Happy last day of 2016! Suffice it to say I’m ready to wash my hands of this year. Actually, not the entire year. I had some great personal experiences earlier in 2016 but the second half has been draining and difficult. Like so many people I know, the election results have made staying positive challenging. The bad news seems to keep coming with no respite in sight. Complete avoidance of reality and isolation is not an option so, in December I turned to my old standby- comfort reading. Thank you to the book bloggers who gave me their recommendations for escapist books.
Published by Putnam Adult
Publication date: May 30th 2013
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams is the best kind of twisty family drama. Set in 1938 with two women who have been friends since childhood, family money, an exclusive vacation community on Rhode Island’s coast and of course, secrets. Lots of secrets. Lily hasn’t seen her best friend Budgie (I did not love that nickname, but it doesn’t ruin the story) since Budgie married Lily’s boyfriend. The couple show up for the summer to renovate her parents’ house and there is no escaping the awkward. Williams Using the social mores of the time Williams builds the tension to perfection. Add the biggest storm of the century hitting Rhode Island and this novel will blow you away.
Published by Crown
Publication date: March 18th 2014
The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger is a funny(ish) novel about a criminal defense attorney who gets roped into handling a divorce case. The novel is composed solely of correspondence or, as the title states “papers”. This is great for all the legal jargon and thinly veiled hostility that goes on in divorce cases, but it removes any possibility of intimacy between reader and characters. By midpoint, I was skimming all of the emails from Sophie to her friend Maggie because I was not interested in her personal life. Plus, while it’s an interesting stylistic choice, the numerous fonts to differentiate characters’ handwriting gets headache-y.
Published by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication date: September 30th 2014
Genres: Suspense
Joe runs a bookstore and lusts after Beck, a girl who stops by one day. After this one meeting he creates an entire fantasy with her in his head and goes about making it real. This is You by Caroline Kepnes and it is dark all the way around, largely thanks to Kepnes ability to write Joe as a true sociopath. That, in combination with modern technology, social media and a generation that broadcasts every personal detail of their lives makes his mission easy. You is straight out psychological warfare and it’s not just Joe who’s using it. Kepnes spreads the mind games amongst everyone making for a novel with few, if any, likable characters. Putting it down before finishing was not an option and it did an admirable job of being a distraction, but You is a pitch-black, dismal look at modern day human nature.
How to Be Both by Ali Smith
Published by Pantheon
Publication date: December 2nd 2014
Hhhmmmm…scratching head. Not quite sure what to say (which is a big deal for a book blabbermouth like me). On the one hand, this novel has one of the most innovative formats I’ve ever read. It’s separated into two parts: The Eye and The Camera. Just one story, but from the perspective of a contemporary teenager or an Italian Renaissance painter. The kicker? The reader has the option to choose which part they want to read first. This works really well in the e-book format because you go right to that section and then the rest of novel formats itself. Apparently in the print version each edition is formatted differently to give the same experience.
The downside? While the very act of choosing how to read a novel brings up a lot of thoughts once done I found How to be both only good not great. There were plot lines that felt important but ended up going nowhere- characters who simply dropped away. There were interesting themes of gender identity, art and how we perceive the world but they didn’t coalesce into anything that made sense to me. If you were to try this book I’d love to know your thoughts (for what’s it’s worth I read The Camera section first).
That’s it for me this year! How was your December reading? Am I the only person who’s lost her book groove?
Oh my gosh – I totally forgot about Budgie! That is such a horrible nickname! I did lots of library reading as well 🙂
Catherine, you’re definitely not alone in feeling like you’ve lost your book groove. In December I only read one book that I really liked, Before the Wind (thank you very much). I’m a few books into 2017 releases and so far haven’t read a five star one yet. I’m currently reading Lucky Boy and it looks promising!
Happy New Year to you and lets hope we all get our grooves back. (At least where books are concerned!)
Yes, Susie! I feel as if better reading would help me deal better with the rest of the horror that is America right now.
I’ve read 7 2017 books already and not one has been promising- with the exception of Lucky Boy which I did think was well done.
Dec. had me scatterbrained. So you aren’t alone about losing your book groove. The election is still a real downer too. But hopefully January will be better in reading at least, the inauguration will be a rude awakening.
It definitely will be, Susan, but at least I can ignore it and the next day I’m taking part in the Women’s March in Seattle. So, I’ll be active at least!
Oh cool Catherine, glad you are doing the Women’s March …. I had only heard about the one in DC but are they happening all over the country ?
Yes! Here’s a list of states and cities: https://www.womensmarch.com/sisters/
I loved The Divorce Papers… I remember it being fun, and who doesn’t love an epistolatory novel? 🙂 Have you read ‘Dear Committee Members’?
I love you lady, let’s tackle 2017 and make it our bitch 🙂
Right back at you, dear!
I loved Dear Committee Members! Divorce Papers was not as good, but she has another novel coming out this year so we’ll see.
An intriguing concept in How to be Both but I fear it might drive me crazier! I know that Carolyn Kepnes has tons of fans; I have yet to read any of her work. This sounds like a nice cold weather, under the blanket, type of read!
Yes, Tara, but you need to be in the mood to read about the darkest side of human nature. I guess I was!
I was so excited about time off at Christmas – i had piles of books and plans for hot chocolate and reading. Between Christmas and New Year’s, I finished ONE book. ONE. The worst part was that I didn’t even really care.
I’m sure that there were bright spots in 2016 but now, looking back. I’m hard pressed to really see them. Work was a slog, my grandmother died, my parents’ dog (and by extension, mine) died, there were health struggles and the world at large was like “let’s set everything on fire.”
But as you say, avoidance isn’t an option. And we’re still standing. I’ve finished two books already in 2017 – one I enjoyed (Beatrix Williams in fact), one i have conflicting feelings for. I’m going to try harder in 2017 to see the good because lord knows we need it.