I read There’s Something I Want You to Do because it was a book club pick. I rarely read short stories so it was a nice change of pace for me.

I wasn’t crazy about the book but I also didn’t hate it. If short stories are your thing, I think you might like it. Then again, if short stories are your thing, I would easily recommend Adam Haslett’s book first. It’s extraordinary.

But I am still not sad I read it.

I read The Remains of the Day because I picked it as our book club pick after reading Buried Giant and loving it last year.

And this might easily be one of my very favorite reads of 2016/2105. I loved every little bit of this book. I loved reading it, I loved listening to it. I loved everything about it.

Such exquisite writing.

Ishiguro is quickly becoming my very favorite author. I so wish he were more prolific.

Highly recommended.

I’ve had so many of these book reviews on draft for months now, so I decided it’s better to write just a few words and post them than to keep sitting on them. Excuse my brevity.

I read The Name of the Star because of a random whim. I read about it somewhere and then jumped in.

It was a super fast read. I think I might have read it in one sitting. I loved it but not enough to feel compelled to read the next two. Maybe one day. If this is your cup of tea, it’s not bad. Recommended.

If not, there are many others to choose from in the world of books.

I read Mindspeak due to a random whim of buying it on amazon. It looked like a fun plot and I was looking for something easy to read. And it’s been a while since I read it. Like a long while. So it’s time for a confession:

I don’t remember anything about this book.

I even read the blurb on amazon and while it stirred some tiny thoughts in my memory, I still can’t remember a thing. Literally.

Which I guess is all you need to know.

I read The Last Time We Say Goodbye on a long flight. I wanted something simple, quick to read and this was it. Amazon kept recommending it and I knew it was going to be kind of a tear jerker. But I read it anyway. I don’t remember enough of it to tell you how great it was but I do remember it wasn’t bad. Nothing amazing either.

A good book for a long flight.

I read A Separate Peace because most people read it in high school but I never had and I decided it was time that I fill up this whole in my education. I read this little book in a few sittings. I enjoyed reading it so much that I often found myself wanting to put it down and think about it. I found myself wanting to slow down to enjoy the writing.

I found the story interesting, sad, poignant and I am glad that I read it after having been here this many years because there is a lot about being at an all-boys prep school that I would not have understood when I was in high school in Turkey. I kept wanting to ask Jake questions as I was reading it. Even though he didn’t go to an all boys school, he did have a somewhat relatable experience so I was curious how on point it was. But Jake didn’t really remember much of the book from his high school years.

I was very happy to read this one.