75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2016 GR Challenge)
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Alecia's 2016 Challenge
Book # 2 Tuna on Toast, Sister Clotildis, UFOs and Other Things I Survived: Growing Up in the '70s in Portland 5/5 starsI loved this memoir about growing up in a large, lower-income, Catholic family in the 70's. It was very readable,wryly amusing, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. The author's keen observations of her parents and siblings, told from her grade-school point of view, are wise and knowing. This was a well-written, fun read.
Book # 3 In a Dark, Dark Wood 1/5 starsThis book was not for me, and, although I read much of it, I did not finish it.
Book #4 Forty Thieves 3/5 starsI have read many, if not all, of Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield series. Some are better than others, but he is a consistently dependable mystery/suspense writer. Forty Thieves is a stand-alone, and features two teams made up of a husband and wife; one couple are the Abels, retired LAPD cops, the other are hired killers. This rather clever conceit takes over the first part of the book, as the killers are hired to do away with the private detectives for getting too close to solving a murder. The plot turns about 3/4 of the way through the book, and the title of the book is brought into play. The mystery is not that compelling, but it wasn't bad, and Perry's steady writing kept me going.
Book # 5 The Longest Night 4/5 starsI found this book to be well-written, engrossing, tense, and very evocative of the era in which it was set (late 1950's-early 1960's). There is also a very layered portrait of a marriage, specifically the marriage of Nat and Paul Collier. Paul is an army specialist stationed in Idaho Falls to oversee one of the country's first nuclear reactors. Since the story starts off with the reader knowing an accident has taken place at the reactor (based on a true story), the narrative then leads up to this event. The main characters are fully fleshed-out, and I thought their story was very moving.
Book # 6 Only Love Can Break Your Heart 2/5 starsThis is one of those times that I feel as if I read a different book than the one that garnered all those glowing reviews on Goodreads. I found the writing, although not bad, rather bland. And the coming of age story, narrated by Rocky at various ages, has been done much better before.
Rocky adores his older half brother, Paul. But Paul is troubled, and continually gets into trouble. There is a long, convoluted, strangely plotted story that takes Rocky through his adolescence (and Paul's disappearance) and includes a murder, and Rocky's sexual initiation by his much older female neighbor. There is not much tension evoked, and some of the plot lines did not seem to add anything to the novel.
I was left unmoved and barely motivated to finish this. But, since so many other readers have enjoyed it, it might be worth a try.
Book # 7 What She Knew 2/5 starsWith the abundance of very good reviews of this book, I am sorry to be in the minority. Even though I finished this overlong book about a missing child, I found the going rather tedious. I have read quite a few novels on this subject, and this was not one of the better ones.
It is told from two main points of view: Rachel, the mother who allows her son Ben to run ahead of her while walking in the woods, and Jim, the lead detective on the case to find Ben when he disappears that day. Interspersed between the chapters are sessions between Jim and a psychologist or psychiatrist because, apparently, Jim has had some sort of breakdown over this case. These chapters read like a transcript, and seemed unnecessary to me. There are also small chapters with police and blog updates.
I did not believe a lot of the plotting in this book. And although the early part of the book describing Rachel's horror and devastation was well-drawn, much of the rest of the novel left me unmoved and rather bored.
Book # 8 My Name Is Lucy Barton 4.5/5 starsI was so happy to read this short novel by Elizabeth Strout, a truly gifted writer, and I would rate this a 4.5/5 stars. While Lucy is trying to recuperate for 9 weeks in a NYC hospital after complications from surgery, her husband calls her mother to come and be by her side.
We learn that Lucy has not seen her mother for a long time, and their relationship is quite strained. But over the course of their 5 day visit, more comes out during their conversations. Lucy is starving for words of love from her mother, but will accept anything that transmits any form of warmth, including enjoying bits of gossip. Lucy comes from a background of abject poverty and abuse, which is touched upon briefly, as she revisits her childhood memories. One scene that she remembers is of herself as a young child being locked, screaming, in a truck for many hours. This is a particularly searing part of the pieces that slowly come together painting a picture of Lucy's past.
The chapters grow shorter as the book nears it's end, but I found them lovely, and quite eloquent. I especially loved her descriptions of Bloomingdale's in NYC, and she adds it almost as if it is another character in her book. This was a lovely, moving book by a wonderful writer.
