February 2019 Book Reviews
I read 6 books in February, so closer to my typical amount than January. 1 nonfiction, 1 fantasy, 3 literary fiction, and 1 romance novel. A couple of the books were predictable great reads for me (The Kingdom of Copper and Attachments) and the rest had more varied results. Here are my reviews:
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan * * * *
I spent my childhood in Michigan, so I have a lot of memories of the Great Lakes. This book is a fascinating study of them. Egan traces their ecological history from the building of the Erie Canal to now. The main focus of the book is on the invasive species that have plagued the lakes since they were exposed to other bodies of water through canal and lock systems. I’ll admit, it’s pretty depressing. We’ve messed with nature and there’s no undoing it unfortunately. Egan proposes ideas that would alleviate the exposure to the lakes, but when you consider how mobile people are these days, I think we’ll always be dealing with invasive species. The spread of zebra mussels across the Continental Divide is proof of that. The main reason I didn’t give this five stars is because it is kind of a dry read. There is no main through-narrative or cast of characters (and a lot of fish!), so this isn’t like some other more suspenseful nonfiction books. Still, I’d recommend if you’re interested in the subject or ecology (or freshwater!) in general.
Master Georgie by Beryl Bainbridge * *
This was a book club read and I don’t think I would ever have come across this book otherwise because it’s out of print in the US. It is a short novel set in the era of the Crimean War, though it was written in the late 1990s. The perspective switches back-and-forth between three characters who are all connected to the wealthy Master George in one way or another. I really can’t explain much beyond that because this book is truly strange and kind of random. I just felt like I was missing some kind of context. Maybe if I was English I would get the satire/point more? One thing I will say, it made for a long and interesting book club discussion.
No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal * * *
This quirky literary novel has been on my radar for a while because it got a lot of buzz when it first came out. It follows the blossoming friendship of two Indian immigrants in suburban Cleveland, Harit and Ranjana. They are very different, but both are struggling with their identity as Indians and Americans. I was kind of expecting this to be funnier than it was. I don’t know, but it seemed to be marketed that way? It’s actually quite poignant and sad. I liked the main characters, especially Ranjana. Her journey was very compelling. I think there is too much going on in this one novel, however. Satyal brings in a whole cast of secondary characters and gives them a lot of unnecessary space. It made the read feel slow.
The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #2) * * * * *
I have been waiting for this book to come out for the past year, so I was really excited to read it. The first book in this Middle Eastern fantasy series, The City of Brass, was one of my top 10 reads last year. The follow-up does not disappoint. The magical world of Daevabad is so rich and interesting and I love the switching perspectives of Nahri, Ali, and Dara. The reader has more information than any individual character, but that just adds to the suspense. The second book in the series is very much focused on the political complexity of Daevabad, with several rival tribes competing for power. I loved how Chakraborty portrays the good and the bad of each tribe, so it’s not a simple good v. evil narrative. This one is also faster-paced than the first book since there isn’t so much to explain. You just jump right in.
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell * * * * *
It’s pretty obvious, but I’m a huge Rainbow Rowell fan. I just love meeting her characters and living in their world for a little while. Like Landline or Fangirl, Attachments is a very cute, fun, fast romance read. It’s set in the Y2K era just as email is becoming more widely used. Lincoln is hired by the local newspaper to monitor employee emails and make sure nothing inappropriate is occurring. Jennifer and Beth work at the paper and send a lot of personal emails to each other. They often get flagged, so Lincoln has to read them. Instead of sending a warning, however, he finds their exchanges too entertaining to ignore and starts falling for the email persona that is Beth. Some people might find this creepy, but I think Rowell does a good job of having the characters acknowledge the stalker-ish aspects of the scenario and they are just too cute and harmless to hold it against them. This is a great read for the beach or the plane.
Marlena by Julie Buntin * * *
Like No One Can Pronounce My Name, Marlena received a lot of buzz when it was released in 2017, which is why it was living on my TBR for a while. The novel reminded me a lot of Emma Cline’s The Girls because it focuses on the coming-of-age experience of a teenage girl, in this case Cat, with one timeline set in her adolescence and the other set in a nebulous future where she’s a grown woman. The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed the complex dynamics of Cat’s family, especially her relationship with her mom and brother. I didn’t really enjoy the whole obsessive friendship she develops with Marlena, however. There is a lot more telling than showing for Marlena’s character and I didn’t connect with it. Also similar to The Girls, Cat is a very passive and emotionally removed narrator, which I always find keeps me at a cold distance while I’m reading as well. That might not be a problem for other readers, but it’s an obstacle for me.
To keep up with what I’m reading, follow me on Instagram @tinaisreading. See you next month!
