This quote is timely for a few of reasons:
- There are two thirteen-hour car rides in my immediate future, and the silver lining of those rides is that I will have loads of time to read. I can usually read without getting carsick, but I have my audiobooks on hand just in case.
- The author is the man behind the mouse, and we are driving to Disney World.
- It’s spring break season, so whether you are traveling or hanging at home, a good book is the perfect companion.
I’ve read eight books since the last round of reviews, but only six make my recommendation list.
Disclosure: The book titles are Amazon affiliate links, so if you purchase a book I get some coin to feed my own book buying habit.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So opens this novel about the Lee family. Set in 1970s small town Ohio, Marilyn and James are parents to three children, but Lydia is their favorite. When she dies, the fragile foundation of the family is destroyed.
There is the story of how Lydia ended up in the lake, and there is the story of how each member of the family ended up broken. To the casual observer, the Lees appear to be a typical American family, except for the fact that James and his children are the only Chinese Americans in town. To Ng, the Lees are case studies in dreams, expectations, and disappointments.
I usually enjoy more action in novels, but this story was quiet, meandering through the past and present as Ng revealed her characters’ desires and secrets. It’s an immensely satisfying and thoughtful read. Of the thirteen books I’ve read this year to date, this is in my top three.
Bird Box: A Novel by Josh Malerman
This sounds like a horror novel, and it is, in a way. But the horror is the unknown, and it’s such a unique premise that I had to give it a try.
There is something out there, and if a person sees it for even a second, that person will take his or her own life. That’s all we know, and all the characters in the novel know. The story opens five years after it begins, as Malorie and her two young children venture out of their home and onto the river in search of a safe place. They are blindfolded, because that is the only way to stay alive.
In alternating chapters, Malerman takes us back to the beginning as well, and we learn how Malorie has survived in this new and terrifying world.
This is not a book that kept me up at night – it is not Stephen King horror. It didn’t scare me as much as it fascinated me, as an exploration of how human beings adjust their reality in order to fight something completely unknown.
If you need a read that is unlike your usual fare, give this one a try. It’s out of the box for me (pun intended), and another of my top three of 2016 to date. Just know that you will not want to put it down until you find out how it ends!
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Seventeen-year-old Etta is a violin prodigy and an only child, living with her mother in New York City. Nicholas is a sailor, serving the powerful Ironwood family.
Ah, but wait. The two live hundreds of years apart, until Etta is unwittingly taken into the past to retrieve a stolen object that the Ironwoods believe she can find.
Finding out she can travel through time is just one of the surprises Etta learns about herself, her childhood, and her family. She and Nicholas must time hop to find the stolen object. There is family drama, romance, and mystery. This novel is clearly the first in the series, but I would have liked at least some plot lines to be resolved. Instead, they were all left hanging, but the story was intriguing enough that I will eagerly read the next book in the series. Unfortunately, that won’t be until January.
I didn’t intend to read two YA time travel books, much less consecutively, but I did…
Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley.
Sixteen-year-old Hope is still grieving her mother, but her father seems to have moved on. Hope heads to Scotland to spend the summer with her aunt, only to find that her mother was a member of a secret society of time travelers.
What? Hope is shocked, but I’m not because I read the book jacket. And it turns out that Hope’s mother isn’t necessarily dead, she’s just trapped in twelfth-century England. No biggie.
So Hope and a few other teen travelers bop back in time to find Mom. Of course, not everything goes as planned, because that would make for a boring book.
I liked Into the Dim a bit better than Passenger. The story is richer historically – Hope actually meets Eleanor of Acquitaine and Thomas Becket. It’s also stronger in terms of character development and weaving parallel storylines into a fairly complex narrative.
This novel is being billed as Outlander for teens as an attempt to drum up readership. I am a huge fan of the Outlander series, but the only similarity with this book is the time traveling. Even that aspect is handled completely differently.
Bottom line: If you like YA fiction and history, go with Into the Dim. If you want more mystery and intrigue, go with Passenger.
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
I always enjoy a Chris Bohjalian novel, and while not his best, this one did not disappoint. Richard hosts his younger brother’s bachelor party at his home, and the two hired strippers end up killing their Russian bodyguards and driving off.
Richard’s nightmare is just beginning, but nineteen-year-old Alexandra’s started years ago when she became a prisoner and prostitute. A moment of intimacy and the ensuing violence threatens Richard’s career and marriage, and the story is captivating and intriguing. This novel is a page turner, and it would be a great book club pick, with plenty to discuss.
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
I love when an author creates a novel based on real people who are footnotes in history. Rachel is a young Jewish woman growing up in a small refugee community on St. Thomas, and she will eventually become the mother of the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. Yet Hoffman’s tale focuses on this headstrong, resilient and passionate woman. Rachel is wed to a widower with three children, helpless to take control of her own life. When she becomes a widow and her husband’s nephew arrives to settle the estate, Rachel makes decisions that will affect her family for decades to come.
A fascinating story, strong writing, and a complex protagonist make The Marriage of Opposites a great read.
