Tag Archives: literature

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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img_2586Book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Date Read: January 11 to 30, 2022

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

I was immediately intrigued the first time I saw this book. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond my control, the timing was not right to add it to my shelves. For some reason, after that day, this book and I seemed to always pass each other by. I added the book to my want to read list in 2013, but did not actually add it to my shelves until nearly 4 years later. It stayed there long enough that when I read the first prompt for the 2022 Unread Shelf Project, a book you’ve been putting off reading, I knew right where to go.

This story ended up being quite a different ride than I had expected. While it is clear in the title that Oscar’s life would be cut short, the story goes much deeper into not only his story, but also the stories of his family’s history. In telling the story of the family, we also get a crash course in Dominican history—primarily told through some lengthy footnotes that read something like a textbook written in ghetto vernacular. Amusing at points for sure, but also making this a pretty heavy and more complicated read than I had anticipated. While I think the language was fitting to the story, it definitely made this a tough one to get through, as I found myself stopping frequently to translate words or look up the meaning of unfamiliar slang. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this was that I could not always find answers that really made sense in the context that a word or phrase was used.

Overall, I felt like the story here was worth the effort, although there were definitely pieces that were not quite fully satisfying. The novel had multiple storylines running in various timelines, and while some pieces seem to come full circle in the story, there were also things that were left hanging or unresolved. That combined with some of the extra efforts needed to read pulled this down from being the 5 star read it could have been.

Minka’s Thoughts: “Well, it tastes good anyway. 4 paws.”

Just Last Night

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img_5961Book: Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

Date Read: December 23, 2021 to January 1, 2022

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

One of the funny things about being a reader is the odd habits that you develop over time related to your reading. Currently, I take pictures of my books with my cats. I used to track the number of books I read by using a different bookmark for every book I read, and then counting up my pile of bookmarks at the end of the year. Perhaps my oddest bookish habit is my text exchanges with a particular friend: we frequently text each other about the books we are reading, but rarely actually share which book we are talking about.

This past December, my friend was texting me about a book that had her on an emotional rollercoaster. She thought she had picked up a romance, but ended up with a story that had much more depth. With each unexpected turn in the story, I got an update about how every prediction made was turning out to be wrong. So toward the end of the month when I ended up waitlisted for all of the audio books I had hoped for on my holiday driving, this turned into a natural recommendation. It is not exactly the book that I would typically pick up on my own, but as she had said, it was much more than the fluffy romance novel that she had anticipated.

Although the romance storyline was definitely there, I felt like this book was much more about friendships and family. It all starts with a friend group and a pub quiz—a new romance trope, I think. Our main character, Eve, introduces the dynamics of the group just before finding herself on a romantic misadventure. This is around where things begin to veer into the unexpected, starting with a tragedy within the friend group.

I try not to give too much away when writing these, so I will just say that the story did not turn out to be anything like what I predicted along the way, while somehow still hitting all the things I would expect from a romantic comedy. McFarlane had me alternately laughing and crying, and did an excellent job of handling some serious topics without straying too far from the heart of the genre.

Boris’s Thoughts: “I never saw this book, so I don’t believe you actually read it.”

Me Before You (Series)

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img_2773Book: Me Before You Series by Jojo Moyes

Date Read: December 22, 2021 to January 10, 2022

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

I picked up the first book in this series in the used books section of my local store. After seeing the title repeatedly around stores and online, it seemed like something worth checking out. I knew very little about the premise, and admittedly only did a cursory glance over the back cover. I filed it in my memory as a likely romance to be revisited when I needed something lighter to read. Fast forward to December, and in a rush to complete the final prompts from the Unread Shelf Project, I grabbed this one to meet the prompt of a backlist title.

Shortly after I started reading, I got a message from a friend: You know that’s the first in a trilogy, right? You have to read them all, it’s not the same on its own. Some people think the first can stand alone, but that’s only because they don’t know the whole story. I’ll give you the other two to read when I see you over Christmas.

