Shelfari 50 Book Challenge discussion
Nicole D.'s 75 book challenge
Mod
I really adore Chris Cleave, but I skipped his book on the Olympics because the topic just doesn't interest me (sorry!) I think about his book Incendiary often because of how powerful it was, and I felt like he'd do well with WWII as a topic. And he did. I really liked it.
The book primarily takes place in London, so it didn't really break any new ground for me with the slight exception of the topic of racism, which was handled well in the book. I always think of racism against black people as a traditionally American thing, but if this book was any indication it was certainly more global than I realized.
Part of the book took place on Malta, and that's certainly quite specific in term of war locale. It was moderately interesting but not an aspect of the war which must be learned about.
Mostly this was a love story; a story of family, a story of friendship, and of principles. Cleave's writing was solid as always, there were great characters and somehow he even managed to weave in some humor. A fast-paced, worthy read.
Mod
5/5
My first Groff was unimpressive, so I was skeptical, but this was a great book. I'm sorry it took me so long to read it, something like 2 months.
At it's core it was a love story, with exceptionally flawed lovers. The characters in the story were interesting and well-crafted. There was also a ton of creativity in the story itself, and some both unexpected and expected surprises.
It was great, highly recommended.
Nicole wrote: "Fates and Furies5/5
My first Groff was unimpressive, so I was skeptical, but this was a great book. I'm sorry it took me so long to read it, something like 2 months.
At it's co..."
Looking forward to reading this. The premise and structure of the book sound very interesting.
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Mod
4/5
I don't think I'm a graphic novel person.
This was a good story, and powerful. Interesting in both the story of the Jews in Poland and seeing how the father turned out after everything he had survived. I think if this is was the first (or at least an early) holocaust story it would be eye opening.
I definitely appreciated it.
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I decided on the audio and I'm a little bit blown away. 26-hours long, and I had to listen at regular speed (which I never do). I've been entrenched in this book so long, I almost called somebody a "Pussy Hole" the other day. (That gives you an idea of the language in the book.) There were multiple narrators, and 95% of the time the performances were stellar. (There was a funky accent dude toward the end I almost couldn't tolerate. It was like this Irish trying to be Jamaican thing.) I've listened to a lot of audio at this point, and this is among the best.
I don't know how much of this story is true, and how much is fiction, but it is absolutely based on true events. Jamaica is a dangerous place, and has been for a long time.
This book was filled with fascinating characters, with interesting philosophies and justifications. It was also filled with depravity. Deep depravity. It was a complex book, and circumstantially it was impossible to fully absorb it all. I almost feel like going back and reading it now. Jamaica was a country divided politically, corrupt and violent. This really is an historical fiction. This was a book with a high degree of difficulty, and Marlon James pulled it off. I was fascinated, I was engaged, I laughed, I cringed, and I cringed again.
I only have one issue, and it drove me to distraction and I don't understand how it passed editing. People in 1976 did NOT speak in the way that these characters spoke. In 1976 people didn't call each other dude, they didn't use the F word every other word, and they sure as heck did not say "just sayin'" .... ARGH. It was so disappointing - all this brilliance, all this effort, all this greatness ... and nobody edits out "just sayin'" ....? Incidentally, there were 1,100 F-bombs in this book.
For me it was 5 stars, dropped a half star for the baffling anachronisms and conditionally recommended to people who like really really dark books.
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The First Four Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder
4/5
I really loved this series. I'm quite certain I never read this book because it wasn't published until '71 after Rose (Laura's daughter's) death. Fun fact I didn't need to know, Rose somehow was involved with Ayn Rand in starting the libertarian movement.
Those book was found in notebooks in Laura's stuff after she died, and they published it "as is". It's shorter than they rest of the book, but it was lovely story about her first 4 years of marriage and Rose's birth. I was a nice ending of my time with the Ingalls and Wilders.
Mod
5/5
When I first started reading this book I thought I was going to be disappointed, that I had overdone WWII and I was saturated and probably shouldn't try to read any more books about it because I can no longer appreciate them.
