Actually, several.
Let me start off by saying that I almost never read book reviews. I read them slightly more than music reviews, which I read never (I will also be reviewing some music in my next post. Or maybe this one, depending on how much energy I have). I just don't think that other people perceive things the way I do. I'm not saying I'm special; I'm saying everyone views things slightly differently. There are people that LOOOOOVE Everything is Illuminated. I got about 3/4 of the way through and put it down. Booooring! (I do love the title though. And Eugene Hutz.)
But I did a lot of reading over Christmas break, so I thought I'd fill you in on my thoughts. Because I know other people read book reviews, so maybe they'll be helpful.
The Imperfectionists: A Novel (Tom Rachman)—This was the first of 5.5 books (still working on the last one!), so my memory is a little hazier, but I know that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each chapter is the story of an employee of an American newspaper in Rome. Some of it's funny, a lot of it makes you feel emotion, which is a good thing in my book. At one point, I actually yelled out loud, "Oh my god! What an asshole!" I sometimes have problems keeping track of characters when there are a lot in one book (does that make me seem special?), but that wasn't an issue here. [4/5]
Room: A Novel (Emma Donoghue [what's with all these : A Novels???])—I nearly hated this book at the beginning because it's told from the point of view of a child and the language reflects that. It's also told from the point of view of a child who, with his mother, has spent his entire life in one room, which you don't know right away. Sorry if that seems like a spoiler, but you find out pretty quickly and it might actually be on the dust jacket anyway. Annoying as the writing can be, I somehow got sucked into this book. Given the opportunity again, I wouldn't buy this book. But I would borrow it. [2.5/5]
A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)—Amazon kept recommending this to me, so I bit. I'm glad I did. This is another book that follows several people's stories, over a few generations. It's a bit rock-n-rolly and the pace kept me interested. The end takes place in the future and freaked me out, so I wasn't fond of that part, though it was Jane Donuts' favorite part, so what do I know? [4/5]
The Adderall Diaries (Stephen Elliott)—I think this is the new hip book. Meh. A bit self-indulgent (says the blogger–ha!), I found this book to rely a lot on shock value. I used to have a job where I interviewed poor, mentally ill, drug addicted people. I am not easily shocked, so it fell a little flat. And I guess it is a memoir, so it's my fault for reading it in the first place. While it's great that Elliott has (kind of) overcome his supremely shitty childhood, I just didn't find it that interesting. But others might. He talks about reporting for a book on a Bay Area murder case: that's a book I'd be far more interested in. [3/5]
An Object of Beauty: A Novel ([!!!!] Steve Martin)–LOVED THIS BOOK. I kind of love all of Steve Martin's books. And maybe him. But this one was his best yet, I think. It's about a sassy and plucky girl in the art world in New York, told from the perspective of her friend, an art writer. The plot is entertaining, it's well written, and I daresay that Steve Martin really knows how to write a good sex scene (subtle, but just enough detail to get your imagination going). [5/5] ***I noticed upon linking that SM has several books that I haven't read yet! I'm on it!
So, there you have it. Take it or leave it!
