Archives for November 2017

Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately.

Sorry for my lack of posting, y’all. If you know me IRL, you’re aware that I’ve had a rather unconventional past 8 days. Last Monday morning, I woke up at 3:30 with the worst headache of my life, which turned out to be a subarachnoid hemorrhage on the right side of my brain. I had a craniotomy on Tuesday which pretty much ruined my week, to put it mildly.

In any case, I wanted to at least get to the post I’d planned to publish last week as soon as I was able. (And thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, I AM able now)

So without further ado, here are some of the books I read in November:

The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How To Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too), by Gretchen Rubin
Books about personality types are my jam and the Four Tendencies was such an enlightening read. Gretchen Rubin divides people into four categories according to how they respond to expectation (both inner and outer) then provides ample information on how to improve your own life knowing your tendency, and also how to work with and communicate with others based on their tendencies. You can take her online quiz without purchasing the book, but once you find out your tendency, I bet you’ll want to read the book and learn more!

French Milk, by Lucy Knisely
I’ve been on a bit of a graphic novel kick recently, and French Milk was a quick yummy read (and I mean yummy pretty literally; the book is FULL of descriptions of delicious French food). It’s a graphic journal of Lucy Knisely’s trip to Paris with her mother during the winter break of her final year of college. It’s full of the angsty worries of college students on the verge of graduation and documents all the amazing meals she consumes. I was hungry and itching to hop on a plane to Paris after reading this one.

Kindred, by Octavia Butler
Wow, mind blown. That is all.

Warcross, by Marie Lu
Slated to be a duology, this new series is full of action, adventure and lots of fun video-game culture. I’ll be recommending this to most teens i know.

Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green
When I saw that Book of the Month was offering Turtles All the Way Down as an add-on, I couldn’t NOT order it. And when it came, I couldn’t NOT read it before the actual October pick (I got Manhattan Beach, which I still haven’t read yet). I love John Green from the bottom of my heart and his new one was emotionally wrought and incredibly educational. Until hearing his recent interviews, I had no idea that he suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, and in Turtles All the Way Down he does an amazing job of putting the reader in the mind of a person with the condition.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Guernsey was a delight from beginning to end! The main storyline is about a writer looking for inspiration for a new book and she finds it in a motley, humorous and incredibly endearing group of readers from the island of Guernsey. Told during the post-WWII time period through letters, Shafer and Barrows do an excellent job keeping the story cohesive and developing these lovely characters. I have plans to cook a literary feast inspired by this book once the holidays are over. Potato Peel Pie, here I come!

What have you been reading in November? Share in the comments below!

Welcome to “Worth the Read?” where I give you my honest opinion on whether you should spend your precious time reading a super-hyped New York Times Bestseller.

Today’s book is:

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

On New York Times Best Sellers list (Hardcover Fiction) for 7 weeks

The Hype:
Celeste Ng’s debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, which came out in 2014 was a critical success, winning honors such as Amazon Book of the Year, an American Library Association’s Alex Award, and more. Readers were excited to read her sophomore novel, as evidenced by its appearance on practically every“Most Anticipated Books of 2017” list out there. And once positive reviews critics started rolling in, celebrities and high-profile authors also put their stamp of approval on the book. Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, John Green, Roxane Gay, and Judy Blume have all expressed their love for the book on social media.

Plot Summary:
From the publisher

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned — from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren — an enigmatic artist and single mother — who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Thoughts:
What’s remarkable about this book is that Celeste Ng gives the ending away at the very beginning, but still manages to make the story so compelling that it reads like a unputdownable thriller.

Also notable is how Ng is able to tackle complex topics like class and race without making the book feel pedantic or like there’s an agenda. The plot and characters are strong enough that the story flows, and it just so happens that issues of class and race are deftly incorporated into the mix. 

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was that I didn’t find any of the characters particularly endearing. I really wanted to connect with at least one character, but none of them stood out as lovable. They were all a bit too self-involved or mysterious.

A final thought: If you’re in your 30s or older, you’ll probably enjoy the ‘90s references. I found it especially entertaining when a character mentioned  the search engine Altavista in a conversation.

Rating: 90% worth it

Rating Key
80% – 100% – the book lives up to the hype. Go read it now!
60% – 79% – the book is good, but there’s no rush to read it
40% – 59% – the book has some degree of merit, but has flaws and probably isn’t worth your time
0% – 39% – the book stinks and isn’t worth the read

Have you read Little Fires Everywhere  What were your thoughts? Share in the comments below!