WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

By Delia Owens

This was my book pick for March and, as the month comes to an end, I wanted to explain how much I loved this book. The story follows a lonely girl named Kya, raised in the marshlands of North Carolina in the early 1960's and follows her struggles with acceptance, love, and friendship. This is a beautifully-written love story with a murder mystery intertwined that will literally have you guessing until the last page. I love reading about strong female characters. I believe stories like this one can help people, not just girls, figure out who they are, who to trust, how to be strong, and how to realize what is important in life. 

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****

DEAR EVAN HANSEN

By Val Emmich

Even though I live in NYC, I still have not seen the Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen." I know, I'm horrible. But, when this book came out, I bought it right away because I have been so curious as to what the story is that has everyone running to the theater. Also, the $13.99 price tag was a little easier to swallow than the $300 ticket to the play. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was not what I was expecting, and I am now quite curious as to how a musical was made about such a sensitive theme as teen suicide. I guess I will have to suck up the $300 and go find out. If you love the musical (then I am sure you have already read this) or you're like me and wanting to know the story, I think you will love this book. Very heartfelt with a great message. 

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****

HOME IS BURNING

By Dan Marshall

I love reading memoirs, and "Home is Burning" is one of my all-time favorites. It follows the author, Dan Marshall, during the years where he moves back in with his family in Salt Lake, Utah (no, they are not Mormon) to take care of his mother who is battling cancer and his father who was diagnoses with ALS. Even though the premise seems rather dismal and somber, Marshall's writing style is filled with humor, buoyancy, and heart. I fell in love with every member of his family, especially his dad who, like his son, had wit and strength. Reading this book put a lot of things in perspective and I hope you love it just as much as I do. 

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*****

THE SHINING

By Stephen King

This past October, I finally read "The Shining" - my first book by Stephen King. For years, I was always intrigued by this book (having had no clue what it was about) and thought that it was the perfect book pick for Halloween. 

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In case you aren't familiar, the story is about a family who is living in a hotel during the wintertime, completely isolated and trapped inside because of the snow. Everything is perfect until...it's not. Without giving away any spoilers, some strange activity begins to happen inside the hotel, as well as to the main protagonist, Jack Torrance. 

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I really enjoyed the writing and it didn't feel like a 688 page book - but, and maybe this is just my own preferences - I lost interest in the story once "supernatural" things started to take place. It's very hard for me to read stories that can't actually happen (I guess I don't have an imagination) but the last 100 pages of this book lost me. 

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I also didn't find the book scary at all. I thought this was supposed to be the scariest book ever written? I was all prepared to be kept up all night, having crazy nightmares, but to no avail. Maybe I'm just really brave? Ha. 

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***

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CRAZY RICH ASIANS

By Kevin Kwan

When I first started reading this book, I thought "there is no way I am going to be able to remember all of these Asian names." Like, on the first page alone, there are 22 names that all kind of sound the same, but aren't. Luckily, the author did such a good job of separating the different story lines that after the first few chapters, I realized who was important (Nick, Rachel, Astrid) and who I didn't really need to give a shit about (Allister, Felicity, etc).

While the story line has been done many times before (boy meets girl, boy introduces girl to family, family hates girl and tries to break them up) I found it so interesting to learn about the different Asian cultures, something I knew very little about before opening up this novel. 

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I can't wait for the movie to come out and I can't wait for Amazon to deliver the second and third installments of this trilogy. 

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****

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THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

By A.J. Finn

Finally – a book that I couldn’t put down and also a book that shocked the F&%@ out of me.

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The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn tells the story of Anna Fox, an agoraphobic therapist who spends most of her days staring out the windows of her enormous home in New York City. Agoraphobia, in case you didn’t know (I didn’t before I began this book) is the fear or anxiety of open spaces or public situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment. So, with Anna being agoraphobic, the only way she can feel like a member of society is by spying on her neighbors, knowing all of their secrets and lies, without ever have spoken to them. 

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The entire story is told from Anna’s POV, which is something I liked, as most novels out right now switch the POV almost every five pages, making it confusing for me to follow along with each persons perspectives.

My one critique of this book, and the reason I didn’t have it five stars, was that a lot of the events occurring with and around Anna were very clichéd. I mean, how many books can I read where the main character is explaining a situation that occurred but no one believes her because she drinks a bottle of wine each night (The Woman in Cabin 10, The Girl on the Train, etc) – Do you see the pattern?

