 Icelandic cafe decor. These are color coordinated books that look cool, but the books have been cut away about 3 inches from the spine so that they can be displayed. The bookshelves don't need to be full sized this way, but the books are unreadable.
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 Morrigan's Cross. Nora Roberts. 2006. Morrigan's Cross. This vampire novel was just not my thing. It was substantially better than Twilight, but no where near as good as The Discovery of Witches. There was something about it that made it hard for me to get sucked in. Maybe it was the sheer volume of the violence, making it feel like a war novel instead of a regular fantasy novel. Anyhow, it wasn't terrible, but doesn't make it to a recommendation list.
 Team of Rivals. Doris Kearn Goodwin. 2005. Team of Rivals. I slogged through this one for weeks and can't say I ever really got into it. Certainly, it was interesting and there were parts that kept my attention, but it is a heavy, detailed history of President Lincoln's career. I found it quite depressing at times, given that it is mostly about the cultural division between the states. It often felt like we have done nothing productive to resolve the conflicts since the Civil War. I came away feeling like maybe we should have just split into two countries back then. Maybe by now we would have moved on.
Recommended by Charissa.  The Antelope Wife. Louise Erdrich. 1998. The Antelope’s Wife (Nora). This was quite possibly the worst audio book recording I have ever listened to. I started it at least a dozen times this year & could not persevere. Read by the author, Justin asked if it had been recorded long distance over a 1970’s phone line. This was a huge disappointment because I loved the other works by this author & it was a gigantic distraction from the story.
I’m going to say that on paper this is probably a very different experience, but on audio I found it overdone in places—too wordy with way too many adjectives. It jumps around between generations, but not in a flashback kind of way that makes it clear who belongs in what time period do I never quite got the hang of what caused who to be how they were/are. Very disappointed to not recommend this, but The Round House by the same author would come with a recommendation from me. Nora's recommendation, although both El and Leah also wanted to. Going off list at the recommendation of Gretchen to read Becoming Nicole.  Mink River. Brian Doyle. 2010. Mink River. I can understand why this author is a favorite among librarians and authors. The diction and pacing is unusual (and takes some getting used to) and the prose is smart. The sentence structure is often deliberately choppy. If you think of prose that "flows," this is like the opposite. The word "choppy" isn't really correct, but I am not sure what to call it. It is a really smart book. It reminds me of Spoon River Anthology in terms of it being a series of interlocking vignettes about folks in a town, but it includes non-human voices and has some odd mystical tales interwoven. Unlike Spoon River, the story comes full circle and ties to together at the end. While the book is clever, I can't say I loved it. At times, I felt it was trying too hard to be avant garde. Can't recommend it, except for the hard core readers who are looking for a truly unusual read.
Recommended by a friend of my friend Jenny, who I tagged in the original post, Catsi suggested this. Next up: The Antelope's Wife.  Ancillary Justice. Anne Leckie. 2013. Ancillary Justice (Michael) This sci fi universe takes some getting used to, although all my favorite sci fi books just dump you into their world without taking the time to describe things in detail first. Because this world is so unique, it took me a bit to get myself situated, but once i did & felt like i understood what was going on, I loved what the author was able to do with the characters, much of it totally logically & yet i did not see the plot twists coming, nor appreciate the philosophic conundrums that the universe allowed the author to set up. Recommend. Next up will be Mink River I think. Ancillary Justice had a double nomination. First, Gabriel: If you like science fiction, I recommend "Ancillary Justice" by Ann Leckie. There are two sequels, and then a 4th book in the same universe ("Provenance") which I am currently enjoying. I also (in previous years) enjoyed "Altered Carbon", by Richard K Morgan. It was a fantastic film-noir-like story, set in a scifi setting that was very well done. Law school friend, Micheal: Seconding the Ancillary Justice recommendation. Great sci-fi read, amazing lead character. Beware -- it's the first of a trilogy and if you agree that it's good, you'll want to read the next two also. Me: Adding Ancillary Justice as Mike's contribution, so you can pick another one from your list... Gabriel: If Mike's suggesting Ancillary Justice, then I'll definitely make my suggestion The Color of Magic. Me: Oh, dear. The Color of Magic does not appear to be available in audio format. Who is the author? Gabriel: (Sir) Terry Pratchett. If you can't get it on audiobook, the "The Martian" audiobook is fantastic, and you might also be able to find one of Altered Carbon (if that sort of scifi is your cup of tea). Me: Altered Carbon it is. I liked The Martian & the other one I can’t find in audio format. |
AuthorI'll read anything a friend recommends & I love telling people what I think about it. Every year, I read 50 books recommended by 50 different friends. Welcome to My 50 Bookish Friends Blog. SearchCategories
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