More Books I've Read

About every five books or so that I manage to get under my belt I find myself back here in this space doing yet another re-cap post. I know books aren't everyone's cup of tea (even my own sister told me she skips these posts) and so I hope you don't mind. But I like doing them, and I hope some of you dear readers out there like following along too. I know I enjoy and appreciate getting good book recommendations and so for now, I'm going to keep on throwing in my two cents. So without further ado, I'd like to call this post the "follow up" edition. That's where I read a bunch of books written by authors of other books I really liked hoping to find another gem. As one might expect, some succeeded while others did not. I could also just go ahead and call this the "meh..." edition if you're looking for brevity.

Let's start with The Goldfinch, shall we? (***MINOR SPOILER ALERTS BELOW SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION***) This is Donna Tartt's very much anticipated third book. This guy was pretty good if I had to sum it up in two words, but I don't exactly think it lived up to all the hype. It wasn't life altering or anything like that and I wouldn't consider it a new favorite, but it was pretty good. I liked the story and although I spent most of the book forehead slapping myself over Theo's character and his endless succession of bad decisions I still found it to be compelling overall. I couldn't believe how much I found myself liking Boris's character by the end of the book as I was sure he was going to end up throwing Theo under the bus once and for all. But to my surprise, he never did. Their relationship story line really pleased me after all was said and done and ended up being one of my favorite things about the book. What did disappoint me though was Theo and Pippa's storyline. It just seemed to me that after so much importance was put on their relationship in the beginning of the book that when they just kind of fizzled out in the end it was kind of a bummer. But maybe that's just me. Did you guys read it? What was your take? People seem to be all over the board loving or hating this one so I'd love to hear some other opinions.  

Remember last time I posted about books and I mentioned how much I loved Gayle Forman's book, If I Stay? Well, this is the sequel to that little hunk of fictional heart break and it was everything I'd hoped it would be! I wasn't sure at first where it was headed and I desperately wanted a happy ending for the two main characters. Like, no matter how unrealistic or sappy it had to be, I wanted my happy ending, dammit.  They DESERVED it, nay,  I DESERVED IT.  But  as I started to read things seemed to be going downhill really fast and I was just sure it was going to be a depressing bummer of an ending and I was stressing out hardcore over it. But then, at the very last minute everything turned around and BAM! happy freaking ending after all. I was sobbing. Like starts with a little lip quiver and before you know it you're shaking and hiccupping and having a whole moment. It tore my little heart into shreds just like the first one did in the best possible way. These books are SO good and I heartily endorse giving them a read when you're in the mood for a good cry.

Now this book on the other hand, was such a disappointment. I mean I hate to say it because I really, really liked The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and I was so hoping for more of the same here. But it didn't happen and this book just fell flat on it's face. It was also just really confusing. Like, what even happened? What was the point? There are all these semi-interwoven stories and I still don't really get how they all connect or what the take away from the whole thing was supposed to be. I thought I was just totally missing it and when I was done reading I started frantically googling "What happened in Great House" and "The plot of Great House" hoping someone smarter than me could break it down into a simple summary and maybe I'd have an a-ha moment where it would finally all come together for me. But, as it turns out, no one really gets it. So there was some relief in knowing it wasn't just me, but also a lot of annoyance that there were really so many loose ends left untied.

This was another "meh" moment for me. After I'd read Middlesex by Eugenides I was super interested in what else this guy had to offer. Middlesex was epic and strange and left me pondering it days after I'd finished. It was just so completely unique and it stuck with me for so long after I'd put it down that I was just sure this book would be killer. But alas, The Marriage Plot was pretty boring in comparison. And maybe that's my problem because they are two such completely different books that it's probably unfair to compare them at all. This was basically the story of three college students set in the early to mid 1980's who are stuck in a love triangle and trying to find their way out. Throw in a little mental illness for good measure and there you have it. Nothing shocking happens. No crazy twists or turns. Just a little story about a confusing mix of young romances and how they eventually all worked it out. It was ok. It was no Middlesex.

Now this one was actually pretty good. But again, so many people had recommended it to me saying how much they absolutely LOVED it that I probably went in expecting too much. I really liked it, I did. It was a very touching story about how one family comes to terms with a new and confusing  epidemic ravaging the nation in the 1980's. The epidemic, of course, being AIDS. The book chronicles how this disease comes into their lives and affects each one of them deeply and profoundly and very, very differently. I'd recommend it. Is it the best book I've ever read? Nah, but it's pretty darn good and well worth your time.

And because apparently I really like to cry I'm currently reading A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. And just like the Kite Runner before it, this book is working it's way through my insides slowly ripping me apart piece by ever loving piece. I'm only half way through, but dude does not disappoint. This one will be a keeper - I can already tell. 

So what about you guys? Anything good on the Kindle these days? As always, please share!

xoxo