Oh Edith Wharton. I blame high school English for putting me off you for decades thanks to an early encounter with Ethan Frome when I was not yet readOh Edith Wharton. I blame high school English for putting me off you for decades thanks to an early encounter with Ethan Frome when I was not yet ready to get you and everything you are.
While it did not reach the sweeping emotional heights I had during my passionate read of THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, I really enjoyed the sharp bite of THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. Lily is frustrating as hell, and as a modern woman it's incredibly hard to read this and know that if she'd been born 100 years later she would absolutely be a woman in her own right and any weakness she has for luxury and ease wouldn't have the same crippling effects. ...more
A dreamy, lyrical, and inventive sci-fi novel with a big concept that's beautifully built and imagined. In the world of JOIN, you can form a single enA dreamy, lyrical, and inventive sci-fi novel with a big concept that's beautifully built and imagined. In the world of JOIN, you can form a single entity by joining your consciousness with another person. That shared consciousness lives in both of your bodies, managing them the way you manage your limbs.
You spend the first part of this novel learning how this world works, watching Chance, a join of five "drives" navigates life and experiences the world. Chance has just added its fifth drive only to find out that this newly acquired body has a cancer that is likely terminal.
Then this literary sci-fi novel takes a twist towards Noir as Chance encounters Rope, a join who seems to violate all the rules of what joins are supposed to be, and suspects that something is terribly wrong with Leap, a join Chance Two works with closely. Solving these mysteries picks apart the entire society Chance lives in and potentially its future as well.
The imagination on display here is impressive, but this is a book more concerned with lovely prose than picking apart its concept. There is much here on what identity is and what it means, but not much of the practical issues. (Personally, it doesn't matter how much I love someone, I don't want us to live the same life or for them to have access to all my memories. That's kinda squicky.) That's necessary for the concept to work and you have to be willing to accept the novel on those terms.
At times the book tended to ramble or share too much expository information all at once. The ending was unsatisfying, but it didn't make me regret the journey of the book, which I found fascinating and thought-provoking....more
At first I thought this was a Japanese novel, but it's actually Korean. It's set in a Japanese prison with several Korean inmates, a piece of history At first I thought this was a Japanese novel, but it's actually Korean. It's set in a Japanese prison with several Korean inmates, a piece of history I hadn't known about. At first this book seems like a crime novel, but it's actually about poetry and empathy. It can be a little tricky keeping tabs of the two parallel storylines, but it was quite beautiful. A great book for lovers of books and poetry....more
I talked to a lot of people about this book while I was reading it. I usually described it by saying something like this, "It's very minimalist, is 99I talked to a lot of people about this book while I was reading it. I usually described it by saying something like this, "It's very minimalist, is 99% dialogue, and often you don't even know who's talking. It's very weird, really messes with your head sometimes, and I feel like it should bug me but instead I really, really dig it."
I have only one other book I think I can compare it to, but it's actually a good comparison and I think the books would go well together: Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers. Their styles are similar, with the emphasis on dialogue. The characters also felt connected, with Eggers' central character and the leader Malcolm in Werewolves seeming to share some of the same imbalances.
Rules for Werewolves follows a group of outcasts who squat in empty suburban houses. There are shades of surrealism that come and go, leaving you not exactly sure what is really happening. (This is where the minimalism and lack of action enforce that sense of disorientation.) Malcolm, their leader, seems to be a little crazy and possibly a sociopath. Then there's Bobert, the teenage runaway they take in who gets to know the group and figure out how they work. There are power struggles and burglaries and run ins with the cops. There is scheming and violence and action. (Although action in this book is often described as "Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight." a stylistic quirk I really came to enjoy.)
