Book: Savannah Breeze
Finished: Early August
Savannah Breeze wasn't exactly classic literature. But, at the close of our trip to Tybee Island (which I sadly, have yet to blog about), I had run out of my own bag of books and subsequently chose one from our hostess' shelf. It was nothing but fluff, and for that particular vacation, fluff was enough. I'm not sure I'd recommend any of Andrews' other novels for any thing other than beach reading, but Savannah Breeze held my attention through our vacation: I finished the book in less than 24 hours. One definite plus? Andrews' love for Tybee and Savannah shine through and really brought the community to life. Aside from Tybee itself, the book sold me on the carefree culture of the island.
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Book: Between, Georgia
Finished: Early August
My first encounter with Joshilyn Jackson came, as you'll recall, with The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, which I loved. After a number of recommendations, I decided to tackle two more of Jackson's novels, and Between, Georgia came first. I again enjoyed her characters and her spot-on portrayal of small town Southern life. Jackson can come up with some crazy plotlines, and for a lesser talented author, they might come across as a bit too zany, but Jackson handles them with just the right amount of candor, making events seem downright realistic. Highly recommend.
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Book: Christine Falls
Finished: Mid-August
Tana French spoiled me with The Likeness and In the Woods (and I hear she's got a new book out... must add it to my list), but Benjamin Black's twisted suspense novel came highly recommended, so I dove right in... kind of. Truthfully, Christine Falls began rather slowly, and it took me a while to really be captivated by the story. Maybe this is due to the fact that the plot is a little complicated, crossing decades and family lines; I'd say you need your thinking cap on with this one. Once that's firmly in place and you're a few chapters in, though, the novel springs to life. After a few days' reading, I was plowing through, eagerly playing detective to try to predict Black's ending. I wasn't too disappointed, but the fun was definitely in the getting there.
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Book: gods in Alabama
Finished: Late August
My third venture into Jackson's work, and I wasn't disappointed. I can't figure out which of the three novels I've read thus far is my favorite, but gods in Alabama might be it. There's something different about this one particular novel; maybe it's because it was Jackson's debut, but it feels separate from other Southern chick-lit, Jackson's included. (Although, to be fair, I think all three of Jackson's novels rise above the typical "chick-lit" genre. See Savannah Breeze for examples.) I loved Jackson's premise: main character Arlene Fleet makes a promise to God to stay away from sex, lies, and her hometown if He'll just keep the body of high school classmate Jim Beverly hidden. Put this one at the top of your library list.
1 comment:
I've always loved the cover of Between, Georgia but I've never read it. I'll have to pick it up at the library tomorrow.
I wouldn't bother with anymore Mary Kay Andrews stories either... they're all a bit too neat and fluffy.
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