This month's reading was not great. I got bogged down in some very long and not so good books which made me not feel like reading them which really hurt my book production. I almost never give up on a book, and this year I've now done it twice! Here are the reviews:
The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong - fiction - three stars - This one had so much hype to it, and I was really disappointed. Probably closer to two and a half stars rounded up. Hai, a nineteen year old is about to jump from a bridge, when Granzina, a widow who is starting to slide into dementia sees him and stops him. Hai moves in with Granzina and they help each other. Everyone in this book is dysfunctional. It's hard to find someone that you truly like, I suppose Granzina came the closest for me. But it was the relationships that saved the book for me. That there were decent relationships and people could still help each other despite all their dysfunction. Still, it was a long book, and there were a lot of parts where I really struggled to get through it. Not sure I would have picked it up if I knew what was in store.
In the Time of Five Pumpkins (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #26) - Alexander McCall Smith - detective - four stars - Another solid Mma Ramotswe story, this time investigating a couple whose stories don't align, as well as a man who has befriended Mr. JLB Matekoni. I always enjoy these books, they don't immediately grab your attention, or demand you finish them in one sitting. It's more like a conversation, finding out what's going on with an old friend. I appreciate the character of Mma Ramotswe, and she never disappoints.
Hot Wax - M. L. Rio - fiction - two stars - Another disappointing book. Reading the description, I thought this might be along the lines of Daisy Jones and the Six, and it was not. Suzanne's father, Gil, a famous rocker has just died. He leaves her his old car and a bunch of stuff, and she is now planning to drive across the country to find his partner to figure out what happened. Along the way, she meets up with a couple and they travel together. The story bounces between the present, and the last summer she really spent with her dad which ended in disaster. The general plot would be OK if it were not for the fact that present Suzanne is wholly unlikeable. Also, you throw in the fact that she has left her husband who is apparently a lunatic (this part o the storyline was entirely superfluous and frankly somewhat ridiculous). Just a hot mess of a book that I kept thinking would get better and never did.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - Kiran Desai - fiction - one star - Did not finish. It used to be that I would never not finish a book. I'd stick it out to the end even if I wasn't enjoying it, but this is now the second book this year where I did not finish. I guess in my middle age I've decided it's not worth wasting precious reading time with a loser of a book anymore. I was honestly surprised about this one, it's gotten all sorts of rave reviews from people, but I just hated it. It's described as an epic tale of love about two immigrants. The book is over 600 pages, which I honestly don't mind, I love long books, but after slogging through 200 pages with no redeeming character in sight, and where the two protagonists have not yet even met, I gave up. Not worth the time, and too many characters I just hated.
Exiles - Mason Coile - science fiction - five stars - This was a fast-paced read that kept you guessing. The human colonists reach Mars. They are the first humans sent to live there, although there was an advance team of three robots sent beforehand to construct and set up their home. When they get there, the base is in disarray, one of the robots is missing, the other two seem to be hiding something. I thought this was realy interesting, and it kept me guessing. Lots of twists, and very few of them did I see coming. Will definitely try more from this author.
A Murder for Miss Hortense - Mel Pennant - detective - four stars - Three and a half stars rounded up. Miss Hortense is a retired nurse who was once part of a community 'Pardner' which is a community based savings/lending arrangement common in Jamaica. Everyone puts in a certain amount of money, and they pass that amount around to different people over the course of time...they are essenetially borrowing against one another's funds. Years ago, Miss Hortense was part of this group, they did a lot for their Jamaican community in England, purchasing a community center and such. There was a falling out, and she left the Pardner, but now the murder of a Pardner member has drawn her back into the circle, and she starts to investigate. It did take me a while to get used to the Jamaican slang/conversation in the book, but it was interesting. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and a number of twists, but overall a decent first book from this author. There is a sequel in the works that I will definitely check out.
Obviously my last favorite this month was the Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and favorite was Exiles. Exiles was a good book, but in any normal month it would likely not have been my favorite for the month, this month was just bad. Hoping that I'll be able to end the year on a good note! What have you guys been reading?
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