I'll keep trying to be better about that.
Here's just a quick run-down of what I've been reading since I last popped in here:
Black Chalk by Christopher Yates (3 stars): a psychological thriller that had a lot of promise, but fell a little flat for me. There were just some plot holes that needed to be fleshed out a little bit more.
Alibis: Essays on Elsewhere by André Aciman (4 stars): I am a sucker for travel memoirs. The downside--I start looking for travel packages.
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang (4 stars for both): These two graphic novels are centered around the Boxer Rebellion in China. It does a good job of showing the two sides of the conflict, reminding us that there's always more than one story to be told.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (3.5 stars): I've been wanting to read more Wilde, and this was a quick, easy read. I think the satire comes across better in the viewing of the play rather than the reading of it, though.
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice (4 stars): My comfort reads. Definitely not my favorite book of hers--it got a little bogged down trying to introduce an alien species and the lost city of Atlantis into the vampire world, but it was fun.
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (3.5 stars): Live for six months in a prison and the other six in a gated community with your every need taken care of--for the people in this post-apocalyptic/post-economic crash society, it sounds like a pretty good deal. Maybe too good. Like the Rice book, this isn't my favorite of Atwood's, but it definitely is a good satire on our society.
Glass Sword and King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard (3 stars for both): YA fantasy dystopia. Nothing fancy, just quick, easy, fun reads.
The Crack-up by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3.5 stars): I FINALLY finished this. I have been dipping in and out of this book since 2015. This is an odd collection: it starts with Fitzgerald's memoir/essays "The Crack-up", then goes into about 150 pages from his writing notebooks, then finishes with letters to/from Fitzgerald, as well as obituaries. I enjoyed all of it, but the format just made it a slow read.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (4.5 stars): This is the best fiction book I've read so far this year, hands-down; the only reason it isn't a 5 star read is that I just wanted more. The story follows the descendants of two sisters, one sold into slavery, the other married to a slave trader, and the repercussions that reverberate through the centuries.
Currently, I'm reading The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter and Bright Lines by Tanwi Nadini Islam. Hopefully I will give you an update soon!