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Having said that, I truly enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is into psychological thrillers, mysteries, or women that drink Merlot.  

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****

WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE?

By Maria Semple

Finally - a book that was hard to put down! I first bought this book about 6 months ago, but really had no clue what it was about (even after reading the book jacket 11 times) so I kept putting it off...until now. And I am so glad that I finally decided to give this book a chance. 

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Like "Little Fires Everywhere," this book was highly character driven, but unlike LFE, this book had quirk and humor to pace it much better. 

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The story follows Bernadette Branch, a recluse living in the Seattle area with her husband Elgin (a big-timer at Microsoft) and her adventurous daughter, Bee. Bernadette is an agoraphobic - someone who gets anxiety by leaving their home - but she somehow gets into trouble with the moms at Bee's school, co-workers of her husbands at Microsoft, and everyone in between. 

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When Bee receives straight A's, she is promised to a trip to Antartica (wait...can we even travel there? I never knew that was a place people could actually visit...Does JetBlue fly there? Brb, checking...

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...No - they don't. They barley fly to Nashville, let alone the Arctic.) 

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Throughout the planning of the trip, the Branch family are all fighting demons of their own: Bee realizes she doesn't want to go to boarding school, Elgin thinks his newest project is a complete failure, and Bernadette reminisces on times when she was happier. 

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The thing I liked so much about this book was that 90% of it was told through letters, emails, notes, and even text messages. I thought it was an extremely clever way to tell a story and how the purpose of those letters, emails, and notes come full circle once you hit the last chapter. 

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I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a light, easy read about quirky characters. (Ugh, how many times did I say the word "quirky" in this review?) 

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****

MISSING, PRESUMED

By Susie Steiner

As of late, I have really been getting into books that revolve around a missing and/or dead girl that takes place out in the middle of nowhere in the British countryside (see: In a Dark, Dark Wood or In a Cottage in the Wood, or The Woman in Cabin 10, just to name a few.)

When my Kindle, who seems to know me better than my parents do at times, suggested “Missing, Presumed” I had a feeling this book would be right up my alley.

Taking place in the British countryside (fresh and original), this story follows Detective Manon Bradshaw, a 30-something cop who struggles just as much in her love life as she does in her job. When a girl of a notable family goes missing (presumably), Manon and her partner must gather the clues and go on a wild goose chase to see if this girl is dead or alive, missing, or hiding underneath her bed.

This book took me awhile to get into, mostly due to the extreme use of British vocabulary (what the hell does “cobbywobbles mean?!) and the fact that every few pages the narrative shifts between three main characters POV’s. About halfway through, I actually began to enjoy (give a shit?) about the story and was actually interested if Detective Manon would find her…or love.

I won’t give too much away, as this is one of those stories that leaves you guessing until the very end (but, like, not really). If you enjoy books about missing girls, unlucky-in-love detectives, or every chapter including the line with “Would you like some tea, dear?” then this book will, too, be right up your alley!    

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***

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE

By Celeste Ng

In the beginning of the new year, some friends and I decided to put together a small and intimate book club – mostly to eat wine and cheese every week.

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Our first official book club selection was “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng, and I was secretly very happy and excited because this is a book that has been on my to-read shelf since it came out in September.

The story follows the Richardson’s, a seemingly perfect family living in the seemingly too perfect town of Shaker Heights who develop a close relationship with a mother and daughter who are new to the area.  

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While some people (everyone in my book club, cough cough) hated this book and thought it was too slow, I actually really loved it. It’s definitely more character development than gripping story, but that’s actually something I prefer when reading a novel. The book also switches between perspective of a few different points-of-view that I thought was paced well and made the reading experience more enjoyable in my opinion.

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As for recommending this book, which I definitely do, I would also state that no, this is not the biggest page-turner that you will read all year and yes, you may find yourself shouting “Who the hell cares, Ng?!” more times than you would think. But, it is an interesting novel about an array of characters that will make you understand the many thoughts and perceptions of one event, one family, and one little fire.

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****

THE MARRIAGE PACT

By Michelle Richmond

Sometimes Amazon just gets me. I had never heard of this book, or of its author, Michelle Richmond, but it appeared on my kindle under recommendations. Plus, it was only $2.99, so I figured what the hell.I had no idea what the book was about, and sometimes thats the best because you have nothing to anticipate or wait for or guess what will happen next. 

