her matching ceremony, is euthanized by the society, as the society has determined that 80 is the best age to die (before you get too sick or useless, they think).  This bothers Cassia too (but apparently doesn’t bother anyone else).  So…the book really kept me reading, but I felt like the author could have told this novel in about 80 pages (and then killed it before it started to get old and useless…hahaha!)  I found myself skimming occasionally as Cassia thought and thought and thought things through.  Geez, figure it out already and do what you’re going to do!  This book is the first of three, and I will definitely read the next one (Crossed) and the third is still being written, with publication due next fall.  It’s the next Hunger Games, people!  Get on board!