So many feelings about this book! This was a slow read with my friend Evelyn who thankfully knew so much about Russian history and literature and her husband Tom who knew about Christianity. Both of these are really helpful in reading the book. The experience of reading this book was quite the journey and I am really glad I read it slowly. The beginning was a drag for me, there was so much going on and I understood so little of it. The middle was the best since I managed to let go and truly enjoy the absurdity and the plot was settling a bit by then. And then the ending went to the next level. Net net, I am still not convinced that this book can stand on its own. That it can be uncoupled from the time and location it was written in. Because in of itself, it is more nonsensical than not. But when coupled with all the texture and politics and history of Russia and Faust and Bulgakov himself, it’s indeed quite the novel. I’m glad I read it.
Meg Mason writes exactly the kinds of books I like to read. They are character driven, soft, quiet and deeply introspective. They hold the tenderness and fragility of what it means to be human. And this one comes with the additional gift of taking place in the world of writers and writing and books. I loved it even as it broke my heart.
Apparently i am in the minority. Others found this book brilliant. It’s definitely an interesting book. It’s likely that I am not a fan of satire. I am definitely not a fan of over the top stories. And this story, in my opinion tried a bit too hard. It was too over the top, too in your face. I know it was all on purpose. But I guess it didn’t work for me. I am in the minority though, many loved it so please don’t let me be the reason you don’t read it.
This book is somewhere between a three and four stars for me. I think my experience of it is the opposite of many readers. I liked the world building and found the characters quite interesting but I didn’t like the ending. After having read Diaz’s previous novel, I was wondering why he would take such a turn and I kept waiting for the book to shift under me. I kept waiting for a reveal that, for me, never came together.
Maybe I didn’t understand the genius of this book. I did find myself thinking about it more and more since I finished it which is why I ended up rating it on the high end and reading it was a positive experience for me, but somehow I felt let down in the end. I wanted something more. Or something different.
I am still not sure.
with gratitude to netgalley and Riverhead Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I totally would have given this more stars but the ending drove me mad. It’s clear it will be a series and there will be another book but considering that books take a while to come out, I really dislike it when they end in the kind of hook that won’t resolve for another year or more!
Especially considering that this book was strong and the characters and the world in which they live is interesting and I would be happy to pick up the second one without the author having to do a gimmick like that.
Aside from the rant about the way she chose to end the story, I enjoyed the time I spent with this story. I liked the idea of magic infused in a fragrance. I like books that have lively sensory experiences and this one was beautifully done. I liked both Viola and Hugh and felt vested in their narrative. i liked the theme around ancestry, obligations we have to family, and deceit of course.
The audio narration was fantastic and kept me excited to keep reading.
with gratitude to netgalley and Avon for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love the way this book came together. For some reason it was going slowly for me but I am glad that I stuck with it and the last part of the story comes together so beautifully. At its heart this is a story about grief and how we cope with it. Beautiful.
Hmm ok I am not sure I made a lot of progress on my big August goal so far. But I’ve done some things. I’ve re-done my setup so it’s a lot lighter and I’ve done some journaling. I’ve been doing yoga. Just taking things slow and trying to be kind to myself along the way.
Progress on the big five:
Y: Have done no work on this!
G: Got the shelves, set them up, it looks lovely. No unboxing or hanging yet.
S: done with appointment, working on the rest.
Sa: nothing yet
D: n/a
Three Medium goals:
meh nothing done on this.
taking so many naps
didn’t restart the book yet.
Chores:
dentist appointment- done
A->H appointment – done
finish ply
finish boyne
finish margarita – done
finish diaspora
buy return tickets
hang up office lights
figure out curtain office – in progress
Start: have not done much on this.
Stop: doing a better job on this
Continue: definitely doing this
Brave: working on it so so much
Meh, I know I haven’t done much so far but I’ve been spending so much time with the kids and resting and that’s all I truly care about for August. I love them so much.
Here’s to another good week. Paying attention. Savoring and living in awe. And taking steps to move onward.
Excellent fast-paced and twisty thriller. I haven’t read J.T. Ellison before so this was my first time. This is about Brooklyn who is on a plane to Italy for what her husband tells her is an impromptu family vacation when their reservation gets rebooked with a connection. When they go to the connecting city, they board but he goes missing at the airport and never boards, so they get off the plane.
And everything goes awry.
He disappears, he’s taken all the money from all their accounts, credit cards are canceled. And she is stuck in a city she doesn’t live in with two kids.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers. This is fast paced, interesting, and goes back and forth between characters and in time.
If you like fast-paced mystery you will like this book! I read it on audio and it was absolutely fantastic.
with gratitude to netgalley and Brilliance Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
We made it to August and I am not thrilled about it. August means fall is around the corner. Even though I appreciate fall, I just love summer and this fall promises to be relatively challenging so my plan is to spend the few days of August until school starts again resting and not putting any pressure on myself.
Big Goal: The big goal for Auguat is going to be to spend some extended time journaling and looking within. Maybe I’ll get to the reclaim from the list I’d made in January. Making a list, understanding the roots, reclaiming them. Additionally, my goal is to create ways to ground myself, see what i can do to help prepare for the Fall, etc. Let’s see how far I get.
Progress on the big five:
Y: The goal for the yard is to prepare the yard for the fall. I want to understand and make a plan for what that means and i will finally tidy up the side yard in preparation, too.
G: setup the new shelves i bought, unbox the few things left and maybe get some hanging stuff?
S: Call doctor, get appointments, cross fingers! Get letters.
Sa: Practice leaving Sadie longer at work, get vet appointment for Sept, get her groomed.
D: No goals for this, this month.
Three Medium goals:
Come up with a plan for the front porch. Maybe buy some more plants?
Take more naps.
restart the art mbsr book possibly, or some other deeper dive plan.
Chores:
dentist appointment
A->H appointment
finish ply and boyne
finish margarita, diaspora
buy return tickets
hang up office lights
figure out curtain office
Start: documenting E stuff
Stop: staying up late!
Continue: yoga and slow reading.
Brave: start letting it go, can i?
Here’s to another month. Quiet one this time around. Paying attention. Loving my people. Savoring and living in awe. And taking steps to move onward.
I really really tried. I read 75% of this book and I just could not take it anymore. I know it was listed for the Booker Long list. I know it’s purposefully absurd and ironic and sarcastic and a bunch of other things but man oh man, it was too long on a concept that just didn’t merit this long a book, I’m sorry.
This book was a rollercoaster for me! As Jamie goes through her memories and the songs that match with it, I lived so much of my own youth too as I grew up in the 90s and lived in NYC during Sept 11 and so many of the songs, so many of the places were near and dear to my heart. It felt like I was living so much of the relationship right alongside Jamie.
I loved the way the story was told, i loved the characters and I loved everything about this book.
with gratitude to netgalley and Tantor Media for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I listened to this book on audio and it was absolutely excellent!
