The Last Secret by Mary McGarry Morris

I've read several other books by Mary McGarry Morris and they all have a common theme:  they're dark. The writing is good but it can sure put you in a foul mood. At least it does that to me.

This novel featured a bunch of unlikeable characters. In fact, I can't think of any I could really relate to or that I liked. But it was compelling. It starts with Nora as a teenager who has run off with an older boy Eddie. Their short time together ends with an act that leaves Nora confused, depressed, and feeling bad about herself. Those feelings never really go away, but as an adult she had a boatload of other troubles to deal with. It was gloom and doom throughout, but in spite of that, The Last Secret (which by the way, I figured out right away, not at the end of the book when it was revealed) was a good read.


So, to kick this foul mood, tonight I'm going to start reading Bossypants by Tina Fey! Do you like reading dark books? What's your favorite type of book to read?

Book Read: The Last Secret

Author:  Mary McGarry Morris

ISBN:  978-0-307-45127-9

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

I finally finished reading Second Glance by Jodi Picoult last night. I generally really like her books, but this one took me forever to get into. For one thing she had too many characters, which she mentioned in an interview at the back of the book.

I had trouble keeping all of the characters straight, which is a real buzz kill for me. Another tricky element was the ghost story, where there's now (with real people and ghosts) and then (with real people who show up now as ghosts). I totally had to pay attention, and I guess I wasn't up for it.

As the book moved along and the plot started to unravel, I got it, but at the end, when all the loose ends were tied into pretty little bundles, it was just way too convenient. Not at all plausible for me. So, all in all, this was my least favorite Jodi Picoult book I've read to date. It was good, mind you, just not up to her usual snuff. I like House Rules, which I read last year, much better.

Have you read Second Glance? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Book Read: Second Glance

Author: Jodi Picoult

ISBN: 978-1-4165-8386-8

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving -- His most autobiographical novel yet?

If you are as big a fan of John Irving as I am and you've read his latest novel, you might have shook your head throughout, thinking, "Hmmm, that's what he did. Yep, he did that too."

Last Night in Twisted River is the story of John Irving's writing life. The years match. The books match. The long time between book publications match. His writing style matches; he writes the last sentence first as did Danny Angel in LNITR.  Angel doesn't sign books; he writes them. Neither does Irving.

I'm not so sure about the rest. I'm not so sure about these themes:

• semicolons:  Did he use them as much previously as the writer Danny Angel [who is obviously Irving]? I don't know though he used a wonderful smattering of them in this novel.
• farting dogs
• cooking
• a cursed left hand
• a naked sky diver
• big women, lots of big women frequent this novel
• bears:  Irving finally included bears again. His early novels nearly always had bears and wrestling. I was glad to see bears back in this one.

All in all, I loved this one. Some of the characters who are bigger than life--Ketchum, Six-Pack Pam, Amy--are reminiscent of Melony from The Cider House Rules (his finest book, my favorite book of all time) and T.S.Garp.

Book Read:  Last Night in Twisted River
Author:  John Irving
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6384-0