“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 I cannot say that this book is beautifully written. I found the writing style to be a bit harsh for my taste. And yet, it is the most compelling book I’ve read in ages. I honestly couldn’t put it down. Initially it seemed to be a mundane Hollywood tell all. But it quickly evolved into a story about the complexities of how and who we love, and about the morally gray area of motivation. And at its very heart, it is a beautiful love story. 

Of course, the Hollywood press usually gets it wrong in the book, because they are so cleverly manipulated by their subjects. It’s quite amazing, the wide gulf between truth and “press” and what we tell ourselves. I admired the ruthless honesty of Evelyn Hugo.

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

 I enjoyed this book quite a bit and it was an easy read. Elizabeth Zott is an interesting and very independent heroine from the 1950’s and 60’s, at a time when women were horribly downtrodden. There was more sadness and less satire than I expected, but the ending was nice. I guess this was a bit of a fairytale, but the world needs more of those.

“The Drowned Cities” by Paulo Bacigalupi

 A difficult read in parts but well worth it. Tool was an interesting war hybrid character. Too bad Mahlia had only 4 fingers left at the end.

“The Bullet that Missed” by Richard Osman

 This third book in The Thursday Murder Club series started slowly, but picked up and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Towards the end, I couldn’t put it down. And surprisingly, it wasn’t the human interactions but the mystery itself that intrigued me. The human interactions are very nice, but they are becoming a bit repetitive. Osman is quite clever in continuously introducing new characters. I do think that I will enjoy Victor, the former KGB chief and good friend of Elizabeth’s. I also like that the book ended by pointing out that in the end, it’s the people we know that matters in life.

“The Great Hunt” by Robert Jordan

 This is where I stop reading “The Wheel of Time” series. Robert Jordan is not a good writer, and his world building is ridiculously complex and convoluted. It does not shine clearly and true, unlike “Game of Thrones” or “Lord of the Rings”.

“The Red Haired Woman” by Orhan Pamuk

 When reading this book, I mostly thought it was a decently written but uninspiring story with the clear voice of a Turkish intellectual. But the final section, which shifted to the point of view of the red haired woman, makes this book a work of art. Its themes are fathers and sons murdering each other, Oedipus etc etc. And of course, the role of women.

“The Headmaster’s Wager” by Vincent Lam

 At the beginning I thought this book was excruciatingly slow. But I ended up liking it very much and indeed would even call it amazing. The complex life story of a Chinese English Headmaster/owner of an English school in Vietnam during Japanese occupation and then the Vietnam war felt so very real. Of course, my familial relationship to Vietnam added to my interest in the book.