*****
My road trip reads include Ann Patchett’s Truth and Beauty (which I finally pulled off the shelf thanks to Nina), The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelly Rowley (I won a copy from Allie – yay!), and any of these novels currently on my Kindle:
Add in the Hamilton soundtrack, and I am ready to roll! Happy reading–
Everything I Never Told You I’ve seen on a lot of lists but didn’t know what it was about. Not sure I can bear reading about dead children. I finally read Case Histories but almost put it down after the beginning. Glad I kept up with it though so maybe that one will be the same. And Bird Box sounds fascinating.
It was, Liz. And Everything I Never Told You…consider it. It’s more about the family relationships. But that’s the beauty of books…so many to choose from, there’s always another great one to try instead.
All of these books sound great.
I love the title “BIRD BOX.”
I’d read just because of the title.
Thanks, Dana!!
And what the bird box is…so interesting! Let me know if you read it, Kim.
I just got Everything I Never Told You and can’t wait to start! I can also read in the car but not if I’m sitting in the backseat for whatever reason. I’m jealous about Disney and can’t wait to hear about it! I hope it’s the best visit there to date!
It was, Kristi. Totally fabulous. And I read two books in the car. 😉
Oh yay! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Truth and Beauty!
I didn’t get to it during the trip, but it’s in my to-read pile!
i also enjoyed ‘everything i never told you.’ the characters drove me crazy, but definitely enjoyable.
I know what you mean – I wanted to yell at them sometimes.
Awesome. Looks like a great car ride to me! I’m particularly interested in “Everything I Never Told You.” Enjoy Disney – we still haven’t taken the family…and I want to!
My kids can’t get enough – we go every other year. This is our seventh visit!
I remember really liked “Everything I never told you” last year. I’m in need of a good novel. Besides the one I’m reading for my bookclub, which I’m honestly not a huge fan of (“The Children Act”) everything I’ve read in the last couple weeks has been nonfiction. Really interesting, but not the same as immersing yourself in a good novel. I’m going to request some of these from my library right now!
Happy reading, Bev!
Love these lists! I just finished “Before I Go TO Sleep” which, I think, came from one of your previous lists. I have “Passenger” on my to-read list as well. Have fun at Disney!!!
Thank you Lisa! Yes, Before I Go to Sleep was one I recommended last time. Your oldest may enjoy Passenger too, although there may be one instance of something you may not want her to read…
YAY for more books to pin and save for future reference!! I have a pile half read on my table right now…
I want to be you SO bad. I wish I could gobble up books like you, Dana. *I’m working on it!*
A half read pile is a good thing, Chris! You’ll get there. You’re probably much more productive than I am, though. I usually choose reading over boring stuff like cleaning and cooking.
Bird Box sounds intriguing!
It really was!
“Hope is shocked, but I’m not because I read the book jacket.” This made me chuckle more than a little bit. Thanks for these recs! I’m always looking for new books.
I’m glad you caught that line, Lauren – that made me giggle too. I’m my own best audience :). Happy reading!
I can read in the car, too…if I’m in the front seat. I loved the Marriage of Opposites. Have fun in n Disney!
Thank you!
I’ve never heard of any of these books… they all sound “out” of my box, so I’m glad you shared. Will share with my book club buddies. All seem quite intriguing.
Have a fabulous trip! May you have lots of sunshine and reading time! 😉
Thank you! And I almost gave you a shout out when I reviewed The Bird Box. I know you don’t do scary!
You do wonderful Book reviews. I actually read The Nightingale based on your review and couldn’t put it down. Definitely going to look into a few of these.
Thank you so much, Leslie – I’m so glad you find my reviews helpful. Let me know if you read any of these, and what you think.
You are so lucky you can read without getting carsick. I suspect it may be mostly mental for me because the one time I needed to read in the car (for a project in college and I was already on the bus) I didn’t get sick at all. Other times, not so lucky.
My uncle gave me Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – last Christmas. Spooky and haunting.
The rest are going on my wish list.
Haunting is a good word to describe that book, Tamara. That family…wow. Happy reading!
What a wonderful wealth of info here, Dana. I am impressed. And jealous. You’re off to Disney World! Am I right in thinking that you did a post once on how to survive Disney with young children? Now your two are older you’ll have a different kind of fun. Have a wonderful trip.
I did quite a few posts, Kelly. We’ve been going every other year since my kids were two and five. It gets better every year!
Thank you seriously so much, because I am not joking when I say that I literally just finished my most recent read and have been grabbling with what to read next to be honest. So, going to check out a few on your list and give at least one of them a try. Oh and thank you for sharing about NetGalley in the past, because many of more recent reads have actually been through them and will be sharing what I have been reading in the last month or so either next week or the week after on my blog, too. Have a wonderful time in Disney now 😉
I’m glad you are enjoying Net Galley! Looking forward to hearing about your new reads too.
These are my favorite posts too. I’m going to start forwarding them to my mom. She reads fast like you do. She will give Bird in a Box a try and then let me know that I can handle it. Lol. Enjoy your trip!
You can handle it, Kenya – really. What makes it scary is the unknown. But good call on asking your mom to vet it first.;)
These are my favorite posts! I just finished reading Pretty Baby (which was GREAT!) and I’m supposed to be reading All the Light… for book club but I find it fantastically boring, so these came at just the right time!
Enjoy your road trip! And, The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all time favorites!!
Just looked up Pretty Baby – that would be a good read for the car. Sounds like a page turner!