She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb is the story of Dolores Price.
Dolores spends her teen years in front of the TV, becoming a 257 pound young
woman. Aside from weight gain, nothing else has come easy to her.
Having never read
anything from Oprah’s Book Club, I had high expectations for this best seller.
It did not live up to them.
First of all, I don’t
like reading vulgar language. I can ignore a bit of it, but when it is
overflowing, I have a hard time pushing forward. There were many places in this
book I skimmed over because of the language and sex. Many times I came close to
leaving it. Still, there was enough good writing sprinkled in to keep me
pushing through, hoping it would get better. But in the end, it wasn’t worth
it. I kept waiting for her time to come, and when it did, it was anticlimactic.
This book left me feeling
regret for the time I spent reading it. Afterward, I was ready for something
light and fun.
I chose the YA novel Bottled by Carol Riggs.
Adeelah Naji is
seventeen when she is imprisoned as a genie in a bottle. Adeelah is hunting for
the love of her life who has found an elixir that allows him to live through to
the modern world, in which Adeelah is now living.
This book did live up to
my expectations. It was light and fun!
It is aimed at a younger audience, but
it was enjoyable for this senior lady. I highly recommend it for teens, pre-teens,
and anyone young at heart.
The next book I read was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.
This book more than made up for the first one!
How does a writer get me to feel empathy
for a lying, busy-body, pathetic drunk?
Rachel had a nice life in the suburbs
until difficulty conceiving drove her to drink—in excess! To the point she lost
everything. She’s obsessed with her ex, even though he has moved on with
another wife and child. Now she’s become obsessed with a couple she sees from
the commuter train. She’s even given them names and created a fairy tale life for
them. But one day she sees something that shatters the illusion.
This suspense has
everything. The characters are well-developed; the pace moves along; there are
plot twists throughout. It kept me guessing. This is a hard-to-put-down novel.
I didn’t want it to end! It will definitely end up on your favorites shelf.
After grieving the end of
The Girl on the Train,
I started reading The
Lake by AnnaLisa Grant.
This book bored me to tears--and I don't bore easily. I
forced myself to read over a third of this book before giving up. Redundant
doesn’t begin to cover it. I don't understand the enormous amount of 5-star
ratings, unless pre-teens are into book reviewing. (A cute boy really likes
her!) I only made it 1/3 of the way through, which is unusual for me. The
author kept telling the same thing over and over and over. I get it. Move on.
I didn't really "hate" the book, but just
couldn't bring myself to give it two stars. It was so redundant I couldn’t
finish it.
My twelve-year-old granddaughter might enjoy it, but I
would hope for her to long for better quality. I would recommend it to people
that have trouble sleeping.
I am now reading Cold River by Liz Adair.
So far, so
good.
I'll let you know.
Do you mostly read one genre, or do you like to mix it up?
Has a book every left you reluctant to leave it and start the next?
