Once more, it's been a busy week for finishing books. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.
Last week I finished:
Anne Bogel called Peter Heller's The River the best book she's read this year, and while I had a library hold on it long before her endorsement, her words only made me want to read it more. This is a fast-paced thriller about two college friends who take a wilderness canoe trip that turns horrific. Not only do they end up trying to outrun (out-paddle?) a forest fire, they are also being pursued by a (perhaps) homicidal man. The uncertainty of both issues makes for some intense situations. This was a very good book. I listened to it on audio, which I feared was a missed opportunity to dig into a good read, but I liked it on audio just fine, and it didn't tamp down the suspense. The writing is brisk and matter-of-fact, and the main characters are likable and believable. There's nothing frivolous here, but there is just enough backstory, and it really works. And yet. I kept waiting for something more, something else, a plot twist, a character to become something you weren't expecting, something. I finished the book and couldn't believe it was actually just a straight story, with plenty of action, but no surprises. I don't know why that rankled me a bit, after all, it normally rankles me when a plot twist is thrown in last minute, but I just expected something else to happen, and it never did. Stepping back from my expectation, I have to say I still really enjoyed this journey, and I plan to buy a copy of this book to re-read at some distant date when I've forgotten the plot enough to see if I still expect some grand change at the end. This is the perfect summer adventure book. My rating: 4.5 stars.
I spent a good chunk of time last night trying to explain the Crazy Rich Asians series, and specifically the second book in it, China Rich Girlfriend, to my husband, and I just kind of failed. The books are funny and snarky and outrageous and light, but those words make you think of something that doesn't quite capture how good the books are. I generally shy away from light fiction, from things characterized as "beach reads" and "chick lit" because those books generally don't satisfy my need for great writing, full characters, and an engaging plot. The books in this series do. No, they're not high literature, but neither are they trivial trifles. They aren't frivolous. And yet, they kind of are. I guess what I'm saying is that they perfectly bridge women's lit and contemporary literature. They are satirical (I didn't realize because I listened to the first book, Crazy Rich Asians, that the books contain numerous footnotes that serve as the author's asides, which are hilarious and sardonic) and witty. The outrageous wealth of the people involved is mindboggling to the average American. These are folks with private jets that contain koi ponds; these are folks who spend $50,000 on a single outfit, who go on shopping sprees and buy everything on the shelves but three items. (By the way, I think the title Crazy Rich Asians is saying not so much that the Asians are crazy and rich as it's saying they are crazy-rich.) I'm afraid to Google just how Kevin Kwan knows so much about this culture in its fascinating specificity, because I don't want to know that he made it all up nor that he's a part of it. I just go along for the ride and drop my metaphorical jaw every few pages. These books are long (this one is 479 pages), but they read very quickly. This is one of the first books of the year I just could not put down. The plot is a continuation of the first book (Nick and Rachel are on their honeymoon), so do read them in order (but I dare you to read the first book without going on to the second). It's a good summer romp. I hope you try them if you haven't. My rating: 5 stars.
I love books about books and libraries and reading, and I've been saving my Kindle copy of I Work at a Public Library for the right time. I finally decided to bust it out this month, and I ended up reading it in two days. This is a compilation of the odd, funny, and sad patron interactions the author, Gina Sheridan, has had in her years working in a public library. Working in a university library, and spending a lot of time in the public library, I have a number of these stories myself, and I was expecting a fun book. And it was fun, but...it was also rather uncomfortable. Most of the interactions detailed in the book made me sad. I felt the book exploited folks in unfortunate situations in a callous way. I got the feeling (and personal experience backs me up) that most of the people Sheridan interacted with were disadvantaged in some say. Many were likely homeless, mentally ill, and/or dealing with addiction and chaos. Some are presumably just elderly and don't know about current technology. Some are immigrants who don't know how the library works. I'm not one to play the PC pity card, and I think I have a good sense of humor, but I came away from the book with a bad taste in my mouth. It just felt exploitative and compassionless, poking fun at and profiting off of people who are in difficult situations. I didn't like it. I understand that dealing with these befuddling interactions day after day is different from reading about it, and I might come to the book differently if I had those daily experiences. I also realize I may be coming at this in an overly sensitive way, but if you can separate the humor from the individuals in the book, you'll be doing much better than I. My rating: 3 stars.
