Pub. Date - July 14, 2015
3.5 - 4 stars
The new world in Andrew Motion's beautifully written book is a vast wilderness populated by strange new citizens, displaced natives and a surreal loneliness. The New World is a sequel to Silver: Return to Treasure Island which is in turn a sequel of sorts to Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. While Silver follows Jim Hawkins son, also Jim, and Natty (Long John Silver's daughter) as they return to the island, this story picks up after a shipwreck leaves them stranded somewhere on the coast of Texas. The pair cross paths with Native warriors, peaceful Natives, a traveling show, and have numerous other interesting interactions. The descriptions of early America are really superb and the main reason that I continued to read this novel even when I was extremely frustrated with the main characters. Jim is extremely passive and just seems to float in whatever direction others lead him with limited personality. Natty is unlikable and not very well developed. I will say that I did not read Silver and that may affect my opinion of the characters and their growth during this book. Overall, I thought this novel was well-written and the plot interesting but I never really felt an attachment to the main characters. I received this book from a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
Dietland by Sarah Walker
Pub. Date - May 26, 2015
4 stars
Well, this is an unusual book unlike anything I have read before. I am actually really interested to see how this book is received/reviewed. Alicia, aka Plum, is overweight, unhappy, lonely and desperately counting down the days until her weight-loss surgery. She has been on a diet most of her life and her most memorable was called the Baptist Diet. One day, Plum realizes that she is being followed and it starts a chain of events that changes her life forever and for good. Oh...and there is a group of women vigilantes who take revenge on misogynistic men. And there is a house full of women with definite views on womanhood and an extremely bizarre room in their basement. I went into this book knowing nothing about it and I think that is best. I found this book to be engrossing, thought provoking and really unlike anything else I've read. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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