The Popsugar Reading Challenge for 2019 included a challenge to read a book during the season in which it is set. Summer is the season where I tend toThe Popsugar Reading Challenge for 2019 included a challenge to read a book during the season in which it is set. Summer is the season where I tend to read what I think of as ‘season appropriate’ books. I wound up selecting STARRY EYES by Jenn Bennett. What can be more summery than getting out on some trails, doing a little camping and making some s’mores.
STARRY EYES follows Zorie, a young woman who believes in organization and planning and who is about to have all her plans thrown off track. Zorie is working part-time at her parents’ wellness clinic when she is sent next door to retrieve a misdirected package. The neighbors who received the package happen to be a sex toy shop run by the mothers of her former best friend. Not only does she have to enter a sex toy shop, she also has to see Lennon, the boy who was once her best friend and is now her mortal enemy after a badly failed experiment to move their relationship into the romantic arena.
As it turns out, the package that Zorie retrieves contains a photo album addressed to her mother which clearly documents her father’s infidelity. A well timed invitation to go glamping comes up and while it isn’t the well planned adventure Zorie would have put together, she can’t turn down an opportunity to sleep in posh cabins, eat gourmet food and procrastinate making a decision on how to handle the photo album.
Things start to go wrong for this camping excursion very quickly. It turns out that Lennon was invited as well (of course!) and that there is a lot of drama involved when a bunch of teens go camping without any adult supervision. In the end, Lennon and Zorie are left alone in the wilderness with few options but to hike their way back out.
This was a fun friends-to-enemies-to-lovers YA romance (definitely on the mature end of the YA spectrum). It was a quick, lighthearted read, but it also tackled some serious issues. (Trigger warnings for infidelity, homophobia and suicide.) Zorie’s father is not an ideal parent (the basis of those infidelity and homophobia trigger warnings), but Zorie’s adoptive mother and Lennon’s moms are definitely loving, supportive parents.
This was the perfect light summer read to get me back to flipping pages after a small reading slump lately – I made it through this story in a single afternoon. If you enjoy a fun YA romance, I would recommend this book for your summer TBR!...more
Rating: 3.5 / 5 ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY by Charlie Jane Anders is a book I’ve had on my TBR for a while because the story sounded intriguing. The bookRating: 3.5 / 5 ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY by Charlie Jane Anders is a book I’ve had on my TBR for a while because the story sounded intriguing. The book follows two people from childhood, Patricia and Laurence, who are very different, but are drawn together by circumstances somewhat beyond their control.
Patricia learns at a very early age that she has a magical ability to speak with animals. While she isn’t able to entirely control her magic as a witch, she begins to figure it out as she gets older. She has a particular affinity for speaking with all the birds in the skies.
Laurence is a scientist, a boy capable of building fantastic machines including a two-second time machine that will allow you to skip forward in time by two seconds and an artificial intelligence that he hopes to one day be sentient. Laurence is the one person that Patricia reveals her magic too, but seeing her speak cat with her feline friend is a bit much for him to handle.
Both Patricia and Laurence struggle in life, they don’t fit in with their peers and their families really do not understand them. They form a friendship in their teens, but are torn apart. When they are reunited, Patricia is in full control of her magic, using it to help others under the radar. Laurence is working on devices to save the human race from the havoc it has created on the environment.
This is a very hard book to sum up. It crosses genres with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism. It is set in our world, but it isn’t clear if it is a very near future or an alternate reality altogether. Things like the two second time machine are treated as normal, acceptable things to be able to make and not a great achievement.
I really enjoyed this book for the most part, but did find myself losing track of the story line a few times as it jumped around in time a bit and between the science and magic threads. There were some elements that I had wished maybe were a little more clearly defined. I can definitely understand why this book has received the attention and awards that it has received and it is really well put together overall.
If you enjoy elements of sci-fi and fantasy or are looking for a book with some magical realism feel mixed with a science fiction story line, this is definitely a book you would want to pick up!...more
I just finished THE STONE SKY by N.K. Jemisin which is the third book in The Broken Earth series. It would be pretty impossible to say a lot about thiI just finished THE STONE SKY by N.K. Jemisin which is the third book in The Broken Earth series. It would be pretty impossible to say a lot about this book in particular without spoiling details in the first books.
The world building in this series is masterfully done. It is a world very foreign to our own, made up of people who are human, fantastical creatures who very much aren’t and some who have magical abilities who fall somewhere in between. There is a lot of lore that gets built up over the three books and a large cast of characters with different points of view given in different parts of the story. The terrors of their world were very realistic, and with interesting timing given that I was in the midst of finishing the series as we were feeling some real shakes in California!
