Landline

Summary:

Landline is about Georgie McCool and her troubled marriage. You see Georgie’s perspective as a comedy writer trying to get a big break on her next show, as a mom of two girls and wife to a stay-at-home dad.  All told quirky, Rowell-style.

Writing and Characters:

The writing is simple yet stirring. That’s something I loved about Eleanor & Park too, one of of Rowell’s other books. What was unique to this book was the humor. It was a sad book where Georgie spends much of her time mulling over her marriage and relationship with her husband. It’s a story of how things evolve slowly in a relationship and then one day you’re standing in something you don’t realize you created/kinda regret. So you’ll understand why I was pleasantly surprised with many many laughs in the book. You can also rely on Rowell to deliver on may well-written scenes of just sweet, sweet love.

Here are some quotes that warmed my heart:

The little things that mean everything in a relationship

“Neal walked to the stove and turned on a burner. He was wearing pajama pants and a white T-shirt, and he looked like he’d just gotten a haircut–probably for their trip. If Georgie touched the back of his head now, it’d feel like velvet one way and needles the other.”

Georgie reassuring herself that Neal loved her:

“Neal loved her, Georgie knew that. He couldn’t keep his hands off her–he couldn’t keep his ink off her; he was always doodling on her stomach or her thigh or her shoulder. He kept a set of Prismacolor markers by his bed, and when Georgie took a shower, the water rain rainbows.”

The banter, the humor in their exchange, the grand gestures:

“Georgie. You cannot be jealous of Dawn–that’s like the sun being jealous of a lightbulb.”

Overall:

Landline was a heartwarming read that put me in touch with all my flaws and reminded me that life is beautiful if you know where to look. I was looking for an escape from the daily grind and Rowell definitely delivered.

The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary:

This is the story of Stella Lane, an autistic and highly talented individual and how she addresses her difficulty finding romance in her life. Enter Michael who is the hooker with a heart of gold. The book is set in San Francisco. Both Michael and Stella have their challenges. We learn a lot about these two and how in the end, love conquers all.

Overall:

Stella, Michael, Janie and Janie’s family are well-rounded characters. The evolution of Stella and Michael’s romantic relationship – getting to know each, being around friends, overcoming Stella’s immense challenge with sex – is very well-written. Michael’s backstory and the purview into the life of an Asian family in SF facing economic challenges were comprehensive. Some romance, steamy sex scenes and a happy-ever-after make this book a nice, light read.

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The Samurai’s Garden

The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary:

The book is the story of Stephen recuperating in the seaside town of Tarumi in Japan when war has broken out back at home in Hong Kong. Japan is at war with China and Japanese forces are slowly conquering the country of China.

Writing and Characters:

The key characters in the story are Stephen, Matsu, Sachi, and Keiko. You learn a lot about what was an wasn’t acceptable in the culture at the time from what you see they say and do. I found myself nodding at how the author had written Stephen’s father’s character. As someone who grew up in a collectivist culture with men as figureheads, I knew relationships between husbands and wives back in the day were almost never romantic. They were practical relationships focused on the bearing and rearing of children. The writing was simple but slow. It is interesting to read about how important the concept of honor and shame were in historic Japan. Stephen’s character development through the novel is interesting however it leaves something to be desired.

Overall:

Nice but slow read set in historic Japan. A good introduction to the Chinese and Japanese culture back in the day.

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Elevation

Elevation by Stephen King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary:

The book is set in Castle Rock, Maine which I learn is one of a few fictional towns that King uses for his writing. The novel is the story of Scott Carey and his mysterious illness.

Writing & Characters:

There was nothing special about the writing or the characters. I have to confess that my bar was set high. I had started reading “The Shining” and put it away because it was so good that it sent shivers down my spine. I was looking for something that wasn’t horror but had the same writing quality and was pretty disappointed. The book wasn’t a page-turner and it didn’t give the characters much depth.

Overall:

It was a short, quick read but lacked substance. I would not recommend this book.

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Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

 

Summary:

Circe is Madeline Miller’s retelling of the myth of Circe, Greek Goddess of magic and a lover of mortals. Several popular characters from Greek mythology cross paths with Circe – Prometheus, Hermes, Odysseus, Minotaur, and Scylla.

Writing & Characters:

The book is very well-written. It took me some time to get through Circe’s years of solitude (emotional and then physical) of which there were many but I could not put the book down after that. Circe is the ugly duckling with a gentle heart in the family of Titan gods. I grew up watching shows based on mythology and really liked how the gods were humanized in the book. Miller does a wonderful job of making time feel surreal. It is delightful to see her character evolve through the book – she goes from a nymph who refuses to accept the wrong in the world to someone who becomes a force to reckon with even for the greatest of gods.

