April 2016 Wrap Up

As I said a few days ago, April was a horrid month. But I am not going to go into all that again. I would sooner put it all behind me. So let me get on with the good things that happened - and that was pretty much what I read.

First off the mark was Ripper by Isabel Allende. A serial killer is at work in San Fransisco and very soon, we learn, he/she is going to abduct the mother of one of the main characters. While I had really mixed feelings about this book while reading it, I have since felt that I was perhaps a bit unfair. No, this crime thriller was not written in the style of a crime thriller - which is what I was expecting. Yes, the pacing is completely off; very slow for the first two thirds, and then super fast for the last. But it really developed some very real characters. And it was written well too, which is not something one often gets to say about crime thrillers. I think this book is a dubious one to recommend. I can't guarantee you will enjoy it. But if you happen to be more interested in character development than in the puzzle of regular crime novels, then perhaps you will enjoy this.

After that was How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski. This book follows three teenage girls as they go on a road trip together. I can't say that I enjoyed this one either. I am far too old for books like this. I did like how each character had a completely different voice - there was no mistaking that they were individual characters. I also liked how we would see the characters through one of the girls' eyes, and then realise just how wrong they were in their assumptions later when we would spend time in the heads of the other girl. But I found the boys to be 'Prince Charming-ified' which I personally thought was bull shit. I also wondered about some of the really stupid things they did (this is the part where my age really counted against me. I didn't see some of these actions as exciting adventures. I saw them as irresponsible and stupid, possibly dangerous.) I wouldn't really recommend this one to anyone. I am sure there are better books out there.

At this point, I was worried that my shoddy month was creeping into my reading, so I picked up what I hoped would be a safe bet - although, potentially still a risk - The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. This is being marketed as the 4th book in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Now I really enjoyed Larsson's books and I really hoped to enjoy this one too. When I read this, I was thrilled. More thrilled than I should have been, because I have realised since posting my review, just how different is really is to the original series. The fact that I had read the books about 2 years ago had dulled a lot in my memory. I still enjoyed this. Don't get me wrong. But these aren't Larsson's characters. Although, man! I love Lisbeth. I don't care who writes her, just give me more!

Can you tell that I read crime novels when I am stressed? The next book was a ... crime novel. I read The Snowman by Jo Nesbø. Women are going missing in Norway. Only a handful of bodies have been recovered. Can Harry Hole get to the bottom of it? This is my first Nesbø and I was ok with him as a crime writer. Yes, I predicted everything correctly, but that was OK. I have read so many crime novels now that that happens almost all the time. I can't say that Harry Hole is my favourite detective though. I am a bit bored with the homicide detective with a drinking problem, and I feel now, that it is just an easy character flaw to give. But the plot did have some interesting twists, so that was good. It was a quick and easy read too.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion was the 5th book for the month. This one is an apocalyptic zombie book with a twist. The beginning really had me. I liked R. I liked his interest in words and I liked spending time in his head. I also loved the theory about eating brains. Something that makes sense, because brains really have very little substance to them as far as a food stuff goes. The end of the book was not my cup of tea though - or coffee really, because I don't drink tea. A few weeks after reading this, I am still trying to figure out how the premise of the book could really match with the final outcome for R. It didn't make sense - and still doesn't. I also felt that it was a bit of an 'easy way out' end. I don't plan to continue this series. I have heard from other folks who absolutely loved this, so don't trust me on this. maybe if you are into romance and zombies, you might enjoy this.

Next, because I was also thinking about my rather pitiful reading stats for the month, I picked up a play. Should be a quick easy read, right? Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller was an interesting read. This follows salesman, Willy Loman for jut a touch over a day, at the end of his career. Academically, I enjoyed the themes he covered. I also appreciated how his real character is revealed. But I did say that this was not such an easy read. It is jarring to read stage settings and directions while reading the plot. I have not usually had an issue with this while reading plays - not even Equus which also has a limited set and things that change. But this one had me puzzling things out. Maybe I am just mentally exhausted. Maybe Miller is just an over achiever. You can decide.

I then read The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. In this book, we follow a mother and her deaf daughter through Alaska as they search for her husband. But they are not safe. They are being followed. I enjoyed almost everything about this except for the ending. Lupton made me climb into bed and shiver while reading this - which is quite the accomplishment. The writing was first class. I loved the way she portrayed the characters. And the little deaf girl was amazing. I loved almost everything about her in the book. But the ending was such a let down for me. I hate inconclusive endings. Sometimes I can agree that it works for the type of book, but not in this case. In this case I was just annoyed.

To end off the month, I read two Jack Reacher books by Lee Child: The Affair and A Wanted Man. The Affair was the story of Jack's last job in the army. A Wanted Man continued where book 15 left off. Both were the regular Reacher books. Enjoyable, but nothing amazing and out of this world (although when I read my first Reacher book, I thought it was). Child is very good at keeping suspense going. He drops little pieces of information and foreshadows. But, to be honest, if you have read one, you have read them all. Which is why I am crooking here and doing both in one. If you enjoy action packed thrillers or crime novels, you might enjoy these. If you like you reading more highbrow, then skip them. But I will tell you one thing, I could have done with a Jack Reacher in April.