Book Reviews

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share the books I've enjoyed and get some new recommendations but so far I haven't actually told you what I'm reading! Thanks to my airline delays I have gotten quite a bit of reading done in the last few weeks so here are my thoughts.

American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld
I had to wait a long time to get this from the library and it was definitely worth it. I was expecting an almost-biographical novel about Laura Bush but I was pleasantly surprised by how little of it was based on fact. I think the book could have stood on its own even without Charlie Blackwell (a thinly disguised Dubya). It definitely made me think about how different relationships are from the outside than the inside. The plot moved along quickly and the entire novel was more action driven than I had expected. I definitely recommend it!

Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult
I have heard a lot of reviewers pan Jodi Picoult because all her books are similar or because she manipulates the readers. While that isn't totally off base, I still enjoy her writing and don't mind being manipulated a little for the sake of a good plot! Keeping Faith was one of her better books in my opinion. The plot centers around a 7 year old girl who begins having visions of God after her parents divorce. Some of the secondary characters were a bit two dimensional but the main characters, especially Faith herself, were intriguing and well developed. As in many of Picoult's books you are forced to think about issues in shades of grey instead of black and white. This joins my top three Jodi Picoult books along with My Sister's Keeper and The Pact.

The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
The first Margaret Atwood book I read was The Handmaid's Tale and I know that will be hard to top. If you haven't read it yet drop what you are doing NOW and go get it! The second Atwood book I read was Oryx and Crake and it veered a little too much into science fiction for me. The Blind Assassin was more like The Handmaid's Tale in that it really focused on the characters. The opening sentence reads "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." It definitely seems like a striking start, but the book was actually a little slow to get going. Once it did pick up it sucked me in and a plot twist near the conclusion left me reeling. If you haven't read The Handmaid's Tale yet get that first, but if you have time to pick up The Blind Assassin it's definitely worth it.

Tomorrow night I am heading to Nujoud's house for a book swap and I am hoping to come home with a great find!