Aug 8, 2012

I Love Drugs and Books

I am finally on the road to recovery.  That nasty cold turned into an even nastier sinus infection, which left me completely laid out last week and the beginning of this one.  Thanks to antibiotics I am feeling much perkier.  (Yay, for drugs!).

Due to the lack of movement, I have been tearing up my Kindle, so it's high time for some book recommendations, don't you think?

First up if WASPY trials and tribulations is your bag, you will enjoy both of these-


"Cristina Alger's glittering debut novel interweaves the narratives of the Darling family, two eager SEC attorneys, and a team of journalists all racing to uncover-or cover up-the truth. With echoes of a fictional Too Big to Fail and the novels of Dominick Dunne, The Darlings offers an irresistible glimpse into the highest echelons of New York society-a world seldom seen by outsiders-and a fast-paced thriller of epic proportions."

I stole that description (as all the others), the aforementioned antibiotics and cold medicine have rendered me unable to write book reviews.



I just finished Seating Arrangements and wholeheartedly enjoyed it.

"Maggie Shipstead’s irresistible social satire, set on an exclusive New England island over a wedding weekend in June, provides a deliciously biting glimpse into the lives of the well-bred and ill-behaved.


Winn Van Meter is heading for his family’s retreat on the pristine New England island of Waskeke. Normally a haven of calm, for the next three days this sanctuary will be overrun by tipsy revelers as Winn prepares for the marriage of his daughter Daphne to the affable young scion Greyson Duff. Winn’s wife, Biddy, has planned the wedding with military precision, but arrangements are sideswept by a storm of salacious misbehavior and intractable lust: Daphne’s sister, Livia, who has recently had her heart broken by Teddy Fenn, the son of her father’s oldest rival, is an eager target for the seductive wiles of Greyson’s best man; Winn, instead of reveling in his patriarchal duties, is tormented by his long-standing crush on Daphne’s beguiling bridesmaid Agatha; and the bride and groom find themselves presiding over a spectacle of misplaced desire, marital infidelity, and monumental loss of faith in the rituals of American life. "

I love Shipstead's writing voice, and descriptions.  Her description of the father's reaction of the multitude of females wandering through the house in various state of undress rang so true- you know those beach trips where some people are jus wandering in, sweaty and sunburned, other girls are fresh from the shower with towel turbans, and then the smug fully blow-dried and made up gals lounge with evening drinks? She nails it.

Next up?  Thrillers! 

Like so many of you on the interwebs, I devoured Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn.  I actually listened to this on my IPod, and the two narrators were fantastic! If you are looking for an audiobook, try this!



" With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around."


This next one is a bit quieter, but an excellent and intelligent novel that I could not put down.
"Kate Moore is a working mother, struggling to make ends meet, to raise children, to keep a spark in her marriage . . . and to maintain an increasingly unbearable life-defining secret. So when her husband is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg, she jumps at the chance to leave behind her double-life, to start anew.


She begins to reinvent herself as an expat, finding her way in a language she doesn’t speak, doing the housewifely things she’s never before done—playdates and coffee mornings, daily cooking and never-ending laundry. Meanwhile, her husband works incessantly, at a job Kate has never understood, for a banking client she’s not allowed to know. He’s becoming distant and evasive; she’s getting lonely and bored.

Then another American couple arrives. Kate soon becomes suspicious that these people are not who they say they are, and she’s terrified that her own past is catching up to her. So Kate begins to dig, to peel back the layers of deception that surround her. She discovers fake offices and shell corporations and a hidden gun, a mysterious farmhouse and numbered accounts with bewildering sums of money, and finally unravels the mind-boggling long-play con that threatens her family, her marriage, and her life.

Stylish and sophisticated, fiercely intelligent and expertly crafted, The Expats proves Chris Pavone to be a writer of tremendous talent."


Okay, chick lit and non-fiction to follow.  Again, apologies for my pilfered descriptions.  Any summer reads for me?

8 comments:

  1. Rules of Civility was fantastic! I am in the middle of Gone Girl (so good) and I can't wait to add some of your picks to my bedside stack!

    ReplyDelete
  2. good to know. I have a library plan tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the book recommndations! The Darlings sounds right up my alley.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yay for good recommendations, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dang… you have been reading! So glad to hear about Seating Arrangements as I just ordered from Amazon. Glad you're on the mend!

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you haven't read it, Discovery of Witches and the sequel Shadow of Night are fantastic!

    I have Gone Girl next on my list of books to read. I can't wait to get started!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Adding all of these to my "to read" list on Goodreads now! I second Ashley, Rules of Civility is one of my favorite recent reads! The other is Snobs by Julian Fellowes (a fun one for those who miss Downton Abbey as he is the creator of that).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh! Thanks for the book recommendations. I've heard great things about Gone Girl...I just ordered it. Can' wait to check out the others too! Thanks! And I hope you're feeling better, love.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from y'all, so drop me a line!