a few books I haven't finished (yet)

[snugglekitty]

I decided to return Endless Blue, the new book by Wen Spencer, to the library. Surprising, since I really like her work. But I expect her books to be pretty light, and this one wasn't at all. I might try it again later. I'm sure this is a sign that she's growing as a writer, but I was actually a bit disappointed not to get what I had hoped for.

Maybe, Baby is a new anthology of essays about the decision whether to have children. In the introduction, it claims that those who want children and have them are equally happy as those who don't want them and don't have them. Well, none of those folks seem to have contributed to this book (except Anne Lamott). All of the writers seem traumatized, conflicted, and full of second-guessing. It made me feel slightly neurotic myself. I'm going to let the book rest over the weekend and I might give it another try next week.

Kept: A Victorian Mystery hasn't caught my attention yet. I've read about thirty pages, and I don't like the way it was written (or maybe the way it was edited). The prose seems clunky - people are using objects that don't seem to have existed a moment ago. I find that frustrating. I'll try to read up to page fifty before I make a final decision about whether to stop reading it.

ETA: I keep forgetting to mention, I have three new readers from the book review communities I joined recently. Welcome, lifeisdreaming, masanobu_tomoe, and ryowyn_tao. I hope you'll enjoy what you read, in both senses of the phrase. :)

Comments

[nepenthedreams]

Maybe Baby starts out with the people who chose not to, moves on to the confused and undecided, and ends with the happy parents. The way the book was structured ... I felt that they should have alternated stories! I got a little sad in the first part. Still, that's what made me say "I guess I really do want a baby because I can't imagine feeling like any of these people feel."

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Yes, I understood that about the structure of the book. It just seems like none of the people who chose not to, or the undecided ones I've read so far, are happy with their choice. To end with parents that are happy... I don't know. It seems biased to me. I mean, is that the demographic breakdown? Or were those the best submissions? Or does someone have an agenda?

[nepenthedreams]

I felt the same way about the unhappiness, but I assumed I was projecting onto the book how I would feel if I wasn't to have children.