4 posts tagged “books read in 2006”

What books are on your nightstand?

Actually, I just finished reading it, but it's still on my nightstand. At least until I take it back to the library. 

 

I have to admit, though.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  For most of the book, it was a light-hearted look at adult mid-life.  The main character, Hallie, has just sent her last child off to college and learned that her husband is leaving her.  He moves in with a 20-someting named Ashlee and Hallie finds herself adrift in the world.  Then she decides to start looking up all the guys she'd dated in high school and college, just to see where they are and what (if anything) she'd missed out on when she married Bill. 

Most of the encounters with the ex-boyfriends are light-hearted and somewhat humorous.  One of them even results in a semi-serious affair of the heart. 

However, the tone switches suddenly with the revelation thta one of the these exes caused the death of Hallie's sister Amy, and was now running for senator.  Hallie decides to look him up and threaten to bring his role in her sister's death to light if he doesn't drop out of the race. 

It is this change of tone which throws the book for me.  It goes from light-hearted to too-serious at a quick pace.  Then jumps back to light-hearted at the end, with Bill splitting up with Ashlee and trying to move back in with Hallie.  (She refuses, however, and good thing, too because ill's got a new girl on the side and just wants a place to live.) 

As I said, the jump to too-serious was a bit of abrupt and felt as if it belonged in a different story altogether.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one by Barbara Kingsolver started out a little on the slow side, but picked up nicely.  It was the weaving together of many lives ina way I would not have expected.  It also featured, strong independent women learning something about themselves and learn how to give of themselves to others. 

 

 

 

They say all writers take pieces of the people they know when they create their characters.  Nora, the writer in this novel, takes people she not only knows but loves and twists them into the worst versions of themsleves.  Sharing her stories with the world alienates many people in her life as a restult of her unique, destructive writing style.  Her latest victim is her long-time best friend and current lover, Isaac.  Her story wins a contest, gets published, and wrecks both their lives in the process. 

Over on LIvejournal, there's a community called the 50bookchallenge, where the idea is to read 50 books during the course of the year.  This will be my 4th year doing it, and I'd hate to say it, but I'm almost finished all ready. 

 

Anyway... if you look in my books section, you'll see a sampling of the books I've read this year as a part of that challenge. 

 

I'm currently reading

 

I started reading the Temperance Brennan novels after discovering the show Bones and liking it very much.  Though the book and tv versions of Temperance are vastly different, they are both great characters in their own right.  I've truly enjoyed getting to know both of them. 

Sadly, Break No Bones is the most recent of these books and I have about 100 pages left.  Then I'll have to wait on Kathy Reichs to hurry and write another one.  *pouts*