Hello my fellow book lovers! I hope you’re enjoying the weekend. I failed in Week 38 and only finished 1 book. Week 38 covers September 18 – 24, mostly because my adorable niece came for a visit (she brought her parents too). According to my nearly 3 year old niece, the best things in Boston are sharks at the aquarium and riding on the bus. She actually started a sing along on the bus (you can imagine the chosen song) and got strangers involved. It was quite adorable. Week 39 covers September 25 – October 1 and was a pit more productive.
Week 38
Time and Again by Jack Finney – I borrowed this as an e-book from the Boston Public Library. This is Time #1. This was a book club pick. I knew when we picked it that it was probably a terrible idea. I actually sort of hated this book. It was ok, but it is so out of date that it was hard to get into. It was published in 1970 (before I was born) and I’m not sure it has stayed terribly relevant. The entire premise is that a certain type of suggestible personality can, when hypnotized, think their way into a previous time. The plan is to observe and not change anything. I don’t really know what to say about this. The only redeeming factor is a comparison between how engaged people were in their lives before the invention of television and how unengaged and boring they had become by 1970. I would love to know what the author would think of us now with all of the smartphones. I wonder if he’s even still alive…. Nope. Died in 1995. He missed the smartphone experience entirely. I’m giving it 2 stars.
Week 39
Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight – I borrowed this as an e-book from the BPL. This was definitely more my thing. In this, an infant is found dead on a college campus and one of the main narrators is called in by her boss to write a story about it, since her coworkers are unavailable, but the problem is that she is still dealing with the stillborn birth of her second child. The other narrator is a teen that is struggling to find her mother who disappeared with all of the rent money as well as her savings. There was also a murder that happened on the same spot where the baby was found, almost 2 decades previously, so in the land of fiction, it is high time to sort out what happened with that unsolved crime as well. This is actually really well written and the plot is well thought out. I liked another of this author’s books and this was definitely not a disappointment. I’m giving it 4 stars.
Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane – I borrowed this as an e-book from the BPL. This is one of my favorite authors. I have been to one of his book signings. I think he’s a star. This book is sort of all over the place, but in a good way. Rachel has been fired from her job as a journalist after an on-air breakdown in which she acted like a crazy person. Her marriage is over. Then she runs into an acquaintance from her past on the day her divorce is finalized, and quickly ends up married again, but this time to her protector. She has a bit of agoraphobia and is starting to make a turn around when she sees her new husband in the Back Bay when he is actually supposed to be in London on a business trip. She starts following him around and tries to get information from his business partner. Is he really up to something? Perhaps leading a double life? Did she even really see him at all? It’s all very engaging. This sucked me right in. I’m giving it 4 stars.
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris – I borrowed this as an e-book from the BPL. I’m going to start this one by saying that this author’s first book, Behind Closed Doors was so good that it would have taken quite a feat to have outdone that one. This book, while quite good, couldn’t help but be a little bit of a let down. In this, a teacher is on her way home after celebrating the end of the school year and takes a short cut through the woods in the dark and the rain. When she passes another car that is stopped, she pauses, but sees no sign that the other driver needs assistance and continues on her way. The next day, it’s all over the news that a woman was found murdered in her car. Then it turns out that she actually knows the victim. The guilt starts to eat her alive and she begins to forget things. She thinks that the dementia that plagued her mother has started in on her. You’ll probably guess what happens, ultimately, but I won’t spoil it for you. I liked the book, but I had it all figured out way too early. I’m giving it 3 stars.
Lost Boy by Christina Henry – I borrowed this as an e-book from the BPL (shocking, right?). This is the story of Captain Hook. It tells the story of what Peter Pan did to his first, most favored Lost Boy and what ultimately made him become the villain in Peter Pan’s story. You’ll have to decide who the villain really is in this retelling of Peter Pan. I really like this author’s very dark retellings of fairy tales. Her Alice and Red Queen were really quite good as well. I’m looking forward to seeing where she will go next. I hope she picks something that hasn’t been done a million times, but whatever it is, I will read them because they are brilliant and edgy and very different from most of the others. In a field that gets a lot of play, she stands out from the crowd. I’m giving this one 4 stars.
And that’s it for Weeks 38 and 39. As always, any feedback you may provide is encouraged. I also like when you tell me you have a different opinion, so if you do, please share. I look forward to hearing from all of you.
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