I'm moving quick on this one- I love sharing what I've read, so I might as well get right on it. April was a good month for reading.
I feel like everyone I knew had read this one, so I had to jump on that train STAT. I really, really enjoyed this book. Before reading it, I thought the plot meant this couple only hung out one day a year. That was incorrect. They are friends for 20 years, but we only get to glimpse one day of each year. At the end it all makes sense. My friendships seem to come in waves- I have many long-term friends that seem to fade in and out from year to year, so I could really relate to the characters when their dynamic and intimacy changed dramatically in 365 days. Since each year was just one page away, your get an interesting perspective on time- years (especially when viewed through the lens of a particular relationship) sometimes do seem to pass that quickly. Made me nostalgic. Offered a profound message. Though it was a tad longer, I wanted more. Read it!
The Piano Teacher (Janice Lee)
Love and survival during the war and blah blah blah. I read this quickly, and enjoyed it while reading it, but the climax was super anti-climactic (is that possible? is it still a climax if it blows?)...anyway, it was lame and the "secrets" the author revealed (obviously not trusting the reader to form intelligent conclusions from the ample hints) were unsurprising and not that cool. I think they were supposed to be shocking and interesting. Blah. I guess I'm just mad because I enjoyed it while reading but was let down in the end, like having a great first date that gets cut short so he can go play magic the gathering. #disappointing.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Aimee Bender)
This book was based on a very interesting premise- our narrator, Rose, is able to taste the emotions of the chef in the food she eats. Weird right? I thought it was a pretty fresh concept for a novel, if imaginative. I liked the first half, getting to know the family, learning about Rose's talents and the experiences she has while cultivating it. About half way through, it went from imaginative to absurd (if you've read it, I'm referring to the nonsense with her brother). It was a fun (short) read, but it's not winning any Nobel Prizes if you know what I mean.
Remarkable Creatures (Tracy Chevalier)
So we all love Girl with a Pearl Earring, probably Chevalier's most renowned work. I also enjoyed her The Virgin Blue and Falling Angels. This one, less so. It was interesting because much of the plot line involved things I know little about- excavation, fossils, Cuvier, dinosaurs (no, really), and how this passion brings together two women. I found this novel forgettable- I didn't care for any of her characters, years would pass with just a vague mention, and I get tired of novels with weak female characters.Man woman up already!
Little Children (Tom Perrotta)
Ooh I thought this one was a page-turner. It certainly wasn't what I expected- one of my coworkers gave me the rundown on the movie plot, and it sounded like a sick and twisted episode of SVU (romance, cheating, scandals, pedophiles), so of course I needed to experience it in book form. Despite the plot, it was far more tame than I imagined (hoped?) it would be. I do think suburban angst can be overdone, but in this one the characters were so imperfect that I found them endearing. The ending surprised me, but I didn't hate it.
Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)
I don't reallllllly have to review this book, right? As much as I adore the classics (The Notebook, Walk to Remember), this wasn't one of those. It's hard to turn down a light Sparks read, and this was all you would expect- romance, honor, long-lost-love, God, death. Anyway, it's not his best, but it's also not his worst.
I just started Game of Thrones- I have some friends who LOVE the TV show, so I'm trying to read them before watching them. It's good so far, very LOTR-ish with the epic dramas, the romance, the warring, the factual writing in place of elegant prose. I feel like it would take awhile to get through all the books, so I'm starting with the one and we'll see how I feel once it's (finally) done.
So. Read anything good lately? Have mercy, I've resorted to Nicholas Sparks...clearly I need a suggestion :)
The Piano Teacher (Janice Lee)
Love and survival during the war and blah blah blah. I read this quickly, and enjoyed it while reading it, but the climax was super anti-climactic (is that possible? is it still a climax if it blows?)...anyway, it was lame and the "secrets" the author revealed (obviously not trusting the reader to form intelligent conclusions from the ample hints) were unsurprising and not that cool. I think they were supposed to be shocking and interesting. Blah. I guess I'm just mad because I enjoyed it while reading but was let down in the end, like having a great first date that gets cut short so he can go play magic the gathering. #disappointing.
This book was based on a very interesting premise- our narrator, Rose, is able to taste the emotions of the chef in the food she eats. Weird right? I thought it was a pretty fresh concept for a novel, if imaginative. I liked the first half, getting to know the family, learning about Rose's talents and the experiences she has while cultivating it. About half way through, it went from imaginative to absurd (if you've read it, I'm referring to the nonsense with her brother). It was a fun (short) read, but it's not winning any Nobel Prizes if you know what I mean.
So we all love Girl with a Pearl Earring, probably Chevalier's most renowned work. I also enjoyed her The Virgin Blue and Falling Angels. This one, less so. It was interesting because much of the plot line involved things I know little about- excavation, fossils, Cuvier, dinosaurs (no, really), and how this passion brings together two women. I found this novel forgettable- I didn't care for any of her characters, years would pass with just a vague mention, and I get tired of novels with weak female characters.
Ooh I thought this one was a page-turner. It certainly wasn't what I expected- one of my coworkers gave me the rundown on the movie plot, and it sounded like a sick and twisted episode of SVU (romance, cheating, scandals, pedophiles), so of course I needed to experience it in book form. Despite the plot, it was far more tame than I imagined (hoped?) it would be. I do think suburban angst can be overdone, but in this one the characters were so imperfect that I found them endearing. The ending surprised me, but I didn't hate it.
I don't reallllllly have to review this book, right? As much as I adore the classics (The Notebook, Walk to Remember), this wasn't one of those. It's hard to turn down a light Sparks read, and this was all you would expect- romance, honor, long-lost-love, God, death. Anyway, it's not his best, but it's also not his worst.
I just started Game of Thrones- I have some friends who LOVE the TV show, so I'm trying to read them before watching them. It's good so far, very LOTR-ish with the epic dramas, the romance, the warring, the factual writing in place of elegant prose. I feel like it would take awhile to get through all the books, so I'm starting with the one and we'll see how I feel once it's (finally) done.
So. Read anything good lately? Have mercy, I've resorted to Nicholas Sparks...clearly I need a suggestion :)
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how you like dem apples?