As a consolation prize for my lapse in memory, I'll give a run down of the primary book club selections for the year(following the ones I did manage to post), and my brief opinion on them!
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi:
Avoid this book! It was dull. I thought I would like it, I really did. Smart and gritty, but boring. So, very boring! I ended up skipping around in this book, just to get through it quicker. I don't know who I would suggest this title to. I don't think I would want it for anyone. Although I'm sure that someone somewhere has enjoyed it.
Close Liaisons (The Krinar Chronicles: Volume 1) by Anna Zaires:
Avoid this book as well! The only thing going for it is that it's free. I've heard it compared(after the fact) to 50 Shades, but with aliens. I don't mind a little freaky deaky in my books, but this was the definition of gratuitous! And the main man was just awful! I enjoy a good male lead who's brusque, not so refined, even a bit assholeish! But abusive? Controlling? Domineering? Degrading? NEVER! Women, please respect yourself enough to know when a man is assertive and strong, and when he is just a disrespectful sexist! I can not stomach these writers trying to put a pretty package on an abuser. It's not funny or cute and least of all, sexy. It's disgusting. A real man can balance being in control, while not being controlling. There IS a difference. This book just really got under my skin. It was disgusting. The writer should have more self respect!
Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder:
This was not a bad book. I quite enjoyed it, although it wasn't an award winning piece of literature at all. If one could even call it literature. It was more a fluff piece, but with emotion that most fluff doesn't contain. If you enjoy romance containing heart broken characters, give it a-go. It's cheap, it's short, and it's easy to read.
The After Girls by Leah Konen:
OH GAWD! THIS BOOK! UGH! Dreadful. Just ugh! Seriously, I don't know that I've liked characters less than these. But there wasn't much to like in the first place, seeing as how they were so flat and ridiculously developed. The 2 main girls in this book are just silly. I know they had a friend who killed herself and they were both grieving in their own way, but the stories inconsistencies made the terrible characters even worse. Not much is worse than a person with inconsistent character, but in a novel, where that kind of thing is controllable, it just should not happen. It's intolerable. It makes the story drivel. I rolled my eyes almost non-stop throughout the entirety of this tale. Avoid this title, as if your life depended on it! You can never get the time invested into it back!
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly:
This was the first winner of the year for me! An amazing story that lead you on an adventure that may have felt familiar, but was quite different. I loved the whimsy, and the dark fairytale feel this book had. It was definitely reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Anderson. If you pick on book to read from our trek in 2013, let it be this one!
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith(aka. JK Rowling):
I really liked this book! I love a good gumshoe detective novel, and Rowling didn't disappoint! As usual, her characters were well fleshed and had an endearing edge to their less than appealing qualities. The mystery, while I figured it out rather quickly, I didn't see how it was going to play out. Which is not a bad thing, seeing the who before the how. This was my first foray into her literature outside of the Potter-verse, and while not much can hold a candle to Harry and the gang, this was also a good story. I would love to see her turn this into a series of Comoran Strike mysteries! I would definitely read them all!
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley:
A classic that most have read in high school, was new to me this year. I really liked it. It was hard at parts to read, the mom in me cringed at a lot, but I liked the dark, twisted take on a possible future. The parallels to our current time, to when he wrote of this future world in the 1930's, is startling in it's similarities. It's definitely one of those classics that you shouldn't miss out on if it wasn't part of your school curriculum.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson:
This was my first experience with Shirley Jackson, and I really enjoyed it. It whetted my appetite for her, and I intend to read more. It's very short, but the characters were well done, especially Merricat. It was an interesting and well written tale of a sociopath. While it is classified horror, I don't quite see how. So don't expect to be scared, or even remotely spooked, but do prepare to be entertained and pulled in.
There were more books throughout the year, we read 2 per month in our group. Plus all the others I read on my own. I didn't keep track of my leisurely reading, but this year my blog is going to be a priority. Keep your eyes peeled for monthly reviews and suggestions!
Happy New Year! May it be full of good books and good friends!
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