May Book Review
Several months back I posted this book review for The Rosie Project by Graeme Simseon. I discussed my love of reading and my involvement in various book clubs. It's all still true. I'm always in the middle of a book. My "Currently Reading" status on GoodReads* is always active.
I've been on a library kick lately. I used to feel very strongly about owning books. I loved having them on display and at my disposal. There's something cozy and comforting about being surrounded by books, and I still feel happy when I see the spine of a beloved book on my shelf. But let's be real. There are very few books that I will ever re-read. Do I really need to own every book I read just for the sake of having it sit on a shelf?
Hence the library kick. I've gone through phases of loving and leaving the library before, but I've been on a roll lately. I mean, do you ever stop and think about how truly awesome public libraries are? Access to pretty much any book, for free?! I'm sure most libraries have an on-line system like ours does (which means you can log on in the comfort of your own home and put as many books as you want on hold; they send you an email when it's ready for pick-up.) Book lovers paradise.
The one drawback to the hold system is that I tend to do the following:
Come across BuzzFeed lists like "27 Books You Must Read Before You Die"
Put them all on my "Want To Read" shelf on GoodReads
Search the online library catalog and put them all on hold
Receive an email telling me I have several books at the library waiting for me
Suddenly find myself with 10 books to read before they're due back in three weeks
As a result, I've been reading a lot lately. I'm making a conscious effort to spend less time in front of screens and more time reading. I kinda like it. I mean, Mad Men is over so I've got nothing to live for, TV-wise.
Here are the books I read in May. I'm going to try and post a monthly review of whatever I read each month. Please chime in with your thoughts and your book recommendations! You know I love a good book recommendation! I'll put it on GoodReads! I'll put it on hold at the library!!!
Okay, enough chatter. Here are my thoughts on what I read in May:
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: I think this might have been the first time I've read an entire book in one afternoon since before Alex was born. He's 15, so it's been a while! Clearly I could not put this book down. I got sucked into the characters and the world the author created and I did not see the ending coming. Definitely a good summer beach read.
The Assembler of Parts by Raoul Wientzen: We read this at the One More Page daytime book discussion group, and since the author happens to be my neighbor, he came to the discussion. I loved this book so much. It can be a sad and hard to read at times, but ultimately it is a beautiful and profound book that explores what it means to be human. I highly recommend this, especially for a book club.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler: I was taken with the story and the main character right away, and then it got weird. Then the main character got a little annoying, and by the last 50 pages I found myself wanting to just finish the book already so I could start something else. Overall I'm glad I read it (some books leave me feeling like I had just wasted my time; this wasn't one of those); I just think it could've been so much more. By the end I was kind of disappointed.
Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner: This book was good overall, but at times it felt gimmicky. Clearly the author had an idea for a book, pitched it to his publisher who then paid for him to travel all over the world, but he tries to pass it off as his own personal journey. As soon as I'd start to think, "I think I'm done" I'd come upon a line that kept me reading. The last few chapters are actually the best of the whole book.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes: The first part of the book takes place in France during WWI, and it was really good. Then it moves to present day, and that's where this book lost me. I couldn't get into the present-day storyline or the characters. I had high hopes for this because I loved Me Before You, but when I finished this I thought, "Meh". It was okay.
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed: I loved this book. I'm considering buying my own copy because I didn't want to return it to the library! I know I will give this one as a gift in the future. If you read this book and love it, too, you should check out the Dear Sugar podcast. It's Sugar (Cheryl Strayed) and Steve Almond, and it's awesome.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng: This is such a beautiful book. At first I found it kind of depressing, but it is so beautifully written, and the flaws of the characters are so real, that by the end I really liked it. She explores so many issues in this book: family, love, gender, the misunderstandings and disappointments that can come between two people, racial identity... I'd definitely recommend it.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande: This book is sometimes difficult to read, but anyone who has older parents, or loved ones, or will themselves die one day should read this book. So, yeah, I think everyone should read it. I've been a fan of Gawande's writing since I used to get the New Yorker and read his book Complications. He is a really good writer and is clearly a compassionate surgeon. He addresses how we care for the aging and dying, and how doctors are just not prepared to have tough conversations with their patients. He tells us stories of terminal patients that he thinks he handled poorly because it was hard to face their mortality, and he shares his family's experience with his father's illness and death. So much of this was familiar to me after watching my father and my father-in-law die; palliative care is so crucial! Definitely worth reading.
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes: I think if I read this on the beach or something I would've enjoyed it more. Moyes is a good writer and I was into the characters right away, but about halfway through I realized it was a formulaic romantic comedy. The characters were suddenly all cliche to me, and I knew how it would end. There's nothing wrong with a romantic comedy, but I didn't go into it realizing that's what it was, so I ended up disappointed.
Wow, that's a lot of books! I don't normally read nearly that much in one month's time. Have you read any of these? Is there a book you recently read that you just loved? Let me know in the comments!
*If you're a book lover, GoodReads is a great way to keep track of what you've read and what you want to read. You can "friend" people and follow what they are reading, too. Check it out at www.goodreads.com. This probably goes without saying, but this is NOT a sponsored post! I'm just a fan :)
