Monday Recommendations

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This week-- 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
2. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
3. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen
4. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
5. 1984  by George Orwell
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross
8. Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
9. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
10. Off Limits by Sawyer Bennett

Monday Recommendation List

Monday Recommendation List

Random list of 10 books Monday! I have read and enjoyed each of these enough to flag for a potential personal library purchase.

Be bold and just choose randomly, stick to your normal genre...or step outside of your normal reading zone and try something you usually wouldn’t. You can look up the descriptions at Amazon.com, or search my blog for old posts by entering the title in the little search box in the top left-hand corner and clicking the magnifying glass.

This weeks 10 recommendations (in no particular order):

1. My One and Only by Kristan Higgins
2. Even Silence Has An End by Ingrid Betancourt
3. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
4. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
5. Eve Duncan Series (starts with The Face of Deception) by Iris Johansen
6. Just Let Me Lie Down by Kristin Van Ogtrop
7. Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart
8. Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
9. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
10. The Executor by Jesse Kellerman

The Russian Debutante's Handbook

The Russian Debutante’s Handbook by Gary Shteyngart

Amazon.com Description:

“The Russian Debutante's Handbook introduces Vladimir Girshkin, one of the most original and unlikely heroes of recent times. The twenty-five-year-old unhappy lover to a fat dungeon mistress, affectionately nicknamed "Little Failure" by his high-achieving mother, Vladimir toils his days away as a lowly clerk at the bureaucratic Emma Lazarus Immigrant Absorption Society. When a wealthy but psychotic old Russian war hero appears, Vladimir embarks on an adventure of unrelenting lunacy that takes us from New York's Lower East Side to the hip frontier wilderness of Prava--the Eastern European Paris of the nineties. With the help of a murderous but fun-loving Russian mafioso, Vladimir infiltrates the Prava expat community and launches a scheme as ridiculous as it is brilliant. Bursting with wit, humor, and rare insight, The Russian Debutante's Handbook is both a highly imaginative romp and a serious exploration of what it means to be an immigrant in America.”

My Thoughts:

I like Shteyngart’s style. His portrayal of American culture is spot on and amusing. As his other books, this one is full of humor and witty dialogue. I felt that the plot took a crazy turn somewhere in the middle and I became disengaged. But the first half was a gem!

Super Sad True Love Story

For serious readers/satire lovers “Super Sad True Love Story” by Gary Shteyngart is a treasure. I was amazed by how much I absolutely loved this novel. Shteyngart is a master modern author.  

This book is not to be read lightly. If read lightly, you will hate it. You have to dig into the text and read between the lines to unmask the moral story beneath the humor and wit. Sharp satire, hilarious and disturbing...if you are ready for some deep thinking get this one!