August Round-Up

Some of the Times by Gina Myers. My poetry book for the month. A re-read, but hits even harder now than it did before. I marked so many lines and entire poems. As with before, the section accompanied by photos is my favorite because they’re so perfect together, but overall this is just top notch.

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. This book was really fascinating and emotional. I really appreciate how completely and honestly the author dealt with the ups and downs of motherhood and how that can conflict with selfhood in those early years. However, the book went a bit long for me without developing and wrapping up some things I really wanted to see, like the MLM and ANY kind of confrontation with her worthless husband. The ending might have been over my head as well, or maybe I was just a bit frustrated by things at that point because it felt like the author didn’t know how to wrap things up so it’s like “Here’s a show!” and seemed incomplete to me. I think fleshing out some of the glossed over things I mentioned would have helped it seem like a complete story to me… or just shortening it into a novella.

Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly. This is one of my favorite cozy series because it’s a wonderful escape from reality, and I’m a huge grilled cheese fan so I love the recipes. This mystery wasn’t very intriguing, and there was still a loose end by the resolution, but I love the characters enough that they carried it. See my reviews on the rest of the series here: books 1-4, book 5, and book 6.

The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl by Kit Brooks. My kid loves axolotls and wanted me to read the first book in a new series. I thought it was interesting because it included facts about axolotls and how at risk they are in an engaging way that worked with the story. However, the characters were really flat and not memorable at all. I hope they become more realistic (for talking axolotls) in future books because the lack of caring about the characters as individuals (vs axolotls as a whole) made the book less enjoyable to me.

The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff. I’d previously only read “Bullet in the Brain” in college, but recently re-read it and wanted more. I read this whole collection in about a day - it was fantastic. He’s becoming one of my favorite short story authors.

Model Home by Rivers Solomon. I’ll admit I REALLY wanted this to be a book about a possessed house and I thought the true reveal was a bit rushed and unclear at the end, but overall it was a satisfying explanation for everything that happened. Elijah’s story felt a little shoehorned in and too “on the nose” considering the main storyline, but I did like that peek into how easy it is for these things to happen for teens and appreciate that there was no blaming (despite Ezri’s internal guilt). The language was so beautiful and raw and emotional, and sentences often made me stop and sit with them for a minute before I could move on.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read this years ago, pre-Goodreads, and really enjoyed it, but it didn’t hit right for me this time. I still respect its status as a classic of course, and appreciate all it addresses. I’ll have to try another re-read later.

The Hive and the Honey by Paul Yoon. A friend mentioned she was reading a Paul Yoon book so I found some at the library. I love his writing style - these stories felt so immersive. I felt transported to other places and times. The characters were rich and their relationships felt real. Some of the stories didn’t really land for me, or make an impact overall, but the experience of reading them was worth it for the craft. I’m definitely going to read more.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. My kid is reading this for school, so I wanted to re-read it, too. I think I read it in high school but I was very resistant to required reading (though I’ve come to love many of those books in adulthood) and don’t remember liking this much. On the plus side, that meant I didn’t really remember it at all, so reading it now felt new. I liked the story a lot this time, especially with how relevant it sadly feels and how the commentary really packs a punch.

Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book? by Ally Carter. My writing book for the month. I used to teach creative writing to middle schoolers and used this as a reference book when it first came out, but never read it the whole way through. While it’s geared to teens and certainly accessible, I think it’s so matter-of-fact and well-written that writers of any age would enjoy it. I especially love that she asked other YA authors about their experiences because I like hearing about others’ processes. Knowing everyone has such drastically different approaches, drafting styles, and publishing journeys really makes this feel like a well-rounded book.

Ancient Myths and Legends Without Men by Mara Gold. This book grabbed my attention at an indie bookstore and I took my time with it, knowing I’d definitely come back to it often. It’s an easy-to-read reference book, in a way. It has a fair amount of info on LOTS of mythological women. Read my full review here.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison. I thought this book would be fun and lighthearted, but Annie grated on my nerves immediately. She’s so desperate for a man that it was really hard to read. I’m fine with unlikeable characters but she had nothing interesting going on. Then Sophie came in grooming her and was SO over the top, that I just had to push through because what a mess.

