The Absolutist by John Boyne

Historical homophobic gay romance. Egads. Another on the list of Irish authors I hope to never read again.

Kraken

I sometimes love China Mieville and occasionally imagine we are a couple. Kraken is middle ground. While I love the concept--and the story was interesting as it unfolded--and I love the characters and crazy knacks, the writing seems too dense to support the genre. Or something like that. And please don't use "lacunaed" in place of the word "vague," it really threw me off. Thanks.

Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son

What a great read. I loved this book. Loved how he tried to represent the full range of personalities of North Korea in one person. How the protagonist continued changing throughout the book and the style followed him. I also loved the humor (satire?) of the Dear Leader and how the author didn't shy away from the horrors of the government but didn't use those actions for shock value but rather as a tool to help understand the character development. Lovely writing and an all-around good read.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

So bad. So long. So boring. The only thing that got me through it was the act of skimming the last 300 pages. How could so many people love this book? Are they the same that loved Titanic and Avatar? Who are you people?

Elegy for April

John Banville writing as Benjamin Black in a thrill-less whodunit. Read 160 pages and finally gave up. Way too much thinking about nothing. Super boring...

Satori by Don Winslow

During my two week illness I read Don Winslow's newest, Satori. I'm a sucker for that fantasy of lone super smart, super skilled ninja warrior and did enjoy this summer treat. I liked the writing style of Savages better yet the comparison of the two shows the skills of the writer in presenting different characters in a language fitting their head.

Jo Nesbo The Snowman

What is up with the Norwegian/Danish/Swedish/whatever skill at writing all these gory, scary, super complicated detective stories? Loved it.

Sense of an Ending

Julian Barne's Man Booker winner is the book club selection for the month. I will preface my comments by saying I was quite ill when I read it with a sinus infection and probably high on a combination of self-medication and Amoxicilan--good times. Didn't love the book. I loved some of the symbols of the bridges and I think I recall windows or some kind of reflections (although that may be the disease talking). Didn't love the characters; had a hard time finding any type of empathy for their actions. It is a quirk of mine that I don't have a lot of patience for heterosexual relationships that struggle because of the difference in the sexes and blah blah blah. But ultimately what pointed my thumb down was the odd and completely unnecessary denouement. I don't need a book explained to me in the final chapter and if I do, the author has done a poor job of presenting the story.

The Mechanics of Homosexual Literature

I find literature and film much more interesting if the storyline is somewhat homosexual in nature. In London I found this book of short stories (which I typically don't love for various reasons) and bought it based on the title alone. Bonus points to the cover photo of a young boy with a bloody nose. Unfortunately it didn't even remotely live up to its hype. The bar is set so high for short stories that I feel you really have to hit a home run or don't bother. For depressing homo stories (which I LOVE) I'll stick with Adam Haslett's You Are Not A Stranger Here.

Dead Europe

I loved Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap. Found it so well written and engaging that I made an effort to find something else by the author. In London I found Dead Europe. The blurbs didn't excite me but his writing was pretty strong in The Slap so I gave it a shot. Wow. The book is long and crazy. I think I actually like the metaphor and what he was trying to accomplish but I think the sloppy porn quality of the story kind of sucked the life from it turning it into something bizarre and car-wreck instead of the powerful gut punch for which he was obviously aiming. I finished the book and would give it a hesitant thumbs up but not so much.

Ragnarok

I've been on a bit of a mythology kick and picked up Byatt's Ragnarok with hope for a great tale retold through the imagination of a child trying to escape reality. I have a strange relationship with Byatt. Our first time together was Possession and I loved it. Unfortunately everything since then has been less than satisfying. I liked Children's Book but found it over-written and un-necessarily long. Ragnarok is certainly not long but dense. Trying to parse the language and the names and places seemed to suck the life out of the story for me. Ultimately I left the book around the halfway mark. Sorry...

Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia

Book club is reading Millenium Approaches and I re-read both plays and was blown away (again) at how lovely the language and pacing is in these books. The theme of journey really resonated with me this time around. My group spends a lot of time exploring our archetypal experiences as gays/lesbians and I think Kushner really hit that in this story. The openly gay man, the closeted man just understanding his experience, the closeted self-loather, etc. I love the idea that even though America is a settled melting pot we continue to emigrate and evolve, bringing the old ways with us as we build new lives. I can only speak for the gay experience and confirm how true I found that. So glad to have re-discovered this piece of writing.

The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller's gay romance re-telling of the Achilles-Patroclus marriage was fascinating. I loved the story of the Trojan war seen through a totally different lens. I really bought this book because I occasionally like a bit of fluff but she actually succeeded on this one. I was a bit sad at the end that this was her first novel and there was nothing else to follow up with. I guess I'll have to go back to the original myths.

Lonely Christopher

Christopher's collection of stories titled The Mechanics of Homosexual Intercourse sounded interesting enough to get me to shell out cash money for a book. Short stories have to be pretty special for me and this collection just didn't do it. I liked the style somewhat but found it a little forced--it was noticeable enough to keep me from being completely engaged in the story. I love the depresso-stories and must say that Adam Haslett does it way better. Not sorry I read the book but it didn't satisfy much...

Tobias Hill's The Cryptographer

"A supremely elegant and ambiguous thriller" says the cover blurb. The back cover containing more of the same. And yet the 263 pages between was anything but. Wow. 175 pages of exposition just to lay the groundwork of the story. 75 pages of business and then 23 pages of actual story. Disappointing to say the least.

A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire

Book two went down as smoothly as the first. While over-written and chock full of uber detail, still enjoyable fantasy. Love the mix of recognizable human emotions with magic and fantasy. Not sure if he can capture the moment of birthing dragons in the fire but the shadow killers and the shapeshifters are pretty entertaining. While the books contain far too many characters (not sure how Martin kept them in his head) it's not too difficult to follow. Looking forward to book three...

The Tiger's Wife

Tea Obreht's debut novel was lauded as one of the great debut's and an instant classic. On most top 10 lists, etc. As a book club selection I made an effort to read it but ultimately failed. I picked up the book at least a dozen times and could get no more than 10 pages at a sitting. I found the foundation so tired and the stories uninteresting. Personally there were no characters I could connect with or care about. There are sooooo many books that start out with a young protagonist who can only explain their story by telling you how their grandparents met, fell in love, and spent their lives together building a family in war-torn [insert city]. Add this one to that list.

Headhunters by Jo Nesbo

I was impressed with the creative storytelling in this one. Even after reading the blurb on the jacket I was still surprised by the unfolding of events. I liked the prologue, letting the reader know something bad was coming, how the story leads to that event, and what occurs after. Pretty much read the whole book in one sitting and for pure entertaining plot-driven narrative this one hit the mark.

The Song of Ice and Fire: Book One

I'm enjoying series of books more and more lately and started the George RR Martin books at the suggestion of a few friends. I quite enjoyed book one. I loved the small personal storylines and how he took time to develop every character. Each person has a history and traumas and successes and loves and desires and scars. I also love the supernatural foreboding of the Others in the north woods. The trees with faces, the wolves, the magic. I get a bit distracted when the big storylines appear such as the battle scenes where each banner is described and all the players. And finally, the ending was spectacular making me wanting more immediately. I think there are enough faults to give me caution but certainly enough enjoyment to get me into Book Two.

Einstein's Dreams

was the book club selection for April. I normally love books with a strong structure but this book just didn't reach me. I love the idea of it and I think it is really clever and well-written but ultimately it felt lifeless. I compared it (as did someone else at the meeting) to Buddha in the Attic for the somewhat anonymous litany of events but the latter seemed so touching and meaningful. Dreams not so much.

Chaos Walking

Loved Patrick Ness's book one of the trilogy. Wow what a page turner. Smart and scary and surprising. So good. Can't wait for book two.