I don't really even know when this book turned for me, but it was SO good. Really well told. I liked that there was a degree of suspense about who's story was being told. I don't want to give anything away (at all) but is this based on something true? Did the French resistance participate in the Nightingale type way?
Parts of this book had me sobbing. Out loud. The woman reminded me of Rose deWit Bukater from Titanic. :) LOL. Her no BS strength. Great book great characters, really well told.
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4/5
This book has pretty terrible reviews, but I really liked it.
Sam is a self-proclaimed bumbler - everything is always an "accident" including the burning down of the Emily Dickinson house when he was just 18-years old. This story tells about his life post-prison, and the bumbling and accidents keep following him.
I could see how the main character would bug a lot of people, but he appealed to me, and I thought to story was interesting and clever, and there were some fun ideas in it.
Not believable in any way, but entertaining.
Mod
2/5
This book started out super funny and entertaining. It reminded me of a Sookie Stackhouse type book and there's a time and place for those, and a long car ride is the perfect time and place.
You pretty much immediately had to suspend disbelief. It wasn't that there was magic, (which there was) it was the immediate acceptance of that magic which grated.
The first 2/3rds of the book it was 3 stars - solid entertainment. And then everything got ridiculous and all of the flaws I was able to ignore in the beginning were glaring and annoying, like the author showing off of all his weird knowledge and obscure references. I didn't even care to finish, but I was sitting in traffic so I did.
The audio was OK. The narrator was good on the main character, Bekah, but she was annoying as heck on the love interest Trey and inexplicable in her robotic interpretation of "The Trips".
Had potential to be fun, but the author got in his own way.
Mod
There was not a lot to this book. It was a cute riff on the formulaic mystery in that Hansel and Gretel are the characters. Since they were stuffed with treats as kids they both developed a taste for sweets, and have grown quite large in their older years. Gretel is a detective, and Hansel is kind of bumbling. I got it from Audible for $3.00 and listened as time permitted; I was entertained. Nothing to write home about. It's the start of a series.
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All Our Yesterdays
4/5
This is the book my mom and I wish we had listened to on our long drive. It's sort of 12 Monkeys meets Divergent. It was a both a clever take on time travel and a new way of telling the young adult post-apocalyptic tale. I was completely entertained.
Audio was mostly good, there was only one super annoying voice (like so bad ... Um, please listen to your British accent, it's AWFUL) but thankfully that character was minor.
Once started it was hard to put it down.
Mod
5/5
I didn't even know who Patti Smith was. I know I got her confused with Patty Smyth. I definitely didn't know who Robert Maplethorpe was. Turns out, I did know who Patti Smith was, but I had to google "Patti Smith most popular song' and got "Because the Night" and it was all clear.
The point is, this book was on my radar because I'd heard great things about the book, not because I knew who anybody was. What a tale! I'm not even sure something like this could ever happen again. It was the late '60's early '70's (my favorite time period musically, incidentally) and Patti was a literal starving artist on the streets of New York. No job, no direction, no place to live. A creative being wanting to create but not knowing how it should manifest.
She meets Robert Maplethorpe and they embark on a lifelong friendship/love affair. They lived in the time and place of Jimi, Janis, and Andy Warhol. Just Kids, literally starving. It was a great adventure.
Patti was lucky enough to have a couple breaks musically, and Robert not long behind her with his art. I can't say I'm a fan of either of their work. I looked at Robert's art after reading the book and thought no wonder he struggled.
I thought a lot about making a living, and what artists have to do to survive. These tortured people who literally must create, have to get day jobs at bookstores. Barely scraping enough money together to share a hot dog with a friend. It's sad. Behind every Jimi there are thousands of other Jimis.
Anyway, I was engrossed in this tale of friendship and life in the summer of love and beyond. The audio was read by Patti and that itself was an experience. Beautifully written passages spoken in a strong New Jersey accent. Drawing was Drawling. Piano was piana. Laughing was laughin'. Sunday was Sundee. It was a little weird at first, but ultimately gave an intimacy to the story. Her story. I couldn't put it down, and I sobbed at the end.
