Go Set a Watchman: a brief review

taken from Goodreads.com

The world just about shut down this summer when Harper Lee's previously unheard of second novel was released. As a big To Kill a Mockingbird fan, I was obviously excited....but also a little skeptical about some of the circumstances surrounding the release (it just didn't make a lot of sense, did it?). I didn't want to rush out and buy it, but borrowing it from the library sounded good. An audiobook read by Reese Witherspoon didn't hurt either. My verdict: it's good! I enjoyed it a lot. (For the record, I wasn't really skeptical about whether it would be good, just whether Lee really wanted it released after all these years when she's in her 90s.) It was a little different at the beginning because so many characters have changed and/or are gone, but overall I really did like it. I also appreciated the interesting discussions about race...although there was a huge uproar when it first came out because "Atticus is a racist!", I think I tried to come into the book with open eyes, and what I saw was a legitimate and difficult look at race. I don't think any of the characters come out at the end perfect, and no one side is absolutely right. I think Lee did a great job of showing that there's more than one view to the topic, and that everyone has a different reason for feeling the way they do. I might still have doubts about its publication, but I can say that I recommend the read.

And the Mountains Echoed: a brief review

taken from barnesandnoble.com

Several years ago, I read Hosseini's The Kite Runner, and enjoyed it as much as the next guy (or slightly less, maybe; I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my absolute favorite). But then more recently I listened to the audiobook version of his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and loved it to pieces. I was excited, obviously, to snatch his third book, And the Mountains Echoed, on audiobook too. But I had to restart this book four separate times because I was so confused. I will say, though, that I think this is only because I was listening to it on audiobook while trying to cook dinner and keep dogs out of the kitchen and appease my screaming one-year-old who was clinging to my leg. This book has lots of different characters and lots of different story lines (that do connect to each other) and lots of different places/times in history. There's a fair amount to pay attention to, but once I was able to focus and make sure I was working hard to keep everything straight, it started getting a lot easier to remember all those connections. And then I fell in love with this book. It is brilliantly beautiful, and the web Hosseini weaves of family generations, relationships, and consequences is perfect. I loved this book...I think I do still love A Thousand Splendid Suns slightly more, but I really loved this book. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and full of redemption. So one more time I'll say it: read Hosseini's books.

Twofer: Killing Kennedy and The Rosie Effect

taken from Goodreads.com

I've heard great things about this book (and O'Reilly's other, similar book Killing Lincoln) for several years now, and I've always wanted to listen to them. Thanks to the beauty of library audiobooks, I now know why everyone loves them so much. I really enjoyed O'Reilly's (and Dugard's) writing style, which made the complicated interpersonal and historical details roll off the pages like a casual conversation. I think the fact that the audiobook was narrated by Bill himself helped. I feel like I learned quite a bit, too, about all the major players in the Kennedys' story; I really enjoyed that he included so many details about all of the people who crossed paths with and/or had anything to do with JFK, rather than sticking just to JFK himself. I really enjoyed it, and I'm excited to listen to Killing Lincoln soon.

taken from Goodreads.com

I read Simsion's first Rosie book, The Rosie Project, at the beginning of the year and loved it. I loved the protagonist's unique voice (adult genetics professor who also lives somewhere on the autism spectrum), as well as the plot (adult genetics professor who also lives somewhere on the autism spectrum has formally decided that it's time to find a wife, and creates a detailed survey that he hands out to as many women as he can). This sequel, though...eh. I didn't love it. Most of it I didn't even like all that much. I loved a lot of the new characters and their relationships with Don, and I enjoyed the ending a lot, but most of the beginning and middle just made me mad. Rosie's all-powerful, alpha woman attitude is not my favorite (putting it mildly), and I hated how she handled her frustrations with Don. To be fair, he would be hard to be married to...but she did marry him. And decide to get pregnant with him. So that kind of seems like her fault, not Don's. That being said, I did love the first one and will definitely still recommend it.

The Martian: a brief review

taken from Goodreads.com

Our Book Club picks are on fire the last couple months. Holy cow...good book. Good, good book. I realize most people know this already, not necessarily because they've read the book but because they've seen the new movie starring Matt Damon, but you should all read the book anyway. It's really good. I was a little skeptical going in because I am not even a little bit scientific minded, and even proofreading JT's papers for school - about space - is sometimes a challenge for me. I wasn't sure how a book written entirely about space and scientific solutions would stay on my limited level, but Weir wrote it in a very accessible way. He figured out how to incorporate all the science and space and NASA protocol in a way that wasn't too far above the average reader's head. It didn't hurt that the protagonist was hilarious. So incredibly hilarious. I was also skeptical when my good friend Kelly said that it was one of the best books she's ever read...but I get it now. I think I'd have to agree.

No Country for Old Men: a brief review

taken from Goodreads.com

I saw this movie years ago and really enjoyed it, so when I heard someone mention the book on a podcast I figured I should check that out at some point. And I wasn't disappointed. Not by the book itself, (writing was incredible, characters were super interesting, social commentaries were spot on even though it's a couple decades old and takes place a couple decades before that) and not by the audiobook (which boasts an incredible reader). I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to watch the movie again. I also can't wait to look into McCarthy's other books.