Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Reading, lately

I was on a bad streak at the beginning of this latest batch. It's my fault, since I was short on time and just haphazardly choosing books and throwing them in my library cart but it was still discouraging.

Fit2Fat2Fit - I can't help it, I'm a sucker for weight loss stories, even though I sort of hate myself for it. This one is particularly terrible. Health obsessed guy (seriously, you will hear ALL about how amazingly healthy he was compared to the rest of us slobs) decides to purposely gain weight so that he can then lose it and have more perspective. It's about as bad as you'd expect it to be. I really wanted to deny that I'd read this (you guys, there are NUMBERS replacing words in the title) but I'm trying to be honest here.

Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality - I love, love, love behind the scenes stories. I want to know what's happening in restaurant kitchens, on reality TV sets (sadly, I haven't found a memoir about how reality TV series are produced, but the second someone writes one I will read it), everything. Unfortunately, the author of this particular memoir is almost unbearable. I managed to get through it by telling myself that he was a character (and maybe it was? that would be clever) and it distanced me just enough from his supreme doucheyness that I could tear through it. I did love the insider info.

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder - I DIDN'T FINISH THIS BOOK! That's all in caps because I literally can't remember the last time I didn't finish a book. I'm a chronic finisher, even if I have to groan the whole way through. I think I was exhausted with annoying male narrators after the last two books and I just couldn't handle one more. I got 25% through and decided to call it quits. I checked it out because the premise sounded interesting (building strength through adversity, if I boil it way, way down), but by the time I'd finished the introduction I felt I'd already heard every single point the author had. Maybe an essay would have been better? Or maybe he gets to new and revelatory information right at the 26% mark and I gave up too soon? I'll never know.

Criminal - I love the Karin Slaughter series and this is the latest one my library had with Will Trent. If you love brutal, twisty serial killer novels, you'll want to read this series from the beginning. But I mean brutal. If you aren't on board with disturbing images, you should stay far away.

MaddAddam - Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors and I particularly love her dystopian novels. Not only do I have a soft spot for apocalypse literature (survival stories!) but it's just so clear she enjoys writing this series. That said, I didn't love this third book as much as the other two. Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood are a little more solid.

Happier at Home - I read the Happiness Project a while ago (and thought I posted about it, but I can't find it?) and found it mildly interesting. I liked this one less. I have only the usual criticisms - it just reads as self-absorbed, privileged and overly obsessive. The big question is why did I read it, knowing that it would be?

Why is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality - I try to read all of Jared Diamond's books, since anyone who can get the general public interested in science is a winner for me. This is a really quick, light read and I enjoyed it. It's not as in-depth as Guns, Germs and Steel, but I think that's just the subject matter.

Swamplandia! - I was won over by the title on this one. It's the story of a family of alligator wrestlers running an amusement park on an island in the everglades. I think I was expecting a rollicking mapcap novel, which it is at times. But it also gets weirder and darker than I expected. When I finished it I wasn't entirely sure if I loved it, but I do think it's worth a read.

The Cutting Season - A mystery set on an old plantation, with elements in both the past and the present. I thought the writing was a little bit like your standard cozy mystery (i.e. not really literature). This was just okay for me. There is some suspense but it didn't grab me the way I expected.

The Snowman - I'm not sure why I continue to attempt to read so many Scandinavian crime novels when they are almost never my cup of tea. They tend to be so low key as to border on somnolent (feel free to hit me and/or disagree violently - there are millions of people who adore this particular subgenre so I know I'm in the minority here). This one started off slooooowly and I almost quit at 15% but if you can push through to 20% things get much more exciting.

When Will There Be Good News? - This was a re-read for me but I loved it just as much the second time. Kate Atkinson weaves together several different plot lines and keeps all her characters right on point. It's a mystery, but first and foremost a novel. Her dry humor kills me.

I'm currently re-reading The Twelve because I need to re-stock my Kindle. If you're looking for a saga about America after the vampirepocalypse, start with The Passage and read on through. I'm dying for the third one to come out even if the writing occasionally gets bogged down a bit with some overly fanciful phrases.


27 comments:

  1. The behind the scenes memoir on reality TV? You are on to something! I would totally read it, too!
    Swamplandia sounds...interesting, to put it lightly.
    Thanks for the list!

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    1. Yes, I want one! I always wonder if the reason we don't see them is because they make everyone sign crazy non-disclosure agreements? That must be the explanation. It's clearly not that the people on the shows are concerned about privacy.

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    2. I think you could do it (see my comment below) but you'd have to be prepared to never work in the industry again.

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    3. So what you're saying is this would be the perfect situation for an extremely anonymous blog ...

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  2. Bummer-I look forward to your reviews to restock my Kindle. At least I know what to stay away from. Maybe I will re-read Amelia Peabody-love that series.

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    1. Yeah, it wasn't a great run. I think I need to do more research this time around, but I just haven't had the time! Boo.

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  3. Andy Cohen's memoir, "Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture," is the closest I've found to get behind the reality TV show scenes. It's probably not exactly what you're looking for (because I've been looking for the same thing) but the second half of the book talks about the beginnings of Bravo and the Real Housewives Franchise which I found interesting. I really enjoy your book recommendations and can always find my next great book here, so thank you!

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    1. I might have to check that one out! Although D would probably divorce me, because he has a major hatred of Andy Cohen (something about him being smug? I can't remember).

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    2. I'M WITH D

      Just the *previews* of the Andy Cohen bullshit talk show with ppl sitting around drinking cocktails make me shout at the tv.

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  4. I love your reading lists. I've put Guns Germs and Steel on my wishlist.
    Recently I read The Good House and really liked it (fiction) and Hungry (memoir of chef cooking for frat house, was OK) and Blood, Bones and Butter (chef memoir-- loved it).

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    1. LOVED Blood, Bones and Butter. I'll have to look into The Good House because I haven't heard of it. Thanks!

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  5. Did you see me on Twitter a couple of weeks ago beg people for their favorite post-apocalyptic survival stories? THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. (But I also love the serial killer stories. And the occasional regency romance when I am super, super, super stressed. (I read two last weekend after my son's severe asthma attack.) You know this. We have nearly identical tastes in books.)

    Let me know if you need the Goodreads list I found that lists the best post-apocalyptic novels of all time. I'm currently reading Blindness by Jose Saramago.

    OMG. O_O

    I'm horrified in that way I know you can appreciate.

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    1. I've been completely off Twitter lately - just no time! Hoping I can peek back in soon.

      It is the best genre!!! I'm going to check out your list and I'm going to see if my library has Blindness. "Horrified by humanity" is apparently the effect I look for in novels!

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  6. Parenthetical typo! THE SHAME. It burns.

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  7. Hi Rachel, I've been reading for awhile but am coming out of hiding to comment on The Snowman! Was that your first Jo Nesbo mystery? I'm reading my way through all of them and I found that I preferred the first one translated to English - The Redbreast, as well as The Redeemer, which comes right before The Snowman. Those two are still dramatic but a bit less creepy and gruesome.

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    1. It was my first! And I did like it, I was just slow to warm up (and yes, the ending was a little intense!).

      I'm going to go hunt for the two you recommend! So often with mystery series I find the first couple are the best. I just stumbled on this one, and didn't have time to go back and see what order the series goes in. Thank you for the rec!

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  8. I have a friend who's been in reality tv casting for YEARS and has so much dirt. she kept saying she was going to write a tell-all, but so far no dice....

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  9. You may have commented on this before and I missed it, but here goes: Do you recommend starting with Case Histories? I see that the Kate Atkinson book you recommended is considered #3. I just read Life After Life (umm, wow?) and would definitely be keen to read more of her work. I know you've commented before regarding other detective series on whether or not to start from the beginning, but I cannot recall if you did with Jackson Brodie.

    (Does this comment even make any sense? We were just doing some cleaning in the office and I feel like I have maybe breathed in too many fumes from cleaning wipes!)

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    1. I did read them in order but in this particular series it doesn't make a huge difference. I think it's Case Histories, One Good Turn and then this one. They are really, really good. I love a novel that's also a mystery.

      If you read them in order some of the backstory regarding Jackson's life is more in context, but I don't think there are any huge reveals. (But it has been a while since I read the first two! Must go back and re-read soon)

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  10. technically the twelve was the third of the three library books i had to read for my 101 in 1001 list, but i skipped over it and wrote about another book because i thought my usually-fairly-oblique book comments would be even more confusing if i tried to write about the second book in a trilogy. anyway, i recently read it as well, and i liked it, i think! they stopped talking about "littles," which was a key gripe of mine, and i thought the redeyes were an interesting direction. that section reminded me of suzanne collins, a bit? i confess i didn't completely follow what happened with amy and wolgast, and i am angry about amy's cat, but i feel pretty OK about the series to date.

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    1. I'm on my second re-read and I STILL don't really understand the Wolgast bit towards the end. I mean, I think I finally understand *what* happened, but since there's absolutely zero explanation of *how* it happened I'm confused. I'm crossing my fingers that all will be revealed in book 3 (and it won't just be a big plot hole).

      I was slightly concerned about some of the actual writing in this installment. I think I had at least two occasions where I got a little eye-roll-ey. But the plot is pretty solid, and I'm a sucker for plot. And I can see how the end of the world might inspire some grandiose phrasing.

      This is not a series for animals, for sure. They are few and far between, but it always ends badly for them.

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  11. Swamplandia! was more about writing style than content for me, although having studied some complicated Native American legal issues in Florida, I found that interesting as well. But her writing style is so fresh and inventive compared to some other bestsellers that are more straightforward.

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    1. Yes, the writing was haunting! I think the book just ended up being a little *too* haunting for me. I'm glad I read it.

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  12. Have you (or anyone here) read The Name of the Rose? It's a murder mystery but also supposed to be much more than that. I'm thinking about checking it out for the holidays, but I might also look for some easy reads.

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    1. Yes! Well...part of it. Perhaps 15%. It's a classic, to be sure, but the beginning is so dull that I can't get past it. I've tried to read it a few times now. It's a tale about libraries and control over information, and demonstrates how people can become obsessed with the idea of "censorship" to the point of madness. I am sure it is wonderful..but I haven't summoned the determination to read it!

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    2. I loved the movie as a kid (looking back - I'm not really sure if it's kid appropriate but oh well) but I've never read the book and I actually pulled it off the shelf earlier in the week! I keep thinking about going for it but I have to agree that the few times I've tried to start it I've decided to drop it for something easier. My brain has gotten lazy.

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  13. i love your reading lists. we have different tastes in books but it really helps me reach out of my comfort zone.

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