Years ago, I picked up a copy of Sheila Bridges' book Furnishing Forward, and it sort of changed my decorating life, or, at the very least, it gave me a foundation for decorating my own home. I've been a little reluctant to re-read it since I don't want to find it holds no meaning for me anymore, but having finished all of my nightly reads early this month, I decided to be brave and read it again. And I guess I could say it both lost something and reaffirmed my love for it. It was definitely a touchstone book for me, something I needed when I read it, and while it is no longer profound in its wisdom, it certainly isn't without sagacity. I can see why I loved it so the first time I read it. Bridges' philosophy is that you should always make decisions when decorating your home with the future in mind, thus, "furnishing forward." Not that you can't upgrade the IKEA bookcase that fits your current budget, or take risks that can be remedied later, but in general, choose things that you'll want to live with for the long haul. As a sentimental decorator, I get it. I still have a particle board bookcase in my basement because my father helped me put it together the day I moved into my dorm room. I may never get rid of that bookcase because it will always "spark joy." There's a decorating philosophy out there that you should always buy the best you can afford at the moment of purchase. I think that dictum fits with the furnishing forward philosophy. While Bridges' decorating style is not at all like mine, she does have a gift for creating harmony and tension in the same space. Her color combinations are unconventional (they tend to lack contrast), they work. It was a good introduction to breaking the rules back in the day, and it's still relevant for me now. In all, this may still be one of the best guides for decorating I know. While other books may have more appealing pictures, this one has an intimacy the others don't. That's a big part of what appealed to me years ago and what makes me enjoy the book these years later. My rating: 4 stars.
Speaking of re-reads from long ago.... Back in eighth grade, our school librarian, Shirley Mattson, introduced us girls to the books of Janette Oke (we all pronounced it "Oak-ee" back then, but I guess it's "Oak"). Oke wrote several series of books about pioneers with Christian values. They were kind of like Little House on the Prairie books for big girls (and women). Love Comes Softly is the first book in the series of the same name. It was published in the late 1970s, and has since been made into a television series. In this first book, young Martha (Marty) and her husband Clem are riding in their wagon to stake out homesteading land in the Midwest when Clem dies, leaving a pregnant Marty completely alone, without a home or resources, and miles away from family. She is approached by a local widower, Clark, with a proposition: he'll marry her and give her a home if she'll raise his daughter as her own. It will be a marriage of convenience, not love (nor sex). She has no choice but to marry him. And thus begins their odd marriage where...love comes softly. I devoured these books when I was a kid. They were some of the only books I ever read without having to. And when I finished this series, I read some of Oke's other series in the same vein. The book is straightforward, not syrupy or sweet. The writing is serviceable, and the characters deal with human emotions. Things aren't whitewashed, but neither is there anything here terribly objectionable. Perfect for a young girl who isn't ready for the emotional whirlwind of most YA literature. I'm not sure that I'll continue with the series, but it was nice to return to the first book. My rating: 3 stars. 
Another re-read from several years ago that I finished last week was Naomi Shihab Nye's Fuel. My guess is I read this my last semester in college or perhaps the summer after I graduated. At the time, it was my favorite book of poetry. Nye is one of my favorite poets, and I love her humor (sometimes just a touch zany) and way of looking at things. A couple of my favorite poems by her are "Famous" and "The Art of Disappearing". She is a Palestinian-American, and her poems often touch on the conflict that exists in that part of the world. Admittedly, I'm somewhat of a Zionist, so the more militant of these poems often frustrate me. This book didn't hold the same appeal for me that it once did. I didn't find many of the poems nearly as comfortable as I once did. Perhaps my tastes have changed, or perhaps I was idealizing Nye back then. Maybe both. Still, it's a good collection, and there are a number of sweet poems about babies, including "Wedding Cake" and "How
far is it to the land we left?" They were favorites then, and they remain so. My rating: 3.5 stars.
This week I'll be reading:
I've read that this isn't a particularly good book, so I reserve the right to put it aside and move on. Still, I've been interested in reading it for quite some time.
My Kindle re-read:
I couldn't decide on a Kindle book after I finished I Work at a Public Library, but I finally settled into this favorite re-read. Can't say no to baseball.
Starting my June reading early:
I am loving this. I'm going to have to buy my own copy. For all the word and grammar buffs out there who will read it cover to cover whether it's meant to be or not.
My current audiobook:
It's a little boring, but it's interesting enough to keep me going.
No comments:
Post a Comment