So, without further ado, here is what I read and how I felt about it.
True Sisters, by Sandra Dallas
I am a big Sandra Dallas fan and have read most of her books. The Diary of Mattie Spenser is my favorite book of hers, but really, I've pretty much loved them all. With the exception of True Sisters. It was good, but it wasn't great. At least not for me. I think the subject matter was interesting; it's about a Mormon handcart company and their trials and tribulations as they try to walk to the Salt Lake Valley from Iowa City. Unfortunately, instead of writing about one or two characters, Dallas tries to cover several women and their families and it all sort of falls apart. Like the handcarts themselves (spoiler!).
The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
Full disclosure; I actually read The Year of the Flood previously and I loved it. I just wanted to re-read it before starting on the final book of the MaddAddam trilogy, MaddAddam, because I like to binge-read the previous books in a series before starting a new book. I figure it's like binge-watching old shows before a new season. Does anyone else binge-read? So, anyway, I read it again and I loved it again. I've mentioned before than I'm a fan of dys-lit and Atwood's brand of intelligent, inventive dys-lit is some of my favorite.
MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood
This is the third and final book in the MaddAddam trilogy and it was definitely worth the wait. It was a wonderful read and managed to serve as both a prequel to Oryx and Crake (the first in the series) as well as the sequel to The Year of the Flood. It provides a satisfactory ending to the series, but doesn't tie everything up in a neat little bow because Atwood understands that it couldn't possibly. Basically, Margaret Atwood is a bad-ass and remains one of my all-time favorite authors. I highly recommend this series, especially if you like dys-lit.
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Okay, so I'm about to say something very unpopular about this book; it wasn't that great. At least not for me. It started off really well, making me laugh out loud several times, but then it was just, average, I guess. I don't think it's a bad book, I'm just not sure it's a great book. But, then again, it may be. I think it may have suffered from being over-hyped. I expected to need a box of tissues to make it through the second half of the book, but I didn't. I barely teared up. Of course, that could be because I'm an insensitive jerk, but it could also be that the book was over-hyped. I don't know. I'm sorry.
The Lonely Polygamist, by Brady Udall
This book is great. It's funny and strange and interesting and sad and really quite wonderful. It's unlike anything I've ever read before and it makes me want to read everything else Brady Udall has ever written. It's very weird and very clever all at once, which means it combines two of my favorite things in one place and it does it very well. On the surface, it's about a man suffering from a midlife crisis. But, we're talking about a man with four wives, 28 children and monumental social, familial and religious responsibilities. Basically, it's great and I definitely recommend it.
Per usual, I have no idea what book I'm going to use for my inspiration, but hopefully I'll come up with something!
Happy Wednesday, All! Also, please don't yell at me about TFiOS; I said I'm sorry!
Gracey