I enjoyed the context around the Titans, Olympians and the general nature of the gods. The in-depth exploration of Circe’s character, what she sees and experiences is a good format to understand mythology. The last book I read in this format was Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Palace of Illusions which is the telling of the Mahabharata by Draupadi – really liked that. As a feminist, it was amazing to see how sexist the gods were and how women had to be cunning to wield any power.

If I had to pick one thing I really liked about the book, it was Circe’s perspectives on character – she hears something from Odysseus and then sees Penelope and Telemachus for who they are when they come to Aiaia. Circe dearly loved Odysseus and then learns from Telemachus about what became of his father and who he was to him. Though brief, I loved Circe’s time in Minos with Ariadne and Daedalus. Here are some quotes I love from the book:

She smiled, as cats smile. It was always more fun to play with a live mouse.

Telegonus learns who his father is:

Now that the gates were open he sought all I could remember of Odysseus, his lineage, his kingdom, his wife, his son, his childhood occupations, his honors in the war. The stories were still in me, vivid as when Odysseus had first told them, those thousand wily conspiracies and trials. Yet a strange thing happened when I began to recite them back to Telegonus. I found myself hesitating, omitting, altering. With my son’s face before me, their brutalities shone through as they never had before. What I had thought of as adventure now seemed blood-soaked and ugly. Even Odysseus himself seemed changed, callous instead of unflinching. The few times I did leave a story as it was, my son would frown. You did not tell it correctly, he said. My father would never have done such a thing. You are right, I would say. Your father let that Trojan spy with his weasel-skin cap go, and he returned safely home to his family. Your father always kept his word.

Circe thinking of Odysseus:

The war did not break him; it made him more himself.

Circe of Telemachus:

He thought and felt and acted, and all these things made a straight line.

Overall:

This is a wonderful book and a great way to read Greek mythology. I highly recommend and can’t wait to get my hands on “The Song of Achilles”.

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Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

 

Summary:

Eleanor & Park is a book about first love, growing up and all the butterflies that come with it. Eleanor is new in town and gets to know Park from taking the school bus together. The novel touches on several themes – immigrants, difficult financial circumstances, abusive relationships, and adolescence.

Writing:

The language is simple and truly beautiful. Rowell builds simple spaces and characters – it was really easy to be drawn in. The book falls under the young adult genre but I still enjoyed it a lot. The writing clearly brings out Eleanor and Park’s earnest love for each other. The book has an interesting ending and as I read the last few pages I hoped hard for the characters to be well and happy. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Eleanor of Park:

His eyelids fluttered. (Only eyelids do that. And butterflies.)

Ah, first love:

Would he look different? Now that she knew that he loved her? (Or that he had loved her, at least for a minute or two on Friday night. At least enough to say so.)

Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something

Characters:

I think Rowell does a great job of depicting the emotional growth spurt that occurs during adolescence. You have prejudices, strong opinions, and emotions for everything. You make a ton of mistakes and you need people to care enough to give you second chances. Outside of the extremely well-written key characters, the most memorable characters are Park’s parents, the kids (sometimes bullies) in the school bus, Eleanor’s siblings and the goofy English teacher (goofy according to Park). My definition of goofy has evolved over the years.

Overall:

I breezed through the book and loved it. It is the sweetest love story I’ve read in years. I am sure I will go back to read more books by Rainbow Rowell whenever I want a book that takes my heart on a rollercoaster ride.

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Three to Get Deadly

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:

Stephanie Plum is an up and coming bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. This is the third book in Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Three to Get Deadly chronicles her adventures finding Uncle Mo – a well-loved candy store owner in the community who gets arrested after carrying a concealed weapon.

Writing:

The book is light but well-written. I was mildly concerned that the humor would be self-deprecatory and mock women for all their faults and found myself relieved when it didn’t, at least not in a bad way. All the characters in the book are well developed and the dynamic between them all is oh-so-funny. I liked the subtle social commentary that runs through the book. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“His store is set on the edge of the burg, a comfy residential chunk of Trenton where houses and minds are proud to be narrow and hearts are generously wide open.”

“Rex was nosing around in his food cup when I got home, so I gave him a grape and told him about Stuart Baggett. How Stuart had been dressed up in a chicken suit, and how I’d bravely captured him and brought him to justice. Rex listened while he ate the grape, and I think Rex might have smiled when I got to the part about tackling Mr. Cluck, but it’s hard to tell about these things with a hamster. I love Rex a lot, and he has a lot of redeeming qualities, like cheap food and small poop, but the truth is sometimes I pretend he’s a golden retriever. I’d never tell this to Rex, of course. Rex has very sensitive feelings. Still, sometimes I long for a big floppy-eared dog.”

