April Books

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards - I just recently added a "recommended by" column in my spreadsheet of books I want to read.  Unfortunately for me, I can't remember who told me to read this book because I would like to take that person off my list of people I can trust with book recommendations.  At some extended family gatherings I find myself confused by the relationships among people ("so that's Grandma's sister's ex-husband's niece" - true story), so why would I ever care about convoluted relationships among people from a family that isn't mine when everyone involved is dead?  Oh, right. I didn't.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - I had to wait for MONTHS for this book to become available at our local library. And I imagine it's because someone else kept falling asleep whenever they read more than five pages.  It took me forever and I never really did finish it.  It just didn't speak to me. I felt like the characters were completely underdeveloped and there were SO MANY of them.  I never don't understand the love for this book (I also didn't understand the love for The Help, so I'm going to just admit I don't like to think too hard about race relations because it's complicated and makes me feel like a bad, bad person.)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis -  Well, it turns out that no matter how much you want to love a book, there's no way to make yourself love it. It was a slow-moving book, but that doesn't make it bad.  What makes it bad is that it rises up to a climax and then leaves about a thousand unanswered questions.  I'm not sure if there's a sequel in the works, but I feel like there's plenty of material for one.  It's just mean, though, to leave your readers with no resolution whatsoever. I had this same beef with A Discovery of Witches, so here's my public service announcement to authors:  stop writing books with incomplete endings.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - This one started slowly for me, but gradually built up until I was hooked.  I found it startling how quickly the author was able to make me feel for the characters.  Really good writing.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini - This was okay.  Since I'm in the midst of reading George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, this just seems like a watered down version of that - an epic saga of war, inheritance, and dragons.  But Amazon says Eragon is for ages twelve and up, so if you have a kid who wants to fill the Harry Potter-sized hole in his or her heart, this book won't do it, but you can give it a try.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Forney - Brilliant.  Seriously brilliant.  Hilarious, sad, touching, poignant, and somehow authentic all at the same time.  I was a bit unsure about this book when I borrowed it from the library, but it was an absolute gem.  You need to get the book, though, not the Kindle version, because the illustrations are key to making the most of the book (the hilarious cartoon of heaven with the graffiti "Euripedeez was here" had me rolling on the floor).  Thanks to RA for this recommendation.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino anad translated by Alexander O. Smith - The Japanese are weird.   This was a solid mystery. Even though you think you know the truth from the beginning, you learn more and more as the book goes on.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton -  I don't know.  I love Kinsey and this series and I will read them all until the bitter end. And it's getting bitter indeed. 

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean - Kind of a fun romp through the history of the elements on the periodic table.  It wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, but it was fun enough for a nonfiction book.  Plus, the end notes had lots of recommendations for future readings on mad scientists.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts - I wanted to cry starting at page 40 and that feeling just never let up. And, while Amazon has this listed as a young adult novel (!), it was shelved in with adult fiction at my library.  So sad. It was brilliantly and simply written, but did it have to be so sad?  I'm putting Letts' first book on my library list, though, so it definitely made an impression on me.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire - This book is worth it for the last fifty pages.  I think Maguire's retelling of Cinderella is really smart.  I enjoyed this, although in typical Maguire style, it took me a LONG time to get into it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth - The darling of the young adult genre right now, but I thought it was just meh. It was a real page turner for sure, but it's one of those dystopian novels in which there is no way to end it that will satisfy me.

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis - So, most of the time in young adult books, I spend the whole time wondering where the parents are, but in this book, I just wanted the girl to get out of her mom's business.  Yuck, just yuck.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein - Argh. This was just too flippant. I don't have a daughter, but I have nieces.  I was looking for some indepth analysis about what I should do to increase self-esteem and confidence in those little girls, but I got sarcastic, glib stream of consciousness writing.  I was disappointed.

One Day by David Nicholls - I wanted this to get better with every page. It never did. Don't bother.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen -  I was absolutely riveted by this book. It gets uneven reviews elsewhere, but I absolutely loved it. Each word was delicious.

Split by Swati Avasthi - Someone told me to read this book because Avasthi is a Minneapolis-based author.  This book is fantastic - a realistic look at what happens when someone leaves a relationship based on domestic violence.  The book takes on a tough topic and does it justice.  I admit that I borrowed this from the library about a year ago, but returned it without reading it (okay, fine, I did this twice), but I shouldn't have put off reading it - it's really worth reading.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell -  Maybe I should have listened to it as an audiobook to hear Vowell's inflections because this book was a snoozefest. Was it just a way to get her publisher to pay for her to go to Hawaii? If so, you go girl, but I really didn't care about any of this.  I'm sorry, Hawaii, but I don't really care about your history.

The Clearing by Heather Davis -  No. Just no.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Not gonna lie. This book put me in a bad mood for DAYS. It's good, of course, but gut wrenching.  It's one of those issue novels, though, and I think I've had my fill. Why do we have to deal with eating disorders, suicide, and mental illness all in one book?

The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper - So, I don't think steampunk is for me. You can take your goggles, airships, and mechanical geegaws and be read by someone else.

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel - I'm still undecided about this book, but I think about it a lot, so it's definitely left an impression. It's another one of those books that makes me sad, though.  Why is it all so sad?

The Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal - I loved this. It only has three stars on amazon and I don't know why. Basically, it's a dialogue between the author of an essay and a fact checker assigned to the essay.  So in the middle of the page, you have the actual essay under discussion and there are sidebars all over the page with the ongoing discussion between D'Agata and Fingal. It's brilliant. I can't imagine reading this on a Kindle would be possible, but it's definitely worth tracking down a hard copy.  I'm fascinated with the idea that there is no one truth in this world and this discussion is all about what is truth versus fiction.  Love, love, love. 

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close - I wanted this to be so much better, but I was bored and confused by the constantly changing narrators.  Do not read this.


The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - This started out s...l...o...w...l...y, but eventually turned into a perfectly entertaining read, if a bit too Forrest Gumpish in the way that these two characters just happened to be everywhere and meet everyone important in their small circle of interest.


Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian - A book about a normal girl going through a perfectly normal phase.  No divorcing parents, no sexual assault, no body issues, no homelessness.  I think, as a young girl, I would have related to this character and this book. It's not a heavy book, but it was REAL.  The main character was real in a dumbass teenagery way, the situations were real in a suburban Orwellian nightmare kind of way, and the writing was real in a direct, clear way.  Yay!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - My brother-in-law recommended this to me and he has never steered me wrong, but I was not sold by either his description of the book or the premise.  But it was totally brilliant.  I borrowed a copy from the library, but I might actually BUY the book so I can read it over and over again.  Read it.  Don't read any descriptions of the book, but just read it!