Category Archives: suicide

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Sometimes when I read a book I wish the author wasn’t quite so good at what they do. I wish that their characters will seem less believable so that when the story is a bit gruesome I can think to myself – naah, nobody would ever do that for real… But Atwood is like Steven King, characters so well rounded and believable that it sometimes makes the books a bit too realistic – but in a good way- mostly.

This was the prequel to Oryx and Crake which, in my way, I remember about three non-relevant details from along with the sense that it was good/fascinating/icky which is just about exactly how this one was. Now I’ve got to go back and read Oryx and Crake again, quick before I forget!

Would I recommend it? She is a very good author but I’m not sure her post apocalyptic world is for everyone. I just have to much of a slimy feel to me after reading this to give it a broad recommendation – but for what it’s worth I am reserving Oryx and Crake from the library tonight to re-read.

Diana Gabaldon

Start with Outlander and then keep going.

I’ve been re-reading them in between other books since Jane has been born and I’m on my 6th book of hers in a month.

I haven’t yet had the words “dinna fash” or “you’ll ken” come out of my mouth yet but it’s a good thing I’ve only got one book left or I’d be yelling “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ” next time I burn dinner.

Would I recommend them? Having just stared blankly at the computer screen for a many minitues I have no tidy way to sum up the books nor why exactly I’d recommend them.

I think I’m in a Jamie and Claire induced stuper… and now I have to go read what happens next – even though I’ve read this one twice before.

The Wideacre Trilogy by Phillipa Gregory

Wideacre

The most wonderfully written car crash of a book I’ve ever read. I couldn’t look away and I couldn’t stop reading even when I wanted to.

Would I recommend it? No. It’s well done, but I just can’t recommend a book full of incest, I can’t do it.

The Favored Child

One of those books where you know the end.  Right from the beginning you know the chances of a happily ever after are slim, very, very, slim. Then it gets worse, and you see the character falling into trap after trap and then end is coming and all of a sudden it’s back to the car crash that you just can’t look away from.

Would I recommend it? No.  See recommendation above and add in verbal and physical abuse and a barn owl that says “whoo, whoo”

Meridon

Wow.

Would I recommend it? Well, you can’t just go read the last book of a trilogy, it’d make no sense whatsoever.  This one almost made the rest worth it.

The end result:

While this won’t be a trio of books I’ll be highly recommending, my lack of recommendation is only due to the content. While they are clearly not for everyone I believe that they are remarkably well written, go read something else of Gregory’s I doubt you’ll be disappointed!

High Noon by Nora Roberts

I had previously held out on Nora Roberts. I’m not sure why, just a general distrust of following the crowd and doing what people expect of me. I have a tendency to hold off reading the popular books ’till I darn well feel like it, thank you very much. Inconsequential and silly of me,  but still true.

In any case…

The librarian gave me this one when I was searching for a book recommendation and it’s about what I expected.

Romance, mystery, suspense, hostages, exploding bodies, crazy people, shut ins, lottery winners and happy endings.

Well,  maybe I didn’t expect all of that.

Would I recommend it? Well… I wouldn’t not recommend it. Did I think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread? Not so much. Would I rather read an Evanovich book? For sure. Apparently my murder-mystery-romance book fix runs more to the humorous side.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

My predominant feeling reading this book was a strange mix of boredom and guilt. The middle of the book is very slow, but since you find out early on that there are going to be a bunch of suicides, (surprise, surprise) it dawns on you that the something you are impatiently waiting for to happen will be a pile of girls killing themselves. Then the guilt sets in.

We read this for a book club book, I was not the only one with such feelings nor was I the only one completely befuddled over the narrator, Who? why? What is the context to the narrative? Why?

Would I recommend it? No