According to be blurb for these books, the story tells how the world ends… again. With this and the rather dark and ominous covers, you know going in that this isn’t likely to be a happily ever after kind of read. It does bring a lot of heartache along the way, but there are also humorous moments in their journey and the unique cast of characters.
It took me while to get into the first book and get acclimated to this new world, but once I was hooked, I stayed hooked. I completed the majority of the series on audio. While it can sometimes be difficult to track a large cast of character and multiple POVs in an audiobook format, I felt that this audiobook was very well done and easy to follow.
In summary this is a series you’ll want to check out if you are a fan of fantasy and if you appreciate a beautiful, well constructed narrative. The writing is beautiful, playing with different narrators and perspectives in incredible ways. These books were Hugo Award winners for best novel and I can absolutely understand why!...more
FINALE by Stephanie Garber is the third and final book in her Caraval series. It is hard to sum up the third book in a series without giving any spoilFINALE by Stephanie Garber is the third and final book in her Caraval series. It is hard to sum up the third book in a series without giving any spoilers away for those who haven’t read the first two. That said, this book occurs two months after the second book left off, but not much has happened in the interim so it feels that we’re jumping right back into the action. Sisters Donatella and Scarlett trade off as the narrators for this final installment.
The games of Caraval are over, but it the general vibe of the game continues. This book carries on the same sense of magic. Characters and their relationships are complex and one can never know who can and can’t be trusted as the action develops, just as it was in the games.
In the end, I think LEGENDARY was still my favorite installment of the series, but I enjoyed this book and read through it in a single day as it brought the trilogy to a satisfying end. ...more
THE LAST by Hanna Jameson is billed as a dystopian psychological thriller and the premise sounded interesting, so I put it on hold right away at the lTHE LAST by Hanna Jameson is billed as a dystopian psychological thriller and the premise sounded interesting, so I put it on hold right away at the library when it was released in April.
Our protagonist Jon is an American attending an academic conference in Switzerland when word comes in that nuclear bombs are targeting first Washington D.C. and then many other key cities around the world. Panic ensues with some people fleeing the hotel in the hope of getting back home and some staying at the hotel.
In the midst of this, Jon and a couple hotel staff discover the body of a little girl in one of their water tanks and Jon sets out to discover how she came to be there. The investigation is hampered by the lack of electricity and internet. The book is written from Jon’s POV as he acts the part of the historian, creating a written account of life after the end of the world as we know it.
The hotel is inhabited by staff and guests who originate from a variety of countries with language barriers and personality conflicts to overcome. In some ways they are ideally set up to weather this dystopian landscape with a restaurant stocked with food (and a chef!), guns for hunting and a well-stocked bar to kick off the end of the world. The author throws in some commentary about the current state of U.S. politics (hence Washington D.C. as the initial target for nuclear attack), which factors into some of the personality conflicts between characters.
For me, the book reads more as a mystery and a survival story than a thriller, and it is much more character driven as Jon explores characters’ backstories and expresses his own feelings of guilt for leaving his wife and children behind on not the best of terms. The suspense is generally a slow build with a few heightened moments, but it definitely keeps you flipping pages to reach the end. I didn’t entirely love the way the book ended, but with all that said, I really did enjoy this book and it kept me hooked throughout. ...more
This book was a definite favorite for me this month. I didn’t know much about the book going into it, but I was immediately drawn in by the stories.
EaThis book was a definite favorite for me this month. I didn’t know much about the book going into it, but I was immediately drawn in by the stories.
Each of the stories in this collection are very different with vastly different characters. There’s a home for retired time travelers and students creating murder home replicas. The sirens of ancient myths make an appearance alongside stories in the far future with space travel and advances in AI. I found that each story builds a unique world incredibly well in a short span of pages.
One story that really stuck with me was about a group of people a couple generations into a long space voyage to a new planet. After losing all of their recorded data (music, movies, books, etc.), they are attempting to hold on to pieces of the world they left behind through imperfect human memory. The importance of what was lost and what could never be regained was very well conveyed.
I try to pick up a few short story books each year, generally reading a story here or there between longer reads. As a result, short story collections tend to be slower reads for me, but that was definitely not the case here. I kept wanting to continue on to the next story every time one ended.