Ultimately the book is about belonging and the rules of the pack and the tenuous hold of society. A really different read....more
Love the premise, don't love the execution, but I still feel like there's enough to enjoy in Ness's novel that it's worth a read. If you've ever wondeLove the premise, don't love the execution, but I still feel like there's enough to enjoy in Ness's novel that it's worth a read. If you've ever wondered about the kids who live in the background of a YA fantasy/sci-fi novel, here's your answer. These regular kids have their own dramas, and they don't spend much time wondering about the supernatural adventures of the "indie kids" (who have names like Finn and Satchel). ...more
I usually prefer novels to story collections. I am a person who likes to dive deep instead of dabble. But there are some collections that do dive deepI usually prefer novels to story collections. I am a person who likes to dive deep instead of dabble. But there are some collections that do dive deeper than many novels out there, and In the Country is one of them.
I don't know if I've ever given 5 stars to a story collection. And I don't remember ever reading a collection I loved as much as this one. In broad strokes, it's comparable to other recent collections I enjoyed that look at one culture through a variety of different lenses: The Frangipani Hotel and Vietnam; Oye What I'm Gonna Tell You and Cuba. From Alvar I learned a lot about Filipino culture and history, she tells a variety of stories from Filipinos and expats that let you look at the country and society from inside and outside. All these different characters create a wonderful kaleidoscope of stories.
But what's so spectacular is that there is no weak link. Every story here is incredibly strong. You finish reading one and have to stop and soak it in silently for a while. Then you start the next, only to find that Alvar has somehow managed to take you on an equally exhilarating but totally different ride. There are some characters who pop up more than once. There are the same political upheavals that echo through the stories, sometimes in the background and sometimes right in your face.
These stories are often traditionally told, and I admit I'm a sucker for the short-story-with-epiphany structure that I learned about way back in high school. But you don't need to be. Alvar is so talented and these stories hit you in the deepest depths of your soul.
I read this book on a plane. Because I couldn't stop reading. Normally on a plane I read fast-moving YA books or page-turning thrillers. But I skipped them because I wanted nothing more than to read this book even if it meant that the people sitting next to me wondered why I kept weeping.
A truly beautiful and amazing book. I'm so excited to see what Alvar does next....more
I have a soft spot for noir and a soft spot for Japanese crime fiction, so this was an easy pick. Japanese noir works well in THE GUN, with the detachI have a soft spot for noir and a soft spot for Japanese crime fiction, so this was an easy pick. Japanese noir works well in THE GUN, with the detached emotional style of a noir, the slowly building narrative, the plot that gets gradually more complex. But THE GUN gives us that old noir style in a very modern setting. There are cell phones and ballistics labs and all kinds of 21st century trappings in this story of a college student who stumbles on a body and a gun.
His attachment to the gun is irrational, but not entirely unexpected. In Japanese culture, guns aren't at all common and his ownership of something beautiful, powerful, and forbidden sparks something inside of him that will gradually grow out of control.
A spare novel, but has me very intrigued to read more Nakamura. Happy that Soho Crime is bringing him to the US....more
I'm saving you a lot of time: this is what to get your mother, your wife, your friend, your sister, your daughter, your anyone for Mother's Day this yI'm saving you a lot of time: this is what to get your mother, your wife, your friend, your sister, your daughter, your anyone for Mother's Day this year.
I'm a Listen To Your Mother director and cast member (2013 Providence, 2014 and 2015 Boston) so of course I love Listen To Your Mother and everything it's about, how it gives voice to the position that is often the quietest one. The book is a collection of some of my favorite essays from men and women around the country.
Putting together a Listen To Your Mother show is a tricky job and I have no doubt editing the book was as well. It's about balancing humor and sadness, finding stories that are unique and balancing them with stories that are universal, talking about the biggest things and the smallest. The anthology does that well, covering pretty much any topic you can possibly imagine. There is adoption, same-sex marriage, the death of a child, the death of a parent, step-parenting, infertility, divorce, deployment, poverty, and significant struggles with mental and physical health. But there is also much that happens every day, those moments where you stop to take in just what's happening around you. There is sending a child off to college. There is a search for a child's lost lovey. There is pretty much everything.
These stories are personal and they are short, so even someone who isn't much of a reader will enjoy themselves. It's a book best enjoyed in small pieces so you can enjoy each story and savor it a bit. These essays were all read aloud in Listen To Your Mother shows, and you can tell that the writing has been refined and perfected to be enjoyed by an audience. The translation to book form is well done.