Characters:

The characters are all real and really funny. Lula and Ranger are Stephanie’s colleagues and their adventures rather misadventures are so funny. Plum’s family is quirky as only family can be. You get to learn a lot about the community that the series is set in because Uncle Mo is such a well-loved person in Trenton. I enjoyed the dynamic between Joe Morelli and Stephanie – respectful, funny unpredictable and pleasant.

Overall:

The book is a light and enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun but well-written book to spend some hours with.

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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:

Eleanor is a single young woman working in Glasgow. Her job is predictable and there is little life outside of work for her. We slowly start to learn Eleanor’s backstory starting with the weekly phone calls she receives from her mother. This is the story of a woman who doesn’t quite fit in finding her place and people in her world.

Writing:

The story is told in the first person by Eleanor. I loved that it was set in Glasgow – always interesting to see how language changes across the Atlantic. Eleanor is unapologetically weird and confident in her views – this for the reader is absolutely hilarious.  I’m glad that Gail Honeyman didn’t do anything predictable with how Eleanor and Raymond’s relationship evolves.  The book is well-written, flows beautifully and strikes the right tone with language. Here are two of my favorite quotes:

I phoned the number but got his voice mail: “Hi, Raymond here, but also not here. Like Schrödinger’s cat. Leave a message after the beep. Cheers.”

I stared at her. The imbalance in the extent of our knowledge of each other was manifestly unfair. Social workers should present their new clients with a fact sheet about themselves to try to redress this, I think. After all, she’d had unrestricted access to that big brown folder, the bumper book of Eleanor, two decades’ worth of information about the intimate minutiae of my life. All I knew about her was her name and her employer.

Characters:

The characters of both Eleanor and Raymond are so well-built.  We steadily learn more about these two as the book progresses. Extremely trivial circumstances bring these two together and they form a friendship that is pivotal to the story.  I was impressed with how much humor was built into the novel despite it dealing with some amazingly challenging times in people’s lives. You will begin to fall in love and care for the characters slowly but surely.

Overall:

A very pleasant and engaging writing style, rich characters, humor, and language made this novel was a fun and meaningful adventure for me. I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys humor, fiction, and good language.

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Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Full disclosure – I watched the movie well before I read the book. Watching the movie influenced my reading experience.

Summary:
Me Before You is the story of Louisa Clark and how she comes to be the caregiver for quadriplegic Will Traynor. It is the story of how life brings two very different people together.

Writing:
I think Moyes did an excellent job of describing the life of a quadriplegic and how challenging that change can be to someone who lived a full life. As the reader, you walk in Will’s shoes. You see what kind of medical attention he needs. You also learn far more about Louisa and her backstory. The scene with Will and Louisa in the maze is one of my favorites in the book. Moyes also has one chapter from each of the key characters’ perspectives – that added so much to how the story was narrated.

Characters:
Outside of Louisa and Will, I thought the characters of Camilla Traynor and Treena Clark were very well developed. There is so much more to soak in from the book.

Overall:
An enjoyable read. Seeing things from Louisa Clark’s perspective is refreshing. Love truly is all about being vulnerable.

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Devil’s Daughter

Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite romance authors. She writes wonderful characters and books most of which are set in Regency England. Most of her protagonists are strong women changing the norm in one way or the other. She has also written some delightful heroes. I was so excited about this book because it brings several of my favorite characters together. Devil in Winter is the story of Evie Jenner and Sebastian St.Vincent. This book, Devil’s Daughter is the story of how Sebastian and Evie’s daughter, Phoebe Clare finds love after being widowed.

Sebastian (now the Duke of Challon) and West Ravenel both have a fine sense of humor. It warmed my heart to see Sebastian meddle in Phoebe’s life out of fatherly concern for her. The characters of the kids, Ivo and Justin are so well-written. I was so touched when Ivo goes up to Phoebe’s room to escort his big sister down for the evening. West is a reformed rake, we don’t get much of his backstory in the book – I recommend reading the rest of the Ravenels – they’re a fun lot. All scenes with West Ravenel and Sebastian in them were so true to both their characters – two strong confident, no-nonsense men with a taste for mischief. West and Phoebe are attracted to each other from the get-go. Their conversations are lively and West’s knowledge of modern farming and his respect for intellect, male or female wins Phoebe over. West is also wonderful with the kids – Phoebe forgives old grudges easily and gracefully. Kleypas has written better heroines and heroes but I still found the book an enjoyable read.

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