Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? Here it does. Let’s discuss your favorite reads — or listens.
The stories are raw, painful and incredibly difficult. Only a few have happy endings. I had to pause the book several times to collect my thoughts. I cried frequently. That’s a testament to how Graff structured the book, its phenomenal narration, and the fact that it is an oral history.
Expectation: A richly drawn, multi-generational story about love, loss and finding purpose.
Reality: A sometimes melodramatic, but ultimately effective snapshot of life in Asia during one of the most tumultuous time periods in history.
Expectation: An overrated classic.
Reality: Not every aspect of the story worked for me, but our collective experience during the pandemic gave new understanding – and perhaps compassion - to Meursault’s personality.
Expectation: A modern “Great American Novel.”
Reality: A captivating and gorgeously written novel that, at times, asks too much of the reader.
Expectation: A twisty, wicked story of ambition with shades of Stephen King’s “Misery.”
Reality: A slow burn page turner that mostly delivers with implausible originality.
Expectation: A heartbreaking and memorable story of forbidden love.
Reality: A well-written but incredibly male-centric romance with laugh out loud dialogue that detract from the novel’s stronger elements.
Expectation: A moody, intelligent apocalyptic tale for modern times.
Reality: A mess.
While I’m glad to have read a small portion of this very American collection, I wouldn’t recommend most readers start with this unabridged version of “Leaves” unless you’re prepared to seek out the must-read poems from the often confusing and repetitive filler.
From the Bible to “World War Z,” humanity has turned to art and literature to help understand pandemics, which, in reality, are a not infrequent occurrences when you look at world history. And part of that healing and processing comes from being entertained.
Expectation: A high-brow thriller set in the post-apocalyptic Midwest.
Reality: A richly drawn character study that expertly balances multiple, intersecting plots and timelines.
Expectation: An Americana-hued ghost story.
Reality: Heavy on ambition, light on originality. You’ve heard variations of this story before – and by stronger authors.
Expectation: An historical fiction epic focusing on the early days of aviation.
Reality: Heavy on scope and scale, light on focus. It’s mostly enjoyable but also didn’t need to be 600+ pages.
Expectation: I honestly thought this was a young adult novel.
Reality: A contender for the shortlist of my favorite adult high-brow gay fiction.
Watching the “Fear Street” trilogy on Netflix got me thinking about the book adaptations I actually want to see.
Of the 43 books completed, most have been relatively mediocre with only five solidly five-star reads a few more strong recommendations.
Expectation: “28 Summers, Part II,” also known as a quick cash grab by Hilderbrand.
Reality: An effective and rewarding mini sequel that honors the original while giving the reader closure to the rushed ending of “Summers.”
Expectation: “The Stand” meets “The Walking Dead.”
Reality: A mostly solid end-of-the world story that is a tad too long to provide maximum impact.
Expectation: Another character-driven crowd pleaser from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Reality: A mostly solid endeavor that keeps you entertained, but outside of one character it doesn’t deliver the emotional depth of her previous work.
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about overcoming outside forces to live your life fully.
Reality: Another historical fiction gay love story that felt a bit recursive.
Expectation: A YA romance with a different point-of-view.
Reality: A disconnected effort with a strong plot focused on identity and acceptance brought down by the typical YA tropes of too smart, too woke kids being mad at the world.
