I Guess I've Got A Major Case of Literary A-D-D...

I know, I know, we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But what if the cover made you laugh (in a good way) every time you saw it?

Such was the case with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Every time I saw this book on the endcap at my local Borders, I thought I have to read that, but for whatever reason didn't buy it immediately. Instead, I waited for my hubby to do the honors.

Only days after I picked up Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters for the holiday plane ride to Colorado Springs to see the fam, P&P&Z ended up being one of my Christmas gifts. And since I didn't care much for S&S&S, I hoped there was something more redeeming about it than just its cover and a clever-enough idea.

Well, last week, (yes, more than two months after Christmas) I finally cracked the cover, eagerly awaiting the clash of proper Austen women and those creepy, aforementioned zombies, and I was bored by page chapter three. Apparently, the barista who regularly makes my caramel lattes at Caribou felt the same way...so it was good to know I wasn't alone in my plight.

Assuming it was a merely a one-off, after all, I'm the girl who always finishes every books she starts, no matter how bad it is (well, except for War & Peace where I lost patience with all the very similar Russian names and couldn't keep track of who everybody was), I decided to give the Sense and Sensibility mash-up another try instead of spending any more time with Elizabeth Bennett and those zombies.

And it happened again, right around the chapter three mark— sheer, utter boredom. For whatever reason, the sea monsters didn't feel fully integrated into the story. I felt like the author approached the project like a Mad Lib, merely filling in the blanks with enough sea monster references to make the story live up to the title's promise. Even with the aforementioned re-reading (you know, to make sure I was really, truly right about how I felt), I simply couldn't continue. Cute covers or not, I was just not that into these books.

Abandoning all things Austen, (and zombies and sea monsters, for that matter), I opted for something totally different...a memoir with a fascinating title, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Since there were several Mennonites in the small town I grew up in, I couldn't help but be intrigued by Rhoda Janzen's account of "going home." And since several authors I've enjoyed in the past gave their wholehearted endorsement, well, I thought it was a safe bet.

But as you probably suspected, I didn't find it quite as "hilarious," "compelling" and "insightful" as the book jacket raved. About seven chapters in (well, at least I made it a bit farther, right?), I was no longer interested. After a relatively inspired beginning, the prose was painfully slow, and I felt like I was on the receiving end of a conversation I was never meant to hear. In a nutshell, the stories of her past relationships were way too TMI...in fact, it's the stuff of your average episode of Jerry Springer, but without all the yelling and chair throwing.

After my adventures with the Mennonites, I opted for women's fiction. It was as comfortable like chicken noodle soup, a big ol' bowl of pasta or my favorite down blanket. Ahh, good, reliable women's fiction, there's a genre that's rarely done me wrong, right?

Wrong again.

I've enjoyed plenty of Marion Keyes' work in the past, so I decided to check out The Brightest Star in the Sky, which was recently awarded a starred review by Publisher's Weekly, the industry standard of the literary world. While I hated the gimmicky POV from the get-go (the book is narrated by the spirit of life, just so ya know, a technique that never really takes off), I decided to keep reading, hoping the characters would draw me in.

Yeah, not so much. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for creativity. After all, my novels are in both first and third person so the reader can enjoy a variety of perspectives. But this particular move simply didn't serve the story well (in my humble opinion, natch), so I was forced, once again, to give the book my personal pink slip.

For whatever reason, I guess I've got a major case of literary A-D-D. Or perhaps, I'm just picking up the wrong books. So now I'm opening my next novel selection to your suggestions. What do you think I should read next and why? C'mon, help a girl out, won't ya?

Comments

[Girly Muse]

Aw, disappointed about the new book by Marion Keyes. I usually really like her books.

Don't have many recommends right now, but am currently reading The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and I'm enjoying it very much. Also...what I'm SUPPOSED to be reading for book club...but haven't yet...is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I hear it is excellent.

[Christa]

I have a copy of "The Help," so perhaps I need to dive in and read it...thanks for the recommendation, girl...what is "The Bean Trees" about?

[sarah louise]

Have you read any of the Sister Chick books? They are light, fluff, the kind of "Christian fiction" I can actually stomach, and all take place in far flung places like Hawaii or Paris or Christ Church, NZ.

I have heard similar reactions to the zombie Austen books and don't take much in literary prizes...as a librarian, I've learned they are often more political than any of us would like to believe.

La's Orchestra Saves the world by the guy who writes the Botswana Women detective books (Alexander McCall Smith) is a stand alone, and wonderful. I listened to the audio and adored it. As did I adore Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby, who has only disappointed me once (did NOT like his attempt at a YA novel a few years ago.)

La's Orchestra is about a woman who gets together an orchestra in the dark days of WWII, in her tiny hamlet outside London. It is a triumph of the human spirit, a love story, and wonderful. La is a timid woman who keeps having huge bouts of courage that pay off.

Juliet, Naked is about a woman who at 40 has baby lust, her boyfriend who becomes ex pretty soon, and an aging former rock star from America. How their lives become tangled is wonderful. I listened to the audio first, and love it more than the written word, but it's classic Hornby: people who are bored with their lives trying to get somewhere else, usually succeeding.

xo,
SL

[Christa]

Thanks sooo much for all the suggestions, SL! :) I absolutely loved "Juliet, Naked" and even listed it as one of my "favorite things" of 2009. I think it was one of Hornby's best...and would make a great movie to boot.

[Evangeline]

I actually got a kick out of P&P&Z but I'm not rushing out to buy S&S&S. Right now I'm reading Susan May Warren's Double Trouble. Can't go wrong with Susan May Warren.

[Butterflies]

I recently read An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska both by John Green. They're pretty good coming-of-age young adult novels. And they're easy reading, so you won't feel like you've wasted half your life is you don't care for them.

As far as non-fiction, I can never get enough of Donald Miller's thoughts on Christianity in Blue Like Jazz.

[tonya]

i really like the sisterchick series as well. i also love sandra byrd's french twist series andi just started reading eye of the god by ariel allison its a suspense novel which i dont usually read but im liking it so far!

[Christa]

Thank you soooo much for all the great book suggestions to file away...hopefully, this should alleviate those reading blues of mine.

[Amy]

Man...I wanted to read this book. Sad you didn't like it.

[Elle]

I am not going to start about how Jane Austen must be doing back flips in her grave in regards to these books. But I didn't really get the purpose of creating a book along those lines. Did you know they are creating a comic book type series along those lines?!?! Smh, my heart just stop. The things they will do to ruin a classic.

[Christa]

That is just ridiculous...comic books, too??

[Elle]

I'm sorry, I used the wrong word. They're called "graphic novels". smh.