Quick lit

What I've been reading lately.... one last hurrah of summer reading before starting school...

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

I was blown away by Miranda's All the Missing Girls, which isn't exactly a happy story but telling the whole thing in reverse, which actually worked, and amazingly well, made me excited to read another by her.  This was good.  Although after a night of googling what the title means and a few plot points (which I had to decide were possibly plot holes), I concluded that I didn't like this one as much as Missing Girls.  But still, it was quite good.  Creepy, keeps you guessing.

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

I'm always hard-pressed to decide which Narnia I like best.  This one is great fun, with the jumping in and out of worlds in pools in the wood, and Uncle Andrew, and tired cab-horses coming to new life in the nascent Narnian air.  Perfect bedtime reading for your young child (or yourself).

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

I can't remember what made me pick this up, but I'm sure it wasn't a plot description:  the main character is repeatedly reincarnated, living her life over and over again, like rereading a choose-your-own-adventure until you get the winning ending.  That sounds pretty terrible.  But this was better than that.  Beautifully descriptive language, with stark images (sometimes dark and disturbing) that serve as "markers" so you know what's about to happen...unless she makes a different decision this time around.  

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

How heart-wrenching it is to come to the end of a beloved series!  (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter.)  And all the more so this one because I told Caleb when we got to the end of Narnia that would be the end of bedtime stories.  I love, love, love the last part of this book.  In fact, to date I have referenced or quoted it three times on this very blog.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

It's about time I read this, and I just put the movie on my watchlist.  It's super nerdy.  Packed with obscure 80's pop culture references and geeky tech specs.  But it was fun, nevertheless.  It reminded me of a cross between The Matrix and Escape from Mr. Limencello's Library, and maybe also Star Wars.  If you think about it too much, it's depressingly realistic, especially before it really gets into the thrill of the chase...and at the end, when you have to wonder What now?  But I suppose that's what sequels are for.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

This was hands-down my favorite new read this month.  I read chapter 3 in bed after Jason was asleep one night and was shaking the bed with suppressed laughter, trying not to wake him up.  (I later read it aloud to him during our next date night when we could give full vent to our mirth.)  Sandwiched in between the hilarity are the thoughtful insights about race and human nature in general that I so appreciate about Trevor Noah.  I knew he was South African, and I knew that he has a white dad and a black mom, but I didn't grasp the incredibly unique situation of his upbringing before reading this.  His personal history combined with his intelligent observations and reflection on the meaning of it all give him a perspective worth listening to.  

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

I put this on my library holds at the very beginning of the summer and only just got it after weeks and weeks of waiting in line.  I must admit, it felt a little like a bait and switch.  Somehow I misunderstood the synopsis and thought this was a thriller/mystery about an odd kidnapping.

It's not that.  

When I realized this book is about race relations, I groaned inside.  I don't read books to engage with world problems, but to escape them!  Still, I was rooting for the main character enough to see her story through, but besides resenting that I accidentally read a book about an Important And Timely Topic, a) There were more play-by-play sex scenes than I really needed (Dear authors: I can fill in the blanks.  No need for a Twister-style "his [body part] goes here; her [body part] goes there" walkthrough.); b) There was so much language.  A tiresome amount of language; and c) Nearly all the characters were despicable people who acted so jerky as to seem unrealistic.

So there.  My honest feedback on a book so Important And Timely that you have to wait three months to get it from your local library.  My advice?  Read Trevor Noah instead.  He talks about race in a less depressing way, plus he adds poop jokes.  You really can't go wrong.  

The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff

This promises to be the exciting conclusion of the Roman Britain Trilogy that Ada and I read 2/3 of back in the spring.  To be honest, I'm having a hard time getting into it, not because it doesn't involved desertion, swords, conspiracy, and glory, but because it has really small, dense print and I'm getting old.  I'm on the verge of needing reading glasses, which I do own, but I can't quite get used to them and I get a headache either way.  Maybe I could get a giant magnifying glass that my legally-blind grandmother used to read the newspaper. 


May your wrapping-up-summer reading be light-hearted, thrilling, and delightfully fun.