Seriously. Your Mother's Day gift work is done. ...more
This is the kind of YA that requires a healthy suspension of disbelief to get anywhere. I was totally okay with that until the climax, when my brain kThis is the kind of YA that requires a healthy suspension of disbelief to get anywhere. I was totally okay with that until the climax, when my brain kept getting the better of me and nitpicking. Which is a shame, because I liked this book, liked the weird central relationship between Moses and Alix, liked Alix's internal dilemma about her father. A strong concept, just wish the denouement worked a bit better and lived up to the rest of the book....more
This is one of those books where the beginning makes you think it'll be one thing and then it ends up being another. The beginning snagged me as a fanThis is one of those books where the beginning makes you think it'll be one thing and then it ends up being another. The beginning snagged me as a fan of crime novels. I knew there was a horror element, but I like horror, too, so I figured it'd be a good fit. Instead, I spent much of the novel wishing for the promise of the premise and found the eventual execution underwhelming.
So let's sell this book accurately. Don't read this if you're looking for a writer to tap into the head of a serial killer. Read this if you want a ghost story with a Manson family kind of feel. Hopefully that will prevent people like me whose opinion has more to do with what the book isn't than what it is. I recognize it's not a terribly fair way to review it. ...more
Most of the stories had me well into 4-star territory, but I didn't love the ones in the last half or so as much. Milanes stops her stories before youMost of the stories had me well into 4-star territory, but I didn't love the ones in the last half or so as much. Milanes stops her stories before you want her to, while you're still in the thick of them and you feel like it can't possibly be over, you turn the page and suddenly it ends. It's jarring, but it also works really well. These stories, mostly of young Cuban-American women, feel like real slices of life rather than carefully told tales much of the time. These stories are often sad, with the kind of youthful recklessness that defines young women, especially those brought up within strict cultures, who walk right into the fates they've been trying to avoid their whole lives. But these stories are still vibrant and quiver with emotion. It was easy to lose myself, especially in the first story....more
This is that rare literary novel that has chops but also serious mainstream potential. The story of two gods who give a group of dogs human consciousnThis is that rare literary novel that has chops but also serious mainstream potential. The story of two gods who give a group of dogs human consciousness in a bet has a lot to say about thought and individuality and what it means to be a person and a dog. It also has a plot full of goodness and violence that keeps the reader turning pages. (I read it in 2 nights and wouldn't stop until I was finished on the second.)
The bet is whether dogs bestowed with consciousness can die happy, so of course the plot involves not just the fifteen dogs but also their deaths. So while this book is probably best appreciated by those who have owned dogs and care about them, they're also the ones who will be most affected by the violence the dogs give and receive. I know many people who say they'll read or watch just about anything unless it involves violence against animals, and yet they're the very audience that will find the most to love here. I'd counsel dog owners to brace themselves but go for it.
It is rare I find a book both thoughtful and meditative but also enjoyable and fascinating. This is that rare book. I hope it finds a significant readership because it really deserves it. I can't think of any other book like it.
I enjoyed the story of Majnoun the poodle and his new owner the most. It's dog lover wish fulfillment of the grandest kind, the kind of dog/human relationship that transcends ownership and becomes something more....more
As a lawyer, I both love and hate courtroom procedurals. They are terribly difficult to write (I have yet to ever read one where I read an opening staAs a lawyer, I both love and hate courtroom procedurals. They are terribly difficult to write (I have yet to ever read one where I read an opening statement or closing argument, they just break up the flow terribly and summarize all the stuff you already know like awfully clunky exposition) and require a decent amount of research or expertise. I tend to be hypercritical of them, so take my review with a grain of salt. Most legal thrillers I can't even finish, and I've never read one that's 5 stars. I not only kept reading this one after the first few pages, I finished it in two nights. So it's a pretty good offering within the genre.
