It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 12 March 2018

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Button

" data-orig-size="474,356" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" aperture="aperture" /> Hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, this is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind. Here is what I read the week ending 12 February 2018. To learn more about each book, just click on the book cover!

A weekend at home makes all the difference!

FINISHED SINCE THE LAST UPDATE:

Book Cover Image: The Hunger by Alma Katsu

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Book Cover Image: The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd

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Book Cover Image: Census by Jesse Ball

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Alma Katsu’s reimagining of the Donner party tragedy is creative and spooky. It touches on more than a few interesting ideas, the least of which include women’s roles as a pioneer and bloodthirsty monsters. Most of the story took place before winter, which was surprising but welcome as so many stories about this particular group of pioneers focuses on what happened when they were trapped by snow. The liberties she took with the truth make sense and are surprisingly seamless in the end. More than a bit terrifying at times and always intense, it is well worth the time and energy to read, especially now that spring should be here soon.

You know those books that have the potential to get really good as the story progresses, so you keep reading even if some of it has you looking askance at the pages? Amy Lloyd’s novel felt like that to me the entire time I was reading it right until I finished it and realized that not only did not it not get really good but it never surpassed mediocre and annoying. There are so many things wrong with the story and the main character that I could be very cruel pointing out each and every issue. Instead, I am going to move on and fervently hope my next novel is not drivel.

Jesse Ball’s newest novel is one of those where I wonder if I missed something. The world-building is nonexistent. The mysterious census for which the unnamed narrator and his son partake their journey has no purpose from what you can tell. Instead, it is almost an ode to the narrator’s son and dead wife, a reminiscence of past joys and hardships that formed his life as a parent and adult. It is quiet and yet beautiful, and it is not for everyone.

DID NOT FINISH:

It should have been at least one.

CURRENT READ: