New year - new restart, 😉 Not sure how long it will last. I have been posting short reviews of sorts on Goodreads but for my own reminders I'm going to try to post a little more depth here. So here goes -
"The Book of Evidence" by John Banville
The first book finished in 2021 was not on my favorite list. This book was nominated for a Booker Award and gets very high reviews overall. John Banville is a well known Irish Novelist. The linked article describes some of how I felt about this book. He has his own style and likes to use big words as he even admits, through the main character, Freddie Montgomery. I agree with those who say style is coveted over substance by Mr. Banville.
I found the story somewhat bland and at times I wasn't sure where it was going. It is a story told by a prisoner - basically giving his side of the story. I tried to read it as if I were inside Freddie Montgomery's head and finally decided I just wasn't able to do that. I never connected with any of the characters or the writing style. I would chalk it up to being written by an Irish author which has to affect the book, but I have read other Irish authors that I have enjoyed. Most recently "When All is Said" by Anne Griffin.
While I did finish the book - in my opinion this is one to skip.
"The Librarian of Auschwitz" by Antonio Iturbe
The story of Ditka, a teenage girl, who is the keeper of the few books that have been smuggled in for the children in Auschwitz. This is based on the true story of Ditka Kraus. It is an interesting view into life in the horrible camp. While it is interesting, it still left me wanting a little more. I'm not sure how to describe what I mean exactly, but I just never felt like I truly knew Ditka and some of the details I would have liked to have known. It read unemotionally to me and a subject such as this should be anything but that. It is a translation and that may have something to do with it.
I always feel like a book like this deserves a high rating just based on subject matter and feel a little bad when I have to honestly admit that to me it was just an average read. It is worth the time to read it, but I wouldn't put it at the top of the list.
The Paradise Trilogy by Elin Hilderbrand
"Winter in Paradise" - My book club read of the month.
I started this trilogy when the first book was my January Book Club read. I actually had gotten the book at our December meeting when we did our white elephant book exchange. After reading the description, we decided to read it as a club. The first book made me want to finish the series. However, in my opinion, as the series continued, the books lost their appeal.
The trilogy is set in the Virgin Islands. It starts when a respected family man from the midwest is killed in a helicopter crash on New Years off the coast of St Johns. Along with him is the pilot and a local woman. The results are that a "secret" life is opened up. The first book develops the story well - establishing the characters and the plot. Of course it ends with more questions than answers to make you want to find out what happened then and what happens going forward. I enjoyed the first book. Found it well written and engaging.
Then on to the second book. The second book - "What Happens in Paradise" was not as engaging. The story seemed to drag at times and I did not find it as interesting to me. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't develop the storyline as quickly as I wanted. At times I felt as if Ms Hilderbrand knew she had to get 3 books out of the story so it just kind of wandered around a bit. Since I was already 2/3's of the way through though and since it wasn't horrible, I knew I had to finish the trilogy.
"Troubles in Paradise" was my least favorite. Wrapping up the original questions from "Winter in Paradise" was an extremely small part of the book. Outside of that, there were 2 other things that worked against this book for me. First, it was as if there were a word or page requirement for the book. I read the same things over and over in different parts of the book. At one time I even yelled out, "I know! You don't have to keep repeating yourself" which brought a stare from my daughter. :) The other thing is that even though Ms Hilderbrand states that part of the reason behind the book is to make people want to go to the islands, especially after it was hit by Hurricane Irma, the final book was more of a commercial for St Johns than it was the actual story. I was disappointed as the series went on.
None of the books are long and they are easy reads so while I wouldn't say not to read them, I also wouldn't put them at the top of the list.
"The Invisible Life of Addie Larue" by V. E. Schwab
I kept seeing this book pop up as a "must read" so of course I had to read it. The premise is an interesting one. A girl in the 1700's lives in a small town in France. She wants more than to be a wife in this small town and when it looks as if she can't escape that future, she goes in the woods and prays to the gods to save her. She ends up making a deal with the god of the dark where she can live as long as she likes with one caveat - basically when she is out of sight, she no longer exists. The person has no memory of her. She remembers them and her experiences, but if she sees that person again, she is a stranger to them. When she decides she can no longer handle that kind of life, she can surrender and her soul will belong to the god of the dark. Addie goes through nearly 300 years of life before she meets someone who can actually remember her.
