Reading Roundup: December 2019
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
While there were some passages in this book that I loved, I felt like overall it wasn't as strong as some of Solnit's other writing. I love her way of drawing connections between so many disparate ideas and her skill in depicting small details that others might miss. Although I don't think this is my favorite of her books, Solnit is still one of my favorite writers.
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
This is a book that popped up on a lot of 'best of the decade' lists recently so I thought I'd give it a chance. To be honest, I kind of hated it for at least the first half of the book. The protagonist is prickly and reacts to things in ways I had difficulty understanding. However, as I persevered, things started to come together and I began to see how wrong I was about the assumptions I was making. This is a difficult book to describe, and a difficult book to read, but it really is worth the effort.
Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
I was expecting this book to be the kind of cozy family story with a bit of mystery thrown in that characterized the last book I read by Jackson. However, it quickly became apparent that this is a much darker book and the story had a number of unexpected twists to it. About halfway through the book I realized that I had to stay up late to finish it because it was impossible to put down. This isn't really being marketed as a thriller, but it's one of the best that I've read recently.
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
As I was reading this book, I kept feeling pulled out the story by the author's simplistic attitude that turned everything West into unquestioned good and everything East into unquestioned bad. Her family has a fascinating story and that helped me keep reading, but the book still felt like a bit of a slog. It also could have used more editing to focus the story on the family rather than generic history lessons that didn't need to be in there.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
It seems like many of the negative reviews of this book I've read are focused on the fact that it's more of a collection of related short stories than a novel. I think that's a fair point, and if you're expecting a more linear story you will be disappointed. However, I still think it's one of the best books I've read this year and I loved the whole thing.
Conviction by Denise Mina
This book felt like it was trying to be both a thriller and a wry commentary on social media in contemporary society, but it didn't quite succeed at either goal. Although set in Europe, it reminded me quite a lot of Never Have I Ever in its plot and themes (a mom with a quiet life is actually hiding a dark past, and must outsmart people who are threatening her and her family). I just don't think I like Mina's writing style, and probably won't read another book by her.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
I think I've been reading too many similar books lately. Or perhaps contemporary fiction is stuck in a bit of a rut (I think both these things are likely true). This book was a fun read, although it was uneven in pacing and in its depictions of characters. Some of them were very nuanced and changed in surprising ways, and other characters just felt like one-note cardboard cutouts.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
This book felt a lot like In a Dark, Dark Wood and it was surprisingly similar to three other books I read this month (how are all these ordinary women getting caught up in dark conspiracies?). Although I loved the setting and atmosphere of the story, the plot didn't make a lot of sense and the assumptions it was based on were too flimsy. I liked Ware's other books better.
Movies
Marriage Story
It's interesting to watch movies like this as a divorced person, since they are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. It feels weird to say you 'enjoy' a movie like this, but it is really a beautiful piece of art in which everything--acting, editing, music--works beautifully together.
The Santa Clause
I've never seen this movie despite hearing about it for years. The kids liked it, but I feel like it hasn't aged well. In fact, it was a little weird to watch this only a few days after watching Marriage Story since they are quite similar in theme (divorced parents fighting over what is best for a kid).
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson
I was in high school in California during the O.J. Simpson trial, so I've often felt like I knew quite a lot about it. However, it was interesting to reflect on it with the perspective of time and the life experiences I've had since then. The audience for this show understands exactly how the trial is going to end, and yet it's still possible to be optimistic for at least the first few episodes. Watching this made me reflect on the ways the trial changed our culture, and continues to influence the media in the U.S.
Klaus
The animation in this movie is gorgeous, almost enough to make up for the fairly predictable plot. I still found it fun and surprisingly moving.
Noelle
The kids talked me into watching this, and it was about as bad as I thought it would be. The movie's biggest problem is that the entire plot revolves around everyone in the film remaining ignorant of the most obvious solution, and that just makes it frustrating to watch.
Guardians of the Galaxy
My kids have been urging me to watch this movie for years but I always had other things I wanted to watch first. There were things I really liked about it and I mostly thought it was fun (I like the music and I liked the group dynamics of the Guardians), but I also felt pretty lost and had to look up a plot summary on Wikipedia to figure out what was going on. Perhaps I'll try the sequel next month and have a better idea of who's who.
