It was a reading-like-crazy kind of month.
The first novel I read was The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. A friend of mine has always declared Anne Tyler was her favorite author, but I'd never read anything. The title of The Accidental Tourist caught my eye because of the movie, not that I'd ever seen it. I picked it up on my paperback book swap sight some time ago, and finally picked it up. And, I loved it. It's a story about real people... it's sad, and hopeful, and inspiring. I gave it a fairly rare 4 out of 5 stars rating on goodreads.com and now I'm on the look out for more of Ms. Tyler's work.
As I was finishing up The Accidental Tourist, I finally broke down and bought The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson. I'd read the first two books in the series and was waiting - or trying to - patiently for this one. I gave in. But, a few days after I bought it, I got notice that I was going to get in the mail... woohoo for being able to return the unread book! Like the first two, this book is about 800 pages, but reads SO quickly. I enjoyed this story, even though, again, the main characters aren't together nearly at all through the whole novel. It's a decent resolution to the series and it was a bit sad to finish - had a bit of The Girl Who... book hangover.
Next, I picked up a no-brainer paperback I've had for forever, What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie. I've read a few of her Psychic Eye mystery novels for fun a while back and this is the first in a different series - about a 'ghostbuster' who can speak with the dead and help them cross-over, and therefore stop haunting places. The premise was good, but the book was just okay for me. A bit too light for my recent taste.
I found The Other Mother: A Novel by Gwendolen Gross on an NPR reading list - I think - or, maybe a new novel review. Either way, I'd had it on my list for a while. It is about a stay-at-home mom and her new, working mom neighbor. Since this was a dynamic I encountered a lot in Murfreesboro, I was drawn to the story. It was okay. It definitely got the tension and the guilt surrounding the different choices families make, but I didn't quite buy the friction between the two characters.
I finished the month out with House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus, III... well, I finished last 40 pages on May 1, but I'm still counting it as an April book, dangit! This book was amazing. I haven't seen the movie and wasn't entirely familiar with the plot when I picked it up. It's about an immigrant man and his family who buy a house in a county auction that was seized from the previous owner because of a clerical mistake. The story builds, and builds, and builds... toward a tragic end. It is extremely sad - but, felt so real. It was one of those books I was dying to talk about when I came to the unsatisfying end... For the first time, I had to post on the discussion boards online just to get my thoughts out. Here is the post http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/24608 ... warning there are spoilers.
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The first novel I read was The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. A friend of mine has always declared Anne Tyler was her favorite author, but I'd never read anything. The title of The Accidental Tourist caught my eye because of the movie, not that I'd ever seen it. I picked it up on my paperback book swap sight some time ago, and finally picked it up. And, I loved it. It's a story about real people... it's sad, and hopeful, and inspiring. I gave it a fairly rare 4 out of 5 stars rating on goodreads.com and now I'm on the look out for more of Ms. Tyler's work.
As I was finishing up The Accidental Tourist, I finally broke down and bought The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson. I'd read the first two books in the series and was waiting - or trying to - patiently for this one. I gave in. But, a few days after I bought it, I got notice that I was going to get in the mail... woohoo for being able to return the unread book! Like the first two, this book is about 800 pages, but reads SO quickly. I enjoyed this story, even though, again, the main characters aren't together nearly at all through the whole novel. It's a decent resolution to the series and it was a bit sad to finish - had a bit of The Girl Who... book hangover.
Next, I picked up a no-brainer paperback I've had for forever, What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie. I've read a few of her Psychic Eye mystery novels for fun a while back and this is the first in a different series - about a 'ghostbuster' who can speak with the dead and help them cross-over, and therefore stop haunting places. The premise was good, but the book was just okay for me. A bit too light for my recent taste.
I found The Other Mother: A Novel by Gwendolen Gross on an NPR reading list - I think - or, maybe a new novel review. Either way, I'd had it on my list for a while. It is about a stay-at-home mom and her new, working mom neighbor. Since this was a dynamic I encountered a lot in Murfreesboro, I was drawn to the story. It was okay. It definitely got the tension and the guilt surrounding the different choices families make, but I didn't quite buy the friction between the two characters.
I finished the month out with House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus, III... well, I finished last 40 pages on May 1, but I'm still counting it as an April book, dangit! This book was amazing. I haven't seen the movie and wasn't entirely familiar with the plot when I picked it up. It's about an immigrant man and his family who buy a house in a county auction that was seized from the previous owner because of a clerical mistake. The story builds, and builds, and builds... toward a tragic end. It is extremely sad - but, felt so real. It was one of those books I was dying to talk about when I came to the unsatisfying end... For the first time, I had to post on the discussion boards online just to get my thoughts out. Here is the post http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/24608 ... warning there are spoilers.
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