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I was so happy to read this short novel by Elizabeth Strout, a truly gifted writer, and I would rate this a 4.5/5 stars. While Lucy is t..."
I've heard rave reviews about this!
It's really a novella, but she writes beautifully.
Book # 9 The Hard Bounce 3.5/5 starsThis was a very well-written mystery/action/noir novel. I was hovering between rating it 3 and 4 stars, and will give it 3.5, as I thought it went on a bit too long. The caliber of writing never flagged, however, and I would like to read more by this author.
Two bouncers, who share a tough, heartbreaking background in an orphanage, are also a team doing PI work. They are hired by a rich, important man to find his missing daughter. This search takes them through a seamy underworld and it involves a lot of violence. There are some very good side characters along the way, including Twitch, a somewhat sociopathic computer wiz, who also came from the orphanage. This is an enjoyable read, but it might have benefited from some more editing.
Book # 10 Where It Hurts 2/5 starsAlthough Coleman has some good writing in this book, I found it went on too long with a convoluted plot, was chock full of too many characters, and was quite repetitive. The repetition was about the main character's loss of faith and grieving because of the senseless death of his teen age son. Some of this was well-done, but this motif of loss kept up throughout the book, and I found it too tangled up in the mystery he was trying to solve. The numerous characters also got confusing for me to follow.
I need a mystery (actually any genre) to draw me in and transport me into the world the author has created. Instead, this one keep me looking at how many pages I had to go before I finally finished the book.
Book # 11 Carter & Lovecraft 3/5 starsI was not familiar with Lovecraft's work, so that put me at a disadvantage with this book. I also generally do not read paranormal/supernatural books. But the writing in this was very good and kept me going. I liked the humor and tone of the narrator's voice.
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Book # 12 The Shut Eye 2/5 starsI enjoyed Bauer's book, Rubbernecker, very much. This one was a disappointment, with it's foray into the world of the "shut eye" (a term for those with an ability to see what others can not). I also found the main character of Detective Marvel to be unbelievable, and the plotting and other characterizations also did not ring true to me.
Book # 13 No Shred of Evidence 3/5 starsThis is a very nicely written, may I say "genteel" mystery, set in England just after WWI. This is the 1st I've read in this series (it is actually # 18 in this series), but it works fine as a stand-alone. The author's bio says "Charles Todd" is a mother-son writing team. I do not know how that works as far as writing is concerned, but they manage to portray a nice feeling of the manners and tone of that era. The Scotland Yard detective, Ian Rutledge, is a good hero, and he obviously has a back story that loyal readers of this series already know about. The mystery itself is nicely played out, and, although a little too sedate for my taste, was a pleasant read.
Book # 14 The Good Father 3/5 starsThis is the second book I have read by Diane Chamberlain. She is a good writer, with the ability to write a page-turning story. I think, however, that her plotting tends to get quite melodramatic and turns this book into a "potboiler". I experienced a similar situation with the other book that I read by this author.
This story has three story line threads, and all three characters intersect. The "good father" of the title is Travis Brown, who cares for his four year old daughter, Bella. Travis has fallen on hard times, and he and Bella become essentially homeless. Bella's mother, Robin, has had no contact with her daughter or Travis since giving birth as a teenager. This is due to a few circumstances, including a manipulative father and a serious illness that she had. The third character is Erin, a woman who has suffered the death of her own young daughter, and whose path crosses with Travis and Bella.
It is written quite well, but becomes predictable... an entertaining story, but could have been more.
Book # 15 What Was Mine 4/5 starsBecause this book is so readable, I am rounding up to 4 stars. I also liked the many questions it raises: among them - who is actually the parent...a biological mother or the one who nurtures and raises the child? There is also a question of crime and punishment, which is a tough one in this book. The novel is told in alternating chapters of different points of view of the characters (which seems to be a device used more and more lately).
Lucy is a career woman who, with her husband, expect to have children with no problem. They buy a house in the suburbs with that end in mind. But when they run into trouble conceiving, the marriage falls apart, as Lucy cannot let go of the idea of having her own baby. Lucy loves to browse in IKEA in her spare moments when she's not at work. Marilyn is a young mother, also with a career, who takes her 4 month old baby daughter to IKEA on a day her nanny could not come to babysit. She makes a mistake and steps away from her baby to take a phone call on her cell phone. This is where the story begins.
