I am almost halfway through the book, and it isn’t as hard to follow as I was afraid it would be at all. I think the primer in the beginning that intimidated me was probably not necessary. I do think I will enjoy the rest of the book, it is just very different from what I normally read. It’s quite dark-- it reminds me of We Need To Talk About Kevin, though MUCH less dark it has that same bone-chilling “need-to-think-happy-thoughts-after-reading” sense to it. The “main” character has been sentenced to death and her despair is palpable. I am hooked enough that I am very curious about how it will end. Kevin had a similar effect on me, this enveloping darkness combined with almost a compulsion to keep reading and not put the book down. I will want a light and fluffy “book club book” after this one, I expect.
I guess that’s why they say you can’t judge a book by it’s cover! I am pleasantly surprised so far. Have had to google a lot of words, my kindle spoils me and when I can’t surmise an exact meaning I no longer like to accept an educated guess when a real definition is at my fingertips (and kindle doesn’t know these iceland words.) I wonder if kids will stop learning how to make those educated guesses from this technology someday.
I know what you mean about book club books. I like those kinds of books, but they aren’t usually the ones that stay with me. I would love to participate in a book club discussion on this book, but it may be too depressing for some… you can PM me when you read it.
I really enjoyed The Heavy by Dara Lynn-Weiss. It’s a memoir about a mother’s decision to put her daughter, who is obese, on a diet, and it is not at all what you would expect. I actually found it hauntingly similar to memoirs of mothers who have refed their children who are anorexic–for one, both shed light on how we judge parents, harshly, when their children have eating disorders, regardless of whether they take control of the situation (“obsessive,” “controlling”) or not (“in denial,” neglectful")
Combining parts of the last two posts (. . talk about Kevin + obesity) I am really, really enjoying Lionel Shriver’s latest book, Big Brother. It’s about a woman dealing with her brother who is suddenly obese, but it’s so much more than that. I keep highlighting (reading it on my iPad) so many poignant and funny paragraphs about sibling relationships, life, weight, etc. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far it’s a page-turner.
Redpoint, I am curious to see what you think of the ending to Big Brother. Enjoyed the book overall though, especially since we have several relatives that are obese. I just finished 5 Days at Memorial and found it to be well written and very interesting.
Finished it! I thought it was great. I understand why many reviewers on good reads were annoyed by how she wrapped it up, but to me it makes perfect sense, and leaves more room for thought than if she went the other way.
There’s nothing better than a book you don’t want to put down, and this is one I wanted to eat up
Anyone have good recommendations for other well-written books you couldn’t put down?
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Just looked up Five Days at Memorial, sounds intense!
If you liked Big Brother, her previous book, So Much For That, in which she takes on the health care and insurance industry in this country was also a page turner.
I did finish Burial Rites last night and it was definitely worth the read. The ending was not what I’d hoped for, but apparently this is based on a true story and I should have seen it coming-- I did not know that until I read the author’s thoughts at the end!
Now I really need another page turner to take my mind off this one, hopefully the next book I find will be just as good.
Just finished “The Dinosaur Feather”, a Danish crime novel by SJ Gazan. Nice combo of Danish culture, science mixed into the story, and murder mystery. Not so creepy as the Dragon Tattoo books, a little more mainstream, but quite interesting. I was surprised at the ending, too, hadn’t really seen part of it coming.
I actually just downloaded every Kate Morton book I could find, so I will read The Forgotten Garden next!
I gave fiance a list of about 50 books to download for me so I guess I am set for the next year or two… Considering I am sure I will add more in increments of 20 every few months I wonder how long it will take me to get to them all!?
Looking forward to your review. I’m reading Riverton House now and hoping she’s writing another. Enjoying this one too but my favorites are Forgotten Garden and Secret Keeper.
I am half way through “The Indifferent Stars Above” by Daniel James Brown, the author of “The Boys in the Boat”. It is the story of the Donner party based on one of the young women in the party. The book starts out with background about the various familes and follows them on their trip from Illinois. The author does a wonderful job of painting a picture of what these people must have endured. I am having a hard time putting it down. This is obviously very sad compared to the uplifting “The Boys in the Boat” but just as well written.
Oooh, The Donner Party. I think I’m a sucker for books about true human tragedy. I’ve been into reading the topics of slavery, concentration camps , and read a book about the Donner Party last year. It is a downright depressing topic, knowing the outcome. Fascinating.
Funny about reserving a table for the Donner Party.
I just stumbled upon a new book about college life by a recent graduate. My daughter heard about it at her high school and I decided to check it out. Definitely shows a less “glamorous” side of college life–completely different perspective than all the guidebooks we’ve got lying around the house. Anyway, it was a quick and interesting read. Called Chasing Zeroes: The Rise of Student Debt, the Fall of the College Ideal, and One Overachiever’s Misguided Pursuit of Success
