Frank Herbert, Dune
I once again tried to read Dune. Once again, I couldn't get further than six pages. If you love this book, God bless, but despite everything I've read about it which makes it seem like I would love it, it's just clearly not for me.
Colin Barrett, Wild Houses
Set in Ireland, lovely dialect, you'd think I love it. Getting great reviews. I tried twice, just couldn't get through it. I don't know why -- I just couldn't get interested in any of the characters. If you like really short novels about hoodlums in Ireland, you might like it more than me.
Jane Smiley, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidle Newton
I recently read Smiley's latest novel, Lucky, and liked it right up to the last five or six pages, which are postmodern and grim. Anyway, I also liked Smiley's Moo, so I thought I'd give another of her books a try. This one started well, but yeah, no. Apparently I only like one in ten of Smiley's books. Lidle Newton, again, seems like a book I would like -- a 20-year-old marries an abolitionist after her father dies, and they take out for Lawrence, Kansas, in the years just before the Civil War. Doesn't that sound like a hella book? Sadly, after a promising start, it descends into tedium. Did not finish.
Sarah Langan, A Better World
A near future novel -- everyone except the very few hyperwealthy are desperately poor and ravaged by the collapsing ecosystem. The very wealthy have created gated communities where the air and water are filtered, and decent, non-toxic food still exists. If you have the requisite skills, you can join one of these company towns. Our main characters do, only it turns out everyone there is very unfriendly. Why? I guessed the plot twist coming at about page 30. It's not a very striking one. Also, I didn't care about any of the characters, who were either ciphers or assholes. Stopped reading about page 70.
Curtis Sittenfeld, Rodham
Basically, a what-if. What if Hillary Clinton had not married Bill? What would her life, and our country, be like? I was interested in this premise, but by the time Hillary decides not to marry him, I was so bored I could not go on. I've liked, in a tepid way, Sittenfeld's books before. This one didn't do it for me.
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
I keep trying to like Atwood. I made it all the way through Handmaid's Tale, but I can't say I enjoyed it. This one was mentioned in Michael Berube's book of criticism, The Ex-Human, which I liked a lot, so I thought I'd give her another try. Noped out about page fifteen. Just deadly boring.
What all are y'all not reading?
2 comments:
I’m not reading the marriage sabbatical because that plot sounds dumb. I’m not reading Just for the summer because my friend read it and said it went depressing really quickly and then told me the plot twist and I was like yeah thank you for saving me from that 6 months from now when it would have come off the waitlist. I’m not reading the rom-commers because the two star reviews are pretty convincing.
I am enjoying nine coaches waiting by Mary Stewart. Which is an old school governess tries to save her nine year old charge from increasing mysterious accidents plot. DC2 is reading gulp by Mary roach.
—n&m
Margaret Atwood is also not for me.
I have recently failed to read A Most Agreeable Murder (too breathlessly twee for me), Heavenbreaker (got bored), The Wren in the Holly Library (I hated all the characters), The Royal Librarian (I think it was of of those "in two eras, unrelated and pretentious stories " ones), and Fathomfolk (the heavy handed political commentary was also boring).
Much like your feelings on Dune, I'm sure other people who are not me may greatly enjoy these books. I did not.
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