A Visit from the Goon Squad- Jennifer Egan

I’m still not totally sure what to say about this book. Told in many different ways and weaving through the lives of interconnecting people, I definitely like the concept. From chapter to chapter you’re never sure how the book is going to be narrated. Ranging from a fairly random 50-75 pages worth of charts telling a story, to a typical third person point of view, the novel jumps all over the place, but it works. I was marginally concerned about halfway through that I was looking at another book that I never was going to connect with, something that made big promises but didn’t deliver. Well, I’m still not sure it lives up to the reviews it’s getting on Amazon, but at least I can say that I enjoyed this one more than Tiger’s Wife. And it was definitely more thought provoking.

I’m trying to come up with a good way to summarize the plot, but the truth is, there isn’t really one. I can’t seem to come up with much. Essentially every chapter is about a different person, at different points in their lives, always with some character overlap. Half of the fun is trying to figure out how everyone connects, and when in their lives they crossed paths. That might be the whole point, actually, because for me this never came into a book that seemed like a cohesive novel. And, like I said, it sort of works.

I think I was expecting the whole time for everything to just magically come together in the end though. Maybe that was too easy. The way it did end up finishing felt disjointed and a little odd. Like the author just got tired of writing. And in past entries I’ve probably covered that I like a good plot that keeps the pages turning and ends well, so this didn’t exactly satisfy. But having said that, it was a nice change. I think if I was in the right mood, I would have enjoyed this more. Instead, I realized about halfway through that I was ready to move on.

3- solid and interesting, especially in writing style, but nothing I need to read again.

Next up: A Song of Ice and Fire, first book in the Game of Thrones series, which I am somewhat shocked to have never read before.

Dead Reckoning- Charlaine Harris

I sat here and stared at a blank word document while trying to think of something semi-intelligent to say about this book. I mean, what do you really say about the 11th book in a wildly popular series about telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her multiple dealings with fantastical beings like fairies, vampires, and werewolves? I guess all I can really say is that after 11 books I got what I was expecting: entertainment with a side of a relatively good mystery.

The Sookie Stackhouse books are the source material for the HBO series True Blood, which should also clue you into what you’re getting. In almost every book Sookie finds herself in life threatening situations, mostly due to her involvement with a vampire, and this one is no different.

Dead Reckoning begins with a bombing at the bar where Sookie works. But that’s not really the basis of the story, as we find out who was behind that relatively quickly, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to any regular reader of the series. The real conflict is semi-political, a power struggle between two vampires that hate each other, make life difficult for each other, and plot each other’s deaths consistently throughout the book. And surprise, surprise, Sookie ends up in the middle of it.

3- Again, what can I say? This book is fairly mindless entertainment, a fun read for a fantasy/mystery/thriller reader. I liked it, but like most series that have gone on this long, it’s a solid three. I’m still reading the series because I like them, I’m invested in the characters, and they’re fun, but I’m not feeling any strong need to read them again.

Next up- another Amazon recommendation, A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

Cutting for Stone- Abraham Verghese

Reading through Cutting for Stone, I wished multiple times that I had bought it. I might still do it. In my opinion, Cutting for Stone is not a book that you read in one sitting. It’s a sprawling literary novel that spans 50+ years and the lifetime of the narrator, Marion Stone. It took me awhile to read, but in this case that should say nothing for how much I enjoyed it.

Marion Stone is brought into this world with his conjoined twin at a small hospital in Africa. His father, surgeon Thomas Stone, who did not know the twins’ mother was pregnant, retreats immediately upon their birth, while their mother, a nun, dies. The twins, conjoined by a “fleshy tube” at the head are separated, but they share a connection throughout their lives. They are raised by two doctors at the African hospital, and from here, we read about Marion’s life, his childhood in Africa, internship in New York, and onward.

I highly recommend this book. I cannot in good faith really call it as a whole a page turner, because there were very few moments in the narrative where I felt that I absolutely must keep reading. However, in this case that is not a bad thing. The prose is beautiful, the relationships realistic, and characters extremely relatable. I feel as though I genuinely care about Marion Praise Stone and his family. And that is the mark of a truly fantastic writer.

