Undead & UnRead Book Club - Frisco Public Library discussion

So...anybody else reading this yet?

Jim wrote: "So...anybody else reading this yet?"

You're two months ahead of everyone. So I'm thinking the answer is no. Way to be an overachiever. :p

You never know....

Started this one today. So far....

I'm seeing what you mean about it being a little hard to get into, Jim. I think the story sounds extremely interesting, but the writing style is kind of choppy and reporter-like. Maybe it will get a little more emotive at some point and it will draw us in more.

I was thinking the writing style kind of reminded me of A Discovery of Witches, then came back and flipped to the front cover notes and there was a recommendation by Deborah Harkness. Yikes!

Aaaahhhhh!!!! The book that dare not speak its name.

I like the style and the characters I just can't seem to get into it.

Further research has revealed that the author of this book, Helene Wecker has the same agent as Deborah Harkness. I am sensing a pattern here: many pages, little story. I have a feeling I'm not going to get through this one.

One rather telling detail is in her acknowledgements where she thanks her "indomitable agent" for being excited about the project "from its conception". I would not think Ms. Wecker, as a first-time author, would have already procured an indomitable agent prior to conception of said idea. It just doesn't work like that.

Things that make you go hmmmm….

It is finished. Once I got to the last 160 pages I pretty much figured it out how it would and it flew by...

I'm still reading it. It's pretty slow going for me. I'm hoping it will pick up soon.

Side note: I might have to investigate future books more closely and veto any that share the same agent as Harkness.

Amy wrote: "Side note: I might have to investigate future books more closely and veto any that share the same agent as Harkness. "

Might not be a bad idea. As an agent, he seems like kind of a drip. 65 Twitter followers? For an AGENT? https://twitter.com/sstoloff

I think he has some highly placed connections and has "discovered" a formula of grafting fantastical (or what he perceives as fantastical) characters on stories about history.

Also the NYT Bestseller label, I think, is something to be leery of. It has been considerably cheapened in my eyes now that I learned that a lot of books get on that list by being bought en masse by the author him/herself. Then they turn around and resell the books to recoup the money. Here's an article about it:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/S...

It would certainly explain why I keep getting so many NYTBS books where I can't seem to get past page 100.

I think this should have been broken into two books. Around page 320 or so it really picks up.

I've been unable to get into this. There is something about the pacing and the needless description that makes me restless.