Tuesday Check-In

Dear Reader, I managed to finish two whole books last Thursday, what a red-letter day!  Both about 3 stars for me, I think. FINISHED: The Goldfinch turned out, ultimately, to be severely disappointing. It started off amazingly, and I couldn't put it down. What promise! What great characters! (Loved Boris!) But...it lost me about midway through, and then I just couldn't wait to be done with the thing. Too much pointless introspection at the end, which I kind of just half-listened to. For some reason, I just couldn't seem to muster up any interest in Theo's life when he was in his thirties. Blah. It's too bad, because Tartt really is a great writer, but her stories always seem to fall flat for me. I think it's going to take a lot to convince me to read another from her. The House We Grew Up In was a nice little diversion; more of a light read about a dysfunctional family, stories of which always intrigue me. This book outlined a bunch of memorable characters that made up this family which really fell apart one awful day in the early 2000s, and it took them decades to find their way back to each other, to forgive, to understand, to accept each other again. It was a good diversion read when I couldn't get into my heavier books (read: when I was nursing my daughter at 5 in the morning!). CURRENTLY READING: So I've since begun two new books to replace those above. The first is Trevor Noah's autobiography, Born a Crime, which I freaking LOVE. I knew it got good ratings, but I still wasn't sure I was going to like it as much as I do! Oh, my goodness. You'll be sold once you get to the pooping part, hah! Having him narrate his own story is really enjoyable to listen to. And he's just got just a great storyteller's personality. I would recommend this to anyone & everyone. And the other is My Not So Perfect Life, which I received a ARC of free in the mail - it's my replacement "light read." I haven't read Sophie Kinsella before, but she's typically "chick lit", right? Well, I could use a good, fun, girly read - and I like that this one points out that the grass isn't always greener. It came out in early February, so of course I'm already too late for a preview review, but...ah, c'est la vie. I have barely cracked the cover on this one, though, so I'll let you know whether I will stick with it. I'm almost done with The Power of Habit, which has been really very enjoyable. I'm still upset, though, by the story about the woman who gambled away everything she had just because she was - Oh, poor me! - a bored housewife. I get that she had a problem that she couldn't control once she was in really deep, but...why did she have to go to the casino in the first place?! What I wouldn't give to have some down time to get chores done, much less more time to pursue all of my interests! She could have taken a class, joined the PTA, started going to the gym, read a freaking book! Man, her story infuriated me. Which, I know was the point - the author draws an interesting parallel between her story and that of a man who murdered his wife while sleepwalking (the horror!). But, still. I found myself yelling at my audiobook in the car all too often while the narrator was relaying her story. ON DECK: I'm trying to read more for Black History month. I know it technically ends today, but I feel I didn't get to read enough for it, so I'm going to personally continue it for a while longer. Any must-read suggestions?? Also, I've got to read My Name is Lucy Barton for my book club - I really haven't been keeping up with my book club, and I miss it! That's queued up to follow The Power of Habit. Well, I'm off to go pick up 1491 for a bit. Happy reading! Yours, Arianna

The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch Donna Tartt 4.5/5	Published 2013 First Sentence "While I was still in Amsterdam, I dreamed about my mother for the first time in years."
Publisher's Description: A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and determined to avoid being taken in by the city as an orphan, Theo scrambles between nights in friends’ apartments and on the city streets. He becomes entranced by the one thing that reminds him of his mother, a small, mysteriously captivating painting that soon draws Theo into the art underworld.
Dear Reader, I finally got around to reading one of the most talked about books of 2013, The Goldfinch. This story follows Theo Decker, a boy who survives a horrible accident at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which then follow him throughout the years as he grows older. Theo becomes the sad orphan with loss surrounding him. During his teen years, he meets Boris, who he becomes best friends with.  The book doesn't actually have much plot, it does have some big turning point events that bring us many philosophical questions. For Example, would Theo be different if he didn't become an orphan so young? This book brings up many "what if" questions, mostly about the choices made and events that play out. I don't want to delve to deep because as River Song always says, "Spoilers!" I can skim over some of the themes Tartt forces us to think about while reading this book.  Theo and Boris give off this yin/yang personality types. Theo is the grounded, depressed and brooding type, while Boris just wants to have fun and follows whatever path benefits him the most. Boris views Theo's brooding as strange and doesn't understand why he can't just enjoy and let go. I loved the dynamic between the two. It was fun watching Boris pull Theo down the path of trouble, which undeniably gave Theo a more exciting life. So what is more important? Living a safe life that will include the stupid all american dreams of white picket fence. Maybe this isn't YOUR dream and I always hate how the typical American believes this is what we should strive for. Maybe this isn't for everyone! I think Boris knows this about life and he accepts that sometimes doing the "wrong" thing might be the "right" thing for him, later in life karma catches up and maybe not in the bad way you'd expect it to. This book made me think, quiet a bit... about things that I haven't thought about in quite some time. I really understood the point the Author was making about grey morals and those borders you sometimes have to cross. Nothing is black and white, I know... such a cliche but so very true. You can't point a finger at someone and say they've never done something against the rules. Everyone has and everyone will, whether you repent for it in church or just sit and brood over it yourself... there's that moment when you ask yourself, "Why? Why is this wrong? Who made this rule? Who is the one who decides right from wrong?" My opinion is that it should be YOURSELF. You should decide if the consequences of your actions are morally wrong by how they'll make you feel. This is obviously easier done after you've been around long enough to learn from past mistakes but I do believe that the majority of people are inherently good people, and if given the choice (without a rule stapled to it), they'd chose the option that will be the best for everyone in the long wrong. Nobody wants to feel guilt, remorse or feel that stabbing pain from doing something you consider wrong. What if we took that out of the equation? That would be interesting, wouldn't it? But I digress, I believe Boris felt this way and this was one of those debates that popped back into my head like a long lost friend. I imagined myself running to meet this bundle of philosophy and wrapping my arms around it, attempting to untangle the mess it worked itself into. Getting back to the book, as you can see The Goldfinch wasn't what was expected, it wasn't the literary mystery I thought it would be. The mystery was more within the personality of the characters and how they'd turn out in the end. Maybe more of a "coming of age" story than a "mystery". Do I think this surprise stopped many people from enjoying the book for what it ACTUALLY was? Yes, I do... and that's a shame. But for those going into a book that throws you a curve ball in a different but welcoming direction, just embrace it... you'll thank yourself in the end.  Happy Reading, AmberBug

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