I was tagged on this by Tabitha over at Behind the Pages—it took me a little longer than I’d wanted it to, I like to try to populate tag posts with books that I don’t talk about that much, or recently. But my first draft of this was full of things from the last few months and/or things I talk about at least once a month.
But hey, we had snow here on a couple of days last week, so it’s still good to have something like this to make me think of more sunny days.
The Sun
A book that stuck with you long after you finished reading:
Every book that I included, or thought about including, in this post really fits this category. But I’m going to go with:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
I’ve read this twice, and I’m afraid to read it again—I’m not sure I can take it again (as much as I might want to). Everything that Brown puts Darrow through—triumphs and tragedies both—are the kind of thing you don’t forget. Not that any of the books that have followed have been easier on him (probably the opposite), but this is the one that I remember the most—and it’s the one that ensured I’d read everything Brown publishes in this universe, and likely whatever comes after it.
The Sun
A book that burned you:
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Up to this book, I’d read everything Lehane published—and liked/loved all of it (I waver on Sacred, book 3 in the Kenzie/Gennaro series). The back of this book didn’t excite me, but there was no way I wasn’t going to read it. Up until the closing pages, I was interested and occasionally invested in what was going on—it wasn’t going to rank as highly as even Sacred, but the last few chapters got their hooks in me.
And then that ending? That final Reveal? Ugh. You know that line attributed to Dorothy Parker? “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” That fits here.
This is also why I haven’t gotten around to the movie, no matter what I’ve heard about it. They’ll either have changed the ending, which would make me mad because I hate when movies do that. Or they’ll have kept the ending, which would make me mad because I can’t imagine I’d ever react differently.
The Waves
A book that calms you down after a long day:
This tripped me up a lot—pretty much “whatever book I’m reading” fits this. But that’s not terribly interesting.
Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout
For the longest time, when I’d get sick—like stay home from school/work sick—I’d turn to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin books like most people turn to chicken noodle soup. Some Buried Caesar was one of those that I turned to most frequently. Wolfe out of his element—particularly in a bull pasture and eating food at a county fair (I don’t care how wonderful the dumplings those Methodist women made, Wolfe fixating on them is comedy gold)—meeting the wonderful Lily Rowan is a favorite moment of mine, and the rest of the cast of characters are right up my alley, too. Sure, in a sense, I prefer Wolfe in the brownstone making the world come to him, but him in the field is almost always a guarantee of fun.
(The Silent Speaker, Too Many Women, The Second Confession, The Mother Hunt also came up a lot in this Chicken Soup role…and no, I can’t explain why these feature so often).
The Bathing Suit
A book with a pretty, summer-y cover:
All Together Now by Matthew Norman
I’m staring at my shelves right now, and I can’t think of a single other cover on them that fits this prompt. The novel isn’t terribly summery in tone, but the cover sure fits.
The Birds
A book that is everywhere:
The Maid by Nita Prose
I can’t tell you how many blogs I’ve seen talking about this book recently, there were a couple of weeks where the cover seemed to be at least a third of the images on my Twitter feed—and then my mother, not someone who’s finger is really on the pulse of anything recommended it to me. Everywhere I go, I’m running into someone showing a picture of this or talking about it. I’m a little on the fence myself (I’ve seen one too many references to Eleanor Oliphant for me in posts about it), but the sheer volume of references is enough to make me waver.
The Company
A book with wonderful characters:
Good grief, this is hard to narrow down to just one. Practically just threw a dart at the shelves
The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
In The Commitments, we meet Jimmy Rabbitte’s family briefly, but the focus is all on them in this follow-up (Jimmy’s barely around). His younger sister, Sharon, finds herself pregnant and the family reacts in a variety of ways to this. Ultimately, rallying to her aid and to care for the little Snapper. It’s funny and heartwarming and each character is perfectly drawn—a mix of strengths, weaknesses, and eccentricities.
The Ice-Cold Drinks
A book you absolutely gulped down:
Ninja Betrayed by Tori Eldridge
I read this over my vacation last fall—and I made it through all but the last 30 pages of this 313 page novel in one sitting—I had to put it down so my wife and I could make an appointment. 8+ hours later, I made it back to finish it. 8 long hours, I’d add. It drove me crazy because the first 283 pages were gripping, I barely noticed the time going by as I flew through the pages—er, gulped them down.
The Fun Memories
A book you can’t wait to return to:
Black Summer by M.W. Craven
I could mention Kings of the Wyld again, here…but it feels like I bring that up in about 60% of the tags I do, so I’m going to go with Black Summer. And not just because it fits the theme of the Tag. (if only I were that clever). Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are likely my favorite pair of new characters in the last few years, and I’d love a chance to re-read any of their books, but this one in particular. It’s creepy, it’s clever, it’s suspenseful, it’s wonderfully written. And I bet it’s just as good (if not better) the second time through—when you can stop and soak in the details because you’re not propelled through it to see how it’s all wrapped up.
As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with. This was a fun one