At the beginning I admit that I was concerned that this would be another Tiger’s Wife, it was very slow starting, but as I got more and more into the book, I found myself invested in the story, in the relationships in Marion’s life, and how he would proceed after each event and coincidence occurs. Halfway through I was legitimately impressed, and at the end I was riveted. That ending. The last 75-100 pages of this book are where it becomes a page turner. I want someone else to read this if only so I have someone to talk with about the ending. I feel like to even make a statement like that is a bit of a spoiler, so I won’t elaborate. But seriously, read this.

5- I can say with confidence that the next time I need a few extra dollars to push me into Amazon’s free shipping bracket, this book will be added to my cart.

Next up: some fun/ slightly embarrassing reading with the latest in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series (the book series True Blood is based off of), Dead Reckoning

Favorites- Thrillers

Next up on my favorites tour? Thrillers. I have to admit that I’ve read about a million of these in my life, and rarely do I find one that I don’t like. However, there are also a lot that I liked but couldn’t tell you right now what they were about, or what the plot was, so obviously they haven’t stuck with me. In no particular order, following are the ones that did:

1. 

1st to Die, by James Patterson- I can’t praise this book enough. James Patterson, before he became an author that churns out a book a second (or something like that), was a really impressive writer. 1st to Die is the first in the women’s murder club series, which revolves around Detective Lindsay Boxer and her friends: Claire Washburn, the city coroner, Cindy Thomas, a reporter, and Jill Bernhardt, the assistant district attorney, who work together to solve serial murder cases. In this book, someone is killing newlyweds. Alternating between Lindsay and the murderer’s perspectives, 1st to Die is an extremely captivating thriller with a personable side, thanks to the extremely well written characters. As of now, Patterson is on his 10th in this series, but has since picked up a co-writer, and has lost what I find to be significant quality in the books. I highly recommend the first three at the very least. Honorable mentions from James Patterson include: the first few Alex Cross books, Beach Road, and the more recent Michael Bennett series. In my opinion, his writing has gone significantly downhill in the past few years (most likely with the addition of co-writers that I suspect are really just writing books based on his ideas), but most of his early novels are equally as engrossing as this one.

2. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson- I’m sure everyone has heard enough about these books without me needing to explain the back story, but for those living under a rock the past few years, these books were written by a Swedish author that has since died, and have provided the story for a few excellent Swedish films (possibly the only foreign films I genuinely enjoy), and an upcoming American remake. Lisabeth Salander is the girl in the title, who is easily one of the most interesting characters in any book I have ever read. Secretive and dangerous, Lisabeth helps Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, to discover what has happened to the niece of a very wealthy man in Dragon Tattoo. Admittedly, Blomkvist is the one to play a larger role in this book. Played with Fire is the sequel, and is definitely the better read, where Lisabeth is falsely accused of murder, which she frantically tries to solve throughout the book. The third book is not very good at all, so once again I am recommending only the first two books of a trilogy. In my opinion, the third book is much too wordy, boring, and should have been better edited after the death of the author.

3. 

The Firm, by John Grisham- This is another one that I’m sure almost everyone has heard of, however it was one of the first thrillers that I read and loved. Since then I have read nearly everything by John Grisham, with varying degrees of enjoyment. The Firm is my favorite. Mitch McDeere is a lawyer at a very lucrative job in a law firm, when he realizes that there is something definitely wrong with the company he is working for. From then on, it becomes a constant struggle between being set for life, doing the right thing, and trying to stay alive.

4. 

Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane- Another book made into a popular movie. The main character, Teddy Daniels, and his partner are called to Shutter Island, a hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Ridiculously creepy and nonetheless a major page turner, all things are not what they seem, as we are lead through Teddy’s life and back story while he investigates the disappearance. Lehane is also the author of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone, equally excellent thrillers that have since been made into movies.

5. 

The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton- though I never really got into most of Crichton’s more popular books (Jurassic Park, Congo, etc), Andromeda Strain is one that has really stuck with me since I read it in high school. The book revolves around a threat to humankind in the form of a biophysical strain of a virus/bacteria. Apparently I need to do a reread soon, because that about covers what I remember of it! Just trust me on this, one thing that I do remember is that it was riveting!

Honorable mentions: Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, David Baldacci’s Camel Club series, and everything I’ve ever read from Harlan Coben.