2. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel - Wow. This is such an impressive novel - the post-apocalyptic world that is created, the depth of the characters and relationships, the intensity of the story. I think it's hard to do these stories and still make them feel original, but this was like nothing I've ever read. Definitely has a slight Walking Dead vibe, with the different groups that are encountered, but it still feels different and intense. It's so good and I will definitely be watching the tv series that is based on this especially because it stars Mackenzie Davis (it's been added to the list! The never-ending list!). I like the play on the different timelines so we can see this group "before" the apocalypse and how they are now in this new environment. And I like that they focus on the importance of keeping art/performances/etc in this new world. It gives people a purpose, and I feel like a lot of people forget about that (as proven during the pandemic - during lockdown we all relied on our televisions to keep us company). Again, I would just prefer to die in these types of situations - there comes a point where it's clear that things aren't going to get better so I see no point (I would feel differently if I had children, I think).
3. White Ivy, Susie Yang - This was a nice, quick, easy read - there's a few twist and turns that aren't expected. I like that it's about the immigrant experience, but it's not the whole story. I also like that it's about a person who is extremely flawed, and not exactly a good person, but the audience doesn't necessarily have to agree with her actions for the story to still be interesting. It's not really a story that is going to stick with me, but I can see this being a really good mini-series.
4. The Daughters of Sparta, Claire Heywood - Loved it! Again, I am so jealous of these writers who are retelling classic myths and stories, but telling them from different perspectives (women and other side characters). It's just such a good idea - and there is so much to work with. I really wish I did this when I had the idea back in high school (over 20 years ago). This novel did inspire me to start writing (a possible mini-series?) - a modernized version of this story. I really got into it for about 3 weeks with a synopsis, character breakdown, and summary of each act, but then I lost interest, as I often do with writing stuff. I don't have the will-power or discipline for it. Anyway, this is about exactly what the title suggests - the daughters of Sparta, i.e Helen and her sister Klytemnestra. Helen is obviously a bit more famous, and her story is more well-known, but I like that we get a bit of what her perspective is. And I LOVE the whole Klytemnestra part - her story is so interesting and heartbreaking. It's also interesting that it starts way before the Trojan war and continues way after it.
5. The Punch, Noah Hawley - As expected, I loved this. I've loved Hawley's other books (Before the Fall, The Good Father) too. I think he's one of my favorite modern writers (love his tv projects too - the current season of Fargo is INCREDIBLE). This is told from multiple perspectives of a family dealing with a tragedy, starting with "the punch" being the catalyst for the story (told from a "how did we get here" perspective of multiple people). I think the ending unfolds a little too conveniently - especially for NYC (there are just too many coincidences for it to be realistic), but I like the family dynamic that is established and that they are extremely faulted characters, but I didn't dislike any of them at any point. It comes from a place of understanding.
6. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women, Kate Moore - So fucking depressing - it took me like a whole month to get through it. Just relentlessly depressing. So many women introduced - I understand the thought process, to give every woman that suffered a story, but I kept getting confused as to which one was which and then...guess what? They die a horrible death. When I first took this out to read, my husband saw it and said he might be interested in reading it (he is a science nerd and has a fascination with uranium and things like that). He kept checking in on me to see if I was enjoying it and I said "no, another woman just died because nobody is listening to them". It's interesting to learn about the history of this, and how it led to worker's rights and safer conditions. Also interesting that most of it is focused on Orange, NJ (I live close by). But it's crazy to me that they just let people continue to die, like, a really, really, horrible death - their bones collapsing, organs failing, losing the ability to eat, etc. - with multiple doctors saying that it was due to their work with radium, and we just pretended like they all died of something else. It's obviously because it was mostly women dying - and the work they were doing was helping men in war, so it was almost sacrificial if you think about it. Just awful.
7. White Teeth, Zadie Smith - I actually did not like this book at all, which I was not expecting, because it is a very highly praised book. I was just so uninterested in most of the story. It's very long and drawn out and it doesn't seem like much happens until about 2/3rds of the story. I do like that it's about generational trauma, and that it attempts to tell someone's "whole story", which includes the lives of their parents, grand parents, children, etc. But there's nothing that I connected with at all. Maybe because I don't really feel connected to any traditions or to my family? I think certain things that happened to my grandmother, mother, father etc., obviously caused my existence, but they've had no real effect on my life as an adult. I'm my own person. But I know a lot of cultures are very different - and your family stays with you through everything. I can see how others might connect with this, but it just wasn't for me.
8. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier - I've seen a few film versions of this story, and it's very strong (and I like how they all have significantly different endings), so I thought I would go to the source. It's an incredibly well-written story, especially for something that became so famous. Sometimes when I'm reading an already known story, I get bored and kind of drift to the good parts, but I was fully enthralled with this - even wondering at one point what was going to happen (LOL!). I feel like the character of Rebecca is fully-formed with this being from her perspective and uses her inner monologue. I have a better understanding of her motives and reasoning than I do with the film versions.
9. Klara and The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro - Ooooo I loved this! I was a bit disappointed with the last few Ishiguro novels that I read, but this is the Ishiguro that I LOVE. It's sci-fi, but set in a very deep reality. The world that is created is spectacular, and kept me intrigued for its entirety. There's a whole mystery about how the world came to be like this that is only hinted at, but never fully divulged and I sort of love that. It allows the reader space for imagination, which I think it the ultimate goal of books like these. It's told from the perspective of an AI robot (who also seems to be solar powered? Right? That's why she's so obsessed with the son?). She is programmed to obey her owner, but she's also a little different because she "questions" things - this curiosity leads her to discover a possible way to cure the humans that are dying. There is also a subplot that is equally interesting about robots "taking" over for their humans after they die, but I feel like I've seen similar sci-fi stories about this already (most recently with The Creator, kind of). Overall, though, this is one of my favorite books that I read in 2023, and I just fell in love with Klara.
10. Molly's Game, Molly Bloom - I thought the movie based on this book was quite good, but Jessica Chastain is incredible in it. I really love Molly's attitude and thought the book would offer more insight into how she got involved in this world. It's really surprising that she uses a lot of real names of big celebrities (Toby Maguire, Leo, Ben Affleck, etc.) because she doesn't say very nice things about most of them (especially Toby. What a fucking immature ASSHOLE fucking loser. I also literally laughed out loud at her describing Leo sitting at the table with his headphones on because there was that whole rumor about how he's so disinterested in everything he's doing that he even has sex with headphones on. I assumed it was just dumb gossip, but now I'm rethinking. It's hilarious, if true.). I think I prefer the movie, only because this book is clearly written by someone who isn't a writer. It felt very amateur, and left little nuance. It's very "this happened, then this happened, then this happened" straightforward, and it rarely dives into anything personal or emotional. Also, Molly has a strong "I'm not like the other girls" vibe that I can't stand and I didn't feel that in the movie.
11. She Rides Shotgun, Jordan Harper - If you know anything about me, then you might have already guessed that I added this to my reading list as soon as the news broke that Taron Egerton was starring in the film version. It's a good story, and I think it will make a good film, but the writing is a little...simple? I think that's the best word to describe it. It's like an episode of Sons of Anarchy, if Jax went to jail and then killed someone from an opposing gang, then gets out, having a kill order placed on him so all the other gangs are intent on killing him. But it's not Jax. This guy has a daughter so he instantly goes to protect her, and the story starts from there. It's told from both his perspective and his daughter's, which is kind of interesting, but it's just not written very well. Also, I can't really picture Taron in this, and I think with Black Bird, the upcoming Firebug, and that Netflix movie about the plane hijacking that was supposed to be released during Christmas but disappeared from their lineup, he should do something lighter - and preferably a musical, please.
12. The Stranger, Albert Camus - Well, classics are classics for a reason, and this is a classic. I loved this. Just the story of a full-blown psychopath with no remorse and no...emotion/reasoning. He almost seems like an alien. It sort of reminded me of Under the Skin, except that is about an actual alien trying to live in a human (woman) form. This "stranger" is human, but he's basically wandering through life as a stranger to everyone, even himself. I think it's an interesting story into the human psyche, especially of someone who is a murderer. It's also a very quick, short read. I think I read it in a day.
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