I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys a good story!...more
DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch is a book I had seen pop up on bookstagram a few times with recommendations, but it hadn’t made it onto my TBR just yet. WDARK MATTER by Blake Crouch is a book I had seen pop up on bookstagram a few times with recommendations, but it hadn’t made it onto my TBR just yet. When it was selected for the June book for #notyomamasbookclub hosted by @downtogetthefiction and @kraysbookclub on Instagram, I decided to give it a read.
DARK MATTER follows Jason Dessen, a college physics professor. He has a happy life with his wife and son, but he does wonder a bit about the path not taken when he chose his family over his career. While out to celebrate a friend’s recent career success, Jason’s life takes a drastic turn when he finds himself kidnapped by a masked man, taken to an abandoned power plant and knocked out.
When Jason awakes, he is in a world that is not his own. He is strapped to a table and surrounded by people who seem to know him, but who are in fact complete strangers. No longer a family man with a sedate teaching job, he is known to be a single, career minded genius responsible for developing great things.
Let me tell you, the hype for this book was strong! Buddy read participants started reading this book early and some even finished before June began! Our mid-month chat about the book was full of people fighting hard to avoid spoilers for the second half of the book because they couldn’t resist finishing it right away.
I didn’t start the book until nearly half-way through the month and by then I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Once I got to reading, it lived up to what I was told. This book takes you on a wild ride with a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming. It is science fiction, and there is some explanation of the science behind the ideas it conveys, but you don’t need to be a science fiction fan to enjoy this journey!
For me, there were a few slow spots in the middle where I lost the fast pace and I think this may be a book that would have been better served if I had read it in one go instead of setting it aside at the mid-month stopping point and picking it up again a week or two later. That said, the slow points were few and far between and the ending was everything that I would have wanted in a fast paced thriller.
I can’t wait for our end of month book chat on DARK MATTER and I’m very excited to have Blake Crouch’s most recent release RECURSION as the July book pick for the #notyomamasbookclub because I can’t wait to see what Blake Crouch does next!
When I first saw the Netflix promo for BIRD BOX and learned that it was an adaptation of a novel by Josh Malerman, I put a hold on the book at the libWhen I first saw the Netflix promo for BIRD BOX and learned that it was an adaptation of a novel by Josh Malerman, I put a hold on the book at the library (along with a LOT of other people) because I do like to read before I watch. It took a while, but my hold finally came through which was perfect because I have definitely been in a thriller sort of mood!
The story begins with Malorie, a woman alone in a house with two four-year old children who have never seen the anything outside of the house. They live in a world of fear, knowing that there is something outside that if seen can drive a person to commit deadly acts against themselves or others. Their life is lived inside a single house with all windows blocked. Rare perilous treks into the outside world are made blindfolded.
The book jumps right into the action from the beginning as Malorie makes the decision that the foggy weather is the backdrop she needs to take the children and flee by boat on the river behind the house, blindfolded the entire way. From that initial sequence, the story jumps back and forth in time to unfold the story of how Malorie and the kids wound up alone in the house where we find them.
BIRD BOX definitely brings a creepy factor that I appreciated. It is scary to contemplate living in complete darkness while making your way through the world, surrounded by both known threats (wild animals, uncertain waters ahead) and the unknowable. The children are an interesting study in how adaptation might work in such a world. Though only four years old they’ve been trained by Malorie to develop super hearing to help compensate for their blindfolded eyes. ...more
THEY ALL FALL DOWN begins with Miriam Macy, a woman facing some personal and legal struggles in her life that aren’t entirely clear when the book openTHEY ALL FALL DOWN begins with Miriam Macy, a woman facing some personal and legal struggles in her life that aren’t entirely clear when the book open, but which leave her reliant on Valium to deal with her anxiety. She has received an invitation to participate in a mysterious new reality show on a Mexican island with six strangers. It is soon revealed that her preparation to impress a TV audience was for nothing as all seven people on the island were brought there under false pretenses. As one by one the island’s inhabitants begin to fall, suspicions and anxiety builds.
This book was well paced and it kept me guessing throughout as to what exactly is going on. Some characters have more background information than others and information is slowly revealed which adds to the level of suspense.
I don’t necessarily have to like the characters in a book to like the book, but this story really didn’t give me anyone to root for. Bad decisions and despicable behavior made it difficult to connect with any of the characters for me.
