Alicia

DNF @ 21%

I really struggled with what to give this book. From the first, I was hooked.

“When your mama was the geek, my dreamlets,” Papa would say, “she made the nipping off of noggins such a crystal mystery that the hens themselves yearned toward her...”

I devoured it. The words were electric, dysfunctional, odd, and out of place, much like the characters. Crystal Lil and Al Binewski, in all their twisted striving, make a carnival out of their family. An albino humpback dwarf, Oly, and the narrator, conjoined twins, Iphy and Elly, a boy born with flippers for arms and legs, Arty, and a telekinetic called Chick. Together they are the story. The crazed, wild, tender, and heartbreaking story.

Despite its wackiness–or maybe because of it–I was hooked. You can't look away. My main problem with came about 3/4 of the way through where it felt like the light had gone out and the electricity had died. Perhaps this was meant to reflect the simultaneous decay of the Binewskis but, nevertheless, it made me want to quit several times. Still, the overall story itself is so dark and colorful and alive that, ultimately, that's what I won't soon forget.

“They thought to use and shame me but I win out by nature, because a true freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born.”

The Moor's Account is a fictionalized memoir of a Spanish expedition to the “New World” as told by Esteban/Mustafa, a slave. It's a history of these types of journeys unlike any I've heard before. There is much detail here, both of the landscape and the myriad Native tribes with which the Spaniards have to contend. Esteban is a character that is easy to root for along his erstwhile quest for freedom that is the one shining light after tragedy after tragedy befalls the group. Lalami's writing is precise and fluid.

My main difficulty with this book came from the fact that while the detail is quite extensive and interesting, I felt the characters often got lost within the sheer volume of it. Even though told from the first perspective, it often read to me like a historical account, verging on textbook-like. I often felt distanced from the characters and not really attached to the outcome. I almost gave up a few times, especially during the dense mid-section where Esteban accounted every misstep and tragedy that befell the characters, to which, at that point, there was little narrative effect. My favorite sections were actually those chapters where Esteban lovingly recalled his family left behind after he became a slave and his intense desire to get back to them. These were the parts that felt most human and profound to me.

3.5 stars

The worst has happened and America as we know it is gone. There has apparently been some sort of climate crisis, referred to here as the Big Water which has drowned half of the United States. Navajo nation still remains having erected magical walls which each have different features that protect the territory. All is not perfect on this side of the Wall, however, and our main character Maggie Hoskie, the “monsterslayer” spends her time fighting monsters and trying to figure out who is bringing them into this world. There's magic, Diné gods, actual monsters, a hot, mysterious man who becomes her partner, Kai, and some all-around badassery.

This was a tough one to rate. First, I have high hopes for this series. The world Roanhorse has created is so vivid and rich with Navajo mythology that has never before been written like this. It's so unique, impressive, and expansive that I couldn't put it down, even when other aspects of the work bothered me.

The characters and setting are seriously compelling and the story is kind of like a cross between The Walking Dead, Mad Max, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—except on the post-apocalyptic rez.

The pace was also incredibly fast with a lot of monster-fighting action which kept me hooked the whole way through. However, I did feel in many places like I didn't understand what was happening, how it started happening, and why it was happening (THAT. ENDING. ?????!!!)

Having said that this is a truly unique debut with an exciting voice that I can't wait to hear more from. It wasn't quite a 4 star read for me but let's say somewhere between 3.5 & 3.75.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is an honest, raw, memoir of one woman's journey across the grueling Pacific Crest Trail. I must confess; I picked this up thinking it would be another Eat, Pray, Love and was surprised to discover it was definitely not that. Yes, it's a woman undergoing a somewhat extreme journey far from home after some serious emotional upheaval. Yes, she learns some profound things about life, herself, and the world along the way. But Cheryl Strayed somehow manages to keep all this aspiration firmly grounded in the West Coast earth.

Though it's not the greatest book I've read this year, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable read where I often felt like I was hiking right along with Cheryl.