Recent Reads

138. Insurgent
This is book # 2 in the Divergent trilogy, and I am reading the three books in as many days. Kicked this reading jag off by re-reading book #1, and I would recommend doing that if it has been a while since you read it. This book starts off where the first one ends, and there is not much in the way of a recap.

Our gal Tris clearly has PTSD. And really who can blame her after what she has been through? While I did not like this one as much as the first, it is action paced, if a little light on character development. It moves the story forward, we meet new people, there are twists a plenty, and a cliff hanger reveal at the end (which I had already guessed). I am keeping my fingers crossed that the author has given us a satisfying conclusion in the next book, which I plan on starting tonight. Rating: 3 stars.

139. Fables, Vol. 9: Sons of Empire
Book #9 in the Fables graphic novel series is a bit of a disappointment. The Empire does not strike back, so much as have a meeting to discuss striking back. This book is much more fragmented, and while we learn about Bigby's dysfunctional family, there is not much about this one that is compelling. Rating: 2 stars.

140. Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality
Over the years I have accumulated several hundred nights of hotel stays under my belt, and I confess to never having given much thought to the staff.

This memoir is an interesting look at what happens behind the scenes, some of which made me smile, much of which made me shake my head - you do not really want to think about where your toothbrush has been while you left it unattended after all.

On a recent trip to Turkey, I was struck at how most of the customer facing, aka tip potential jobs, were staffed by men, while women staffed housekeeping. So the men got tips for helping move bags on wheels a hundred feet, while the women who kept the rooms clean were often stiffed. That same divide was reinforced for me by this book. 

The author narrates the audio book, and captures the snarky tone well, but his voice did not really work for me. Towards the end there is a work rant that felt too much like hanging out with unhappy co-workers for my taste, but overall I found this backstage pass interesting enough to read to the end. Rating: 3 stars.

141. Allegiant
This is the final book in the Divergent trilogy, and honestly I should have stopped after the first book.

The first two books are in Tris's voice, and in this one we also get Four's point of view. Two issues with that: firstly, Four is simply not that interesting once you get to know him, and secondly, the author has the same voice for both Tris and Four. I had to keep reminding myself who was narrating. 

So the real question is why did I finish it? Mainly because I had heard that it had a heart-breaking end, though honestly I was more delighted to be done with it. Such a disappointing end to this series. Rating: 1 star.