These reviews are part of the Summer Library Challenge Week 6 Activity – Reviewing Library Books.
These books I read all the way through, but I’m not sure how I feel about them. Because of that, these books are difficult to review. I still wanted to document my thoughts so here are a few odd notes on each.
- All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
- Rating: ★★-★★★½? [ratings guide]
- I picked this book up because of the gorgeous cover, book description and four star reviews from a few bloggers I follow.
- I thought the book had great atmosphere, moody and dark and solitary (reminded me of when I was running around with sheep in Ireland).
- I kept waiting for something to happen in the present story-line but I found it extremely disappointing. I think I may have ~missed something~ there. A lot of somethings did happen in the past story-line but somehow it never really grasped me.
- I did not really like Jake, but I guess I liked reading about her?
- The book felt empty to me, yet I read the whole thing quickly and without feeling like i should stop. So I must have liked something about it? I’m not too sure what else to say. I have confusing feelings about this book! I think I felt a bit let down by the book’s description – it’s not nearly as mysterious or fantastical as its made out to be.
- I Forgot to Remember by Su Meck and Daniel de Vise
- Rating: ★★-★★★? [ratings guide]
- I find this book extremely hard to evaluate because I would essentially be evaluating someone’s life. You have to keep in mind that Meck lost all her memories, she has no knowledge of the first part of her life, she had to be completely re-educated, including how to read and write. I found a lot of parts of this memoir uncomfortable to read. It was not the sort of story I was expecting. I can’t believe how many years it took for people to start to realize what she really lost when the accident happened. I want to keep my concerns about this memoir to myself, since it’s a fresh story and because who I am to judge how someone’s life play out? Meck’s choice to tell her story in such a no-holds-barred manner is admiring, at the very least. I don’t think you can find many memoirs like this, where the author’s husband (to whome she is still married) is so thoroughly exposed. (Suffice to say, the husband’s behaviour is mostly terrible. But then, given the situation – like I said, it’s not my place to judge!)
- The writing style is nothing impressive, but again – she had to learn to write again as an adult. That she can write this memoir at all is truly incredible.
- My uncertainity over this book comes from the fact that the subject matter is undoubtedly interesting, but the how Meck’s life actually unfolds was not at all what I was expecting. Perhaps it’s a bit terrible of me to say this, but it wasn’t the story I wanted to read! That’s certainly not Meck’s fault, though, and her story is still fascinating. If the book’s description sounds interesting to you, I recommend you give it a shot. Maybe then my ramblings here will make a bit of sense…
If you’ve read either of these books, I would love to hear what you think! Maybe reading other peoples’ opinions will help me sort out mine 😉
I appreciate your honestly documenting your thoughts even though you aren't able to sum them up tidily as a "review." When I have books that I feel ambivalent about I usually don't even try to write about them — this gives me the courage to make the attempt. When you said "it wasn't the story I wanted to read," I thought how often I have felt that way with a book! Sometimes book and reader just don't match — this is why I have a hard time giving ratings.
[…] In my first library book haul post, I picked up five books. I dropped three of them, but The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender was a five star read and I’m greatly enjoying Buddhism Plain & Simple so far. I had two more holds come shortly after that post – All the Birds, Singing and I Forgot to Remember. I read both and posted a few thoughts here. […]
[…] All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld […]
[…] By the end, I realized that I had been following an unreliable narrator. I dislike such narrators. Instead of understanding their reliability as a story telling technique, I just feel like I trusted someone and they abused that trust, haha. Ash reminded me a bit of the protagonist from Evie Wyld’s All the Birds, Singing. […]
I appreciate your honestly documenting your thoughts even though you aren't able to sum them up tidily as a "review." When I have books that I feel ambivalent about I usually don't even try to write about them — this gives me the courage to make the attempt. When you said "it wasn't the story I wanted to read," I thought how often I have felt that way with a book! Sometimes book and reader just don't match — this is why I have a hard time giving ratings.