Reading List by Jennie for October through December 2017
Book Reviewsautobiography / Classic novella / Contemporary romance / Fairytale/fantasy / Hawaii / historical romance / History / Memoir / Reading lists / Scientology / Urban-Fantasy24 Comments
What Happened by Hillary Clinton
This was a long book and at times a painful one to read; there were things I didn’t want to relive but felt I should, for some reason. It’s a bit dry at times but it also contains a lot of interesting inside-politics stuff (which I love) and it’s often insightful and funny. Clinton also lays out clearly some of the issues – such as the !!!!!EMAILS!!!! that have been litigated to death but still may be confusing to some people. I really admire Clinton’s Methodist get-up-and-go attitude. She also talks about not giving into bitterness and cultivating a “discipline of gratitude,” which is something that really resonated with me. I gave What Happened an A-.
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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
I’d never read Gaiman before (I’m a picky and trepidatious fantasy reader). I picked up Neverwhere in the Daily Deals and I’m so glad I did. Richard is a young Scot working in London. On his way to an important dinner with his bitchy fiancee, he stops to help an injured young woman lying on the sidewalk. This sets in motion a series of events that quickly ruin Richard’s life – he becomes virtually invisible or unrecognizable to the people around him, essentially ceasing to exist in London proper. Richard sets out for London Below, hoping the find the Lady Door, the young woman he rescued. Door’s whole family has been murdered and she is on a quest to find out who killed them and why. Neverwhere is filled with unforgettable, vivid characters, heroes and villains and a few people who are a bit of both. Strange, beautifully told and very funny, this was an A- read for me.
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Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
I love Vowell’s writing – Assassination Vacation is my favorite. I’ve mentioned before that her section on the Oneidan community in 19th century New York is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read (“you know you’ve reached a new plateau of group mediocrity when even a Canadian is alarmed by your lack of individuality”). Somehow I hadn’t gotten around to this account of the discovery and eventual takeover of the Hawaiian islands by Europeans and Americans. It was funny and informative, but bogged down a bit in the last quarter for me. I think the inevitable denouement cast a bit of a pall over the ending; the behavior of the “civilizing forces” was so appalling and yet so damn familiar. Still, Vowell’s humor works for me (she references modern Hawaiian architecture: “…condominiums built in the post-1959 statehood architectural style I like to think of as A Very Brady Brutalism”). I’m giving this a B.
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Wrong by Jana Aston
I remember that I got this for free from the Daily Deals because it sounded like it had a lot of enthusiastic fans. Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. The story was entertaining enough, but the characterizations, the age difference and power difference and the dominance of the “hero” were all pretty off-putting for me. The heroine is a college student and barista who lusts after a handsome customer and then discovers he’s her new gynecologist. He later admits to her that he was turned on while giving her the exam, which was just too perverse for me. The ending read like an immature teenage girl’s fantasy HEA. I’m giving it a C for readability but the more I think about it the more I have a problem with a *lot* of the story.
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Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I liked Neverwhere so much I dipped right back in to Neil Gaiman’s writing with this, a different sort of fantasy. The hero, Tristan Thorn, lives in the English village of Wall (I think in the 19th century?). When he sees a falling star, he promises the girl he loves that he’ll retrieve it for her. Doing that requires traveling beyond the wall for which the village is named, into Faerie. There he encounters a number of strange folk, including a few who also want the fallen star and who are a lot more ruthless in trying to get it. Tristan also eventually discovers some truths about himself and his past that affect his quest in Faerie. Stardust didn’t have *quite* the resonance that Neverwhere did for me, but it was still very good; a B+. I need to track down the movie version, which I understand is well done. Now, which Gaiman to read next?
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In for a Penny by Rose Lerner
When this came up in the Daily Deals, I couldn’t remember if I’d read it or not. After reading the blurb I decided I hadn’t and scooped it up. I’ve liked the other 3 or 4 Rose Lerner titles I’ve read, so I was hopeful with In for a Penny, with good reason. I ended up liking it quite well. It starts with a hasty marriage of convenience between Cit heiress Penelope (nee Penny) and Lord Nevinstoke (Nev to is friends). He needs her money, and she impulsively agrees because she’s attracted to him and sick of waiting for her dull suitor to come around and decide he’s got enough money saved to marry her. Once married, and settled at Nev’s rundown family estate, internal (both the hero and heroine have insecurities to overcome) and external (the tenants have been ill-treated and are restless; his mother is rude to her) pressures threaten the couple’s burgeoning happiness. I really liked both Penny and Nev – he especially was an unusual sort of hero. He’s kind of a wastrel, but young enough that you can forgive him for it, and when he realizes he needs to step up to save his family after his father is killed in a duel, he takes his responsibility very seriously. There’s some satisfying melodrama regarding the hero’s cast-off mistress, but maybe I’m finally maturing in my tastes because I actually appreciated that the sturm und drang wasn’t overdone; the hero and heroine are too level-headed to allow for a Big Mis. The main villain was a bit over-the-top, but that was a minor quibble. My final grade for In for a Penny is a B+.
