Watcha Reading in October/November

[Andrew, Wound Up]

Yo. I like reading books! How about you?

I cheated and got a few days jumpstart on our book of the month, loving it so far. Last month I had picked back up A Dance With Dragons and I'm making pretty good progress towards the end.

[Patty]

Still working on Gone Girl really enjoying it. Been a busy month. Soon as I am done I will be getting into Shine Shine Shine. I also would like to start Sharp Objects this month, or Girl she used to be.

[Maria]

Andrew, I just read your post regarding being able to use Chris's iPad. That's pretty rad! Anyway, maybe now I can get Shine, Shine, Shine.
I just finished Tuesday's with Morrie. I can't put my finger on why, but I thought the narrator/author was kind of annoying. I loved the story anyway. It made/allowed me think, reflect, and maybe even grieve a bit.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

@Maria: I know I read Tuesdays years ago and it bothered me... I don't recall why anymore.

Finally finished Dance with Dragons. I was going to take a breather before Sparrows Blade but I'm feeling like I should just hop in right now. Off I go.

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

I have FINALLY finished A Dance With Dragons , it was quite a long journey. I am feeling a bit conflicted about the book upon completion. I definitely have favorite characters (Bran, Arya, Tyrion) that I didn't get to see enough of. I think the plot climaxes were exceptionally high, but the majority of the story line and several of the characters were just not as interesting to me this time around. I am also wondering what has happened to Rickon, he seems to have completely disappeared. During the last Jon Snow chapter I was convinced that George R.R. Martin should re-name the series "The End of the Starks". When all is said and done, Martin has a knack for ending on cliff-hangers and making you want the next book. The ending was indeed full of intrigue and excitement.

I have started Shine Shine Shine and am still unsure about it. I am witholding judgement until I am further in.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

A few days ago I started Stranger Things Happen and also The Twelve.

Stranger is a short story collection. I wasn't impressed with the first story but after that it just kept getting better and better. The stories are filled with an eerie supernaturality that is all the more surprising because the very natural drama and heartache consistently overshadows it.

The Twelve is the 2nd part of Justin Cronin's trilogy that started with The Passage. It is an epic vampire apocalypse story... kind of. I had mixed feelings about The Passage and early on in The Twelve I am also unsure. The characters are reminiscent of those found at the beginning of The Stand. I'm not sure that's a compliment.

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

During our Montana road trip, I listened to The Undomestic Goddess on CD. The narrator had an adorable British accent and the plot was light and quite funny. I thought the interplay between the heroine and her love interest was a bit overdone during the end of the book. Overall, I liked the main character, her new employers and especially her mentor in all things domestic.

Right before vacation, in addition to picking up books on CD, I picked up some used V.C. Andrews paperbacks. I started and finished Garden of Shadows. I had recently been speaking with a co-worker about reading this series when I was quite young and recalling that I thought the content would have been inappropriate for my age at the time. Well...recollection confirmed. Although not the most scandalous book I have ever read, I imagine I should not have been reading this series as a pre-teen. That being said, I intend to read the rest of the series, much to Andrew's chagrin. Although my beloved described my book choice as "trashy", there were definitely several nights I stayed up well past my bedtime reading this particular story.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

I finished The Twelve and liked it less than the first book (my review text.

My reading schedule is flipped all about since I signed up for a bunch of Kindle books from the library and they've been coming in spurts. I finished Murakami's short story collection The Elephant Vanishes and really enjoyed it. I have a hard time appreciating short stories vs. full novels. Murakami specifically sets up such amazing settings that I think they need a bit more space to be realized.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

I read Alif the Unseen and loved it. Here is my review text:

Alif is a tense bustle of an adventure that doesn't stop to explain itself to the reader. As a reader unfamiliar with the culture, religion, and even many of the words that build this story I felt an intensity in the plot that would have been diluted if Wilson had tried to guide me gently to understanding.

The main character, Alif, is a 23 year old hacker in a Middle Eastern state rumbling with discontent. What starts as a somewhat familiar plot involving computers and relationship troubles soon turns into a whirlwind both unfamiliar and exciting. Wilson does a praiseworthy job of maintaining a taut pace while delving into philosophical discussions which are wide ranging and wrought with modern complexities.

Alif shows not just a changing world, but illustrates how those changes impact its characters. The writing is sharp and consistent; it captures a viewpoint which felt fresh. Alif offers a perspective that mixes his faith with his technical knowhow, he muses: Computers are like angels – they’re built to obey commands. If you give them too much interpretive leeway they get confused.

Whether you are most interested in the technology, the religion, the backdrop of the Arab Spring, or just a superb story – you won’t be disappointed. If man’s capacity for the fantastic took up as much of his imagination as his capacity for cruelty, the worlds, seen and unseen, might be very different. G. Willow Wilson is doing a wonderful job of putting her imagination to good use, I will definitely be reading her next book.

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

I finished The Sparrow's Bladeand it took quite a bit of effort to complete. It was definitely a marathon and not a sprint for me. In fact, I felt a bit like Harold Fry plodding along at a very slow pace getting a little bit read every day : ) It is an action book, so it really should have gone quicker, but the plot was convoluted and the writing somewhat disjointed. The action bits were over-the-top but there were moments of beautiful nature descriptors and Kenneth R. Lewis does have a knack for vocabulary. Time and again, I found my favorite quotes in this book were related to nature/landscape.

I started The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry yesterday and am about 1/3 through. I am SO relieved this book is moving along quickly. I was getting very worried that I may fall very behind on our book club syallabus. I am really enjoying the book so far and can't wait to hear more about Harold's adventures.

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

I finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It was a very enjoyable, quick read. This was also one of the easiest books for me to post about in our book club so far (maybe I am just getting better with practice). I really enjoyed participating in Andrew's bonus this month.

I finished The Flat Belly Fix: Your Pain Free Flat Belly Solution. It was a very short book with some good tips and sound advice. Body awareness, how your body should be functioning and how to re-align and strengthen your core were some of the best reminders contained in the text.

I discovered while reading the past 2 books that there are single words that appeal to me in every section. I think I am going to start adding "favorite words in a book section" in my book club posts.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

One last post here for me... can't believe December is so close! I finished Stranger Things Happen and really liked it. I gave it 5 stars because there were some absolutely superbly creepy stories. Most of the stories have a supernatural theme and a haunting eeriness to them. I must note that my least favorite story was the first one, it almost tainted my feelings for the whole collection.

Over my weekend I started and finished The Sense of an Ending. I was very hopeful for most of the book but the whole plot hinged on the reveal at the ending which was simply too clouded for my taste. I've loved many books with unreliable narrators... Ending took this trope too far for my taste. I know I'm "missing the point" in a way.

I won't mention the December book selections here (I cheated and started early so I could have questions ready for everyone else). I have paused in Grossbart and picked up The Sisters Brothers. They complement each other in many ways and I'm glad to be reading them together.

See ya'll in December!