Currently Reading
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - I haven't been completely manipulated by a book like this in quite a long time. Lou has been laid off and needs a job. Will is a quadriplegic in need of a caretaker. You can see where this goes, I'm sure. For a very predictable story, I found myself nearly sobbing at the end of it. Total emotional manipulation, Jojo Moyes! Me Before You is well written, well-executed, and will probably be turned into an incredibly sappy movie.
Room by Emma Donoghue - Jack is five years old. He and Ma live in Room. It is real, not like the things on Television, those are pretend. Old Nick visits them at night, but Jack hides in Wardrobe. Annoyed yet? While I liked the story, having a five-year-old narrator was incredibly frustrating. Jack and his mother live in a very small room. Jack was born in the room and it's the only place he knows. Without spoiling anything, what would have been the most interesting part of the story for me, doesn't exist in this book.
The Fever by Megan Abbott - After reading Dare Me, I knew I needed more Megan Abbott in my life. She's dark, observant, and incredibly smart. The Fever follows the Nash family - father Tom, brother Eli, and sister Deenie, as a bizarre illness (or is it?) begins to affect girls at the local high school. Deenie sees her friends each succumb to it, unaware of why this is happening to them and not to her. Abbott captures the fear associated with being a teenage girl, with raising a teenage girl, with interacting with a teenage girl. It's the perfect combination of mystery and subtle social commentary.
The Pick-up by Nadine Gordimer - Have you ever picked up a book, excited to dive into it, only to realize that you've read it before? That happened to me here, less than a page in. Regardless, I decided to re-read it anyway, because it's wonderful. As I already know the story (star-crossed lovers in a strange land), I've been paying more attention to the writing, which is impeccable. Gordimer captures people I've never known and places I've never been, making them feel familiar and personal. Beautiful, tragic, and brilliant.
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