A reccomendation from a friend, I was told this book would make me laugh out loud on the subway (something you guys know I love doing!). I didn't think it was the funniest thing I've ever read but it did make me laugh on the subway and get some funny looks. Crossley takes a pretty askance look at her own life, especially her love life, and tells some great stories about her family, dates, etc. It's pretty fluffy - really a great commuter book. I'll be giving her other books a look.
(240 pages; 3.5 stars)
Book 43 - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
Oh David Mitchell... you of your Cloud Atlas and your Number 9 Dream. I get it, you're a big deal, you're a NY Times Book List favorite, you're a good author. You've got me, I'll read it. After hearing countless reviews of this book, I just had to read it. It's a period novel (a fave of mine), and it's got a beautifully colored cover, and let's face it, I like David Mitchell. The book turned out to be quite good; maybe not quite worth the fanfare it received, but quite good. The story is a bit of a saga (again, something I love!) and you're introduced to a myriad of characters and plot lines but it all intertwines quite nicely and the story is actually very beautiful. Mitchell explores a time and place that I knew very little about (hello, colonial Japan?) and really surrounded me with its particulars - whether they are true or not, I don't know; but, really, it wasn't a concern.
(496 pages; 4.0 stars)
Book 44 - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Some of you might remember Audrey Niffenegger from her first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife - which I read TWICE by the way. It was a very nice love story with fantastical elements (oh, say time travel) but that she spun in a way that was pretty believable. Her Fearful Symmetry, Niffenegger's second book, is very similar - it seems she has a wheelhouse, this one - a very nice love story with some fantastical elements. This second book is a fair bit darker though and has some pretty unexpected plot points (at least I did not expect them). It does lack a little of the believability that was so nice in The Time Traveler's Wife but maybe it's only me that has trouble with ghosts? That said, if you were a fan of the first book, you'll probably enjoy the second one as well. Niffenegger is, if nothing else, a very good storyteller and she draws you in to the book in a way that is more complete and engrossing than most novelists today.
(406 pages; 4.0 stars)
Book 45 - Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Some of you might be familiar with the musical Wicked - tells the story of the other witch in the Wizard of Oz, you know - the bad one. Well, it turns out that said musical is based on Maguire's novel of the same name. Wicked (the novel) follows the same general plot line as the musical (little green girl goes away to school, meets vapid blonde good witch, etc. etc.) but there are some vast differences between the two as well, mainly in its extremes. The novel is baser and naughtier but also darker in its themes and plot events. I wasn't sure about this one at the beginning but I really came to like it and was drawn into the story; it's very fantastical by nature and is true to a lot of the fantasy novel elements. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy readers!
(560 pages; 3.75 stars)
Book 46 - Drama City by George Pelecanos
For those of you who don't know, George Pelecanos was one of the writers behind thebesttvshowever The Wire. If you haven't watched it, stop reading my blog and go do that. But, assuming you have watched it, you're already familiar with gritty crime dramas and would probably dig Pelecanos' novel. Sure, it's not this year's literary masterpiece but it's a really entertaining read and perfect for travel. Pelecanos is clearly a fan of folks like Chandler and Marlowe and doesn't shy away from some good, old-fashioned, hard-boiled detectivedry. You can almost feel the gloom.
(304 pages; 3.25 stars)
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