Saturday Morning Reading

Saturday Morning Reading.

The first installment of 2013! I have to mention that I have already read three novels so far. Not bad for mid-way through the first month. My voracious reading includes two novels in the Heros of Olympus trilogy by Rick Riordan. Thanks to N (9) who is reading them, we decided to read them together. As someone who loved The Hunger Games & Twilight novels – this was was fun to read. It was made more enjoyable because I was doing this with N.

Today’s post is focused on my second Gillian Flynn novel, Sharp Objects. The plot focuses on Camille, thirty, a reporter for a third tier Chicago paper. A series of murders in her hometown brings her home to investigate, after 8 years away and one long trip to the psych hospital. In Wind Gap, Camille digs into the horrible nature of these crimes as she tries to discover the murderer and faces her history with her mother and family. The clues feel all too familiar for Camille.

This is Ms. Flynn’s debut novel. I started it Sunday and finished it this morning. Its the kind of book that you stay up late to finish. It is a dark and haunting story – which, as a mother disturbed me on so many levels. I almost walked away from it and I am glad I didn’t. That the writing moved me in that way speaks volumes, yes? I recommend picking this one up, or downloading it as I do.

I love the roller coaster rides that Ms. Flynn’s story writing sends you on. From Gone Girl (here) to Sharp Objects – I am eager to read Dark Places, her second novel. You can find information about all three here. If you’ve read any of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Saturday Morning Reading with Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Have you heard of this novel yet? It just came out this summer, and everytime I mention it, I am met with an overwhelming response. "I am obsessed!“ "Couldn’t put it down!” "Did you even expect…“

Now that I told you how addicting this read is, let me set the premise for this modern day thriller. It is the day of Nick & Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary, but they are broken. From the first chapter, you know there is trouble in paradise, if only from Nick’s reluctance to go downstairs to greet his wife in the morning. This is where ithe story starts, each chapter reveals a new twist, a dark secret. Then, somewhere in the middle… BAM! you will not see it coming. Or at least I didn’t.

The characters – all of them – are quite off center. Amy & Nick are disturbed, troubled individuals. Bring them together and you have a fun, fast & furious read. It was a (according to the NY Times) an ice pick sharp thriller. And one that I truly recommend – dare I say insist? – you read (buy here). Hold on to your seat, you are in for a ride…

Saturday Morning Reading with The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

“There’s no one thing that’s true. It’s all true.”

A quote from Hemingway, in The Paris Wife. This book was selected for one of my book clubs – and boy am I glad we picked it. Paula McLain, the author, really creates a wonderful historical fictitious tale of Hadley Richardson and her life with Ernest Hemingway.

Scene set up: Chicago 1920, a sheltered Hadley meets energetic and not-well-known Ernest Hemingway. They fall hard for each other, marry & set their sites on Paris. Here they became part of the fabled “Lost Generation” that included Gertrude Stein, Erza Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald & Zelda Fitzgerald. This, though, is Hadley’s story of Paris in the Jazz Age – the people and places they meet that set the stage for Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. It provides us with Hadley’s point of view through out their highest and lowest points in their marriage. Especially the moments that doom their marriage, and relationship.

I really enjoyed this story, the light it sheds on Hadley & Ernest’s daily life, as well as Hemingway’s struggle to find his voice and place among the literary greats of his time. While I admittedly do not know much about Hemingway – in this story I came to have a love/hate relationship with him. Same with Hadley – I don’t understand her passiveness – so completely & utterly passive that it angered me at points. Art evoking emotion – to me this means a great story.

As I work on a comparison of The Innocents/The Age of Innocence I am setting my sight on reading The Sun Also Rises and The Movable Feast. Now the question becomes – if, according to Hemingway, there is no real truth, and noting again this work is a novel, then we, the readers, are left to decipher what is true.

Saturday Morning Reading with The Innocents.

Have you read The Innocents? I just did. It is a story loosely based on Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence, which I have never read. This modern day version casts a a lens on what is considered a tight knit Jewish community in London. The story develops as Adam & Rachel set to marry – a union that brings joy to all the family & community. Adam, having lost his father, was firm in his conviction of what is right, and moral. Then looses his own way when Ellie, Rachel’s more-worldly cousin rejoins the family, after being the family outcast. His security and convictions are challenged. We watch Adam fall & get back up while learning a great deal about the strength & conscience from Rachel, his family and, ultimately, himself.

The writing was lovely, it was a great read. I really enjoyed the story. And while I have not read Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence – I am, in a post college English Lit kind of experiment, I am reading it for a comparison. I am about a quarter way through, and the pace of Wharton’s early 20th century NYC based novel is, well, slower. In Segal’s version I enjoyed many of the characters with Ziva – the maternal Grandmother, being by far my favorite character – she is a pip. I am having trouble finding anyone like able in the Wharton version. But I will let you know. But now, please tell me: have you read it & what do you think?

Saturday Morning Reading: Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazement’s. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.”

And so opens the Night Circus. One of the most fantastic-al stories I have read in a long time. In her debut book, Ms. Morgenstern takes us to a time and place where everything is possible, and magic is real. Celia & Marco are put on a path set long before their birth – a competition showmanship & ability. The circus is the stage and we are invited, at night, to watch the game play out with some twists & turns.

The best part of this story is the imagery and creative thought applied to what this circus is – from the performers to the surrounding. Ms. Morgenstern did a masterful job painting a picture of the circus, and lives it touches in great detail. You truly get a sense of place amidst all the mystery. Night Circus has many characters, points of view, and sometimes is a bit slow (not sure if thats my impatience or the story), but it is a fun journey.

Honestly, it was a perfect book to read after The Long Walk (here). I guess there is a part of me that wishes magic was real and not an illusion. I am wondering what you think, have you or will you read it?

Saturday Morning Reading: The Long Walk by Brian Castner (avail here)

You know when a book, it’s story & characters, speak to you in a meaningful way that when you finish it, you could not possibly start another? That is the case with The Long Walk. From the first page, Mr. Castner had me and did not let go until the last page. I am still in awe, and want you all to know about this book.

This eye-opening book has been lauded as an one of the most accurate portrayals of life in Iraq, and the internal struggle after. Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East. During two of these tours, he was a commander of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq. Mr. Castner shares his story vacillating between past and present. We ride along with him and his team- his Brothers, with details of their training and dangerous missions. We learn of Mr. Castner’s struggle to assimilate back into civilian & family life, while keeping the Crazy at bay. The Crazy is his first hand account of survivor guilt and the emotional & behavioral impact of the war.

Not for the thin skinned, Mr. Castner’s honest and personal journey is thought provoking. It sheds a bright light on what happens ‘over there’ and the all- encompassing sacrifices made by the men & women of the military, and their families, for their country. This book has single handily deepened my respect and appreciation for what they do for me, my family, my country while breaking my heart at the same time. Regardless of your view point, political affiliation or religion, this is a compelling and important read. Additional reviews (here).

Thank you Mr. Castner.