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The Marriage Pact is about a couple who gets married and is offered an invitation to join The Pact by one of their wedding guests. The Pact is presented as a private club for married couples that offers lavish parties, fun rituals, and big consequences for not following the manual exactly. Essentially, it becomes a cult. 

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While reading this, I felt like I was reading part 2 of Leah Remini's book, "Trouble Maker" all about Scientology - because there were some of the same themes between the Pact and the "religion". 

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Overall, the  premise was interesting, but the main character was such a moron that I found myself screaming at my Kindle on the R train nearly every night. I would recommend this book if you read fast and can get through it in less than a week. Any more time spent on this is a waste of your time. 

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***

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THE NIX

By Nathan Hill

The Nix, by Nathan Hill, was probably my favorite book of 2017. Why? Well, it's actually hard to say. I always tell people that they need to read this book and they always ask me why, and I stumble for the reason. Sometimes, with books, it's hard to say why someone should read a book, or why a book affected you the way it did. And The Nix is probably one of the only books that leaves me speechless. 

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It is a story of a man who was abandoned by his mother when he was a child and, years later, circumstances arise that reunite the two. In its 700 pages, Hill transitions the story into many different perspectives, mostly the mother and son, but also the son's best childhood friend, or the mother's father, or the mother's best friend. By dividing the story into so many perspectives, the reader doesn't feel like they are reading a 700-page story. 

The writing of this novel is exceptional, with just enough humor and sympathy to keep you engrossed in this story.  

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*****

THE MARTIAN

By Andy Weir

Before I even get started in my review, I need to confess that I actually did not read the entirety of this book. This is one of the first times that I quit reading a book when I was more than half way through. 

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The book, which is now a movie and I am sure you all saw and loved, is about a man who was accidentally left on Mars with a limited supply of food and resources and is trying to save his life and get back to planet Earth. 

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I have owned this book for more than 2 years and finally got around to reading it, although somewhat reluctantly, as I am not very interested in space...or planets...or whatever else NASA does. 

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The Martian mainly reads as journal entries from Mark, the novel's protagonist who is stuck on Mars and is desperately trying to gain contact to Earth to be saved. That's a pretty decent premise, right? I thought so, but while I read the book, I would get so annoyed with how Mark was put into all of these terrifying circumstances where it appeared he was going to die, but then, out of nowhere, he would find an easy way to get out of it. Say, for instance, the food. He only had food to last him a few months worth. But, alas! The crew had brought potatoes with them to cook a Thanksgiving dinner one night, and, since he is a Botanist, he knows how to re-plant potatoes! Everything just seemed very convenient. 

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I stopped reading around page 150 and just flipped to the last chapter to see if he did, indeed, make it off of Mars. I won't spoil anything here, but he did! 

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**

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THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10

By Ruth Ware

If you have visited a Barnes & Noble within the past year - or spoken to any female between the ages of 25 and 50 - you have probably heard about The Woman in Cabin 10. Hell, that's how I found out about it! (Thanks, Aunt Judy!) 

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The Cabin in the Woods is the second novel from Ware, her first being In a Dark, Dark Wood. and is labeled a "psychological thriller" - like so many books lately are. Everyone is trying to find the new Gone Girl, and while this book is definitely not it, it has it's entertaining moments and the "big twist" towards the end. 

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The story revolves around a travel magazine writer who is granted access to the first sail of a ship so she can write about her experience. Of course, this woman has depression and is an alcoholic - like so many great women of literature are - so naturally when strange things begin to happen in her cabin, no body believes her because of the empty liquor bottles in her trash can. So, the whole "Is this really happening or am I really crazy" plot line ensues. 

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It's a perfectly fine book if you have a long a layover at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta or if you are going to the beach with friends and want to appear too cool to play ultimate Frisbee. 

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***

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MODERN ROMANCE

By Aziz Ansari

When I accidentally purchased this book on my Kindle, I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I am not a huge Aziz Ansari fan (thought he was the worst character on Parks & Rec and despise his stand up), but this book was very interesting and actually pretty funny. Instead of littering the pages with Ansaris' love life, Modern Romance actually explores the many different experiences and customs of people dating around the world - not just his. I liked that he traveled to different cities and countries and interviewed people and put their stories in this book as well. As someone who is fascinated by the way people meet and date and fall in love, this book was right up my alley.

If you like learning about different cultures, you will like this book. If you think Ansari is funny, you will love it. 

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****