There are some interesting parts of this book, questions raised about life and it will make you reflect on different aspects of human connections. To think of having a true relationship with someone, but only until they can't see you makes you realize how important family and friendships are. I couldn't help but turn it into a personal thing - would it drive me insane to have the memories and the emotions toward a person knowing the next time they see me, all of it will have been erased from their memory. Could I last 300 days - much less 300 years? What makes life worth pressing on? Could I handle basically mourning the daily loss?
All that to say, I rated this book as an average read. I found it slow at times. I thought that might have been a way to convey how long 300 years is, but I was just trying to give the benefit of the doubt. It was repetitive at time and Ms Schwab's writing style didn't resonate with me. It started out promising and I liked the story more once she met the person who remembered her. The ending is a little open, and I like that too. So in my mind a mixed bag. Overall, most people who read it rate it much higher, so perhaps it's just not for me.
"Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" by Maria Semple
I've picked this book up and looked at it several times over the years so I finally bought it and took the plunge. I'm glad I did. A story about a "quirky" family. Bernadette is a brilliant architect who no longer practices and is somewhat of a recluse. Her husband is a brilliant man who works for Microsoft, and their daughter, Bee, also has the brilliant genes. The story starts when Bee claims a trip to Antarctica as her reward for good grades. Her mom doesn't want to go because of the anxiety she has about being around other people but agrees to the trip. The events that occur between agreeing to go and the time of the trip are entertaining to say the least. The story is mainly told through emails, notes and other correspondence. An interesting way to keep the story going, and it even became part of the story as I tried to figure out how Bee got her hands on them all.
I liked so much about this book. The storyline, the characters, the writing. It was the whole package. If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend it. As you probably know - it has been made into a "major motion picture" but as usual the movie does not do the book justice. There are many other events and stories not included in the movie so for the full dose of Bernadette, you need to read the book.
"Us Against You" by Fredrik Backman
This is the second book in the Beartown series. Beartown is a hockey town so everything is centered around the sport, but it is really a story about people. This picks up where the first book, "Beartown", left off. The town is recovering from the turmoil created in the first book.
I really liked "Beartown". I also like every Fredrik Backman book that I have read. I enjoyed this one too - but not as much. I'm not sure why, just didn't. The storyline - while interesting - just didn't have as many "where is this going" moments. It reflected what life in Beartown would be like though and worth the read. There is a 3rd book that is suppose to be coming out sometime this year and I look forward to seeing where Beartown goes next. I do suggest reading these books in order.
"Miss Benson's Beetle" by Rachel Joyce
I fell in love with Miss Benson and her friend, Ms Pretty. Miss Benson is a quirky single woman who decides to take a drastic step and leave her drab life behind. The step she takes is to travel to New Caledonia in search of the elusive golden beetle that her father use to tell her about. She knows she will need an assistant and so she advertises for one. By default, Ms Pretty gets the job. As the story develops we find that Ms Pretty has her own issues and her own quest in life. The trip and the friendship development are engaging. While not a deep story, there are lessons to be learned and applied to life.
This was a book that one of our Book Club members got at the Christmas meeting. She graciously shared it with me and I'm glad she did. It's funny, it's sad, it's serious and it's whimsical. A nice journey to take. Another good one.
"Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova
The best author of medical fiction I've read does it again. When I saw this book I thought the title meant something different than what it actually means. The story is about a woman, Sarah, who has a car accident that results in brain injury. Because of the brain injury Sarah suffers from a rare condition where her brain does not process anything on her left side including not only her own body, but anything in her line of sight on that side. The condition is called Left Neglect. Just try to imagine if your could not use your left hand, but in addition you couldn't even see it. And not just your hand, but your entire side. Add to that trying to read, walk, cook, brush your hair....basically all of life. The conflict of knowing it's there yet not seeing it.
As she does in her other books, Ms Genova covers not only the medical condition but the family and loved ones that it affects. Her character development and writing style draws me in to the story and makes me care about each one. She covers different aspects of Sarah's life - family, work, emotion and physical. This is one of the reasons her books stand out to me.
This one is my favorite of the month. While it should be on the depressing side, I didn't find it that way. I found it encouraging in some ways and also enlightening. I highly recommend it.
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