(view spoiler)
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Yes, it was a good read. Haven't had an abundance of those lately.
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Book # 16 The Ex 3/5 starsThis is a well-paced, nicely written stand-alone mystery. I'd bump it up to a 3.5, but I found the ending to be unsatisfying (and I guessed whodunit earlier). I noticed that I have read two of Burke's previous books, and I liked this one better, according to my reviews.
Olivia Randall, a high-powered defense attorney, receives a frantic phone call from her former boyfriend's daughter, Buckley. Buckley's father, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide, and his daughter pleads with Olivia to to take the case. Olivia is convinced of Jack's innocence, even though his story of why he was at the scene of the crime is quite a fantastic one. The novelty here is an attorney defending a man whom she once knew very well. The book is an "Is he innocent?" story line, and, for the most part, it is a good read.
Book # 17 The Expatriates 3/5 starsThis is a very well-written book, engaging, witty and chock full of identifiable emotions. But what started out as a solid, really enjoyable 4 read for me petered down to a sloggy 3 by the ending.
The book is divided into sections (Part I, Part II, etc) and the chapters are told in alternating voices by the main characters (all women), all of whom are expats living in Hong Kong. Each of them have their own backstory and some of the stories are quite emotionally wrenching. I found all of the characters to be well-drawn and very human. The fault that I found in this otherwise good book, was in the plotting. The tying up of the strands of the story seemed a bit too pat and contrived, and I also was not convinced by the ending. But I would read more by this author as I love her writing.
Book # 18 Dove Season 3/5 starsWhen I started this book, I really thought I was going to love it. Jimmy as the genial, humorous narrator, was very entertaining. I liked his viewpoint on his life. And as the story went on, I liked the relationship between him and his dying father. But the story as a whole did not live up to it's start for me, and I was less enthralled than I had hoped.
Book # 19 The Nest 3/5 starsThe author had a good concept...a trust fund set up by their father for his four children to be received when the youngest turned 40 practically disappears. The idea of receiving that money has led to many hopes and much planning among the involved parties. But, although it was a pleasant enough read, there were too many points of view from the four siblings. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of everyone, and at the same time, I didn't feel as if I got to know any of them in depth.
The book starts off with Leo, the apparently wild and willful older brother of the Plumb siblings, getting into a car crash with a young woman he had just met at a wedding. The results of this crash lead his mother to use much of the trust fund to pay off the victim of this crash, the young woman who suffered a grievous injury. This action puts the rest of the family into a tailspin when they learn of the loss of their expected windfall. And thus begins the book's thrust, finding Leo, and imploring him to work towards returning that money. Along the way, all the sibling's lives come into play, but I think more could've been done with this story.
Book # 20 Hurt People 3/5 starsI am giving this book 3 stars, as I think the writing is good, and the author shows promise (I read that this is his 1st novel). The problem for me was that the story meandered around without much tension being built.
Our narrator is the younger of two brothers who are living in a prison town in the late 1980's. Their parents are separated, and the mother works long hours. They see their father, a policeman, on week ends. The two young boys are mostly left to themselves, and their main focus is on the pool that is located on the property where they live. Although they are admonished by their mother not to go there on their own, they sneak off to the pool more and more. It is there that they meet the mysterious stranger, Chris.
There was something vague about the telling of this story that left me unsatisfied, while at the same time I appreciated the writing and some of the atmospheric details.
Book # 21 Three-Martini Lunch 3/5 starsThis is quite a long novel set in the late 1950's. It tells the story of three main characters: Cliff, a wayward son of a book editor who is convinced he is a "writer", Eden, a woman trying to make her way up the ladder in the publishing business, and Miles, a bright, talented writer from Harlem who is struggling with his own identity.
The book starts out with these characters and others milling around Greenwich Village, bar-hopping, attending poetry readings, etc. The story has the characters lives intertwine with each other, leading to an ending that I could see coming for quite a while. I also noticed the author used the phrase "furrowed brow" in various forms throughout the book, just an example of writing that was sometimes a bit cliched.
