Reading Roundup: June 2018
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
I had just finished a rather disappointing book set among privileged New Yorkers, and for some reason decided it was time to read another one. Thankfully this one was a much better story, with more interesting characters and a well-paced plot. I didn't want to say goodbye to this family when the book ended.
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
There were some things I liked about this book; for example, the setting of El Paso was unique, as was the way it tied together elements of Germany in the 1940s with contemporary questions about immigration and border control. The plot was sometimes hard to follow, however, and took a while to really get going, but the details in the book made me want to go find a German bakery so I can eat some treats.
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
I've read enough of Bohjalian's books to know that they always have big twists at the end, and this book was no exception to the rule. However, in some ways it was too much of a surprise and had not been anticipated in anyway, somewhat ruining the book for me.
Let's Take the Long Way Home: a Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell
Although this memoir was written by someone whose life is very different from mine, I still loved reading it. I also didn't realize until I neared the end of the book that I had read Caldwell's previous memoir about her childhood. She is a strong writer and skilled at portraying little moments of insight that add up to big lessons.
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
It took a while to get into this book, because the opening scene was abrupt, and the chapters alternated between time periods. However, as I got to know the characters and began to figure out how everything fit together, I really loved this book. It's a beautiful story about family and love, and a great vacation read.
Today Will be Different by Maria Semple
This book was a fun little diversion for a plane ride, although I didn't like it as much as Semple's previous book. I couldn't decide whether the main character was endearing or irritating, but she definitely was a mess. As long as I didn't think too much about the potential real-world consequences of her behavior, it was fun to be along for the ride.
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
I grabbed this off the new book cart and read it quickly, but it really wasn't that great. The plot was a bit of a mess--there's a point where the attempt to build suspense by leaving things out just leads to confusion on the part of the reader. This book crosses the line from suspenseful to simply difficult, and by the end I was glad to leave it behind.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This is the fourth time I've read this book, and I have discovered that I like it more each time. There are still some things I find problematic about the story, but the character of Jane has grown on me with each re-reading, and the writing is exquisite.
A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
I love mysteries, and I love British books, so I thought I'd try reading George to see if I liked her books. However, I've found that I don't always like series with recurring characters because they tend to be too formulaic. This book was a good read and had quite a few twists and turns that I did not predict; I think I'll try another of her books to see if I want to keep going with the series.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
For book club this month we were reading translated works, and since I've never read this I thought I would give it a try. I thought there were some good points in it that I might in use, but in general it felt like there was a fairly big cultural disconnect between some of her recommendations and life in America.
Movies
Cinderella
We watched this movie while on vacation, and while I didn't love it as much as I did the first time, I still think it's my favorite of all the live-action Disney remakes so far.
Ponyo
This was another re-watch, since P.Bibby and Little Dude didn't remember it from the first time we saw it. They both totally loved it this time around, and I was reminded of how much I love the way Miyazaki makes movies that are truly about children.
I had just finished a rather disappointing book set among privileged New Yorkers, and for some reason decided it was time to read another one. Thankfully this one was a much better story, with more interesting characters and a well-paced plot. I didn't want to say goodbye to this family when the book ended.
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
There were some things I liked about this book; for example, the setting of El Paso was unique, as was the way it tied together elements of Germany in the 1940s with contemporary questions about immigration and border control. The plot was sometimes hard to follow, however, and took a while to really get going, but the details in the book made me want to go find a German bakery so I can eat some treats.
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
I've read enough of Bohjalian's books to know that they always have big twists at the end, and this book was no exception to the rule. However, in some ways it was too much of a surprise and had not been anticipated in anyway, somewhat ruining the book for me.
Let's Take the Long Way Home: a Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell
Although this memoir was written by someone whose life is very different from mine, I still loved reading it. I also didn't realize until I neared the end of the book that I had read Caldwell's previous memoir about her childhood. She is a strong writer and skilled at portraying little moments of insight that add up to big lessons.
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
It took a while to get into this book, because the opening scene was abrupt, and the chapters alternated between time periods. However, as I got to know the characters and began to figure out how everything fit together, I really loved this book. It's a beautiful story about family and love, and a great vacation read.
Today Will be Different by Maria Semple
This book was a fun little diversion for a plane ride, although I didn't like it as much as Semple's previous book. I couldn't decide whether the main character was endearing or irritating, but she definitely was a mess. As long as I didn't think too much about the potential real-world consequences of her behavior, it was fun to be along for the ride.
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
I grabbed this off the new book cart and read it quickly, but it really wasn't that great. The plot was a bit of a mess--there's a point where the attempt to build suspense by leaving things out just leads to confusion on the part of the reader. This book crosses the line from suspenseful to simply difficult, and by the end I was glad to leave it behind.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This is the fourth time I've read this book, and I have discovered that I like it more each time. There are still some things I find problematic about the story, but the character of Jane has grown on me with each re-reading, and the writing is exquisite.
A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George
I love mysteries, and I love British books, so I thought I'd try reading George to see if I liked her books. However, I've found that I don't always like series with recurring characters because they tend to be too formulaic. This book was a good read and had quite a few twists and turns that I did not predict; I think I'll try another of her books to see if I want to keep going with the series.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
For book club this month we were reading translated works, and since I've never read this I thought I would give it a try. I thought there were some good points in it that I might in use, but in general it felt like there was a fairly big cultural disconnect between some of her recommendations and life in America.
Movies
Cinderella
We watched this movie while on vacation, and while I didn't love it as much as I did the first time, I still think it's my favorite of all the live-action Disney remakes so far.
Ponyo
This was another re-watch, since P.Bibby and Little Dude didn't remember it from the first time we saw it. They both totally loved it this time around, and I was reminded of how much I love the way Miyazaki makes movies that are truly about children.
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