Reading Roundup: September 2019
Family Trust by Kathy Wang
This book had an interesting premise and started out strong, but was disappointing in the end. The resolution to a few of the story lines never materialized, and I felt like the hype and drama around the main conflict wasn't warranted by the time it was resolved. I've read both the novels that this one keeps getting compare to (The Nest and Crazy Rich Asians) and thought they were both better-written and had more sympathetic, nuanced characters.
Peculiar Ground by Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Reading this as an e-book was a mistake, because the story jumps around to a number of different time periods and includes a large number of characters. It's too hard to browse back and forth on a Kindle, and I know I lost track of a few things. The slow-moving nature of the story didn't help either--although I'm sure the author knows how everything fits together and what the theme of the story is, it was too subtle and the end of the book was a let-down.
The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain's Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War by Aaron Shulman
My attention was captured by this book when it came across my desk at work. It's been a while since I was in grad school and I haven't spent much time thinking about Spain, and especially Spanish literature since then (see my recent obsession with British mystery novels and television). However, this book was surprisingly readable and interesting, and I remembered much I had forgotten about the recent history of Spain. More importantly, I learned a lot about the tangled legacy of Spanish politics on current life and culture in that country. I really need to keep saving up so I can go back to visit soon.
Lovely War by Julie Berry
The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous (I love Berry's style) and I loved both of the romance story lines. I'm still not sure how I feel about the interludes with the Greek gods that serve as a framing device and I think the book could have worked without it. It's still a unique, beautiful book that I would recommend (it's listed as YA, but definitely reads older).
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Since this is a mystery by an Irish author, it's perhaps inevitable for me to compare it to Tana French's work. The writing is not as beautiful, there aren't as many subtle social commentaries woven into it, and the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning. Nevertheless, I liked the main character, felt that the plot was well-constructed and mysterious without resorting to narrative tricks, and have already requested the second book in the series from the library.
Freefall by Jessica Barry
The reviews I read of this book lead me to believe that it would be more unique than it is. None of the revelations in the book were surprising and the suspense relied too heavily on manipulation of the reader by the author. The main character's actions and motivations were also inconsistent throughout the book, and I never I understood her enough to feel invested in her survival.
My Story by Elizabeth Smart and Chris Stewart
I went on a weekend road trip and decided to check out an audio book, which is something I rarely do. I'd never read this memoir, despite living in Utah during Smart's kidnapping, and thought it might be interesting. The writing is fairly simplistic and can be repetitive, and I discovered that reading a book about rape and torture is a different proposition than listening to it for hours at a time. However, Smart reads the book herself and provides a lot of nuance in the way she tells her story. I think this book does not often get discussed as a major Mormon memoir, but perhaps it should.
Circe by Madeline Miller
I'd heard from more than one friend that they liked this book more than Song of Achilles. I wasn't sure I would feel the same way since I loved that book and think it's one of the best I read this year. This book was a little slow to get started, but in the end I couldn't put it down and I fell in love with it. I still recommend reading both books because they are good in different ways and tell different stories.
Movies
The Farewell
I think the best way to sum up this movie is "poignantly funny". Its comedy is based on the absurd turns that life can take, and is fairly subtle. Although it features a protagonist who is also a bit of an outsider, a move that can make things more accessible for viewers, it is still very 'foreign' and never tries to pretend it's not. At the same time, its themes about family, love, and memory are universal and never fall back on easy cliches for resolution. I think this is one of the best movies I've seen this year.
The Secret Garden
This was one of my favorite movies as a teenager, so it was gratifying to watch it with the kids and to not only still love it, but to see them fall in love with it as well. I recently finished reading the book out loud to P.B. and she enjoyed comparing the book to movie (there are a few small choices that I don't love, but generally the acting, cinematography, costuming, and other details are all just perfect).
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Another movie that I haven't seen for at least twenty years. I had forgotten how many great actors were involved in it--the cast and the script are really the strongest parts of the movie. It's quite a lot of fun to watch and the two hours fly by.