Although an OK read, I thought it was overlong and rather predictable. Some of the flavor and morals of the time are captured nicely, but it did not grip me in the way that kept me eagerly wanting to pick it back up. There are a lot of superlative reviews out there, so it appears many people enjoyed this more than I did.
Book # 22 Mothering Sunday 4/5 starsThis is a well-written little (short) novel told in a non-linear fashion. It toggles back and forth from 1924 to the end of the 20th century and follows Jane, a young maid in an English country house. It starts with Jane meeting her secret lover of many years, a gentleman in a neighboring house. The narrative unfolds before the reader in an economical, clever way, sweeping us through a rather extraordinary life. The writing is lovely, and it's more like a novella or long short story.
Book # 23 The Last Painting of Sara de Vos 3.5/5 starsThis is a very well-told, layered, intricately-plotted book about a 17th century painting that links three lives. The chapters toggle back and forth between Amsterdam, 1631, New York City 1957, and Sydney, 2000.
A wealthy Manhattan lawyer, Marty de Groot, has a beautiful painting hanging in his bedroom, the only known surviving work by Sara de Vos. This painting has been in his family for generations. An interesting prelude to his discovery that this painting has been replaced introduces the reader to Marty and his wife. We also meet Ellie Shipley, a struggling art history grad student, who is hired to forge this painting. The decision to do this forgery haunts her.
In the Amsterdam, 1631 chapters, we are introduced to Sara de Vos, and get a window into her life and times. In the Sydney, 2000 chapters, we fast-forward to Ellie Shipley's life as a now celebrated art historian, and see how all the threads come together in this story, as the past comes forward to haunt her.
Book # 24 Try Not to Breathe 2/5 starsI thought the book had promise in the very beginning, but in short order, the story and writing started to slacken and peter off into a tedious, cliched read. The premise was good...a young girl, Amy, is viciously attacked and left in a coma for many years. Some of the alternating chapters are told from her POV, deep in the recesses of her mind. But it became very unconvincing to me, along with the other chapters, as the book continued. And the reveal of who the attacker was proved quite unsatisfying, generating very little tension. I also found that naming the journalist investigating her case "Alex" made for some confusion, as both women had "A" names with alternating chapters. Two stars is being kind, as I had to struggle to finish this one.
Book # 25 Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble 3/5 starsI found the first half of this book quite entertaining. This is a fish out of water story, and Dan Lyons gets his sweet revenge here. By using his writing and observational ability in this book, he skewers his co-workers and management after he gets a job working for a Boston start-up called Hubspot. He was a 50 year old (married with two kids) magazine writer at Newsweek, when he was let go. A position at Hubspot was offered to Dan with the vague role of "marketing fellow", and he took it. Populated with twenty-somethings, the work atmosphere for him as "the old guy" was like being a stranger in a strange land.
The second half of the book becomes mostly a gripe-fest, and it starts losing it's amusing punch. Dan gets a writing gig for the TV show Silicon Valley, and the gulf widens between him and his co-workers. He is trying to hang on long enough to cash out his stock shares when the company reaches an IPO. I found it lagging a bit, but interesting enough to keep me going.
Book # 26 Saving Sophie 2/5 starsWith the exception of interesting historical explanations re: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I found this overlong book to be lacking. The writing was pedestrian, with flat characterizations and cliched situations. I see a lot of people enjoyed this, but it was not for me.
Book # 27 I Let You Go 2/5 starsThis book begins with a short chapter in which a mother is walking along with her 5 year old son on a rainy night. As she lets go of his hand and he runs ahead, a car hits and kills him, then drives away without stopping.
The writing moves the reader along, but I found the back and forth from first person to third person narrative (such an overused device now) to be somewhat jarring. The chapters in the third person about the police investigation were less well-written than the others. And the first person narrative in the first part of the book was meant to mislead the reader, thereby providing the first "twist". I found this twist to be rather heavy-handed. I do not want to reveal the plot as so much depends upon the writer's twists in this story. There are many glowing reviews of this book, so perhaps others will enjoy it more than I did.
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So many people liked it, maybe you will, too.
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It's BookOfTheMonth.com, Andrea. I joined because I got a discount code and right now they're doing a 50% off promo. It's kind of cool, guest judges pick 5 books and you pick the one you want to read. They send a hardcover of the book and a little gift/treat. You can choose to skip a month if you don't like any of the picks. I signed up for 3 months and will see how it goes! I got I Let You Go and a ring pop my first month. lol.
