The Dog Stars
by Peter Heller
I had a little trouble getting into this book for two reasons: 1) the writing style and 2) there’s a dog… and he’s old. I almost couldn’t read it because I didn’t want to know what would happen to the dog. I persisted though. The book takes place in a post-pandemic apocalyptic world, specifically set in Colorado. I think Heller wrote the book as though he was in the narrator’s head, with the intent to show how one might think when all alone in the world. It made the writing feel choppy and trail off as if lost in thought. I got used to it and appreciated the theme of perseverance and the hope for a better future – or maybe just a future.
The Light Between Oceans
by ML Stedman
A good read; a simple read. Since the story takes place on an isolated rock on the edge of two oceans, it’s kind of a slow moving story. Actually, it’s a pretty depressing book when I think about it. You feel the characters loneliness and therefore understand their actions. But I think the key takeaways are 1) every action has a consequence, and 2) sometimes bad choices aren’t done for bad reasons. One good quote: “To have any kind of a future you’ve got to give up hope of ever changing your past.”
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
I was completely intimidated by this 700+ page door stopper, but it is hands-down one of the top five best books I’ve ever read. It’s absolutely amazing. You live the life of the characters. You understand their thoughts, feelings, decisions, and mistakes. Oh, so many mistakes. And the message of the book is EXACTLY my argument in a MA Social Theory essay about what I call “objectlessness.” Objectlessness is a shared social belief more powerful than the object itself. It’s beauty. It’s art. It’s love. It’s god. There’s no way for me to describe this book because Tartt is SO many levels above my writing abilities. Please, read this book. Five stars… no, five thousand stars!
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Look, I’m all for giving an author a second chance when you HATE the first book of theirs you read (see my 2021 book review of Daisy Jones & the Six). Unfortunately, I was right about her writing the first time. This book was a bit better because there were some twists that kept you on your toes, but paaaa-leeeeeease. What a cop-out to write a story from the point of view of a character telling a story. LAME! Sorry TJR, I will not read another one of your books.
The Island Affair
by Priscilla Oliveras
Soooo… this was a new genre for me. I continued my tradition of googling books set in the location I will soon be traveling and this one popped up for Key West. Perfect! And it terms of Key West highlights, it had them all! Beaches, restaurants, top sightseeing sites: check, check, check! What I wasn’t exactly prepared for (which is 100% my fault based on the title) is that this is a romance novel. I don’t know if it’s a good romance novel because I don’t typically choose this genre, but it made me laugh and I enjoyed laughing at it.
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Oh dang. I cannot express how much I loved this book. Hannah is a great storyteller, but what got me with this book is the fact that I’ve been exactly where it takes place: the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Such a favorite place of mine, as you all know, I named my pup after it. I know the remoteness she describes. I know the people and the towns and the vastness that make the great alone. Okay, sure, it was only for one summer working in a fish factory, and not my entire childhood with an alcoholic dad. But still, I got a taste of Alaska… and it stole my heart. Read this!
Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt
I heard this tale when I first moved to Port Townsend – there was a Giant Pacific Octopus that was sneaking out of its tank, eating the other “prisoners,” and hiding their shells in dark corners and air vents. When I finally visited the Marine Science Center and asked if this incredible story was true, I was told no. Not true. I guess Van Pelt had heard the story too, found out it wasn’t real, and wrote her own novel around the idea. Brilliant! Now who’s the remarkably bright creature?! A fun read – I recommend it.
The Measure
by Nikki Erlick
I’ll start with this: the author’s little bio at the end of the book says she was a Harvard summa cum laude graduate and has a Master’s degree in Global Thought from Columbia. Global Thought?!? The concept of the book was unique and her ability to tell a story of the world-wide response to the situation was remarkable. It’s well written and thought-provoking. I don’t know exactly what “Global Thought” means, but I’m pretty sure this book is that. Hope it paid off her student loans!
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
by Gabrielle Zevin
I heard this book was about computer games, so I was a little slow to pick it up… but once I started, I enjoyed it. Yes, it’s about computer games and there’s some tedious jargon I could have done without, but it’s more about friendship. Sometimes a completely messed up friendship of not talking and being treated poorly, but friendship all the same. The book was engaging, well written, and a good story. I enjoyed it, but would not recommend if you really aren’t into the 80s or computer-related games.
American Dirt
by Jeanine Cummins
This book was difficult for me to read. It was too real, too horrific, too still-happening-right-NOW. The characters and their circumstances are heartbreaking. How can good people, living decent lives, be so unlucky to have to flee their homes and families? Oh yea, they weren’t born in the United States. I would like to think reading this reminds people that all humans deserve a chance at a happy life, whatever your political beliefs.
Big Summer
by Jennifer Weiner
After the last book, I needed a good fluff book. I generally avoid ridiculous summer beach reads like this, but I was so distraught by the problems in this world that I needed a reset. This book made me roll my eyes, laugh at the triviality, and fly through it in two days. Just what I needed!! I don’t recommend it at all.
The Rose Code
by Kate Quinn
To be honest, I didn’t really like this one. The WWI decoding machines used by the main characters were so difficult to understand as Quinn described them, that I couldn’t follow the story. I even googled these Enigma machines so I could picture them as I read and that didn’t help. The book could have been half the length and still had multiple storylines not relevant to the plot (Prince Phillip even got dragged into it for some reason!). I would not call this historical fiction; I would call it historical fluff.
