An embarrassment of riches

Often I find myself scraping around for something to read, but in late January, several books came out and I got 4 free samples on my Kindle.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson - terrible title, but seems like the usual intense, high-stakes Jackson story.

An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer - Wolitzer is really similar to Cathleen Schine and Elinor Lipman. This looks like a light tale about a widower and his dating experiences after his wife's death.

The Odds by Stewart O'Nan - about a long-married couple who go gambling in Niagara Falls to try to save their marriage. Sprinkled with statistics, such as: "Odds of making it to your 25th anniversary: 1 in 6."

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey. This seems like the weak link of the bunch. It's modeled on Jane Eyre, but set in the 1950s in Iceland and Scotland. I don't think Livesey is a bad writer, but imitating Jane Eyre is probably tough to pull off.

Comments

judy in ky said…
Thanks for sharing these. I'm almost finished with the book I'm reading (Catherine the Great) and need some more book ideas!
9:59 AM
Bearette said…
You're welcome. I ended up buying An Available Man (about the widower). I'll probably end up reading 2 of the others.
4:41 PM
Portugal said…
There are comparisons between this novel and Bronte's "Jane Eyre." It's been too many years since I've read "Jane Eyre." "The Flight of Gemma Hardy" intrigued me enough to want to pull my ancient copy of "Jane Eyre" down off the shelf and read it.
3:20 AM
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