 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.
|
 Earth Abides. George Steart. 1949. Earth Abides. I have to say that nothing about this booked called to me. Not the title, not the art work, nothing. And really, I can’t see any reason I should have liked it. None of the women characters were ever developed more than superficially. The narrator in this post-apocalyptic world was narcissistic & unlikable. But I was fascinated by this book & could not stop reading it. Apparently, it was one of or perhaps the actual first natural-disaster-turned-end-of-the-world novel & you can see how it has led to many novels & trilogies that I have loved. It was riveting, albeit depressing as depressing can be. Despite so many flaws, I’m going to have to say, Recommend.
*** Recommended by Christian, who was not happy when it accidentally got deleted from the list. I reinstated it, much to my later delight.  The God of Small Things. Arundhati Roy. 1997. The God of Small Things. This is another book that I just couldn’t get into enough to love. It was an interesting enough story & the writing was decent, but a found it easy to put down & wander away from for long periods. The title & premise, that basically the smallest decision or actions can change the entire path of a life resonated with me, but for some reason, the overall story didn’t. Maybe at a different time in my life, I could have been drawn in more & loved it, but at this moment it just isn’t going to make the recommend list.
*** Recommended Shasta, "The God of Small Things is spectacular, if you haven't read it yet."  Cloud Atlas. David Mitchell. 2004. Cloud Atlas. So, I love the concept of this book—a series of chronological stories told by a character from the previous story. But not know this was the concept before I read it, I found the transitions confusing, especially since the book leaves all the stories as cliff hangers before winding them up in reverse at the end of the book. I really loved one of the stories, was neutral on a couple, and didn’t connect at all with one of them. Overall, I can’t say I loved it, but had I known the format ahead of time, I likely would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I was primarily frustrated at how unfinished it all felt along the way. Instead of enjoying the story I was reading, I just wanted the previous one to be wrapped up.
 Becoming Nicole. Amy Ellis Nutt. 2015. Becoming Nicole. Gretchen recommended I read this book about a trans girl and her conservative family growing up in rural Maine. There is a lot to like in this journalistic style story where all points of view are more or less presented non-judgmentally. Parts of it were trite, but there were moments when I connected with the characters and stories, particularly the dad whose support of his daughter grows slowly over time. If you aren't familiar with the hardships experienced by trans kids, this is a really good introduction. It doesn't have the poise or the nuance that Janet Mock does, but I have already suggested it to a number of people who might not be quite ready for Redefining Realness, which if you have not read yet, you should immediately do.
|
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
All
|
RSS Feed