You may have picked up on the fact that I enjoy thrillers if you’ve been following me for any length of time and I’ve read quite a few that I’ve really enjoyed recently. That probably set the bar pretty high before I picked up this book. It was a fun, quick read and I overall enjoyed it, but it fell into the liked, but didn’t love category. If you want a quick read thriller, I do think this makes a good summer read....more
When I posted a blog about THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper earlier this month I mentioned that I was excited to have more Jane Harper waiting on my book sWhen I posted a blog about THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper earlier this month I mentioned that I was excited to have more Jane Harper waiting on my book shelf for me. It didn’t take long for me to pick up the next book! This also fit for my Aussie Author pick for the #readingwomenmonth bingo board.
THE DRY is Jane Harper’s debut and the first in a series (two books so far) featuring Aaron Falk, a Federal Police investigator in Australia. When his childhood friend is found dead, an apparent suicide after killing his wife and son, Aaron heads back to his hometown of Kiewarra to pay his final respects to the family.
Aaron’s history with the town is tumultuous and he is reluctant to return. Aaron left as a teenager and all these years later the majority of the town believes that he was involved in a terrible crime years ago. He wants to attend the funeral and then leave town right away, but his friend’s parents feel there is more to the story in the death of their son and his family so Aaron feels compelled to stay and look into it a bit further.
Jane Harper writes a very atmospheric book in which the town of Kiewarra really comes to life on the page. The town is struggling under the worst drought in known history and the people of the town are struggling to make ends meet. Just as the land is fragile in these conditions, so are the lives and tempers of its residents.
The mystery was well developed with a lot of complicated motives and clues that came out as the narrative progressed. The mystery of what happened in Aaron’s youth also unfolds as the book continues, overlapping often with the present day.
The style in which the story is told is very interesting as well. The author goes back and forth between timelines rather quickly. On the page, this is very clear as the type style is different between the flashbacks and present day. Having done some of this book on audio, I do want to give a little caution that it is sometimes a little hard to tell when the narrator has slipped into a past event in the middle of a present day conversation. I didn’t feel it took away from the story, but it did test my concentration a bit.
I am definitely recommending Jane Harper to everyone who wants a rec and I will eagerly pick up the second book in the Aaron Falk series (FORCE OF NATURE) soon!...more
I actually have another book by Jane Harper on my TBR for June to fulfill the Aussie Author prompt for the Reading Women Podcast’s birthday bingo gameI actually have another book by Jane Harper on my TBR for June to fulfill the Aussie Author prompt for the Reading Women Podcast’s birthday bingo game, but when I stopped off at the library for something else, I spotted Jane Harper’s THE LOST MAN sitting on the new release shelf. I had heard so many good reviews for Jane Harper in general and this book in particular that I had to bring it home! As it turns out my readathon last weekend had a prompt for a book set in a country I’ve never been to and Australia definitely qualifies for me!
Trigger Warnings: Suicide, child abuse.
THE LOST MAN begins with a man found dead under mysterious circumstances alongside the stockman’s grave, a local landmark with many stories as to how it came to be there in the middle of nowhere. The setting is the Australian outback in the brutal heat of December. It is a place where your nearest neighbors are hours away and a broken down car can lead to a quick death if you are ill prepared. It appears that this man Cam has wandered off about 9 miles from his vehicle with no supplies, so initial signs point to suicide.
Cam’s brother Nathan is our POV for the story. He is down on his luck after a messy divorce and family squabbles that leave him an outcast among the limited number of neighbors he has. He lives on the next ranch over, but hasn’t seen his brother or the rest of his family in months. He steps in to ask questions and reason through Cam’s last few days, attempting to figure out what exactly happens.
Jane Harper’s writing is superb and she really brings to life a setting that I am wholly unfamiliar with, but feel as though I now have some understanding. Living in this setting is isolating and there is a very real danger of depression and suicide. In the wake of Cam’s death, everyone has a heightened concern for Nathan’s mental well being as well.
I’ve seen this book sometimes labeled as a thriller and there are some aspects of a thriller, but I found the mystery label to be much more accurate. This is a book that delves into characters and their backstory, slowly revealing additional clues as to what happened to Cam in his final days and building up the suspense. I definitely didn’t see the ending twist coming ahead of time and I thought it all came together beautifully!
This book has left me very excited that I have two more Jane Harper books waiting for me on my shelf and I plan to pick up THE DRY before the month ends! I definitely recommend that you pick up a copy of THE LOST MAN if you enjoy a good mystery with excellent writing!...more
I picked up STAY UP WITH HUGO BEST by Erin Somers after seeing it recommended by Lauren Graham on Twitter and noticing it was available as a new releaI picked up STAY UP WITH HUGO BEST by Erin Somers after seeing it recommended by Lauren Graham on Twitter and noticing it was available as a new release at the library. The cute, bright cover also drew me in.
