book 58

Origin, Diana Abu-Jaber
rating:


This book rocked. It's a really dark mystery about a fingerprint analyst, Lena, who becomes involved in a serial murder case involving infants. It seems pretty standard mystery fare at first, but as it progresses it becomes increasingly more intense and imaginative and awesome. Compulsively readable.

book 57

If I am Missing or Dead, Janine Latus
rating:


The jacket description seriously misrepresents this book. I thought this memoir would be about Latus' sister's murder and how she dealt with it. The title refers to a letter left by the sister (Amy) in a desk drawer to let people know of her fears regarding her romantic partner in the event of her disappearance or death. But Amy's death doesn't actually come into play until the very end of the book. The rest focuses on Latus' own bad relationships, particularly her oppressive and frightening marriage. I mean, seriously, her husband makes her get breast implants and forces her to weight herself every day. Amy is really an afterthought here. Well written, but not what I really wanted it to be.

book 56

last one! I'm all caught up now.

Bangkok 8, John Burdett
rating:


It took me about fifty pages or so to get into Burdett's style, but once I was in, I was in. This novel is about a Thai policeman whose partner is killed in a very strange way early on. It turns out that his death is all wrapped up in this mystery, which drives the remainder of the narrative. I'm not sure if I'd say it's full of twists, really, but I definitely wouldn't have guessed the outcome at the beginning, or even halfway through. I think I'll pick up the sequel soon.

On another note, this is the only book I've ever read entirely in airports/on airplanes.

book 55

How to Talk to a Widower, Jonathan Tropper
rating:


This is a prime example of dick lit. Oops, I'm being crass. "Lad Lit." The main character is a 29-year old widower with a troubled stepson and a very, very strange relationship with how own family (especially his twin sister). He's a writer, but his columns about being a widower are really kind of blah compared to the rest of the book. He is coerced into dating again, and all kinds of wacky things happen. Pretty funny and very readable.

book 54

Getting Rid of Matthew, Jane Fallon
rating:


Eh. Three 'bots, I guess? Jane Fallon is the longtime partner of Ricky Gervais and has done lots of writing for British TV, so I was pretty excited about this one. Really it's British chick lit with a "twist." It's about Helen, whose older, married boyfriend leaves his wife to be with her. Surprise! It's not what she thought it would be and she kind of hates him. So she gets buddy buddy with his estranged wife, pretending to be a woman named Eleanor, and tries to convince her to take him back. Hijinks ensue.

book 53

Songs Without Words, Ann Packer
rating:


My experience with this book was eerily similar to the one I had with book 52. I read Packer's last novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, when I was in college and really loved it. The main character there was in her twenties, I think. This one focuses on two women who are probably in their 30s, maybe early 40s, and their relationship. One of the women has a tense relationship with her daughter, which becomes a major focus. Slower than Moriarty's, but I was still able to read it pretty quickly (It was on the "Sizzler!" shelf at the public library, which means I only got to keep it for four days).

book 52

The Rest of Her Life, Laura Moriarty
rating:


Laura Moriarty rocks because she lives in my new home state of Kansas. I read her last novel, The Center of Everything, years and years ago, and loved it. I enjoyed this one as well. It's about a woman whose teenage daughter is involved in a car accident. It deals a lot with the family dynamic, especially the mother-daughter relationship. I thought it was a good read, and I like Moriarty's simple writing style, but I feel like it would have resonated with me more if I had a child. My sister, who has two daughters, vouches for its relatability on that level, though.

book 51

Fourth Comings, Megan McCafferty
rating:


I'm giving this a 3 because I just love Megan M. that much. And yet I was pretty disappointed. I was pretty pumped about it, since the main character, Jessica Darling, is now in her twenties (like me!). But I guess I should have reread my own post from last year about MM's third book. Good writing, but no one is that quippy in real life. I'd know; I'm very quippy.

book 50

Book 50 is a milestone!

Once Upon a Day, Lisa Tucker
rating:


I actually don't remember this one very well. I think it's about a strange girl who has always been isolated from society by her eccentric millionaire ex-movie producer father, until she decides to go find her brother in St. Louis to tell him that their father is ill. It was a pretty quick read, and I feel like I enjoyed it?

book 49

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach
rating:


I've been meaning to read this book forever. I really enjoyed it, though there are some pretty gross moments. It's all about dead bodies and what we do/have historically done with them. Crash tests, anatomy lessons, etc. Looking back on my enjoyment of this, I'm feeling like I should be integrating more non-fiction into my reading diet.

book 48

How sad that I read this early in September, more than 2 months ago. Since I started blogging at work (or joblogging [it's better if you say it fast], it's harder to remember to blog at home. Matt chided me for it, so I'll try to get back in the habit.

Free Food for Millionaires, Min Jin Lee
rating:


Eh. Chick lit that wanted to be deeper than chick lit. But also much longer than your average chick lit. Casey is a Korean American Princeton grad who struggles with love, life, and stuff like that in NYC. It's actually one of the physically heaviest books I've ever read.