The wine, er book, club is still alive and kicking. I read both The Boys in the Boat (2 very enthusiastic thumbs up - never really been a crew fan but I loved learning about the UW boys and getting the historical context around the 1936 Berlin Olympics. If you ever thought crew was boring, check out this clip from the races in Berlin) and Now You See Me (Better than the 3 stars I gave it on Goodreads - would have given it 3.5 if half-stars were allowed - but just not really my genre and truthfully, I never really connected with the protagonist. Pretty suspenseful though and well-written, especially if you enjoy mysteries!).
YA Choices
I'm still trying to work some of these into my regular reading (not that's hard, they really are good books!). I devoured We Were Liars. So. Good. Suspenseful, a bit of a tear-jerker, a mild dose of teenage love...what more could you ask for in a YA novel? I'll definitely check others out by Lockhart. I was so excited to finally see Where You Leave Me at my local library - I came across it during my Lit class last summer but was too cheap to buy it. I liked it but didn't love it, much to my disappointment (I really wanted to love it!). It was well-written but I didn't really dig the sci-fi elements and the 80s setting was kind of distracting to me, even as a child of the 80s. I guess put it in the category of Eleanor & Park for me (another 80s-set novel, now that I think about it).
Grab Bag
That's nicer than saying Chick Lit, right? None of these were first-time authors for me (obviously, since JoJo Moyes is on there twice!) and none of these disappointed. Big Little Lies was definitely more "chicky" than either Moyes option, but was still a well-plotted, suspenseful drama about the life and times of crazy school moms. Moyes, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors, hit it home with both of these vastly different novels. I read Girl first and it continued my love affair with historical fiction. Love getting completely wrapped up in a story while also brushing up on my (very) rusty history education (in this case, occupied France in WWI). I wasn't sure I was going to like Me Before You, based on the synopsis, but I blew through it in a weekend. Just a very touching story of an unlikely romance between a working class lass and her quadriplegic boss. Go on, I know you want to read it now!
Book club meets next week so hoping I can convince the gals to pick something good. Also have The Aviator's Wife on loan from the library, but haven't had time to start it yet. If it's anything like The Paris Wife (which I adored so much, I'd seriously consider naming my next child Hadley), I know I'll love it. See also my obsession with Historical Fiction.
Until next month...
No comments:
Post a Comment