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Ditto! lol. It's very hard!
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Book # 28 The Second Life of Nick Mason 3.5/5 starsI would give this book a 3.5 rating...nearly a 4. It is a simply told, well written "sell your soul to the devil" story. To cut his very long prison sentence short, Nick Mason agrees to do whatever a fellow prisoner ( and a very powerful one) orders him to do when he gets out. I found it to be a very good read.
Book # 29 Before the Fall 5/5 starsI thought this book worked well on many levels. The writing was very good, it was suspenseful, and the characters were nuanced human beings.
It starts off with the crash of a private jet, and then the amazing, heart-tugging survival of two of the passengers, Scott, and a 4 year old boy. The portrayal of Scott's heroic swim with the boy against all odds is done splendidly.
Back stories of the other nine passengers on the plane fill the rest of the novel, and it is a whodunnit. Why did this plane crash? There is pathos, humanity, cruelty, greed, despair and compassion in these pages (and it is a page-turner). I thought that the ending worked very well, and I found this to be a terrific reading experience. I was also quite moved by some wise musings on the human condition, and the randomness of life.
Book # 30 The North Water 4.5/5 starsI was hesitant to start this book after reading review after review about how graphic and violent it was ( including a very favorable review in the NY Times). But I started it, and quickly became caught up in a beautifully written (and yes, very gritty, violent and graphic) tale.
In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to Henry Drax, a harpooner getting ready to set sail on a voyage. He is a loathsome, evil man, probably a psychopath, and we know he will be a part of the unsuspecting whaling ship's population. Then we meet Sumner, signing on as the ship's doctor. We know he has something to hide from his past. Put these two together with an unscrupulous ship owner, some other evil plans, and a very suspenseful, violent adventure unfolds.
This is not for those who are squeamish or dislike graphic violence and brutally descriptive passages . But for me, it was a terrific read. I would give it 4.5/5 stars.
Book # 31 Miller's Valley 3/5 starsI found this to be a pleasant, enjoyable read. Although I enjoyed Mimi, the narrator's, voice, I found some of the storyline predictable. But it was moving at the end, and I appreciated some of the wisdom imparted by the older Mimi.
Book # 32 See How They Run 1/5 starsThis had a good beginning. A couple with a small baby awaken one night with two strangers in their bedroom looking for a man named Renshaw, a person this couple did not know. They are terrorized and frightened into not calling the police. But, this long, rambling "thriller" with mediocre, pedestrian writing, became quite a chore for me to finish. Clearly, seeing the good reviews here, there are people who like this type of book, but it was definitely not for me.
Book # 33 Brighton 3/5 starsThis book reminded me of Dennis Lehane's Boston-based books (Mystic River, etc), with the gritty neighborhood background and characters. Kevin Pierce, a Boston Globe journalist who recently won the Pulitzer Prize, returns to his old home in Brighton after many years. He suspects his old friend Bobby may be involved in a series of local murders and wants to protect him.
I am rounding this up from a 2.5 to a 3 as the basic writing is good. But I found the series of events and cast of characters that make up this story to be a bit muddled and confusing. Although I finished it, I was not reading with much enthusiasm after about 1/2 way through.
Book # 34 Burn What Will Burn 2/5 starsHere was a case where I actually liked the writing, and found the narrator to be eccentric, wry and clever in some parts. But the story line itself was sparse, meandering and confusing. Bob Reynolds is the narrator, and he lives in a very isolated backwoods area. When he finds a body in the creek, he runs into trouble when he reports the incident to the sheriff. I couldn't quite figure out what Bob Reynold's affliction was, even after alluding to all the medications he was on. It could have been a quirky read, but I was just left in puzzlement.
75 Books...More or Less!
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It's been a long time since I've read Alice Hoffman, and now I remember why. Although she writes beautifully, with lush descriptions and painterly, dreamy visuals, I could never fully get into her novels. This one was no different for me. I did enjoy it at times, but overall, it was not for me. This is the story of Camille Pissaro and his family, focusing on his mother Rachel and her upbringing and life on St. Thomas. Set in the early 1800's, the story involves interesting detail of Jewish life on this island, and portrays living, working and loving in this era quite well.