This would be a great audio for people who don't normally do audio because if you wander off it's easy to find your way back in. Loved it!
Mod
Full review and photos of my trip http://thereadersroom.org/2016/03/28/...
I was fortunate enough to get to visit Israel this past November, and as I was standing in front of King David's Tomb I realized I didn't really know anything about him. A friend posted a review of The Secret Chord and I knew it was the perfect book to educate me. (I love Biblical fiction, but struggle reading the actual Bible.)
It wasn't long before it clicked that this was David of "and Goliath" and "and Bathsheba" fame.
I love ancient history and I think that's one of the reasons Biblical fiction is so appealing to me. I learned so many interesting things about David, which most of you probably already know, but which were news to me. Like, he wrote a bunch of the Psalms. I won't say too much about him because I don't want to ruin the story for those not in the know, but let's just say, he was a maniac. He is also the first man in "literature whose story is told in detail from early childhood to extreme old age. Some scholars have called this biography the oldest piece of history writing... " Kind of makes me want to read the bible. Kind of.
The book was great. 5-star read for me. I thought Brooks did a really good job with the story. I googled a number of the parts of the story as I was reading, and I don't think there was much deviation from the bible story. It was well-written and interesting, and certainly a worthy read. I feel like I got a very comprehensive understanding of David's life, and look forward exploring more about his successor Solomon.
Sounds fascinating! Wait, so The Gospel According to Biff didn't make you want to read the Bible? ;-)No but seriously, you should. The old testament is full of bloody battles and guys tearing out their hair, not to mention polygamy, cannabalism, divine temper tantrums and some of the best insults outside of Shakespeare.
Mod
2.5/5I don't know.
I just don't know.
I don't know what it's about, I don't know if I understood it, I don't really know any of the Tales of the Arabian nights, so I think most of this was lost on me. Had it not been for audio, I wouldn't have made it through. BUT - in spite of that, I really appreciated a lot of the writing. There was some brilliance and humor, and the audio at times was so well done! Like the narrator and Salman hung out so that the vibe would be perfect.
I really want to read The Satanic Verses but based on this, I think I'd have to try the audio. There's just too much rambling about who knows what, and also, a fair degree of 12-year-old boy humor, which sort of surprised me.
Rushdie might not be for me, but I'm not willing to throw in the towel just yet.
Mod
2/5
This novel takes some historical context and creates a pretty average story with characters that I couldn't 100% get behind. In fact, they all had some major issue which made them somewhat unlikable.
I'm fascinated by the Galapagos. I thought The Origin by Irving Stone an enthralling book. Sadly, this book spent less than 100 pages on the islands, and there was still very little about the islands themselves. An occasional mention of a bird or tortoise. Beyond that, they could have been on any island, so I feel like the title and the premise of the book was misleading. A better title of this book would have been "The Story of Two Friendships in a Time of War." Because that's really what it was.
It wasn't bad, and it moved quickly, but I honestly didn't care if I finished it. I wasn't invested in anyway.
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4.5/5
I had no idea what this book was about, I liked Cartwheel by duBois, so I added this to my list.
It starts out with a lot of chess, and I thought nope, I'm never going to make it through. It then continued on a premise I thought was a bit weak .. a question posed to the chess champ by a terminally ill character ... something to the effect of - in the face of defeat how do you keep going?
I kept on, and I'm glad I did because I was enthralled and it was hard to put down. There was a lot to the book. A lot of seemingly lost causes. Unrequited love, politics, mortality, even chess itself. A lot of the book takes place in Russia which made it even more interesting. Russia is a character in its own right (a lost cause itself?)
This is a debut novel and a impressive one. I did the audio, which had two narrators for alternating points of view, which is always appreciated by me.
Definitely recommended.
Nicole wrote: "4.5/5
I had no idea what this book was about, I liked Cartwheel by duBois, so I added this to my list.
