Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel - Book Review

Book: Woke Up Lonely

Author: Fiona Maazel

Genre: Fiction 

Publisher/Publish Date: Greywolf Press / April 2013

Source: Copy courtesy of publisher

Pages: 336

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

Thurlow Dan is the founder of the Helix, a cult that promises to cure loneliness in the twenty-first century. With its communes and speed-dating, mixers and confession sessions, the Helix has become a national phenomenon—and attracted the attention of governments worldwide. But Thurlow, camped out in his Cincinnati headquarters, is lonely. And his ex-wife, Esme, is the only one he wants. They were a family once; they had a child together. For Esme’s part, she’s a covert agent who has spent her life spying on Thurlow, mostly in an effort to protect him from the law. Now, with her superiors demanding results, Esme recruits four misfits to botch a reconnaissance mission in Cincinnati. [via GoodReads]

A unique novel, with lots of heart and dark humor. The author weaves together the story of Thurlow, Esme, and the four "agents" to tell a fascinating story about a misguided cult and the lives it affects. While the cult was originally created as a way to connect lonely people, it has spiraled out of Thurlow's control, and has got him into a heap-load of trouble. Unbeknownst to him, the love of his life, Esme, has been following and investigating him since they day they meet. Not complicated at all, hu?

Throughout the novel they tell the story of how they fell in love, how the Helix came to be, and how their lives started to fall apart.

This is a book that took me awhile to warm up to. It has a very unique writing structure, and a lot of characters are introduced in around about way. Though once I figured out the rhythm to that, I started to really enjoy the book. So if you don't like it at first, keep reading, it might grow on you.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Book Review

Book: The Casual Vacancy

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fiction 

Publisher/Publish Date: Little, Brown and Company / September, 2012

Source: Personal copy

Pages: 512

Rating: 3/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

There are a lot of mixed reviews about this book, so I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading. This is first adult novel by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books. It was quite the detour from those books, so I think lots of the readers when into it assuming it might have a hint of HP in there, and I think the Amazon reviews show this (around 800 for each of the stars). I've read a lot of witty, British novels, and compared to those this was a pretty good book.

Based in a quiet, pretty, little English town, a member of the parish council suddenly dies, and the town is left to battle out who will take his spot. This novel is heavy with characters, and thought I often got confused as to who was who, Rowling writes incredibly strong personalities, creating a very believable dramatic plot line.

It's a big book, and I struggled through some of it, but over all enjoyed it. I think this shows the breadth of styles in which Rowling can write, so it will be interesting to see if she writes another book in this genre, or something else entirely.

I would suggest this for fans of Sophie Kinsella novels, Gone Girl, and Bridget Jone's Diary.

June - What I Read

After a few months of heavy reading, June wasn't so great. But I have some pretty valid reasons. I've spent the last two weeks packing and moving, and read a book and a half that were pretty awful I will spare you the reviews. The three books I did finish I really liked though, and would especially recommend the first one.

Archipelago, by Monique Roffey

An amazing book about a father and daughter sailing on a trip of a lifetime around the Caribbean islands. Be sure to check out my review for more information on the book.

The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
Rowling's first adult novel since the Harry Potter series, Very, very different, but I enjoyed it.

Woke Up Lonely, by Fiona Maazel
A fascinating book about a cult leader and his CIA ex-wife. This book has an interesting plot structure, so I recommend it if you are looking for something a little different.

Working on getting through a few more books in July:)