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Troublemaker by Leah Remini
I’ve long had a fascination with Scientology (and cults in general; I went through a phase of reading fundamentalist Mormon books a while back). The stories are often disturbing but the ways in which people get caught up in these groups and the justifications they must use to continue within them really interest me. Anyway, I’d read a least one Scientology memoir and have been watching Remini’s series on A&E here and there. She has an appealing personality and I’m not sure why I didn’t pick up her book before now, except that celebrity memoirs aren’t really my thing. Remini writes about her life in general but since Scientology was such a big part of that, from childhood, most of the book is about the church, her relationship with it and experiences within it. It didn’t cover any ground I hadn’t heard of or read already, but I gained a few insights anyway. For instance, I was aware that Scientologists are encouraged – even expected – to rat on each other by writing reports of any behavior they witness that is against the precepts of Scientology. But Remini frames it as being encouraged for the person’s own good – they can’t advance in Scientology if they aren’t behaving right, so you’re doing them a favor by letting the church know of their wrongdoings. Screwed up as that is, it explains how all the tattling hasn’t completely destroyed the group and its parishioners, as I would expect it might. There were times that I felt like Remini’s perspective on things just so happened to conveniently cast her in the best possible light – for instance, when she has an affair with a married man (who eventually becomes her husband) or when she questions the prominent role that Tom Cruise plays in the church. But overall, this was a worthwhile read, especially if you’re interested in Scientology and/or Hollywood. I gave it a B.
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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Because I’m a cheery person, I chose this as my last classic of the year (actually, I just wanted something short I could read before the year ended and start the new year with some big meaty classic that will probably take me until June 2018 to finish). It’s hard to say I *liked* it, because it was such a sad story, but I found The Metamorphosis quite moving. It wasn’t quite what I expected in that I anticipated something much more full of philosophical meandering and existential angst. It had the latter, but it was presented in a very…matter of fact way, I guess. For those unfamiliar with the story, The Metamorphosis features Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who works hard to support his parents and younger sister. He wakes one morning at home to find that he’s been transformed into a giant bug. A lot of the story, at least more than I was expecting, details the physical difficulties of Gregor’s new form – his attempts to move around his bedroom and deal with his changed body. The horror his family feels is delved into as well, and the reactions each family member has to Gregor’s state (his father’s is anger, his mother’s is grief, and his sister’s changes from pity and charity to resentment over the course of the story). Gregor’s own reaction is somewhat more muted; he tries to alleviate the burden he is placing on his family but his reaction to what’s befallen him is never entirely human; his mind is clearly changed as well as his body. His mind slowly deteriorates further as he tries to hold onto his humanity; Gregor attempts to communicate with his family but they can’t understand him, and in turn none of them seem to realize that he can still understand them (a detail I found especially poignant). Though the situation is absurd, it’s often dealt with in such a practical way that the absurdity feels muted. Instead, I felt true sadness at Gregor’s total alienation. The story reminded me a bit of Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener”; both deal with the alienation of a working man who hates his job and how they withdraw from the world (in very different ways!). I give this an A- and am glad I read it.
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I am trying to remember whether my love of Neil Gaiman started with “American Gods” or “Neverwhere”. Regardless, I have not read the book of his that I did not like yet.
I’ve read a few Gaimans, but Neverwhere has always been my favorite. There is a UK miniseries of it that is worth watching, if you can find it.
I am still listening to “What Happened” (it is LONG so I have been listening off and on for several months). I am enjoying the insights about how the political campaign process really works as well as Hillary’s wry outlook. Like you “I really admire Clinton’s Methodist get-up-and-go attitude. She also talks about not giving into bitterness and cultivating a “discipline of gratitude,” which is something that really resonated with me.” Generally I don’t care for authors reading their own material but I have liked this one.
You have convinced me to try Neil Gaiman with “Neverwhere”. :-) Thanks for your great list and recommendations.
“In For a Penny” was my first Rose Lerner read and it is still my favorite.
@Sirius: I wonder if I should try “American Gods” next?
@Sunita: Yes, I read that the miniseries actually preceded the book and Gaiman did the book because there was stuff he wanted to include in the writing of the miniseries and couldn’t.
@LeeF: I hope you like “Neverwhere” – I really found it magical.
I don’t usually do audiobooks but that might be a good way to go with Clinton’s book.
You’re brave to put yourself through What Happened. That’s one election I don’t want to relive.
I tried one Gaiman once (American Gods) but quit early on because it was pretty disturbing. How horror-ish is Neverwhere?
In for a Penny had a lot of good things going for it, but I couldn’t buy the HEA. Not because of the characters but because the whole book was a series of catastrophes befalling them. It was just hard to buy that they wouldn’t be dogged by bad luck after the book ended, too.
The Metamorphosis was part of my high school curriculum and for some reason I assumed that it was one of those books, like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Great Gatsby, that every high school student of a certain generation in the US had read. Now you’ve got me wondering what it would be like to revisit it as an adult!
