A fresh new year! I've been reading a lot of different books, but not finishing or enjoying as many as I would like. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, technically my first read of the year, was an exception, but I started that in December. I hope that changes soon. I've got books checked out of the library for four different book clubs, and some of these are books I've wanted to read for years. Of course, as soon as I have them in my possession, I'm less keen. I feel like I should finish the books I'm already reading, or I don't want to start them in case I don't like them as much as I thought I would. Here's to better reading months for the rest of the year!
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Book club read)--Loved it--I love everything McBride writes--but it was fun to read a book by him with more Jewish characters, and I love how he understands exactly how each ethnic group in this story is oppressed in a different way. It was also fun to get to share him with my book club!
- Hooked by M.C. Frank--I started reading because it's a Peter Pan retelling but I should have stopped as soon as I realized it was Peter Pan MINUS the fantasy. It takes away all the fun and leaves a sad tale about abused children that's lightened a little bit by the central Peter/Wendy romance but really an unnecessarily heavy read imo.
- Twinkle by Allie Lasky--I was looking for Hanukkah romance and found this absolutely bonkers "instant family" tale (she's pregnant and has to live with him because *reasons*) but it's really Jewish, sweet, and fun, and fit the bill for a light Hanukkah romance. High spice.
- The Dreidel Do-Over by Amanda Usen--Again, we have a high-spice, pretty bonkers, awesome Jewish rep, Hanukkah romance--former sleepaway camp buds turned lovers, lots of tasty Jewish food, and yes, strip dreidel.
- Spark by Allie Lasky--More Hanukkah romance, this one also has autism rep and high spice.
- Second Star to the Left by Megan Van Dyke--Captain Hook/Tinkerbell romance--I love how she rewrites this world (with LOTS of magic and fantasy). And yes, high spice.
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi--I wanted to like this more than I did. The time travel concept is cool, and the characters were interesting, but I didn't feel particularly connected to them.
- Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (Another book club read)--This annoyed me a lot as I was reading it, mostly because I felt like I wasn't learning anything new--the author has obviously read a lot of the same books as me, and I felt like he was trying to retell The Great Gatsby with a dash of Hemingway and maybe some Dickens, in a slightly feminist way. He's a good writer but I just didn't feel super connected to the characters. However, because it was so rich in allusion and symbolism, and begs a lot of questions about the characters' motivations and what the book is saying about wealth or social climbing (my best guess is it's saying there's a right way and a wrong way to do it, and apparently sex work crosses a line?), there was a lot to discuss with the book club. I like my alternative plot where I originally thought the protagonist was a Russian spy a lot better (as did my book club!).
- A Kingdom of Deceit and Desire by Leslie O'Sullivan (LibraryThing review)--This is a very spicy romantasy based on Celtic mythology, and I tend to like everything from City Owl Press, which is why I apply to review a lot of their books. This one just didn't hold my attention as much as I wanted it to, and I can't totally put my finger on why...I think it was a little too long and I probably should have started with the first book.
Comments
I am sorry your reading isn't going as well as you'd hoped. I've given up on a couple of books so far this year, and I am happier for doing so.