Well, it turned out that my preconceived notions were incorrect—which is exactly what made my friend’s insistence true. First of all, to consider the first book a romance is definitely a bit off. While there are definitely elements of romance within the story, it certainly is not the main theme. I try my best to avoid big spoilers here, but I am finding it hard to articulate much on this book without giving things away. I will just say that the issues brought up in the first book were heavier than I was expected, although with a little bit of a “candy coating.” Viewing the trilogy as a whole, it is clear that this is a story about Louisa. While the men in her life play a role in shaping that story, they are secondary to the overall narrative.

I decided to rate the trilogy as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual books. I think I enjoyed the first book the most, and while I was not thrilled with many parts of the second book, it really was necessary to lay the foundation for the final piece to Louisa’s story. I suppose what I am trying to say with that is—if you’re reading and find yourself disappointed through the middle book, don’t give up! It does become worth it in the end.

Minka’s Thoughts: “I saw that bit about a cat behaviorist. Ridiculous! 1 paw.”

In a Dark Dark Wood

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img_2601Book: In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Date Read: December 19 to 22, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

This book was one of my last picks of the year to finish up the bonus challenges included for the Unread Shelf Project 2021—a book from a Little Free Library. Before I talk about the book, I need to talk about how I love the idea of Little Free Libraries, but I am not so great at using them. I love having books, and being around books. When I have really enjoyed a book, I have a hard time letting go of it—partially because I am a re-reader, and partially because I love to have it on hand to lend out to someone who might be interested. I do try to collect rather than hoard though, so sometimes it does become necessary to pass a book on to its next life.

There is a Little Free Library along one of the routes that I like to walk through my neighborhood. Throughout the warmer months, I like to stop to browse the titles there at least once a week, and have picked up a few over time. Given my lengthy to read list, I am not always great about getting to those books right away to return, so I use a “take a book, leave a book” approach (as I believe many others do as well). Over the last few years, I have gradually dropped off any book donations that I have there, hoping that I will keep things balanced.

This is actually one of the first books that I picked up from that Little Free Library. The title was familiar and the cover intriguing. Although I was slightly confused with the disjointed storyline early on, I thought it was brought together nicely throughout the book. Although I would say that this is primarily a mystery, there were some elements of horror woven into the story, and these pieces were very well done. The skin crawling eeriness sprinkled throughout made the mystery aspect richer, while also serving to distract a bit from the clues dropped along the way. I was expecting some kind of twist, but the one here had nuances that were way beyond what I had anticipated.

There were some elements here that I think could qualify this as a 5 star read, but overall I put it just a little below that. While I appreciate that there was a mix of genres intertwined here, there were some elements that just did not seem to fit. Occasionally when reading, I found myself doing a mental double take— wondering if I had accidentally picked up a romantic comedy rather than horror mystery. That’s not to say, of course, that those genres could never mesh, but it did not feel right for the story here.

Boris’s Thoughts: “Horror, mystery, comedy… too many things to think about, really. I think I’ll nap on this one. 2 paws.”

Orphan Island

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Book: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Date Read: December 15 to 18, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

I found this book while shopping with a friend. I must have picked it up and set it down a dozen times—I was supposed to be shopping for gifts, not for myself. Of course there is the matter of the giant stack to read at home. I somehow summoned the self-control to leave without it. Lucky for me, my friend was paying attention and picked it up to give to me later. Bookish friends are the best.

This one has been a little tricky to write about, as there were some aspects of this book that I loved and others that I’m still not sure about. The concept is definitely intriguing, and for the most part the story was as well, although the plot meandered a bit. The world of the island is constructed slowly, both answering questions and generating new ones along the way.

After finishing this book, I saw it described somewhere as “a children’s book that adults like more than children” and this makes sense to me. There are so many aspects are relatable in terms of the uncertainty of growing up, but that’s much easier to appreciate in retrospect than when you’re going through it. While I felt that the ending was in some ways fitting with the overall theme of the story, it left me a little unsatisfied. Sure, it works well as a metaphor, but sometimes the story is more desirable than finding a deeper meaning.

Minka’s Thoughts: “I think there’s something about children’s novels that can bring us all together. 4 paws.”

