I've discovered that early Spring is when I "book it" (pun intended). The holidays are all over, and I'm finally emerging from my winter funk...so, I read. Here are my last two:
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
I really liked this book. But, there were a lot of girls in my book club who didn't...and I do understand why:
- The book drags. Plain and Simple. I read
The Hunger Games, which reads quickly, prior to
The Paris Wife, and it was difficult transition.
- I spent a lot of time disliking Hadley. Pure woman vs. woman dislike. I was all "you're so weak...can't you see what's happening?"
So, why did I like this book so much? It felt honest. Yes, it's not written by Hadley Hemingway, but Paula McLain does an excellent job of making the reader feel like it is Hadley's story. And, in the end, I found I COULD relate to her. I was all "yes, you loved him...and love is complicated". I stopped hating Hadley and realized she was a nice change from Katniss, who had two guys fawning over her.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Valerie's MIL suggested this one while she was here over Christmas Break (Am I too old to call it Christmas Break?), so Valerie made it one of our book club choices. I'm not even embarrassed to admit that I voted for it based on its beautiful cover. So perfect!
And then there was the book. The book is thoughtfully written - in a way that makes you want to pull out your highlighter, dog-ear pages, and quote it in your
BLOG. For me, it had the right amount of fantasy (just a touch), romance (let's not go overboard...I'm talking to you
Twilight!), and details.
Some of the characters could have been developed further. But since I felt like
I was in Bailey's tree, Marco's apartment, or Celia's tent, I didn't worry too much about who was there with me.