It starts out with a..."
This sounds good. I'll put it on my TBR list.
Mod
The Childhood of Jesus - JM Coetzee 4/5
This was a strange little book that has left me a bit baffled. In an unknown time, and an unknown place, a man and a child arrive with new names and erased memories with the most rudimentary Spanish.
"David" the child has been separated from his parents - and Simon, the man has promised to help him reunite with them. They travel from Belstar (the camp where ostensibly their memories are wiped) to Novilla.
David is an exceptional child, and he doesn't want to be called David, he wants to be called by his real name which nobody knows. I have no idea how Jesus comes into the picture unless the child is Jesus, which never becomes clear.
This book kind of reminded me of Blindness meets The Road ... if the Road was a socialist country.
There was perhaps a little too much philosophy for me, but I was fascinated by the story and this has encouraged me to seek out more Coetzee even though I don't entirely understand what I just read.
A really interesting perspective.
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In the Unlikely Event 2.5/5
This was a totally mediocre book about a jillion characters many of whom fall prey to an unlikely series of unlikely events, which seem so far fetched they can only be true.
The people who weren't prey to the unlikely event were prey to even more ridiculous events, like when Margaret (or whatever her name was) fell in love with this 17 year old boy and and they knew each other like 3 whole months, and shocker, he screwed up, yet 35 years later they have a "moment."
It was bad.
Yet, somehow I made it through.
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- Miranda July 4/5Like everybody else who has read this book, you have no idea who you could possibly recommend it to. I'm not even sure my book twin would like it. It's messsssssed up.
This book reminded me of an amalgamation of Chuck Palahniuk books, Fight Club first and foremost. The story was pure Palahniuk, without his trademark play on language.
I can't say I've read anything like this. It was a pure trip!
Should you read it? Heck if I know, but I wish you would.
Mod
2/5Has it come to this "great American novel?" Are you cliche? Are we? I know one thing, this book is.
Cliched characters tell this MASSIVE tale from their varying perspectives. The 1%ers, the junkie artist, the nerdy teen who got in with the in-crowd, the rock star vigilante, the black, gay lover, the evil step family, the quasi-Asian chick whose role was to be quasi-Asian, the detective with a heart of gold, the burnout reporter, the burnout fireworker, the burnout burnout, the "cool girl" and her myriad lovers including the husband of that 1%er ... There were interludes, and an epigraph, a prologue, facsimiles, evidence, seven books and 98 chapters. And the vocabulary ...
At one point somebody told a character "You’re being obstreperous". Oh, am I? Well I’m so sorry. Let me just look that word up in the dictionary to see what it means so I can stop being it. You ersatz(1) eponymous(2) exegesis (2) elegiac (1)!
Every idea this guy ever had is in this book, and every word he ever learned.
There's a part early on where the not cool/cool kid has to pee. And it keeps getting brought up over like 3 pages, until finally this: "There was a steady ache now in the region just behind his (sic) beltbuckle; systems of hydraulic tubes and reservoirs whose names he'd failed to learn in first-period bio were asserting their demands; if he didn't relieve the pressure right now ... "
TWO SEMICOLONS IN A SENTENCE ABOUT NEEDING TO PEE
Oh, and by the way ... This book took place in the 70's. And I strongly feel that it was set in the 70's so that the author had the freedom from technology. One of the characters said "that's a thing right?" - you know what's not a "thing" in the 70's, asking if something is a "thing." EDITORS!!!
The story (and/or 25 hours of my life I'll never get back) was as trite as the rest of it. And we won't go into the pretentious blather about art, or the mysterious inclusion of Zig Ziglar as a character.
There was one point where a bunch of the main characters ended up in a detectives office at the same time. So. Utterly. Improbably. It reminded me of the scene in "What's Up Doc?" (which I just watched on YouTube, and is great) where all the characters ended up in the courtroom at the end of the movie. Hilarious. Farcical. But this book wasn't slapstick comedy. It wasn't even very interesting. The first part sucked me in and I felt like I wanted to finish, but it was a mistake.
