"One of the main reasons I don't like leaving the house is because I might find myself face-to-face with a Canadian. Seattle is crawling with them. You probably think, U.S./Canada, they're interchangeable because they're both filled with English-speaking, morbidly obese white people. Well, Manjula, you couldn't be more mistaken."Are you laughing yet? You should be because Maria Semple's Orange Prize short-listed novel, Where'd You Go, Bernadette is hysterical in its entirety. While A Reader's Respite doubts the book has the 'meat' to take home the coveted prize this year, it is certainly worth your time. As a Seattle-ite, we undoubtedly found this funnier than most, ("Parking in Seattle is an eight-step process") but your mileage may vary. Ultimately, the book is about the love of a family and the lengths they go to for one another. Take it for what it is: a fun romp.
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Library Copy
A Reader's Respite got sucked into the Megan Abbott audiobook, Dare Me, courtesy of Sandy at You've GOTTA Read This! We can only describe this Machiavellian cheerleader novel as disturbing in a Dear-God-Don't-Let-My-Daughter-Turn-Out-Like-This kind of way. With near perfect narration, we are treated to a cheerleading squad with a missing moral compass and a murder/suicide that has everyone scrambling to protect the most important person in the world: themselves. Creepy enough to make me cringe if the daughter-unit ever expresses an interest in cheerleading.
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Library Download
Ahhh, have you heard about Ben Winters' dystopia novel, The Last Policeman, yet? It's shortlisted for the Edgar Awards (tonight!) and if you like dystopia, this is your book. We listened to the audiobook version, which left a little to be desired in the narration department. We'd suggest you go for the print version. How does humanity behave knowing that they have less than a year before a devastating asteroid will hit Earth and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it? How would YOU behave? Quit your job? You bet. Find the bucket list? Oh yeah. The tremendous societal differences are half the fun of this novel.....read it!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Source: Personal Audiobook Library
The winner of the Pulitzer this year. Oy vey. The Orphan Master's Son has been lauded for it's look into North Korean society in this novel by Adam Johnson. The brutal truth? A Reader's Respite couldn't get past the first 200 pages. We tried. Really, we did. The boredom factor was so high, however, we kept slipping into a coma. Interestingly, you might remember we gossiped a little about two East Coast book critics who - following the Pulitzer Awards this year - claimed that the contest is quite rigged. We scoffed. Now? Not so much.
Rating: 2 Stars
Source: Library Copy
I've read them all but the policeman book (and I wanted to read that one, but you know, one needs to shower and feed the kids). Loved Bernadette, was highly entertained in a terrified kind of way with Dare Me, and I very much enjoyed The Orphan Master's Son, but it took work and determination. I am endlessly intrigued with North Korea and their ass-hattery and I thought this book pretty much laid the whole horrible thing out for everyone to understand. That book is going on my list of reads that I'm proud I finished (along with Catherine the Great and The Dovekeepers).
ReplyDeleteI vote for Sandy ftw in comments. Her use of ass-hattery is superb.
ReplyDeleteI loved the first two thirds of Bernadette but the last third just went to far into camp for me, or maybe I got a little bored. I really liked Dare Me. Have you read The End Of Everything? Maybe you shouldn't. Megan Abbott really gets effed up teen girls.
I have the Winters on e-book, which might pretty much guarantee that I never read it. Ditto Orphan Master. But at least they will always be there for me.
Oooh, Catherine the Great and The Dovekeepers gots lots of love from me.
ReplyDeleteAgree re: end of Bernadette...little too much at the end. Hence 4 stars instead of 5. Abbott scares me to death, having a 5 year old girl that might make it to her teen years. Maybe I should and consider it parent preparation. On the list it goes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not that into feeding the kids these days. You'd be surprised how much time that frees up. Food for thought - pun intended.
ReplyDeleteI was so glad I read Bernadette. It was a great book.
ReplyDeleteI'd heard the rigging thing about the Pulitzer. I guess it makes sense if that book is so lackluster!
I only liked the policeman book say in the 3.5 range. Hank was a little too much like Colombo for me. And he needs to lose the mustache. I have read the sequel already, however, and I think it is an improvement, although it has some dei ex machina in there that to me were a bit over the top.
ReplyDeleteI loved Bernadette -- prize winner? Not so sure, but I still loved it. Haven't read the others. I heard mixed thoughts about the policeman book and so never got around to it.
ReplyDeleteOrphan Master's Son was slow going but once you hit the 220 mark... it becomes much more interesting and moves along quite well. I really enjoyed it and it's not the type of book I typically go for.
ReplyDeleteI've got the Bernadette book on hold at the library and am looking forward to reading it. I received a copy of The Orphan Master's Son unsolicited, and even though I saw a lot of positive reviews, I just couldn't psych myself up to read it. But that was because I assumed it was going to be traumatic and full of horrific events, not because I feared boredom.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Where'd You Go is a funny read! Love the quote!
ReplyDeleteDazzling Mage @ A Reading Kabocha