I knew the basic premise of “The Metamorphosis,” but my god. That sounds so unutterably depressing I don’t know if I can ever read it. I mean I knew Kafka had a variety of issues and tended to work through them (…or not) in his stories, but that just sounds so BLEAK.
@Floating Lush: Well, it’s not fun. I guess I just liked it (if “like” is the right word) because it did affect me emotionally, which is something I seek in my reading. And it was short, so I wasn’t immersed in it for weeks or anything. I would recommend it, but only if one is in the right mood for something that is a bit of a gut-punch.
@Janine: I wouldn’t say Neverwhere is horror, but there is a fair amount of violence and there are two malevolent characters who stalk the main characters; they are pretty unpleasant.
I didn’t really question the HEA for In for the Penny, so I guess it convinced me? I think Lerner is good at balancing a realistic viewpoint with romance. I guess if I think too hard on the situation that the h/h face with their tenants, I can believe that things may get worse before they get better.
What did you think about Metamorphosis in high school, Janine? I don’t think I could’ve appreciated it as a teenager.
@Jennie:
It wasn’t my favorite–not exactly pleasant reading. I think I did grasp Kafka’s gift for contasting the extraordinary with the ordinary, something the best fantasy authors do, because our English teacher pointed it out. But on the whole, I was glad when we were done with it.
That’s why I wonder if I should revisit it–some books are totally wasted on high school students. I didn’t care for The Great Gatsby either at that age, and now it’s one of my favorite books.
Thanks for your list, Jennie.
I read The Metamorphosis in either HS or college and, while I didn’t despise it, it brought me no appreciation or enjoyment. It was simply a task to be completed. I should probably revisit some of those books I was “forced” to read when I was young and unformed, but I figure I’m too old and short on time and need to just move forward. (So, sorry, One Hundred Years of Solitude, you don’t merit another chance, either!)
And, since I’m being difficult today, I’ll confess that Gaiman is a writer that I want to enjoy more than I actually do. His writing is beautiful, no question, but I’m often left wanting something more from the experience when I’ve finished the book. (I don’t know if that makes sense.) There are a lot of writers that other people really enjoy, that just don’t sing to my heart. I finish their books and say, “Was that it?” I used to feel really bad when that happened, like I was at fault for not seeing whatever it was that others did. It’s taken awhile, but I’ve (mostly) gotten over feeling that way.
I picked up the Remini book on sale awhile back and do want to get around to reading it sometime in the near-ish future.
I picked up Wrong when it was a freebie too, and I’m damn glad I didn’t pay for it. Like the review, the doctor being “excited” while examining her and asking her about her history was just nasty! Even setting aside the ability to disconnect from the BS I had a hard time with the ending. It was like every cheesy Harlequin Presents ending minus any chance in hell and high on the WTF factor.
Gaiman’s Stardust and American Gods got me hooked on his books. I loved his non-fiction too, especially The View from the Cheap Seats. I don’t particularly love all of his books, but throughout each is a little pearl of wisdom that strikes a chord for me.
I realize I must have picked Wrong up a while ago also–the setup sounds incredibly skeevy though, and I’m quite hesitant to try. Ick. Thanks for the heads up, Jennie!
@Janine: The only book I remember *hating* from high school is The Old Man and the Sea, and I’m not that inclined to revisit it. I might try some other Hemingway at some point. The only other book I’ve read of his is A Moveable Feast, which I did like.
@Susan: Susan, I definitely have that experience with some authors (as you have with Gaiman). Sometimes it’s the issue of a “heart” read vs. a “head” read – there are books/authors where I can appreciate the skill but the story and characters don’t move me. It can be frustrating.
@Dani: I know what you mean about the ending to Wrong – it just got weirder and more inappropriate as it went on. And it was bad enough before (trying to avoid spoilers).
@flchen1: I mean, at least it’s readable! It’s just kind of icky. :-)
@Jennie: I never read The Old Man and the Sea but I did read The Sun Also Rises (Twice! Once in high school and once in my thirties) and A Farewell to Arms in a vain attempt to understand Hemingway’s appeal. Well, his prose style is quite strong, but these books were macho posturing. I got tired of the incessant drinking and bullfights (to say nothing of the antisemitism) in The Sun Also Rises, but it still appealed to me more than A Farewell to Arms. It’s been said before but it bears repeating—his female characters are stick figures.
@Janine: I have a (female) friend who likes Hemingway, so I guess I just feel like I should give him more chances.
I’ve read only *two* Gaiman books and both are children’s book: Coraline and The Graveyard Book which were both excellent if you like those sort of stories (that both children and adults can read). Otherwise, I’ve yet to get into his other stuff.
@Keishon: I haven’t heard of The Graveyard Book but I have heard that Coraline is creepy! (Though maybe that’s the movie?)
@Jennie: It is creepy in some places but I haven’t watched the movie.
I bought American Gods late last year and it was a DNF for me. A little predictable in places and plain unpleasant in others. Very different from Stardust. The movie is good, but as is often the case the book is better.