There could have been a good story in here, (maybe?) if the book was half the length with far fewer characters. Or if anybody bothered to edit it. For Pete's sake, the guy got a 2 million dollar advance.
It was painful. And you know what else is painful? My systems of hydraulic tubes and reservoirs; and you know what that means; that's right, I have to pee ....
Mod
3.5/5
This was a fun and entertaining mystery. A little bit ridiculous, almost like a farce or comedy of errors - But I didn't care, I enjoyed it.
The audio was really well-done.
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4/5
This book is literally about the beaks of finches in the Galapagos. And it's also about natural selection, but as it relates to these finches. The first 25% I thought I'd lose my mind if they talked about the beaks of these finches anymore, but then I got fascinated.
The patience these scientists have is amazing. Years and years of work to understand these microscopic developmental changes. It's pretty mind blowing. What I think I found most interesting was the birds reactions to drought and El Nino.
Shortly after I finished this I started Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies and in a million years, I wouldn't have thought the two were in any way related, but it turns out that (among other things) Jared Diamond is an evolutionary biologist, so "Beak" laid a very good foundation for what I've heard so far in this new book.
Who knew science could be interesting?
Mod
Pub date: July 12, 2016
3/5
I almost didn't finish this book. In the early part it reminded me of a Flavia de Luce novel and I am not a Flavia de Luce fan. I kept going because I was somewhat interested what the mystery was all about.
Gist of the story was there was a neighborhood of narrow-minded individuals in East Midlands England, and one of them goes missing and it turns out that there were some secrets. Grace, the 10-year-old protagonist and her friend Tilly want to find the missing woman, and also they decide they are looking for God. They visit the neighbors and try to answer their queries.
There were ultimately too many ideas in this book, which is part of what made the first part so boring, and also made the end unsatisfying. There was no resolution, and no redemption. I liked Grace and Tilly, but everybody else was a stereotype.
It had some potential, but it needed less in the beginning and more at the end to be satisfying.
Mod
4.5/5
This is a collection of 10 comic books which were released individually as a sequel to the 1995 book Fight Club. Now, they are all together in one stunning piece of art. I read this as an eBook ARC and I will definitely be buying the graphic novel.
The Fight Club aspect to the story was almost incidental. It provided some context and familiarity but the art and the overall cleverness of the art was what knocked it out of the park for me.
This is the first graphic novel I have truly enjoyed.
Mod
3/5
Back when people read paper books, I saw a lot of people reading this book and (naturally) assumed it was right wing extremism. I thought it was the right's answer to The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. It is not.
In fact, this book could more adequately be called Food Sources, the Fertile Crescent and Qwerty. 75% of this book was about food. Crops, livestock. Hunting it, gathering it, mass producing it. And how it all related to how the world grew up to be the asshole that it is today.
It's very much NOT a right wing book. It's complex and I was pretty engaged for a really long time, but after a while it got repetitive and I drifted off, and then had to go back and listen again and then I had repetition of the repetition and I'd drift off again, and bam there we are at Qwerty again (turns out there's a more efficient keyboard ... Dvorak ... who knew? Everybody but me? again?)
Anyway, I think it veered from the proposed topic to the authors pet interests, and that's fine it's his book, but I felt i was a long way to go to get there and not even sure I agreed once I did. But interesting .
Mod
2.5/5
I don't know what to say about this book, Bella seems torn between Edward and Jacob. and she's going to do things her way, danger or no. There are a lot of versions of London which I didn't entirely understand, and I feel like it ended abruptly. There was so magic. I don't know, it never really captured my attention.
I have book 2 but I don't know if I care enough to go through it.
Nicole wrote: "2.5/5
I don't know what to say about this book, Bella seems torn between Edward and Jacob. and she's going to do things her way, danger or no. There ar..."
Uh oh. I was planning to read this soon and had high hopes for it.