This book had an interesting premise and started out strong, but was disappointing in the end. The resolution to a few of the story lines never materialized, and I felt like the hype and drama around the main conflict wasn't warranted by the time it was resolved. I've read both the novels that this one keeps getting compare to (The Nest and Crazy Rich Asians) and thought they were both better-written and had more sympathetic, nuanced characters.
Peculiar Ground by Lucy Hughes-Hallett
Reading this as an e-book was a mistake, because the story jumps around to a number of different time periods and includes a large number of characters. It's too hard to browse back and forth on a Kindle, and I know I lost track of a few things. The slow-moving nature of the story didn't help either--although I'm sure the author knows how everything fits together and what the theme of the story is, it was too subtle and the end of the book was a let-down.
The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain's Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War by Aaron Shulman
My attention was captured by this book when it came across my desk at work. It's been a while since I was in grad school and I haven't spent much time thinking about Spain, and especially Spanish literature since then (see my recent obsession with British mystery novels and television). However, this book was surprisingly readable and interesting, and I remembered much I had forgotten about the recent history of Spain. More importantly, I learned a lot about the tangled legacy of Spanish politics on current life and culture in that country. I really need to keep saving up so I can go back to visit soon.
Lovely War by Julie Berry
The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous (I love Berry's style) and I loved both of the romance story lines. I'm still not sure how I feel about the interludes with the Greek gods that serve as a framing device and I think the book could have worked without it. It's still a unique, beautiful book that I would recommend (it's listed as YA, but definitely reads older).
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Since this is a mystery by an Irish author, it's perhaps inevitable for me to compare it to Tana French's work. The writing is not as beautiful, there aren't as many subtle social commentaries woven into it, and the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning. Nevertheless, I liked the main character, felt that the plot was well-constructed and mysterious without resorting to narrative tricks, and have already requested the second book in the series from the library.
Freefall by Jessica Barry
The reviews I read of this book lead me to believe that it would be more unique than it is. None of the revelations in the book were surprising and the suspense relied too heavily on manipulation of the reader by the author. The main character's actions and motivations were also inconsistent throughout the book, and I never I understood her enough to feel invested in her survival.
My Story by Elizabeth Smart and Chris Stewart
I went on a weekend road trip and decided to check out an audio book, which is something I rarely do. I'd never read this memoir, despite living in Utah during Smart's kidnapping, and thought it might be interesting. The writing is fairly simplistic and can be repetitive, and I discovered that reading a book about rape and torture is a different proposition than listening to it for hours at a time. However, Smart reads the book herself and provides a lot of nuance in the way she tells her story. I think this book does not often get discussed as a major Mormon memoir, but perhaps it should.
Circe by Madeline Miller
I'd heard from more than one friend that they liked this book more than Song of Achilles. I wasn't sure I would feel the same way since I loved that book and think it's one of the best I read this year. This book was a little slow to get started, but in the end I couldn't put it down and I fell in love with it. I still recommend reading both books because they are good in different ways and tell different stories.
Movies
The Farewell
I think the best way to sum up this movie is "poignantly funny". Its comedy is based on the absurd turns that life can take, and is fairly subtle. Although it features a protagonist who is also a bit of an outsider, a move that can make things more accessible for viewers, it is still very 'foreign' and never tries to pretend it's not. At the same time, its themes about family, love, and memory are universal and never fall back on easy cliches for resolution. I think this is one of the best movies I've seen this year.
The Secret Garden
This was one of my favorite movies as a teenager, so it was gratifying to watch it with the kids and to not only still love it, but to see them fall in love with it as well. I recently finished reading the book out loud to P.B. and she enjoyed comparing the book to movie (there are a few small choices that I don't love, but generally the acting, cinematography, costuming, and other details are all just perfect).
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Another movie that I haven't seen for at least twenty years. I had forgotten how many great actors were involved in it--the cast and the script are really the strongest parts of the movie. It's quite a lot of fun to watch and the two hours fly by.
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