THE LOVE WIFE by Gish Jen. A non-Asian woman is married to an Asian man. A Chinese "cousin" comes into their lives as a nanny. I thought the characters were pretty boring.
THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER by Kathleen Kent. I LOVED this book, even though it was really sad. It takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. I am familiar with the history and all the locations in the book so it was an enjoyable read.
ROOM by Emma Donoghue. When this book first came out there were so many articles and blogs about it. The subject matter...a young woman and her son who have been held captive in one small room for many years...was difficult. The son is loved and well-cared for by his mother, despite the circumstances. I was a little confused by a child who seemed so smart, but spoke like a much younger child. This was one of those books that I read in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down.
HOUSE RULES by Jodie Picoult. I read the whole book, even though I had figured out what had happened by page 56. Picoult usually keeps me guessing much longer than that. The main character is a boy with Asperger's that is fascinated by crime-solving. Could he be involved in a murder?
TWO KISSES FOR MADDY by Matt Logelin. If you don't already know the story about Matt and Liz and Maddy, he's been blogging for about 3 years (this is the backstory). Liz gave birth to Maddy, then died 27 hours later. Matt has been doing a kick-ass job of raising Maddy in the past 3 years. He has had some challenges and they have had some great adventures.
In the book, which is a recount of the first year of Maddy's life, he reveals more of the story than what he has previously told us in his blog. Even though I knew so much of the story by following Matt's blog, I still cried when I read the details of the day Liz died. Matt has channeled his grief into a foundation to help others that are sharing his position as a parent of a child that has lost their other parent.
Although I usually get my books at the library, I bought this one so that I could contribute to the foundation by my purchase of the book. I read this one in about 12 hours and I am planning to read it again.
4 comments:
You made me sad just with these reviews. I can't imagine reading the books; they would put me in a depression!
You need happier books. :-)
Our book club has been considering Room, but we didn't know if it was too depressing....
Thanks for the reviews. I need some summer reads. Thanks to you, now I know where to start!
I read Room and was fascinated by it -but also had the issue of why a small child could be so smart in some ways, not others. I read it quick, but thought of it often for weeks, maybe months after. I liked it - but the subject......you know....
House Rules - also read that really fast, and I STILL think of that one months later!! I also feel professionally qualified to diagnose people around me with Aspergers now...and I discovered that a LOT of my friends have it! :)
I have been reading Matt's blog for ages. I do want to read his book!!
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