Boris’s Thoughts: “Sure. But don’t push it, little girl. 3 paws.”

Burned

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img_1873Book: Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Date Read: December 10 to 15, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

I used a very loose and vague interpretation of the December prompt from the Unread Shelf Project to choose this book: a book the reminds you of childhood. This book is generally categorized as young adult, and it has one that has been on my to read shelf for a very long time… maybe since high school? Unlike many of the books on my shelf, I cannot exactly place this one, but it seems like it would fit with that general time period.

To start, I feel like I should start by saying that the connection to my childhood ends there. This is a coming of age type story, based on a girl growing up in an extremely conservative religious family. She rebels, but begins to come in to her own after being sent away to live with an estranged relative. There is, of course, a love story tied in, but I thought there was at least some effort made to make this more than just a teenage love story.

For the most part, the story was compelling and the style of the book was definitely unique and interesting. The story is a narrative told mostly through poetry, with a few more traditional passages sprinkled throughout. It was a surprisingly quick read for being 500+ pages. Although I generally liked the story, things did get a little wild toward the end, leaving me not completely satisfied. While not exactly a cliffhanger, the ending feels incomplete. I was both excited and disappointed to discover that there is a sequel out there—although it is proven to be a little difficult to locate.

Boris’s Thoughts: “I think fast paced quick reads are the perfect nap on the lap books. 4 paws.”

Galapagos

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img_1695Book: Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Date Read: November 18 to December 10, 2021

Rating: 5 (of 5) stars

Every time I read Vonnegut, I end up feeling a little content and a little unsettled. While it seems a bit of a conundrum, it’s not all that bad of a place to be. Nearing the end of 2021, I was trying to wrap up all the prompts from the Unread Shelf Project to get a “bingo blackout” for the year. One prompt that has always been difficult for me is to choose a book from your favorite genre—I am not entirely sure what to call my favorite genre. So with that in mind, I figured that Vonnegut would fit the bill.

One of the things that I love about reading Vonnegut is that while he tends to stick to very similar themes of humanity, he manages to take you by surprise with the unique ways he presents this in each of his books. In this case, we are taken on a journey of over a million years into the past—all the way back to 1986, the year when a series of coincidences combined with Darwin’s theory of evolution to save the fate of humanity. The retrospective is told from the only one left who would be able to tell it: a ghost who has been hanging around since the fall of man to see it all play out.

The ghost narrator lends an interesting aspect to the story that is different than any of the other books I’ve read from Vonnegut. While the story begins as if it were a history, the narrator gives hints throughout about things that have changed in the million years he has been watching humans—we never get a completely clear picture, but enough to piece things together. The contrasts here reminded me of something that was included in one of the later Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books: humans believe that we are the superior beings on earth because of our technological advances, while other intelligent animals like dolphins just muck about and play in the water all day; dolphins know they are the superior beings for exactly the same reason.

Boris’s Thoughts: “It sounds like he was on to the reasoning of how cats know we are really the ones in charge. Suspicious. 3 paws.”

A Room of One’s Own

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img_1388Book: A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Date Read: November 3 to 17, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

For November, I was prompted to choose a book that was published before 2000. To make this easier on myself, I decided to go way back rather than try to guess at which books I have might fit that criteria. I picked up this book for a history class back in college, but for some reason the class never got around to reading it. From my recollection, the class had a large number of required readings, and this was one that became optional. Obviously I could not abandon it completely, although it did take me some time to circle back around to it.

This book originated as a lecture on the subject of “Women in Fiction,” which turns out to be a fierce criticism of the patriarchal society. While I did enjoy reading this and feel that it continues to be relevant, if I’m being completely honest, I was probably not in the appropriate headspace to fully appreciate this book. I have found myself struggling through many of my chosen reads lately—not quite a reading slump, but something akin to it. With its short length and feminist slant, I thought this might be a jumpstart for me. Despite the inspiration that can be found here, it did not turn out to be quite what I needed, which I suppose is clear in the fact that it took me two weeks to get through a book just over 100 pages. I think this is one that I will have to revisit at another point in time.

