Welcome to the December book review! At the end of each month, I review the books I’ve read. Enjoy!
New feature (as of November 2015): At the end of the post, I’ll list the books that I started with high hopes, but did not manage to finish. They weren’t for me, but one reader’s trash is another’s treasure, so I’m listing them anyway.
On a related note: Last week’s #5onFri for DIY MFA featured a book review from yours truly!
The Book: The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
The Category: Historical fiction
In Three Words: Quaker’s Underground Railroad
Biggest Takeaway: Whenever I read historical fiction, I become entranced, not just by the story, but by the breadth of research. This one spanned from England to Ohio, Quakers to slave-catchers. Fantastic characters, a literary page-turner. Books like that are hard to find; I’m hoping Waist will fit into that category. My favorite part was the spark of attraction between the Quaker girl who hid slaves and the hired slave-catcher.
The Book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Category: Classic YA Sci-Fi
In Three Words: Fun galactic quest
Biggest Takeaway: Why didn’t I read this before?? It’s been on my to-read list since, like, high school. Okay, I’m not a big sci-fi fan, and probably never will be. But I do love a funny read, and this book is laugh-out-loud funny. And delightfully introspective for such an expansive plot.
The Book: The Martian by Andy Weir
The Category: Contemporary Sci-Fi
In Three Words: Mars astronaut stranded
Biggest Takeaway: I didn’t know it was possible to loathe a book the way I loathed this one… and then have it turn into one of my favorite page-turners. I “audiated” this book, and the reader was probably the only reason I got past the first couple chapters. I was angry- no, furious- at Andy Weir. This guy is stranded on Mars! And he has no emotion about it whatsoever? He doesn’t miss his family, worry he’s never going to see them again, or think about his past in any way? (I was seriously yelling this stuff as I listened.) The entire book is fast-paced, in the present, with no flashbacks, character development, or deep emotional response. I HATED that. But then… I guess I got caught up in the survival aspect. I enjoyed the plot twists of NASA trying to figure out how to keep him alive and rescue him, then losing contact. The astronaut Mark’s quick thinking. The ingenuity of using limited resources. And the writing did get better as the book went along; Weir took more time for emotional beats.
But man, did I hate it at first. And it still kills me, the novel this could have been, if Weir had just taken out a little bit of the section about growing potatoes on Mars, and put in something about Mark’s deteriorating mental state.
The Book: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
The Category: YA Historical Fiction
In Three Words: 1899 girl power
Biggest Takeaway: Of all the books in this review, this is the one I feel the least about. I feel certain I wouldn’t have finished it if it had been a library book, but since I paid for it, I felt compelled to stick it out. It was interesting and well-written, and the character of Callie was one of the best YA characters I’ve read in awhile. But it was a struggle for me to finish. Maybe if I’d actually been a YA when I read it, I’d have liked it better.
The Book: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The Category: Thriller
In Three Words: Victims’ entangled lives
Biggest Takeaway: I finally read this book because I felt bombarded by recommendations. It’s hard to write about it without spoiling the ending, but I’ll say the following: I didn’t like any of the characters, but I still kept reading; I got the ending before it came, but it still felt satisfying; I stayed up late for two nights reading it.
The Book: Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella
The Category: Women’s fiction
In Three Words: Becky in Vegas
Biggest Takeaway: Ah, I missed Becky. I didn’t love the prequel to this book, Shopaholic to the Stars, but I may have to re-read it anyway to provide some extra context to this one. The book is one crazy ride, with lots more plot twists and odd situations than you’d expect. I can hear the elevator pitch now: “Put Becky and all of her friends and family in Vegas. Give them a mission, and make Becky solve it.”
Abandoned Books: Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me by Lorilee Craker (I found it dull); The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin (I know I should read it, and it’s fantastic, but just too long); A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warrren (good book; skimmed it but didn’t delve).
What was the best book you read this year? Goodreads tells me that I read 93 books, and I’ll probably finish one today, so I guess that’s 94 for the year. Not a huge number, but as I’ve started abandoning books more often, that’s 94 books I truly completed this year. (Damn! Why didn’t I read 6 more books? Maybe if I read from now until midnight tomorrow…)
Have a great holiday, everyone! I’ll see you on the other side of the year!