October 2017 Book List

Going into October, I started to wonder, "What book am I going to take with me to the hospital when the baby is born?" It seemed monumental, but, of course, reading was the last thing on my mind when the time came :)

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The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

 Sometimes I'm at a complete loss when it comes to what to read next while I'm waiting for books on my library hold list to become available. And so I ended up reading the Marriage Plot. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winner and nearly 100,000 people have read and rated the book on Goodreads. Plus, the title of the book hints at the classic Jane Austen era marriage plot, so I decided to give it a try.
While I read, I found myself impressed with the writing and even intimidated by the language, but I think this was purposefully done to create the sense of constant and rampant self-appraisal and comparison. so indicative of one's early twenties. Likewise, I was torn throughout the story as to whether I even liked the three main characters (or the story for that matter!). But again, I think the author was working more with human weakness, and by the end of the book, I appreciated how accurately he portrayed the psychology of insecurities, unhealthy relationships, and the tumultuous transition from adolescence to adulthood. It wasn't what I expected, and I can't say it was an enjoyable or relaxing read, but it was a good book... if that makes sense.

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Fantastic Beasts & Where to find them: The Original Screenplay

by JK Rowling

In spite of my love of Harry Potter, I have to admit that I still haven't seen the Fantastic Beasts movie. It wasn't until I saw the original screenplay was available for check-out that I realized part of that delay was due to my innate (and nerdy) desire to read the book before I see the movie, which is so deeply rooted in all things Harry Potter. So even though I knew from Cursed Child that I would miss Rowling's prose and imagery as I read stage directions instead of narrative,  I wasn't going to walk away from another "Harry Potter book."
Reduced to dialogue and script narrative, the magic is really lost in these stories. It's a quick read and fine story, but I'm finally excited and ready to see the movie now!

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The Secret History of Jane Eyre:

How Charlotte Bronte Wrote her Masterpiece by John Pfordresher

This book is not for everyone. It reads in some places like a final thesis and requires the reader already be familiar Jane Eyre. However, you DON’T have to be a big fan of he Brontes or their Gothic style to appreciate this book and its in depth and biographical look at Author and her creation. She drew inspiration from her own life, so the book showed an interesting self understanding and ability to create characters and stories with meaning from her own experience.

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How to Find love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

This book is a happy read along the same lines as The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry or The Bookshop on the Corner, a book about book lovers for book lovers. However, since I've already read similar books (and better books) of the same premise, this particular story was a bit too obvious and lacked any shared depth and meaning with the audience beyond a common connection shared by all bibliophiles. Yes- the characters were were all the kind of people I'd love to be friends with. And yes, I want to live in Peasebrook and frequent Nightingale Books. But there were too many perspectives, too many side stories that all ended up happily squared away to make this a book worth writing home about. Its one redeeming quality is simply that sometimes you need a fluff book like this between heavier texts or to pass the time during middle of the night breast feedings :)