Book Lovers
by Emily Henry
If you’re looking for a light, but witty read – this is it. If you want romance, but also the truth about dating – this is it. What a great summer read. The banter between characters is well written; the deep friendship between sisters is palpable; the flame of a new love interest is exciting. Oh, and also, the main character is tall and you can tell from the writing, so is the author. Let me tell you, as a tall woman who was once in the dating world, Henry NAILED IT. “What size ARE your feet?!”
The Lost Apothecary
by Sarah Penner
Someone at work recommended this, otherwise I don’t think I ever would have picked it up. It was an enjoyable, easy read. The book is set in London and alternates between modern day and the late 1700s, which isn’t a popular time period in books (or maybe just not popular with me). I could have done without the modern day storyline and spent the whole book in the secret apothecary learning about the mixing of potions – and poisons! It had a gothic and magical sense, it was strongly female-focused, and I’m guessing there was some truth to it. A unique topic for sure.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
by Bryn Greenwood
It’s like the author wants the reader to be open-minded enough to be able to see that there can be true love between an eight-year-old girl and a 35-year-old male. No. It’s called pedophilia. That’s the problem with pedophiles – they don’t think what they’re doing is wrong because the child loves them. How can true love be wrong? Well, it is – even with so-called consent – and Greenwood got it very wrong in this book. Also, there were way too many chapters from various points of view, which provided no real purpose.
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Absolutely loved it! A delightful and funny book, yet Garmus also somehow taps into the very real inequalities of being a woman in the 1960s. (Wait, has much changed?!) I laughed throughout the book and would argue that six thirty (the dog) is the best character. There were some dark themes and it takes a solid look at institutionalized gender roles. Despite the struggles of trying to exist in a man’s world, Elizabeth Zott’s witty and scientific view of life prevails. Highly recommend it.
Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel
This book came out in 2014 and is shockingly ahead of its time when it comes to a worldwide pandemic. The recent pandemic of our lifetime didn’t reach the levels of this book, but it was fascinating how St. John Mandel was able to vision what a total fall of civilization would look like. The theme of the book is spray-painted on the caravan: “Survival is insufficient.” An excellent thing to remember, in a post-apocalyptic world or not. A good read.
Demon Copperhead
by Barbara Kingsolver
How does she do it?! How does Kingsolver find a topic and create such a unique voice?! The book is somehow hilarious and heartbreaking, all rolled so tightly into one character. I found myself loving young Demon and rooting for him; and then was almost shocked by how immersed I became in the pain of his choices. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions for the reader, but somewhere in Appalachia there is a real person living this ride. This novel is a stronger message than all the statistics on poverty, addiction, and any other problem that comes from being born into a hard life. An optimist might also say this is a story about survival. Read this book.
City of Girls
by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’m not sure what I disliked the most: the insufferable main character, the redundant empty writing, or the pointless plot line. In the end, all I could think as I read it was, “Who cares?!!” Since I did ultimately finish it, you could say it entertained me because it held my attention. But technically looking for a parking spot downtown in the middle of rush hour holds my attention, so saying it “entertained” me is a very loose compliment.
The Vanishing Half
by Brit Bennett
Amazingly, Bennett found a way to tell a story about family – twin sisters to be exact – and make it new. Themes of love and loss, nature versus nurture, and the ties that bind are woven into this story through a unique lens of cultural constructs. What’s equally amazing is that the roots of her story have some truth to them. A book like this reminds me why I love sociology and angers me when I think about how racism still exists today. I highly recommend this book and welcome future discussions on race being a made-up construct.
The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides
At best, this book gave me something to do on a plane. At worst, this book was absolutely ridiculous, filled with absurd red herrings that went nowhere and never got tied up. It felt like Michaelides was trying SO HARD to make it a psychological thriller that he forgot his readers might actually have a brain and find it all completely ludicrous. The more I try to describe it, the more I realize this book was 100% annoying. Read if you have a 4-hour flight and nothing else to do.
Verity
by Colleen Hoover
Sometimes you quickly buy a book at the airport because you finished your other shitty book (as described above) on the way to your destination. You see it on the Best Seller shelf and think, “Well, if others like it, it must be good.” You realize it’s supposed to be horror… or is it romance? Wait, why is it making me literally laugh out loud at how stupid it is… is it comedy? You keep reading because you want to know if the characters are actually dumb or just pretending to be dumb (or scary/sexy/funny)? You can’t tell and by the end you don’t give a SHIT! Anyone ever read a book like that? If not and you want to, grab this one.
House of Eve
by Sadeqa Johnson
Interesting to read this book after The Vanishing Half due to the similar theme of black whiteness. Also interesting to read this book right as Israel was attacked by Hamas. To think we humans are still fighting about race and religion is mind blowing to me. Why?! Why does anyone care who/what/how someone else is!? UGH! Johnson is a talented writer – the book flowed perfectly, the storyline was excellent, and the historical fiction aspect is thought-provoking.
Homegoing
By Yaa Gyasi
I’ve never read anything like this. I implore you… read this book! It is a saga told through seven generations – fourteen perspectives – of family members. It starts in Eighteenth Century Africa, among the villages of the Gold Coast and carries the bloodline to modern day America. Truly, I do not think there is a better book that through narrative explains institutional racism in the United States. How it came to be; how it continued past slavery; how it destroyed families, generation after generation. Please read this book.
I’ve read several of these books and totally concur with your comments.
Have you read A Gentleman in Moscow? One of my favorites.
I’ll put it on my list for this year!
We MOSTLY have the same opinions…. but I really loved The Seven Husbands so that’s where we diverge. CRACKED UP at your City Girls review. WHO CARES?! Ok, back to work. XO