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February 05, 2008
Books I Read While Avoiding You
New Total: 139
The Keep
by Jennifer Egan
My Thoughts: Amazon.com calls this book "deliciously creepy" and I can't think of a better term. I was hooked from the beginning, wondering "who is this narrator?" and "am I going to be able to sleep tonight?". While it turned out not to be a nail biter in the classic Stephen King sense, it was strewn with atmosphere in a way that made my room positively quiver when I put the book down. Lovely, lovely.
Rebecca's Tale
by Sally Beauman
My Thoughts: Here's the gist: "April 1951. It has been twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the hauntingly beautiful first wife of Maxim de Winter, and twenty years since Manderley, the de Winter family's estate, was destroyed by fire. But Rebecca's tale is just beginning." I loved Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier) and wasn't sure if I would enjoy a retelling of the cult classic--but I did! Reading this not-quite-detective-story was like a hot bath, a guilty pleasure that's nothing to be ashamed of. It made me want to go back and revisit the original to compare notes. I wish we had done both books in tandem for book club--there was much to discuss.
Saving the World
by Julia Alvarez
My Thoughts: I've read several of Julia Alvarez's books before and thought they were "eh". More like something we would be assigned to read in high school, rather than something I would pick up on my own. This was no exception. I liked the *idea* of a twin story about women seeking to link their personal identities with something larger than themselves, but in too many places it felt strained and contrived.
Jesusland: A Memoir
by Julia Scheeres
My Thoughts: For a memoir about being a sexually abused teenager in a strict evangelical family in Indiana (plus the added drama of having a black adopted brother), I thought Jesusland was incredibly funny, albeit in a dark and depressing way. I wish there had been more at the end about how her parents dealt with the book (her siblings are apparently supportive)--I was left with an unfinished feeling.