Minka’s Thoughts: “Do you think you’re perpetuating a stereotype by pairing this book with tea and a cat?”

Frankenstein

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img_1149Book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Date Read: October 4 to November 1, 2021

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

Of course, Boris was right last week: despite the passing of Halloween, it was not the end of the spooky books. I picked this book to read in October for the Unread Shelf Project Prompt: a book you’re secretly afraid of. I was not entirely sure how to apply the “secretly” prompt, since I do not know that I have any books that I am openly afraid of either. I picked this one because it could fit the prompt in two ways: it is a horror story, and it is one that I have been uncertain about starting due to hearing mixed reviews.

My first thoughts as I was reading were that this was not what I was expecting it to be—kind of a silly thought, since I am not really sure what I was expecting. Going in, I only knew the very basics: Frankenstein creates a monster—and Frankenstein is the creator, not the creation. Of course I have seen some pop culture variations on the story, but none in full, so I did not have much to associate with the book itself. After finishing, I would say that the horror aspect was subtler than I had expected. While horror definitely still fits, it is not the action filled, in-your-face type horror.

The “story within a story” framing added an interesting level to the story that I had not anticipated. The novel begins and ends with letters initially unrelated to the main tale, with the story of Frankenstein embedded within them as a story relayed to the letter writer. The initial story contained in the letters follows what I have discovered to be a popular trope from the time period—an adventurer seeking to journey to one of the extremes of the earth, in this case the northern pole. Captain Walton writes to his sister regarding his travels, and then begins to impart the story told by Viktor Frankenstein after picking him up as a castaway. Going beyond simply using this as an entry point for the main plot, the end of the novel loops back to connect the two stories: Viktor’s ambition in creating the monster is paralleled by Walton’s ambition to push forward on his journey, but Walton knows when to stop as his crew begins to fear for their lives on the perilous journey.

This leads in to where the true substance of the horror tale lies—who really is the “monster” in this story? In general, Viktor comes across as the villain, but there is wavering sympathy for both him and his creation woven through the story. The reader is able to feel sympathy for the monster, but it is not totally straightforward, as he clearly does perform evil acts. However, Viktor’s treatment of his creation is the driving force behind the crimes committed—and his seeming inability to recognize his own responsibility for the outcomes tips him further into the side of villain.

Boris’s Thoughts: “As usual, the human botched this one—I bet a cat companion could have solved all of their problems. 2 paws.”

Unread Shelf Progress for October

  • Books Read: 3
  • Books Acquired: 4
  • Total Unread Books: 282

Little Fires Everywhere

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img_0855Book: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Date Read: August 27 to September 26, 2021

Rating: 5 (of 5) stars

I finally got around to reading this one when faced with the prompt to read a book that I bought because of the hype. I feel like this does not need much explanation—this book was everywhere for a long time even before it was made into a television series. When everything was starting to close down in the early months of 2020, I decided to start making regular purchases through some of the independent bookstores that were offering online ordering. As if I really needed an excuse to buy more books.

This one follows something that has become a theme in this blog: books that I loved and rated highly, but cannot find the right words to write about. Does it suffice to say that it lived up to the hype that inspired me to buy it? Probably not.

There’s a lot of things going on here, so let’s start with the big one: this takes place in a suburban community that is all about planning and order. Everything in its place and nothing that is unexpected. Of course, it’s not all bad to approach things that way—having a goal, sticking to a plan. The problem comes when that ideal is clung to too hard; when you forget that life does not always (or even usually) work that way. Sometimes you do everything right, and things still do not turn out how you plan. And that is when the first domino falls and everything begins to crumble.

Following along those lines, I enjoyed the varying dynamics of the mother-daughter relationships and the exploration of gray area in what makes a “good” mother. While each mother had the best interest of her children in mind, how this ultimately plays out varies wildly. Adding in layers of differing backgrounds, life experience, and culture to this complicates it further, creating an intriguing web of interactions. Despite the time that it took me to get through this, I really did find it engrossing.

Boris’s Thoughts: “A month of this book made a month of decent lap snuggles. I’ll take it. 3 paws.”