Atherton: the House of Power

Really didn't enjoy Patrick Carman's book about science gone wrong. The riff on Frankenstein was insulting from a book that wasnt all that engaging nor particularly smart ( in its talking down to e reader I guess assuming YA readers aren't smart?). Didn't care enough to continue to book two.

Umberto Eco's The Prague Cemetery

Couldn't finish it. The reviews all raved, they all said it was worth the investment, but after 65 pages I was still slogging through the (ultimately) tedious lists of prejudices and stereotypes. Funny at first but wow it got old. I'll catch you next time E.

Cutting For Stone

Loved it. Like early John Irving. Great characters living through fascinating times.

The Monuments Men

Robert Edsel's account of the military unit that protected monuments and art in WWII was fast-paced and pretty interesting. He provides enough details to give a good sense of what happened without getting bogged down. It's fascinating to read a new perspective on the war as well. Very enjoyable.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Lovely book about the mental process of an author I like. Totally related to the ups and downs of training and races. Almost (almost!) inspired me to run another marathon or even go swimming. Probably just inspired me to read another book by Murakami.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson

I approached this with some trepidation due to my love of some Stephenson and inability to access other of his novels, plus the length at 1,000+ pages is a bit daunting. As it turns out, this is a page-turning fast-paced story with a variety of characters that kept my interest until the very end. Stephenson takes the approach of putting characters in a situation, introducing the worse-case scenario, and figuring out how to move from there. Loved it. 

A Night Train by Moorehead

Book club selection I couldn't finish. Four chapters in and the sloppy punctuation ( translation?) and the lack of fact/intelligent thought had worn me down.

1Q84 Book Three

Finished! While not a great trilogy, I must say it is inventive and engaging. I enjoyed the whole ride. Like most books and films of the past two decades this could stand a bit of further editing and reduction but all-in-all very nice.

John Burnside's Black Cat Bone

Burnside's new collection of poetry is a powerful exploration of disappointment--a topic that somehow resonates with me. His work is accessible; each poem a small painting.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami Book 2

Like Book 1, I read Book 2 in one day. Love the continued fast-paced narrative. There is some repetitive descriptors and that is a complaint of most novels vs novella or short story (and worse for trilogies or series) but it didn't bother me. I'm holding on to Book 3 for a bit but may not be able to wait too long...

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Book 1 was so good! I love the fast-paced story and how it continues to invent itself in a creative and entertaining way. I know a lot of character development is personal in how one responds to the traits and this is a case where I reacted positively to the whole group. Thumbs up! Read book 1 in 1 day.

Night by Elie Wiesel

After sitting on my bookshelf for years I finally read this little memoir of a teenager's year in concentration camps. I love memoirs and this one didn't break any ground in 2012 (it may have when published) I did find some of the language beautiful. "never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust." I do however have a point of. Intention, something that bothers me a lot in writing: ignorant homophobia. One line says "there was considerable traffic in children among homosexuals [at the concentration camp]." really? Does he mean pedophile instead of homosexual? Possibly and possibly not. I keep an open mind yet would love to know. At any rate, I enjoyed the boom and am glad to pass it on.

Embassytown

Love China Miéville and this was another fascinating creation. His ability to build completely foreign worlds and populate them with recognizable yet alien characters always makes for a good read.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs created an engaging fantasy for the YA in all of us. It was kind of creepy, kind of funny and pretty creative. Would make a great film. Very visual.

The Night Eternal by Del Toro and Hogan

Book III of the trilogy. Only one way it can end and yet it was oh so satisfying...

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

Beautiful language. Nice coming of age story for a genre I typically dislike.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

So beautiful. So sad. So elegant. So poetic. Loved it.

Herman Melville Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Loved the writing and thought the book was amazing. It's odd how it kept my interest regardless of the amount of detail about whaling or any other topic. I actually liked how the narration continuously meandered and followed whatever train of thought was present. I especially loved the ending scene of the ship sinking with the hawk wrapped in the flag. Super glad I finally read this book.