On the Beach by Nevil Shute. I saw this movie decades ago (Anthony Perkins, swoon!) and started reading the book a year or so ago but didn’t finish. This time I made it through and I’m glad I did. The writing is nothing special—the baby, after being introduced as a girl named Jennifer, is called “it” multiple times, and the narration head hops a bit too much to be strictly third person or omniscient, but overall it works to tell a really emotional and all-too-real story. I compare the book with the movie here.

The Postmortal by Drew Magary. I have so many thoughts on this one… Read my full review here.

You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose. This was way too romance-y for me - I should have known with the Colleen Hoover endorsement and namedrop in the book. It felt like a sleazy rip-off of Serial by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch, which I highly recommend. Rose’s writing felt really dumbed-down; I can’t count how many times the highway was like a black snake, and the “blue, blue eyes” was like nails on a chalkboard. I’m very curious what so many readers thought the “shocking twist” was… is it that she’s a wife and mother? Women can have hobbies and interests outside motherhood…

One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose. This was like reading a reality show, and I admit I love that trash, so this was satisfying in a way. The characters all ran together though - I think there were too many rich white women with moist cardboard husbands to really keep them straight.

On the Beach Book and Movie

 

I saw On the Beach back in the early 2000s when I was on an old movie/Anthony Perkins kick, and really enjoyed it because, well, Anthony Perkins, and I like end of the world things. I rented it because my dad recommended it, but he especially loves the book. I got a copy a few years ago and started reading it, but put it down for some reason. I've been reading some dark things lately, so I decided it felt like the right time to try the book again and, once I made it about halfway through, decided I'd revisit the movie as well.

The book was really interesting to me for many reasons... The writing is so dry and matter-of-fact. If you compare it to books these days, it's not technically good. The writing is nothing special—the baby, after being introduced as a girl named Jennifer, is called “it” multiple times, and the narration head hops a bit too much to be strictly third person or omniscient. There are a lot of details that don't further the story but the author clearly knew about submarines or the Navy or nuclear war and wanted to include, so it's all fine but I feel like editors could chop this book up if it crossed their desks these days.

Still, overall it works to tell a really emotional and all-too-real story. Parts of it made me tear up and it wasn't because the writing was so emotional that it forced me to feel something. Shute just presented these characters and made them seem real enough that the thought of what they were going through made me sad. And, honestly, the state of things right now makes it all feel too possible, so I'm not afraid to admit that some of those tears were probably because I could see it happening now, though the book was published in 1957 and we clearly haven't learned a damn thing.

Anyway, I was excited to see the movie again because somehow my Anthony Perkins blinders made me forget that Gregory Peck was even in the movie?! I don't know how that's possible, but it was a pleasant surprise. I do think everything was well cast, though there are, of course, some differences between the book and the movie.

The book is almost 300 pages long, so it makes sense that the movie would condense the timeline and cut some scenes... but the movie is still 2 hours and 15 minutes long! I grew up watching 90-minute comedies so this was a bit much for me. I think every bit of the book could have been used in over 2 hours of run time... 

There are some significant changes in the relationship between Moira and Towers, which definitely seem more true to character in the book... and considering the movie doesn't even show a sex scene, I don't know why they needed to make that change. Also, John Osborne is related to Moira in the book, but in the movie he's Julian Osborn, and he used to be in love with her. It seemed like a random change that didn't add anything.

The submarine names also differ, and in the book, they make their way to Seattle, but in the movie, they only go to San Francisco. Again, not major changes, so I'm unsure why they were made. There are also a few changes in how characters die at the very end, I guess to have them killing themselves onscreen look more dramatic than simply taking pills, as all of them do in the book?

Overall, the movie stays fairly true to the book, and I recommend both of them. However, the book surprised me by making me more emotional than the movie. You'd think seeing the love and emotions on people's faces would hit harder, but something about the sparse writing style really made the emotions pop off the page for me.