I am writing two reviews at once again, so Peanuts is the first book and The Outcast the second. Just wanted to be clear that Peanuts and The Outcast wasn't the title of the book!
Peanuts A Golden Collection: The Art and Story of the World's Best-Loved Comic Strip was like a breath of fresh air. After reading Revolutionary Road, I wanted something light and happy. Peanuts always delivers. This book was also quite interesting with the little anecdotes by Schulz in the margins of the book.
The Outcast by Sadie Jones was an interesting novel. It is the first by this author. I think I realized something about how I should choose my books. Sad tales are just not what I want to read when I grab a few moments to read, as great as Peanuts is, I don't want to just read that either! I guess maybe The Outcast was too close to my own childhood in certain parts. It left me very sad, but in defense of the book, it was well written, just not for me.
Here is a review from amazon.com:
Set in post WWII suburban London, this superb debut novel charts the downward spiral and tortured redemption of a young man shattered by loss. The war is over, and Lewis Aldridge is getting used to having his father, Gilbert, back in the house. Things hum along splendidly until Lewis's mother drowns, casting the 10-year-old into deep isolation. Lewis is ignored by grief-stricken Gilbert, who remarries a year after the death, and Lewis's sadness festers during his adolescence until he boils over and torches a church. After serving two years in prison, Lewis returns home seeking redemption and forgiveness, only to find himself ostracized. The town's most prominent family, the Carmichaels, poses particular danger: terrifying, abusive patriarch Dicky (who is also Gilbert's boss) wants to humiliate him; beautiful 21-year-old Tamsin possesses an insidious coquettishness; and patient, innocent Kit—not quite 16 years old—confounds him with her youthful affection. Mutual distrust between Lewis and the locals grows, but Kit may be able to save Lewis. Jones's prose is fluid, and Lewis's suffering comes across as achingly real. (Mar.)
Next, I will try a title that I have noticed over the last few months, and also another non-fiction one. See below for the links.
Books read: 34/52
Pages read: 10407
Next books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.
Peanuts A Golden Collection: The Art and Story of the World's Best-Loved Comic Strip was like a breath of fresh air. After reading Revolutionary Road, I wanted something light and happy. Peanuts always delivers. This book was also quite interesting with the little anecdotes by Schulz in the margins of the book.
The Outcast by Sadie Jones was an interesting novel. It is the first by this author. I think I realized something about how I should choose my books. Sad tales are just not what I want to read when I grab a few moments to read, as great as Peanuts is, I don't want to just read that either! I guess maybe The Outcast was too close to my own childhood in certain parts. It left me very sad, but in defense of the book, it was well written, just not for me.
Here is a review from amazon.com:
Set in post WWII suburban London, this superb debut novel charts the downward spiral and tortured redemption of a young man shattered by loss. The war is over, and Lewis Aldridge is getting used to having his father, Gilbert, back in the house. Things hum along splendidly until Lewis's mother drowns, casting the 10-year-old into deep isolation. Lewis is ignored by grief-stricken Gilbert, who remarries a year after the death, and Lewis's sadness festers during his adolescence until he boils over and torches a church. After serving two years in prison, Lewis returns home seeking redemption and forgiveness, only to find himself ostracized. The town's most prominent family, the Carmichaels, poses particular danger: terrifying, abusive patriarch Dicky (who is also Gilbert's boss) wants to humiliate him; beautiful 21-year-old Tamsin possesses an insidious coquettishness; and patient, innocent Kit—not quite 16 years old—confounds him with her youthful affection. Mutual distrust between Lewis and the locals grows, but Kit may be able to save Lewis. Jones's prose is fluid, and Lewis's suffering comes across as achingly real. (Mar.)
Next, I will try a title that I have noticed over the last few months, and also another non-fiction one. See below for the links.
Books read: 34/52
Pages read: 10407
Next books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.
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