Fly Away Home (audiobook)

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner


I can't say enough how plesantly surprised I was by this book. I'd not read any of Weiner's previous novels so I decided to try the latest in audiobook. Sylvie Woodruff, a 60ish Senator's wife from New York City, finds her life torn apart when she learns (via the television news) that her husband had an affair with a much younger legislative aide. While the mother deals with that crisis, her twenty-something daughters deal with crises of their own. None of the storylines are trite, and none are easily wrapped up. I'm ready to read her backlist!

Elegies for the Brokenhearted

Elegies for the Brokenhearted by Christie Hodgen


Elegies for the Brokenhearted is an original book about some common topics--love, family, and loss. Hodgens spins five little stories together about different people in Mary Murphy's life, and through the stories of these people, we follow Mary as she grows up a quiet, but insightful girl. The writing is beautiful, the stories are sad and shocking and true.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (audiobook)


In this novel by French author Muriel Barbery, the two main characters become unlikely friends--Rene Michel, the 54-year-old concierge of an elite apartment building in Paris, and Paloma, the 12-year-old daughter of one of the building's rich tenants. This was basically one long diatribe against society's class system. Rene Michel is interesting, but Paloma and her melodramatic suicidal declarations are annoying. I expected more from this book after all the buzz it got at pub, but I was left disappointed.

And the Heart Says Whatever

And the Heart Says Whatever by Emily Gould

Next, please. I was so excited for this book because Emily Gould is a former editor of Gawker (my favorite website back when it was new and I was a member of the NYC media scene myself) and I expected the same snarkiness about New York City's celebrities and media companies that I get from Gawker. Wrong. The writing was bland, the editing was atrocious (Stephen King's name as actually spelled wrong), and Gould does not paint a pretty picture of herself. She comes off as arrogant and lazy.

As an aside, turns out she worked for an affiliated publishing company of one I worked for at the same time. I wonder what her former co-workers at Hyperion think about the essay on her three years there. At least she makes it clear she stopped working in publishing because she was too lazy to hack it.

The Man of My Dreams

The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld


I love Curtis Sittenfeld! She has created a truly believable and likeable character in Hannah, and she uncovers many truths about love, relationships, sexuality, and growing up. Hannah observes all the relationships around her and wonders if she can ever have a functional relationship after growing up with a poor relationship with her father. We follow Hanna from the age of 14 through the early stages of her adult life and it's a truly heart-warming journey.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (audiobook)


**I've recently started listening to audiobooks because of a new semi-long work commute; therefore, I'll be reviewing those in addition to the print versions.**

I've been told The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao is a must-read for the past two years, but have only just now gotten around to reading it... well, actually listening to it. I'm a big word person and I'm quite visual so audiobooks aren't as exciting for me and what struck me most was the talent of the reader, Jonathan Davis. The story was indeed tremendous with young, nerdy Oscar and his somewhat sad search for love and his dream of being the next J.R.R. Tolien. His sister, Lola, Lola's sometimes boyfriend and Oscar's best friend, Junior (also the very likable narrator), their mother and many other members of their Dominican family have interesting stories. The language, written in the vernacular is vulgar and offensive at times, but it may have been more pronounced in the audiobook. Ultimately I enjoyed the story--as tragic as it was.

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack


Hack claims to have studied "over 5,000 previously unpublished letters, notes, and documents" to tell the somewhat mysterious life of Agatha Christie. That is, the singular incident in her life that was cloaked in mystery--the car accident she faked and her ensuing 11 day disappearance. This part of her life, and the drama that went on with her first husband was pretty fascinating. However, the rest of the biography reads like a dry chronology of publication dates. Perhaps for true Christie fanatics, it's a must read, but I could've done without everything but the 25 or so pages about the period of her life that played out like one of her own novels!