We Are Water by Wally Lamb I love this author and was so excited to see he had a new book out. It did not disappoint. I really loved the book from start to finish. This author has a way of telling a story within a story within a story... While I think there was a lot of detail to this book and possibly not all of it necessary to each character's growth, when I try to think of what to have edited out I'm just not sure.
The story is about a woman who after almost 30 years of marriage leaves her husband and is now getting married to another woman. We get to read the effects of this from her and his narration and also of their 3 adult children. While the novel begins with the weekend of their wedding, the book goes pretty far back in history to narrate the story at points and we also get a glimpse at the future by the end.
I loved reading about the ways the traumas of our childhoods and the mysteries of adulthood can come together in life. I had a couple issues with the ending few chapters of the book but I also can see why the author made the choices he made. Overall a great book with so many stories within the story and I can't wait for his next novel.
Lucky in the Corner by Carol Anshaw Not the best writing. Also some parts of this book were really unrealistic. This was a story about a young woman trying to navigate life in her early 20s. Lucky is her dog that has been her dog since childhood but is now nearing the end of his doggy years. The main character is living at home with her mother and her mother's partner after her parents divorced when she was in middle school. She is attending a local community college at which her mother teaches. She also finds solace in her uncle who is also a drag queen. Her father has remarried and has new children and she seems lost in the midst of all these grown ups who have changed so much in front of her. I really related to the basic plot of the story of the dog being with her for all these changes and what it meant to grieve the loss of the dog and find her way in the world. I wish the book had been stronger in some of the twists and turns it took and that the writing had been a bit better, but the concept sold me enough that I don't regret reading it at all.
Family Pictures by Jane Green Not so sure about this author anymore. Her books are good easy light reads but the descriptions portray more interesting plot lines then what actually happens. The story line ideas seem unique but never seem to come together quite the way they could to make the books stronger. The stories also then seem to turn in unexpected, but entirely unrealistic ways. This story was about two women each raising their children as almost single parents and the twist that brings them together. The man is leading a double life and very quickly the reader learns that the two woman share a husband/ father to their children. On it's own the plot line seems strong but the way the writer tells the story just didn't match what I was looking for.
The Most Wanted by Jacquelyn Mitchard I'm still torn on this book. I like the author and I think she is a strong writer but each of her books is just so different it's hard to get a read of who she is as an author. This was the story of a young girl in Texas who becomes pen pals with a prisoner which leads to an odd love affair. The story is told from the girl's perspective and with glimpses to the future thrown in as she looks back and shares her past story.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding Bridget Jones will always hold such a dear place in my heart. The first two books were so great. I was sad to learn (no spoiler here this is on the jacket) that Mark Darcy had died and now Bridget is a widow raising their two children in this book. I think it was a bold choice by the author to kill off the love of Bridget's life. The book was as funny as it was sad at first but in true Bridget Jones fashion she shows her bravery and her survival skills even in the most embarrassing or tragic situations.
The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure and The Kill Order by James Dashner Well this was an interesting series. The first book starts with the main character waking in a box and being lifted into a new environment. We follow him through his first few days in a complex community of young adults only and strange events that occur. As he learns about his new world even stranger things begin to happen and some of his companions begin to think he is the reason behind things though he has no memory of anything that happened before coming into the new environment. Through the series of all 4 books we learn that the earth had been through solar flares which has divided people into two categories. Those with what is called the Flare and those without. The characters are being put through challenges to determine the best outcome for those without the immunity to the flare disease. Basically another teen series about the future and how the need for the human race to continue on after some disaster or another. I liked the series enough and think it was really good at creating a visual picture of what was going on. The only part I disliked was the fourth book which was the prequel to the series. For whatever reason after racing through the first 3 books to see what would happen next, I just was not interested in the last one. It never really grabbed me the way the rest of the series did.
This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman Interesting concept for a book but ultimately somewhat forgettable. The story if of a family recently moved to a more wealthy part of New York City. The teenage son winds up in a social media sex scandal while the family is already going through the process of change from their big move. I think the concept of the story is going to become more and more relevant abut something about it fell a little flat for me.
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