Books 2019 in The Book Book

Shamelessly stealing [pandora]’s idea.

I use GoodReads religiously but love the idea of having an entry to just update with some general thoughts… I almost never write reviews there, and you can’t give half stars, which kind of annoys me. My goal is 30.

January
(1) Us Against You by Fredrik Backman - 5 stars

So basically this is an amazing book. It’s the sequel to Beartown, which I also loved. It’s kind of weird that I would give this book 5 stars, because I have to be blown away by a book to give it that and it took me like 2 weeks to read (which would usually mean I wasn’t that into it). When I get into something, I REALLY get into it. But this one was kind of a slow burn. Also I didn’t want it to end and I loved it a lot. And I literally cried my way through the last page. Since I judge things on how well they make me cry, this one gets 5 stars. Beautiful writing, incredible characters, and there’s a third one coming out (I think in 2020) and I cannot wait for it.

(2) Every Note Played by Lisa Genova - 3 stars

Eh. I appreciated this book for what it was, which was kind of a fluff piece with serious undertones. A famous pianist has ALS and it’s about his relationship with his family and ex wife as he grapples with his diagnosis. It had potential but fell short of what it could have been.

(5) Becoming by Michelle Obama - 5 stars

So, I love a good memoir (and like.. isn’t that why I love Prosebox? I love reading about people’s lives). And I love Michelle Obama, and this was some fantastic writing. SO!! I loved this book. Also I have always admired Michelle and Barack as a couple and this did not disappoint - I got misty eyed a few times when she talked about him! Such a good read. Plus it reminds me of a time when news wasn’t about the crazy antics of a madman in charge.

(4) There There by Tommy Orange - 3.5 stars

There was a lot I liked about this book. Reminded me a little of Sherman Alexie, who I really enjoy. I love stories with Native American characters, and this had a really interesting plot line. But I don’t like a lot of random character points of view, and not everything really tied together for me. It was his first book, and I’d read more from this author, but it just wasn’t a great read for me.

(5) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman -5 stars

Loved this one. Had a great storyline and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Just a really great read and so many true statements about loneliness and isolation. I mean, hopefully I’m nothing like Eleanor, but I could relate to her… which is part of what I loved about this book.

February
(6) The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner - 2 stars

UGH. NO. MAKE IT STOP. That’s what I thought a few times when reading this. It really annoys me when a really talented writer writes something shitty. This was my first book I’ve read by her, but I can tell she’s a good writer and this is just drivel. There were a few parts I enjoyed but mostly I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Would be 1 star, but like I said, the actual writing is nice. I just hated the story.

(7) Into the Woods by Tana French -3.5 stars
Well. This was a long one, and it wasn’t tough reading or anything but took me forever to get through. It had a great story but sadly there are so many loose ends at the end! There were also a lot of relationship annoyances in there. But I think French did a really good job making you really want to know what happens next. I’d read another book by her for sure, just isn’t the highest on my list.

March
(8) Less by Andrew Sean Greer - 2 stars

This one was a miss for me. I did actually like the ending a lot, and was really into the last 20 pages, but goddamn was I bored by this book. It felt pretentious and I just did not enjoy reading it. Also I feel like people are obsessed with this book and I’m kind of bummed out that I just didn’t care for it.

Last updated March 08, 2019