Going purely by the cover and not having read much about this book, I expected something light hearted. The premise is that the late night talk show Stay Up with Hugo Best has come to an end, leaving protagonist June Bloom unemployed after a stint as a writer’s assistant for the show. After completing a last minute stand up spot at an open mic, June runs into the former host Hugo Best and winds up going home with him for the long Memorial Day weekend. The book covers the four days June spends with Hugo.
June says about herself, “the worst I had suffered was nonsuccess” and this seems very accurate. She is now facing unemployment as a 29-year-old who doesn’t really have any prospects for what to do next. Hugo Best is a very familiar sounding comedian and talk show host (huge car collection, gets laughs from badly written headlines) who has been forced into retirement by his network. Neither is really in a position to spark a lot of comedy.
I thought that this book was well written, it just wasn’t what I expected going into it. June gets an interesting behind the scenes look into the world of a famous, wealthy man who was once, and possibly still somewhat is, her childhood crush and comedic idol. Having read the book description after I was well into the book, it indicates that it tells the story of June’s stumble into adulthood and for me it didn’t really deliver on that. I don’t see a lot of forward movement for June’s character by the end of the book.
I liked the author’s writing in general and it was a quick, easy read, but I didn’t find myself overly connected to any of the characters and it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. ...more
I read and loved the author’s THE THIRTEENTH TALE earlier this year, so I was eager to pick up another of her books and went into ONCE UPON A RIVER exI read and loved the author’s THE THIRTEENTH TALE earlier this year, so I was eager to pick up another of her books and went into ONCE UPON A RIVER expecting (or at least hoping) to love it.
The story begins at The Swan Inn on a dark, atmospheric night when a severely injured man comes in with a drowned little girl who seemingly miraculously returns to life some hours later. No one can explain how the man and the girl came to the inn, but several families who have lost little girls of their own come forward to consider whether she might belong to them. As the narrative progresses, the stories of this girl’s arrival and the lost girls’ departures are slowly revealed.
There is a lot to love in this book. The author’s writing is beautiful and I loved the way she wove the importance of storytelling throughout her own story. I really found myself wishing that I had a local hangout where one could drop in for a drink and a story! The magical elements of fairy tale and fable also added a lot. I wanted to stay engaged with the story to see where the story would take me.
For me, the downside was the pacing as it felt a little slow for a novel that was hinging on a mystery. I stayed engaged with the story, but it didn’t keep me hooked on every turn of the page. This made it a book I enjoyed, but didn’t love.
Bottom line, I am a fan of Diane Setterfield’s writing and will eagerly pick up more from her in the future, I would highly recommend THE THIRTEENTH TALE over ONCE UPON A RIVER....more
I read Elizabeth Acevedo’s THE POET X earlier this year and wound up loving it much more than I ever expected. The poetry format for the narrative andI read Elizabeth Acevedo’s THE POET X earlier this year and wound up loving it much more than I ever expected. The poetry format for the narrative and the author’s use of language was fabulous and I immediately looked up her next release and put it on my TBR.
WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH follows Emoni Santiago, a high school senior who is walking a difficult path in life. When she got pregnant as a freshman she decided to keep and raise her daughter while staying on track to graduate high school. Emoni has the love and support of the grandmother who raised her, but she needs to decide how she is going to support herself and her baby girl after graduation.
Aside from the love of her daughter and grandmother, Emoni’s true passion is cooking. She was in the kitchen from an early age and has a sixth sense about ingredients and how to make a dish work. There is a touch of magical realism about her cooking as it evokes memories and emotions in those who eat it.
Emoni gets a chance to further her culinary skills through a class at her high school and a study abroad session in Spain (boy do I wish my school had offered such a program!), but given her need to raise funds and raise her daughter, she feels like it might be an impossible dream. Still, it is undeniable that she has a gift that she needs to find a way to harness.
I was initially a little disappointed to learn that WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH would be in a more standard prose format given how much I loved the poetry of THE POET X, but I need not have worried. Acevedo’s poetic voice comes through loud and clear in this novel. Her use of descriptive language when speaking of Emoni’s culinary creations is musical and magical.
People talk a lot about auto-buy authors and Elizabeth Acevedo has very quickly become an auto-buy author for me! This is not a book you want to read hungry, but it is definitely a book you do want to read! ...more
Creepy children are just disturbing and MY SISTER ROSA by Justine Larbalestier definitely tells the story of a truly creepy child.