While there were some passages in this book that I loved, I felt like overall it wasn't as strong as some of Solnit's other writing. I love her way of drawing connections between so many disparate ideas and her skill in depicting small details that others might miss. Although I don't think this is my favorite of her books, Solnit is still one of my favorite writers.
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
This is a book that popped up on a lot of 'best of the decade' lists recently so I thought I'd give it a chance. To be honest, I kind of hated it for at least the first half of the book. The protagonist is prickly and reacts to things in ways I had difficulty understanding. However, as I persevered, things started to come together and I began to see how wrong I was about the assumptions I was making. This is a difficult book to describe, and a difficult book to read, but it really is worth the effort.
Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
I was expecting this book to be the kind of cozy family story with a bit of mystery thrown in that characterized the last book I read by Jackson. However, it quickly became apparent that this is a much darker book and the story had a number of unexpected twists to it. About halfway through the book I realized that I had to stay up late to finish it because it was impossible to put down. This isn't really being marketed as a thriller, but it's one of the best that I've read recently.
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
As I was reading this book, I kept feeling pulled out the story by the author's simplistic attitude that turned everything West into unquestioned good and everything East into unquestioned bad. Her family has a fascinating story and that helped me keep reading, but the book still felt like a bit of a slog. It also could have used more editing to focus the story on the family rather than generic history lessons that didn't need to be in there.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
It seems like many of the negative reviews of this book I've read are focused on the fact that it's more of a collection of related short stories than a novel. I think that's a fair point, and if you're expecting a more linear story you will be disappointed. However, I still think it's one of the best books I've read this year and I loved the whole thing.
Conviction by Denise Mina
This book felt like it was trying to be both a thriller and a wry commentary on social media in contemporary society, but it didn't quite succeed at either goal. Although set in Europe, it reminded me quite a lot of Never Have I Ever in its plot and themes (a mom with a quiet life is actually hiding a dark past, and must outsmart people who are threatening her and her family). I just don't think I like Mina's writing style, and probably won't read another book by her.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
I think I've been reading too many similar books lately. Or perhaps contemporary fiction is stuck in a bit of a rut (I think both these things are likely true). This book was a fun read, although it was uneven in pacing and in its depictions of characters. Some of them were very nuanced and changed in surprising ways, and other characters just felt like one-note cardboard cutouts.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
This book felt a lot like In a Dark, Dark Wood and it was surprisingly similar to three other books I read this month (how are all these ordinary women getting caught up in dark conspiracies?). Although I loved the setting and atmosphere of the story, the plot didn't make a lot of sense and the assumptions it was based on were too flimsy. I liked Ware's other books better.
Movies
Marriage Story
It's interesting to watch movies like this as a divorced person, since they are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. It feels weird to say you 'enjoy' a movie like this, but it is really a beautiful piece of art in which everything--acting, editing, music--works beautifully together.
The Santa Clause
I've never seen this movie despite hearing about it for years. The kids liked it, but I feel like it hasn't aged well. In fact, it was a little weird to watch this only a few days after watching Marriage Story since they are quite similar in theme (divorced parents fighting over what is best for a kid).
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson
I was in high school in California during the O.J. Simpson trial, so I've often felt like I knew quite a lot about it. However, it was interesting to reflect on it with the perspective of time and the life experiences I've had since then. The audience for this show understands exactly how the trial is going to end, and yet it's still possible to be optimistic for at least the first few episodes. Watching this made me reflect on the ways the trial changed our culture, and continues to influence the media in the U.S.
Klaus
The animation in this movie is gorgeous, almost enough to make up for the fairly predictable plot. I still found it fun and surprisingly moving.
Noelle
The kids talked me into watching this, and it was about as bad as I thought it would be. The movie's biggest problem is that the entire plot revolves around everyone in the film remaining ignorant of the most obvious solution, and that just makes it frustrating to watch.
Guardians of the Galaxy
My kids have been urging me to watch this movie for years but I always had other things I wanted to watch first. There were things I really liked about it and I mostly thought it was fun (I like the music and I liked the group dynamics of the Guardians), but I also felt pretty lost and had to look up a plot summary on Wikipedia to figure out what was going on. Perhaps I'll try the sequel next month and have a better idea of who's who.
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