Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Two weeks and two books deep in the Spring Reading Thing I thought I would write a couple of book reviews. I will keep them short because I have a tendency to tell the story if I try to get too deep with a review. Knowing this, you now know that it might not be in your best interest to ask me what a book is about; especially if you plan to read it.

Anyway, the books I’ve completed are Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.

Confessions of a Shopaholic ~ Sophie Kinsella crafted a cute, kind of quirky, and entertaining book. I enjoyed the first person narrative and really got a sense of being “in” the character’s head. As a spender, there were many parts where I thought, “I know that feeling,” or “I can relate to that;” though, fortunately, without the debt looming over my head. I would definitely recommend this book as a fun and funny read; good beach or poolside reading material for the summer. I plan to read the other books in this series as well.

The Double Bind: A Novel ~ I finished this book over a week ago, and I’m still thinking about it. In fact, I might go back and read it again at some point now that I know how it ends. The main character is a social worker with the homeless who was victim of a vicious attack in college; both of these shape her character and are intrinsic to the story. The story is very intertwined with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby which is a book I’ve read several times and a story I enjoy. Being a fan of Gatsby, and not a fan of the new trend of “completing” the stories of classics, I spent most of the book thinking about how much I didn’t like how Bohjalian was using the Gatsby characters, but by the end, I felt that his use of the Gatsby story had been redeemed as all the pieces fell together. Bohjalian is a very good writer who develops his characters and stories well. I’ve enjoyed each of his books I’ve read and am glad I read this one, too.

Well, I’m off to read some more!