Fifty Shades Freed

It's official- I finished reading the "Fifty Shades" trilogy. I learned what happened to Ana and Christian and finished each and every one of those over-the-top novels. There's really not much to say. The books aren't meant to be fine literature and the writing sucks. They are full of cliches and are a mindless read. Yet, that's what's so addictive and appealing about them-- they are great escapes. (If you can push aside any possible embarrassment for picking them up and ignore the bad writing and just let yourself get lost.) I appreciate this kind of reading from time to time. These books gave me my fill for a while though...

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

I enjoy David Sedaris but have never quite shared the enthusiasm that so many people have for him. Yet when I saw he had a new book out, I immediately went to find it. (I mean it is David Sedaris.)

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls is pretty standard David Sedaris- a collection of funny personal essays with a couple of satire pieces. There was a fictional correspondence from one sister to another that's humorous and then two others. There's one called "I Break For Traditional Marriage", that I didn't like at all. It's very over the top and dragged on way too long. "Health-Care Freedoms and Why I Want My Country Back" on the other hand I loved. It was short but funny.

As for the personal essays which make up the bulk of the book, there are great ones and others which aren't as good. Generally I liked the stories about the present such as "Author, Author" and "#2 to Go." I cared less for the ones about his childhood such as "Loggerheads" and "Memory Laps." I couldn't help thinking, "Oh c'mon, David.. you've written how many books and you never told this story before now? And you expect me to believe this?" And that's really at the heart of my tepid enjoyment for Sedaris-- I'm always suspect to anything that is supposed to be autobiographical. There are so few times I can remember exactly what is said in a given situation it seems strange to me that entire conversations are presented as a slice of history rather than an interpretation of what happened. That said, I still enjoyed the book.

Americanah

I heard Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speak on NPR about her new novel Americanah and immediately placed a hold on the book. Yet I wasn't sure I would actually be able to get into it because I've been pretty fickle lately. But Adichie is an amazing writer and I fell in love with her main character Ifemelu, a woman from Nigeria who comes to America. She leaves behind her true love, Obinze. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship, but Ifemelu's desperation and degradation of trying to make it in America build and eventually tear the couple apart. The book explores Ifemelu's search for her identity and her journey as a writer, and also gives the reader a portrait of her relationships with men after Obinze and their eventual reunion. I absolutely loved this book. It tackles race issues, relationships, and identity and I enjoy books that touch on any of these, but to have them all explored so eloquently in one beautiful novel was the kind of book that I never want to end. I will definitely be reading more of her novels in the future.

This One Is Mine

I knew that Where'd You Go, Bernadette would be a tough book to follow. It was the kind of nearly perfect book that makes even good books seem dry in comparison. When I was lamenting about my conundrum of what to read, Alan asked if Maria Semple had any other books out. I knew she had written only one other (her first novel) so I found that and dived in.

This One is Mine looks at the lives of two women, Violet, a rich married women who has an affair, and Sally, her neurotic sister-in-law whose mission is to snag a man. The novel is readable, but falls flat. I considered putting the book down several times as it's quite flawed. And yet, it was somewhat entertaining enough to continue so I did. I finished, but definitely can't recommend it. And yet I'm glad Semple wrote it as I feel sometimes it takes writing a delightfully flawed novel to teach one the art of fiction. She sure nailed it the second time around...