Goodman is obviously a lawyer who's practiced in court. He gets enough of the details right that you can tell. But writing a convincing first person legal mystery is tough when your main character is a lawyer. For this kind of book to work, the lawyer has to miss things and realize them later. Most of the time these are things a lawyer wouldn't miss. Even a lawyer who's overworked, distracted, and in an unhappy marriage like Nick Davis in Injustice. I would see a twist coming well before Nick would, even one that involved legal strategy, enough times that it wore a bit.
Still. I can't say Goodman doesn't weave a tight plot. Maybe a little too tight? I would've liked a little more of Nick the person and a little less plot twists. A little more plot detail with a little less plot. But most courtroom thrillers go big and Goodman definitely does that.
A good pick for fans of Steve Martini novels, the Lincoln Lawyer series, or Defending Jacob....more
This book won't fit neatly into a category. Any time I thought I had it figured out, it changed on me. Which is good and bad, after all, the parts thaThis book won't fit neatly into a category. Any time I thought I had it figured out, it changed on me. Which is good and bad, after all, the parts that I thought didn't work would inevitably end as the book morphed into something slightly different.
While I can't give it a full rave, I can say that it is ridiculously interesting. I could talk about it for an hour. It's not clear that Swaim is actually much good as a speechwriter (he is constantly berated to be more folksy and accessible but from the glimpses we see of his speechwriting, he doesn't seem to ever succeed) so don't go to this book as a guide.
It's also not an expose on Mark Sanford, nor is it an intimate portrait from a close friend or confidant. It's a look during a specific period of time from someone who doesn't necessarily have much contact outside of a work relationship. And that's probably why the book can't find its legs. Swaim doesn't know enough about Sanford to pick him apart, much of it is guesswork.
The most interesting part of the book is the way Swaim picks apart Sanford's speech patterns. It's also the part where I felt most uncomfortable. I can't say Swaim outright judged Sanford, but I felt a tone of condescension that I couldn't shake and it irked me.
While the title makes it sound like this book is about Swaim, it's really not. We get virtually none of his own personal life or his work. It's more of a series of vignettes that all take place within a set period of time and in a specific setting.
If you're a politics junkie, it's still a worthwhile read. If you remember Sanford's Appalachian trail antics and how bizarre his speeches were, you'll realize that there's way more weirdness than you realized back then. ...more
1 day after reading my first romance novel, this was my 2nd. I can tell I'll be back for more Maisey Yates. I liked the bite and wit of Cassie and Jak1 day after reading my first romance novel, this was my 2nd. I can tell I'll be back for more Maisey Yates. I liked the bite and wit of Cassie and Jake, it worked really well as a novella and I breezed through it quickly....more
This was my very first romance novel. Crazy, right?
Yes, things went pretty much the way I envisioned to, but I learned to sit back and enjoy the jourThis was my very first romance novel. Crazy, right?
Yes, things went pretty much the way I envisioned to, but I learned to sit back and enjoy the journey instead of stressing about the destination. ...more
I'm honestly at about 3.5 stars for this one. Reading this book every night was like having coffee with your smartest girlfriend. I loved that about iI'm honestly at about 3.5 stars for this one. Reading this book every night was like having coffee with your smartest girlfriend. I loved that about it. Its weaknesses are mostly inherent to the diary format. Writing a daily essay that connects to something you did that day is somewhat limiting, though Julavits certainly makes the most of it. I'm sure it's more interesting than a memoir approach to documenting a year in her life.
On the other hand, with so many small looks into one moment or conversation or experience in a day, the larger strokes of life get left behind a bit. And the out-of-order presentation, with Julavits being in New York in winter, then Maine in Summer, then Italy in Fall, is interesting but I'm not sure it works better than it would have chronologically. It never gets past the gimmick phase into something more notable.
Still. I like Julavits, and as a blogger I see great value in taking time to write about something that happens in your life and framing it in a readable way. Many of her stories are laugh-out-loud funny, many are deeply resonant, many stop just short and leave you wanting more. She's a great writer, she's rarely boring, and she's rarely expected. Some of the highest compliments I can give....more
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