Month: May 2014

On the List – May Edition

New month, more books. Here’s what’s on the list for May.

1. A Tale for the Time Being // Ruth Ozeki – I kept stumbling upon this book shortlisted for all these awards (like The Man Booker Prize). Finally bit the bullet and added it to the list.

2. Orphan Train // Christina Baker Kline – This was an NPR recommendation. OK, I’ll do it.

3. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun // Peter Godwin – Goodreads recommended it. Apparently I’ll take anyone’s recommendations these days.

4. The Skin Collector // Jeffery Deaver – The Lincoln Rhyme novels are some of my all-time fave thrillers. They really are that good, and smart.

5. A Visit from the Goon Squad // Jennifer Egan – So, I hated The Keep. I really did…ick. But, a girl friend of mine swears by this book and I promised I would pick it up. I think the time has come.

6. Eleanor & Park // Rainbow Rowell – This has been on my to-read list for a long time but with all the popularity of Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay…it seems to be buzzing again. I’ll just have to ignore her ridiculous name.

7. Geek Love // Katherine Dunn – Since I started reading Alice Hoffman’s new book, I was again reminded of this. I really don’t know how I missed it in the first place…everyone seems to have read it but me (and I hate that), so here we go.

8. The Weight of Blood // Laura McHugh – This was recommended for fans of Gillian Flynn…why not, huge fan of Gillian’s (but only Sharp-Objects and Dark-Places Gillian, not Gone-Girl Gillian).

9. Thrive // Arianna Huffington – I was lucky enough to hear Arianna speak at a recent Advertising Week event (who is surprisingly hilarious, btw). Looking forward to reading her book.

10. Cutting Teeth // Julie Fierro – A story about 30-something parents coming together for a beach-house vacation on Long Island. Hmmmm, although I typically shy away from anything having to involve young children, people keep talking about this debut novel. I’m a sucker for good book PR so what the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.

Wanna see what was on previous months’ lists?

THE APRIL LIST

THE FEBRUARY LIST

Book Club: May Edition

Book Club time, yay!

Next up: Museum of Extraordinary Things // Alice Hoffman (classy cover, huh?). I’ve never read anything by Alice Hoffman before, and to be honest, probably never would have. This book caught my eye when it first came out because the cover intrigued me, but I never would have picked it up…but that’s just reason #147 why I love book club (ok, it’s really more like reason #6).

I just started it and am already gobbling it up. Her writing is impeccable (I guess that’s why millions of people love her so much. I assumed it was because women of the late nineties loved cheesy movies about magic…and anything that starred these fabulous ladies). Not sure how much this will inspire great conversation at our book club meeting, but what the hell, it’s fun. And sometimes girls just want to have fun.

Last month: Advice to a Young Wife from an Old Mistress // Michael Drury

Last up was this little book that read more like a philosophical text than an eye-opening look at women’s sexuality in the sixties…and their presumed role in a marriage, the way I hoped it would. But…it really did make for an excellent book club meeting. We all had so much to talk about! For real. We talked more than we drank wine (sort of). We each had parts that didn’t sit well with us, we had passages underlined and dog-eared and we ultimately all had sections that totally resonated with us in our own relationships. Final verdict: it would have been a fascinating New Yorker article…not an entire book, even one as short as this.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

PREVIOUS BOOK CLUB POSTS:

Book Club: March Edition

Book Club: February Edition

Bestill My Heart, The Fault in Our Stars

I just finished reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson // John Green and was reminded just how much I love this man (John Green, not Will Grayson). If you’re a book lover than you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re not, than you should listen up. The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books ever written. Ever. Seriously. While it is a YA novel, I promise you that you will get over it. It is beautiful. It is smart, and you will cry. You will remember lines from it and reply them over and over again in your head. And you will love it.

Now that the movie is coming out, I made this assumption that everyone knew about this book. Everyone had read this book. Silly me. I needed to be reminded that I’m a total book nerd, and only total book nerds think everyone else in the universe loves books as much as they do. A co-worker asked me if I had read #TFIOS (yes I just used a hashtag in a sentence, I’m even rolling my eyes) and I had to stop myself from gaping wide-mouthed and bug-eyed…but of course I had! Not only did I own two copies (one signed first edition, thanks to my amazing husband), specially handmade a cover for a gift, used quotes from it at our wedding and have since read all of John Green’s other books…but of course I had heard of it!

I definitely was not the first person to discover this book, nor will I be the last, but it truly is magical. As I said in my Goodreads review back in May 2012, “Devoured in mere days, yet will live with me for years.”

I love you, The Fault in Our Stars.

Oh, and can I also say how much I love this poster designed by Lauren Schroer:

…and these book cover re-designs? So cute.

All I gotta say is the movie better be good.

What I’m Reading This Week – Chapter Six

This week I’m kind of eh about the book I’m reading. Don’t you hate that? I’m not going to give up on it because it comes from the most brilliant mind of John Green (and David Levithan). Yes, thee John Green. The incredible wordsmith of one of literature’s greatest book quotes ever…and probably only second to Nabokov in my book…but ya, it’s that guy. I’ve read all of Green’s other novels but for some reason hadn’t read this one, and a friend pointed it out to me the other day. Well, gosh darn, Will Grayson, Will Grayson // John Green was next on the list. The story follows two teen boys who paths unexpectedly cross and (probably) will change each other’s lives forever. Oh geez, I can’t believe those words just came out of my mouth…it sounds beyond cheesy. But you know what? This is YA, so it probably will be that cheesy. And I’ll love every minute of it.

Last week: The Leopard // Jo Nesbo (4 out of 5 stars)

I would have given this 4.5 stars if I could…oh, what the hell, I DO give it 4.5 stars. Probably my favorite Harry Hole novel yet. So sick and twisted I really didn’t see the end coming. The visuals were pretty amazing. I so wish some big Hollywood director would take on the challenge of making these into movies…if they even could. Although I always argue for starting at the beginning of a series, you could probably pick this one up first if you wanted to give him a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.