I can’t believe it’s been three months since I’ve updated you on my quest to read 50 books.
My last report I was trying to be sexy and winkwink and all that jazz, but this time I’m going to give it to you straight. Exactly what I thought. Knee-jerk reactions. You with me?
The links lead to the full book reviews I wrote.
An Abundance of Katherines / John Green » First I had to get past the Diablo Cody-esque characters and the abundance of math equations — and the fact that this book is in no way as good as The Fault in Our Stars. But I did, and I enjoyed this little teen rom-com. Read mostly with my Kindle tucked halfway under my pillow in San Diego on a holiday weekend while waiting for Alexa to finally fall asleep in the hotel room.
Gravity / Melissa West » The premise is so good, you guys. So good. But, as I remarked to H halfway through: “This book has more holes than Swiss cheese.” Still, I won’t lie. I’ll read the next installment. (Hides head.)
The Age of Miracles / Karen Thompson Walker » Put down everything you’re doing and read this novel. It is simply amazing. It deserves the slow clap.
Island of the Sequined Love Nun / Christopher Moore » The book starts with a pilot injuring his penis in a freak sex-flight-accident. So you know it’s going to be a wild ride. Unfortunately I found myself snoozing in several too-technical-to-care scenes. Mechanics of airplanes? No, thanks. Let’s just get back to the fun stuff.
The Dog Stars / Peter Heller » Post-apocalyptic done right. The writing is heavily stylized, so it took a few pages to get used to, but after that it’s one tense ride on the other side of a disease that knocked out 99 percent of humans, and the survivors aren’t “nice.” This book really made me think about humanity and its capacity (or lack thereof) for mercy. One complaint: another pilot, more technical jargon.
Code Name Verity / Elizabeth Wein » I spent the first half of this book sighing and saying, “Really? Like Nazis are going to let a prisoner of war write out her story IN LONG HAND.” And more freaking pilots?! Are you kidding me!? That first half dragged. Then I got to the second half, and it got good. Really good. And I finished it fast.
Domestic Violets / Matthew Norman » Matthew Norman and I are simpatico. I dig his writing style, his humor, his story. Every word in this book felt TRUE. So, there. Hemingway would approve. It has a Wonder Boys quality. Wonder Boys the movie, not the Chabon book, which I’ve not yet read. And now I should be ashamed for admitting that I love Michael Douglas like a movie that was based on a book that I’ve not yet read. Anyway. Domestic Violets is great! Read it.
Are You Happy Now? / Richard Babcock » Talk about a despicable protagonist. I actually wanted bad things to happen to this guy. Toward the middle of the book I was pretty sure he should go to jail just for being an unbearable asshole. Then, somehow, my heart melted a little and he changed a little and the ending made up for it all, a little.
Beautiful Ruins / Jess Walter » It has the most brilliant opening line: “The dying actress arrived in his village the only way one could come directly — in a boat that motored into the cover, lurched past the rock jetty, and bumped against the end of the pier.” And then, I’m pretty sure I read the first chapter three times because I kept falling asleep on my Kindle waiting for a someone to make a point. When I figured out it was full of interconnecting storylines, I cringed. But the book proved me wrong. It was a grower! A good message, too, if you can see past Hollywood being full of itself. Also — and this really is random — I learned an awful lot about the Donner Party.
Life After Life / Kate Atkinson » I nominated this for my book club. I didn’t know it was more than 500 pages long. I forged ahead, thinking it would be some kind of reincarnation narrative about how the protagonist gets to be a ballerina in one life and a sumo wrestler in the next. It is not the book I thought it would be. It is so much better. More choose-your-own-adventure. The characters are very rich, and about halfway through the book I started to care about them deeply. I’m still thinking about this book.
In this list of 10 books, three take place during World War II. Three have protagonists who are pilots. The three best (if I must choose): The Age of Miracles, Domestic Violets, Life After Life. It really is difficult to choose, though, because this is a good crop.
There you have it. I’ve read 20 out of 50 books so far this year.
What have you been reading? I’m always on the lookout for a good read.