Mod
This is kind of a dark fantasy, historical fiction type combo. Lots of court intrigue, a little romantic tension and overall quite entertaining. It's exactly what I want when I'm looking for an audio recommendation!
Will continue the series
Mod
4/5
This was such a good book. Southern Fiction complete with a runaway, secrets and an unwed mother or 25. It reminded me of a Joshilyn Jackson book and she's one of my favorites.
Totally enjoyed it. Perfect audio for a day for gardening. I just wish I had remembered to put on sunscreen.
Mod
Avoidable tragedies bum me out, and this certainly falls into that category. But it was really hard not to get caught up in the excitement and adventure of this story.
Being neither an outdoor person or a person who can tolerate the cold, I cannot IMAGINE in a million years wanting to do something like this. But I understand the mind of a collector and a collector needs to have them all, and Everest was one of the missing for these people.
Both entertaining and sad, it was hard to put it down once I started.
Mod
This is the second book in the series and it's essentially the same story as the first book with characters who were more peripheral in the first book. So it was entertaining, and the progression worked, but there were no surprises.
I will definitely listen to the third book, but need to let a little time pass so the formula won't be so fresh in my mind.
Mod
3/5Does editing exist anymore? I'm starting to suspect it does not. This book certainly needed it.
Set in the late 1800's primarily in Paris, the historical aspect of this book was the most interesting part to me. I'm not a fan of Opera, but even the Opera stuff was mostly interesting.
Where the book failed for me were the relationships. They were just ridiculous to me.
SPOILERS
One relationship:
Hi I banged you in a garden 5 years ago and I don't even know your name, but I love you.
Another relationship:
I own you. Literally own you, so you will love me.
Ahhhh, romance.
END SPOILERS
I felt conked over the head with the ridiculousness of the relationships, and that's where the editing would have really helped.
It was OK, but I won't be recommending it to anybody.
Mod
4/5What was it like to be a member of the Manson family? This book takes on that topic.
It tells the story of Evie, a lonely girl, coming of age at a crazy time in the world. She's sort of on the fringe socially, and when her path crosses with Suzanne's, she's easy prey. She basically moves to the "ranch" and becomes a part of the cult of Russell.
The book definitely explores what it could have been like to be part of that group. To be seduced by the sense of belonging. The friendships, the lifestyle. But there was something missing. I don't know if it was the characters or a timidity in the story, but I wasn't connected.
It did inspire me to pick up Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders which I have been wanting to re-read for years. I'm listening to that on audio and INSTANTLY I was in it. Involved. Freaked out. Remembering that time. Whatever that is, is what was missing from this book.
I love reading about this time frame, and I think perhaps that may have been part of the issue as well. It felt like this book could have been any time.
It was good but I won't be raving about it.
Mod
4/5
I love letters. Every time I read an Epistolary story I always think it is so sad that letter writing is a thing of the past.
This was a funny, sweet story of a friendship which builds between people who have never met. Though short (super short) it manages to bring you right to the time and place, and you quickly get involved in these lives. I was surprised at how emotional I got in such a short time.
Very good.
Mod
5/5In August 1969 I was approaching my 6th birthday and I lived less than an hour south of Los Angeles. I got most of my news at the time sitting in the back seat of my parents car driving down the street, and I remember hearing snippets of the Tate-LaBianca murders and being petrified. It was a gigantic deal. Naturally I didn’t understand it, but it was in the air and it didn’t matter how old you were, everybody felt it.
I read this book in my teens but I don’t remember it at all, and even if I had remembered it I certainly would have reacted to it as I did this time. I’m less trusting of the “establishment” (DNC anybody?) and have finely honed my life motto “Question everything.”
Before I say anything else, I will say this – Bugliosi was a brilliant prosecutor. His job was convictions for the murders, and he got them. I also felt like he was quite frank in his recounting of the trial of Charles Manson and the “family.” Often noting when he made a mistake, or when opposing council scored a point.
