Book Two: Faithful Place

Faithful Place, Tana French



Oh, Ms. French, I am so glad I gave you a second chance. And now this third chance. Because I am totally in love with you. Maybe you still don't know quite how to end a book with a bang, and maybe the who in this whodunnit was a tad obvious, but I'll forgive you that as long as you continue to write so well and create compelling characters.

Book One: Left Neglected

Left Neglected, Lisa Genova



If this book is a portent of the year to come, then I am scared. In short, it was poopy. No wait, let me explain. It had a compelling premise. Sarah, a workaholic mom, is forced to slow down after a traumatic brain injury that leaves her unable to recognize anything on her left side. And in case you don't get that, the author is going to tell you that again and again and again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

Are you tired of me writing that? Because that's how much Lisa Genova felt the need to explain the left sided absence. Again and again and again. One of the problems is that it's told in the first person, so Sarah just keeps saying repeatedly "I can't see anything on my left. Did you know I have no concept of my left? You guys, I have no idea what my left is! OMG, what the hell does 'left' mean anyway?" GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

And also the writing is just so very dull. It felt like reading the most uninspired blog of all time. And okay, another thing, she just couldn't stop mentioning brands, so much so that I honestly wondered if they were sponsored. And either way, that's really just the height of tedium. And so heavy handed! The first 50 or so pages are just one long dirge that attempt to demonstrate just how busy and type-A Sarah is. With no sense of humor whatsoever. In short: all tell, no show.

Lastly, you can see the ending coming a mile away. And I don't like that.

Book Fiftyone: The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth, Alexander McCall Smith



Can we pretend that I finished fifty two books this year? Because, seriously, I was soooooo close. I actually did finish this one many days ago. And in the meantime I am halfway through one book, a quarter of the way through another, and a quarter of the way through a third. That adds up to one completed book, no? And I rarely read more than one book at once, but for some reason I found myself in the midst of three, and I blame that for the reason why I just couldn't manage to finish any of them. Ah well. I still feel great about my year given that I carried a baby for half the year and then birthed it and then cared for it for the other half!

So yeah, about this book! I loved it! I love all the Isabel Dalhousie books enthusiastically! In this one Isabel helps a new friend find information about her birth parents while she and Jamie plan their wedding, their baby Charlie is growing up, and Isabel philosophizes and overthinks (in the best way) everything. I like this yearly slipping into of her little world in Edinburgh and now I can't wait for next year's installment.

Book Fifty: Mockingjay

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins



So really, I finished this a day or so after finishing Catching Fire. I just couldn't stop. In fact, I probably can't even tell you where one book ended and the other began since I downloaded Mockingjay at about 3am directly after finishing the last one. What else do I have to say? I did love this, really I did, but all that action near the end almost crossed the line into ridiculous for me. And, even though I'm a pretty good visualizer of books, I had a very hard time picturing all of that craziness in the Capitol. But then, at the very end, the book won me back with those last few lines. I honestly didn't quite see any of what happened coming. So either I'm really slow or this was a great book.

And so as not to give away any spoilers to the three remaining people on the planet who haven't read this, I will end there.

Book Fortynine: Catching Fire

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins



I had been waiting forever for this to come out in paperback. Because, for the most part, I really dislike reading hardcover books. So I waited and waited and waited and it never came out. And then I realized that I could download it (for cheap, even!) and read it on the Kindle app for the iPhone. And, I may be the last person in the world to figure this out, the best part is that it's so easy to hold my phone in just one hand, that I can now read whilst nursing the baby. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I have been reading up a storm and the screen doesn't even bother my eyes or anything. So, turns out that technology is actually good for something after all.

I don't really need to say anything about this series, I'm sure, since everyone has probably already read it and written more than I can ever say about it. I'll just say that I love it as much as everyone else does, and that I'm totally looking forward to the movie. I find it terrifying and lovely and it takes turns I didn't quite expect, which gave it more depth than I imagined.

Book Fortyeight: A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Red Herring Without Mustard, Alan Bradley



I honestly can't believe how fast Mr. Bradley cranks these books out! I just picked up this paperback, and noticed that a new hardcover of the fourth installment in the series is already out! Who does he think he is, Alexander McCall Smith? I shouldn't let that color my impressions of these books, and yet I worry that with speed comes sloppiness. However, I did quite enjoy this one, much as I did the previous two. Bodies keep piling up in Bishop's Lacey and Flavia is still as precocious, spunky, and sleuthy as ever. Though, if he keeps writing these books at this pace, in a few years we might start to become suspicious and have to wonder if Flavia herself is behind any of these murders (she's a regular Jessica Fletcher, this one).

Book Fortyseven: A High Wind in Jamaica

A High Wind in Jamaica, Richard Hughes



A friend casually said to me at a Halloween party, "So, are you going to be doing NaNoWriMo this year?" I'm sure there was no reason why he asked me in particular, and I'm guessing that this was his idle party chatter for the season, but for some reason it really stuck with me. I thought, "Hey, why not try to write a novel? Who says you can't? I've got things to say!"

But then I read this and realized that I will never write a book. Because I am not a writer and will never be this good. This is stinking good writing. What I write is poop compared to this (case in point: my over usage of the word poop). So yeah, thanks Richard Hughes for making me realize where the bar is and helping me understand that I probably won't ever reach it. But honestly, I'm okay with that, as long as I have books to read that are this amazing.

The plot is crazy: a group of young children, en route to England after their parents have decided that British-occupied Jamaica is not safe for them, are captured by pirates and accidentally taken aboard their ship. But it's not what you expect. The pirates don't really want the children there, but the children adapt quickly to life with the pirates. Everything about this feels child-like, even though the themes and storytelling are quite adult.

But the writing! There are passages I want to quote at length, but I lent my book to someone and can't. I suppose that's all for the best, since I would probably go on an on with excerpts if I could. I'll just say that if you like books about the sea, then this is for you. If you like books with adventure and action, this is for you. If you like books that make you think, then this is definitely for you. If you like books that both delight you with beauty and alarm you with harsh realities, then this is absolutely for you.