Recent Reads

97. Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy #1)
I love that the author and his publisher decided to release all three books in this trilogy in one year. As a person who waits until the final book in a trilogy is about to be released to start in on the first book, I appreciate the quick release schedule.

I had heard such great things about this trilogy, and on the surface there is much to get excited about: Area X has been abandoned by humans after some disaster and is now a pristine natural environment sans humans; all prior expeditions to explore and map out the terrain have ended badly; the latest (and 12th) expedition is made up of four women; strange things happen and all is not as it seems.

See what I mean? How could this not work? And yet it does not. I found the writing too strange - almost like the narrator was high the entire time. The story felt muddled and unclear and maybe that is what the author intended, this is a trilogy after all, and I assume answers are forthcoming, but I do not care enough to read on. Rating: 2 stars.

98. We Were Liars
This Young Adult book is generating such buzz, and is on so many Summer/Beach Read lists, that I had to give it try. Why, oh why do I keep believing the hype? Sigh.

The narrator is a "poor-little-white-rich girl" whose family spends their summers on a private island off Cape Cod. The Liars of the title is a group comprised of four kids: our narrator, two of her cousins, and an outsider. The group is close as only kids can be at this age, but everyone is rather one dimensional, and dare I say it? Rather shallow. There are important themes (Class, Racism, Trust funds, Politics, etc) touched on, but without any real substance which I found disappointing. I really disliked the writing style: choppy sentences that read like bad teenage poetry is just not my thing.

Did I like anything about this book? I liked the fairy tales interspersed within the novel. I also liked the believable way that the adult to adult relationships were depicted. The author also captures well the sense of summer living in New England, albeit a very privileged white perspective of it. Still one can smell the ocean and hear the sea gulls. {Spoiler ahead: But don't get me started on [ the M. Night Shyamalan style twist. Why does this book not have a "magical realism/fantasy" label?}

OK, I'll now crawl under the covers while those of you who loved this book throw your rocks at me. Rating: 2 stars.

99. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
I believe that we all want friends like Ann Patchett, and with this book we have one. At least for the duration one reads it. 

I like her fiction, but am finding that I love her non-fiction even more. In this collection of essays, we get a glimpse of the woman behind the novels: a woman who is smart and funny and flawed and brave and loyal. 

I listened to the audiobook wonderfully narrated by the author, and while some pieces are better than others, reading every one of them felt like having an intimate couple of hours with a warm and loving best friend. How the heck does she do that? Rating: 4 stars.