The voice of the naCreepy children are just disturbing and MY SISTER ROSA by Justine Larbalestier definitely tells the story of a truly creepy child.
The voice of the narrative belongs to Che, a seventeen year old Australian boy who is moving to New York with his parents and his little sister Rosa. Che’s parents are pretty checked out from the parenting game, leaving Che to take responsibility for Rosa much of the time. As a result, Che is really the only one who recognizes what his sister really is – a psychopath. Che has some measure of control over his sister, but where there’s a loophole to be found Rosa will find it. Che has made her promise not to kill and it is working… so far.
Rosa is very self-aware. She knows that being ‘good’ is a concept she cannot grasp. She has no empathy, but she is not at all lacking in charisma. She is able to draw in nearly everyone around her, bending them to do her will. Che has a solid group of friends back home in Australia who understand at least some of Che’s fears about Rosa, but they are far away. He strives to make a life for himself in New York, with new friendships and a potential romance, but everything is overshadowed by his sister.
The book is definitely chilling and dark, but I found it a little bit slow to engage. From the very beginning we know that Rosa is bad and I had a hard time believing that the parents would be so disengaged from Rosa as to not recognize what was going on with her. As the book develops further, it does bring in more twists to the story which did keep me turning pages. My overall feelings are a bit mixed, but MY SISTER ROSA did deliver on a creepy read and I am glad I read it. ...more
JOY AND 52 OTHER VERY SHORT STORIES by Erin McGraw is a short story collection with a focus on ‘short’. This book took me a while to get through – not JOY AND 52 OTHER VERY SHORT STORIES by Erin McGraw is a short story collection with a focus on ‘short’. This book took me a while to get through – not because I wasn’t enjoying the stories, but because each of the 53 stories packs a lot into just a few pages.
The cover is at once cheerful with that bright yellow cover and also a little sad as the flower is wilting and falling apart. Similarly, these are tales where joy and humor is mixed with pain and sadness. The protagonists are incredibly varied with different genders, ages, races and backgrounds. Most stories stand alone, but in a few cases the author gives the same story from different perspective, such as in the case of a woman dying of cancer where we get her POV and those of her husband and caregiver.
I found this to be a great story collection to keep close at hand, allowing me to meander through the book between other reads a story or two at a time so I could really absorb each story. I appreciated the humor and mixture of emotions brought throughout this book and I would definitely want to read more stories from Erin McGraw....more
The story revolves around Deya, an 18 year old Palestinian-American woman who has been raised by her grandparents along with her three younger sistersThe story revolves around Deya, an 18 year old Palestinian-American woman who has been raised by her grandparents along with her three younger sisters. Deya’s grandmother only wanted grandsons who could grow up to work and support the family. She sees her granddaughters as a burden to the family, a drain on resources until they can be married off. Deya’s story interweaves with the narratives of her mother and grandmother as Deya tries to uncover secrets in her family’s past and decide how to develop her own voice to speak up for the future she wants to live.
This book hooked me into the narrative very quickly and kept me engaged throughout. It wasn’t an easy read by any means, but definitely one that stuck with me. The life led by the women in this book is difficult. Their daily lives are very limited and violence becomes the norm. It is hard to imagine how little they were able to experience of the world in which they lived, but it is clear from the narrative how ingrained these limitations are and how difficult it is to change. Small rebellions like reading can be their only real escape.
Definitely a five-star read for me, heartbreaking and thought provoking. I would definitely pick up more from Etaf Rum.
DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a surprise favorite read for me in March. I picked this one up when it came out in March both becauseDAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a surprise favorite read for me in March. I picked this one up when it came out in March both because I saw it recommended in several reviews because I read and enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and have been meaning to pick up another book by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The novel tells the story of a 1970s rock band, how the individual characters came together and how the group rose to fame while balancing (or not) their lives in and out of the spotlight. The narrative is delivered in an interview format with characters telling their own story, complete with the lyrics they wrote and the stories behind them.
I thought that the choice of an interview format was a great fit for this story. For me it added to the sense that this could have been an actual band with tunes still playing on the oldies station. I liked being able to pick out places where two characters had just slightly different recollections of a particular event, often just minor inconsistencies that you would expect from a real interview occurring many years after the original event. While an interview style does leave the door open to questions of how reliable the storytellers are, the key characters seemed to be pretty brutally honest when it came to their shortcomings for the most part.
While the world of ‘sex, drugs and rock-and-roll’ is not something that generally calls to me, I am very glad that I picked up this book. ...more
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