The investigation was botched on numerous levels by the police, and it was up to VB (easier than typing Bugliosi every time) to not only build his case with evidence, but also to find a motive. In speaking with Susan Atkins she mentioned the start of “Helter Skelter” which she defined as “the last war on the face of the earth. It would be all the wars that had ever been fought built one on top of the other … ” “The karma is turning, it’s blackie’s turn to be on top.” Danny DeCarlo said Manson preached this incessantly.
VB’s conclusion: “That Manson foresaw a war between the blacks and the whites was not fantastic. Many people believe that such a war may someday occur. What was fantastic was that he was convinced he could personally start that war himself-that by making it look as if blacks had murdered the seven Caucasian victims he could turn the white community against the black community.”
Birth of a motive.
The book is fascinating and the story is well laid out. You definitely felt the vibe of the time, sex, drugs and rock and roll. VB often talking about how he and Charlie would “rap.” (This was really something I felt was missing in the recent release The Girls.) There are countless avenues for discussion should a group wish to really dig into this book. Here’s a few takeaways for me:
The justice system – fair trials and the insanity defense.
Jail – life in, and what kind of rehabilitation are they talking about exactly?
The black/white war – has it finally arrived?
Did VB construct a fictional case against Manson?
Cults vs. religions – what’s the difference?
The White Album – The best record of all time? (Yes, yes it is. )
Coming soon to The Readers Room, I give my thoughts on all those topics.
thereadersroom.org
Nicole wrote: " 5/5In August 1969 I was approaching my 6th birthday and I lived less than an hour south of Los Angeles. I got most of my ne...
I have yet to read this book. I've seen documentaries etc. I was 17 when these murders took place. My mom had read the book but didn't want me to read it as my husband traveled a lot after we were married and she didn't want it to scare me. I have the book and don't know why I haven't picked it up yet, maybe because it still scares me!
Mod
5/5
My full review will be coming soon at The Reader's Room:
https://thereadersroom.org/2016/07/27...
SO funny, so clever, but it's about racial satire and it's uncomfortable. Started out wobbly for me but quickly got better. Did the audio and loved the narrator.
Mod
5/5
Anybody who has read this book and who knows me would know that this is my kind of book. Funny, satire, dark, unreliable narrator (in a big way), social commentary with a strong message which doesn't conk you over the head.
This book had one of my favorite characters ("Scotty") in a LONG time! I did audio and the author read the book. Potentially scary, but you know he did the Scotty role EXACTLY as it was intended and he did a fabulous job.
Who says slavery was abolished?
Very creative story, well told. I thought the end was a little weak and parts dragged on occasion, so I loved it, but with caveats. Well worth reading.
Mod
3/5
Harsh and NOT for animal lovers. Like really really harsh.
https://thereadersroom.org/2016/08/22...
Mod
The Many - Wyl Menmuir 4.5/5
If I hadn’t known this was on the Man Booker long list, I would have guessed that it was on the Man Booker long list. There’s definitely a “type”. Though this book is short, it never felt rushed, and what needed to be told, was. I can’t say why, but while I was reading this it put me in mind of a book I read several years ago called Go with Me. It’s atmospheric, like the TV show The Returned (OMG! So good, if you haven’t seen it binge it! … French version, not American)
The author did a great job of bringing you into the setting, and frankly creating a level of confusion which sort of makes sense once the story is fully revealed. The only thing that bugged me were dreams. Ugh. I am fascinated by my own dreams (naturally) but when someone else starts talking about theirs, I glaze over. And I particularly find it annoying in books. Seems like an easy way around something. I understand it here, but I still glazed over.
I don’t imagine this will make the shortlist, but I really enjoyed it.
(the rest of the Shadow Panel )
https://thereadersroom.org/2016/09/01...
Shelfari 50 Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Notes from Underground (other topics)Notes from Underground (other topics)
Lincoln in the Bardo (other topics)
Lincoln in the Bardo (other topics)
Binti (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Fyodor Dostoevsky (other topics)Nnedi Okorafor (other topics)
Garth Risk Hallberg (other topics)
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