KristyWes

Book 'em, Danno

Here's what I've been reading since trading in my textbooks:

The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield): The writing isn't terrific, but after a couple chapters the plot sucks you in and keeps you hooked until the end. At which point you say, "Wait....what?" Yes, the final plot twist is a bit deus ex machina, but nevertheless this gothic tale is an entertaining read.

My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult): This is the first Picoult novel I've read, and my initial impression is that the woman is capable of churning out what amounts to literary crack-cocaine. Not that I've ever tried crack. And you shouldn't either. I'm just saying that this book is highly addictive, so beware! After reading it, I loaned my copy to my roommate on a Friday. Sunday morning she emerged from her room in tears and flung the book back at me, upset by the emotional roller-coaster she had just ridden, upset by the medical ethics quandry that is at the center of this family drama and for which there is no clear 'right' or 'wrong,' upset over what happens at the end to these characters whose voices are so real, and upset that the book had to end at all. Unable to cope with the withdrawal symptoms, she's moved on to one or two other Picoult novels since.

People of the Book (Geraldine Brooks): A fictionalized account of the creation and preservation of the Sarajevo Haggadah. Brooks traverses modern-day Bosnia and Boston, Victorian-era Vienna, Spain & Italy during the threat of the Inquisition, the Australian outback and North Africa as she paints highly detailed pictures of the lives of those who may have encountered the Haggadah throughout its history. The author did impressive amounts of research (as evidenced by the lengthy Acknowledgement section at the end) to provide her readers with believable historical settings and insight into the various scientific disciplines that provide clues to the Haggadah's past. Plus she throws in a little romance, espionage, and a mother-daughter conflict, so really this is a book that has it all. Except aliens. And zombies. But pretty much everything else.

Miss Lonelyhearts & The Day of the Locust (Nathanael West): These two short novels were the June selection for a monthly neighborhood book club I had intended to attend. However, I didn't get around to finishing them in time and ended up skipping the meeting. I deeply regret this, as I really would have liked for someone to explain to me why this book is still in print. While it was somewhat interesting to visit the worlds of 1930's New York (Lonelyhearts) and Hollywood (Locust), overall I just didn't "get" West's point in telling these stories.

Next on deck: Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Chabon, Alice Thomas Ellis, and a Julia Cameron book on writing (for a writing class...taught by Ms. Cameron herself!)