Abandoning Books....

0 stars


White Dog Fell from the Sky by Eleanor Morse


I got a good ways into this book (which was one I selected as a candidate for a book club read but we decided on the superlative The Homecoming of Samuel Lake instead) before losing interest.  I liked how it started out but it devolved into too much focus on characters I didn't care so much about (Alice and her relationships).


0 stars


Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel


It seems a Man Booker Prize is an indication that a book will be too snobby or arty for me.  Again, a book which started out strong; I liked the initial stories of young Cromwell but the machinations of the court quickly grew dull to me. Very talky.


I'm currently on the fence about whether or not to give up on The Heavens Rise by Christopher Rice.  Again, it started out strong and I was very much enjoying it; I had to set it down for a whole week, so had somewhat lost the narrative thread.  A quick peek at others' reviews show a real mixed bag....so, I'm not sure.  Also, looks like I'm sticking with Dinner with a Vampire for now.  Initially, I found the writing to be so horrendous, I wasn't sure I could continue.  I'm not a particular fan of vampire books; I guess I mainly feel an obligation to myself, since this was a rare book purchase (which is a good reason not to buy books, but to rather use the library!)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

*** 3 stars

I'm a little surprised that I liked this book as much as I did. I think it's mainly a credit to the author's writing skill.  Her personality was pretty unattractive and the fact that her poor judgment put her into so many bad situations was pretty frustrating.  I'm not sure she did a great job demonstrating her emotional growth throughout her experience but it was highly readable.