What I'm reading this week (1/22/18)

Last week I finished:

I'd been circling around the Maisie Dobbs series for years, and I finally decided to take the plunge. I wasn't sure I needed another long series to peck away at, but then, what does need have to do with it? I almost made this my first DNF of the year. So, I'm here to warn you, if you quit in the first 70 pages, you're missing out. Now, I think 70 pages is an awful lot of book to work my way through (esp. when the book is only 300 pages long) before it gets going, but this is a leisurely read. If you're not into slow English plots, this one might drive you nuts. In that first 70 pages, although we're introduced to Maisie Dobbs, we know nothing about her. I began to fear we never would. But then we go back in time to look at Maisie's childhood (mother died young, raised by loving father) her education provided by the lady whom Maisie is in service to, and her nursing work during World War I. The mystery she's called to solve involves a home for veterans disfigured by the Great War, who need a retreat from the harsh stares of society. But the Retreat is run by a man who strips the men of their surnames and asks them to sign over their savings to the running of the Retreat. Several men who once lived at the Retreat are found in the local cemetery, and things smell fishy to Maisie and others. Was there foul play involved in the deaths of these young men? Once I got past the idea of the slow-moving plot and learned more about Maisie and her methods, I really, really liked this book. It's wonderfully written, the characters are vivid, and aside from the mystery (and war reminiscence), there's not much acrimony. I was charmed, and I'm so glad I stuck with this one. I believe there are 14 books in this series, so I have lots of enjoyable reading ahead of me. My rating: 4 stars.

And then there's Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which I should have abandoned "straight away." I told my husband I'm realizing just how terrible I am at knowing when to close a book for good, and finishing this one is proof of it. I really didn't like this book. At all. It's everything I dislike about contemporary fiction: unreal situations, unlikable main characters, humor that isn't funny, liberal use of hot button topics, and a seeming lack on the author's part to really know her main character and the character's motivations. There was a "twist" at the end that I saw coming a mile away, and I was just begging the book to get to the plot it had been hinting at all along. Ugh, I was just so frustrated with this one. Why didn't I give it up? The story is of Eleanor Oliphant, a young woman who works in an office, lives alone, and has problems with social situations and alcohol. Something terrible has happened in her past, and she's haunted by her abusive and terrible mum. Oh, and she develops a crush on someone who literally doesn't know she exists. She meets people who lift her out of her awful life, blah, blah, blah. I got so tired of Eleanor, and you know what? She is not completely fine. I know a lot of people loved this book, but I cannot recommend it. My rating: 2 stars.

A couple of years ago I read Tom Ryan's Following Atticus and I was blown away. There are a ton of sweet animal books out there, but this one was different. It had depth that I'd never seen in any of the cute-dog-on-the-cover books. (In other words, it was not Marley and Me.) Ryan was writing a memoir but not just of himself, of his wonderful miniature Schnauzer, Atticus. Together, the two of them climbed an absurd number of mountains and they were close in a way that man and dog seldom are. There was something almost mystical about the pair. It's one of my very favorite books. Last year, Ryan published the follow-up to that book, Will's Red Coat, about Will, the aging dog whom Ryan and Atticus take in in order for the dog to die with dignity. This book is as good as the first book, and it certainly doesn't need to be read after the first book, but I'd suggest reading Following Atticus first anyway. I think you want to get a feel for Atti before going into this one. If you're a dog lover, I can't imagine you won't love this (these) books. If you're not an animal lover, the anthropomorphizing and training techniques Ryan employs might seem a little odd to you. I feel this book ventured more into that odd territory than Atticus did, and Ryan's way of seeing the world differs a good deal from mine, but there's something so respectable about Ryan and his books and his relationships with his dogs that makes me forgive all that. This isn't a great review, but it's a hard book to review. Just know that I highly recommend this one and its predecessor. My rating: 4 stars.

(As I write this, the Kindle version of Will's Red Coat is on sale for $1.99, and I've seen it and Following Atticus on sale numerous times in the past.)

I've read memoirs and biographies by all of the Bush family: President George H. W. Bush, first lady Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, as well as books written by members of Bush 43's staff (Condi Rice, Dana Perino...), so there's not a lot of Bush family lore I don't know. Still, when the Bush twins (George W. & Laura's girls, Barbara and Jenna--named for their grandmothers) came out with Sisters First last year, I immediately put it on my TBR. They take turns writing chapters about their parents and grandparents, their childhood, their years living in the White House, their Secret Service detail, dating & marriage (Jenna), and careers and passions. It was quite fun. While it wasn't terribly well organized, it followed a chronological path and was easy to pick up and read a few pages and then put down again. Nothing spectacular here, and I was kind of turned off by their various "bad girl" stories that I felt were quite immature for women their age, but I was charmed by their characterizations of their grandparents on both sides. I just love candid stories about (first lady) Barbara Bush! If you're a Bush family fan, you'll likely want to read this one. My rating: 3 stars.

 

I'll be continuing with:

 

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is sort of kicking my butt. It's much longer/denser than I'd expected, and while I'm making steady progress, I fear not finishing it this month.

Same with Where Now. Three hundred and fifty pages of poetry by the same poet are just too many.

And I've finally started The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. I'm enjoying it, but I feel really behind.

So...I've cancelled my last "main" book of the month in order to have plenty of time to finish these.

 

My audiobook:

 

I probably should have read this one to get the full benefit, but I'm so excited to read Harper's second book (Force of Nature) coming out in early February, and I really wanted to read this one first. So, I chose the audio version. It's very good. Very serious in tone. A bit graphic, so be warned. But overall, very well written and well plotted.