Expectation: Adventure story with a speculative fiction slant.
Reality: At times both horrific and hopeful, the cross-state settings help broaden the view from other, similar stories.
All in Audiobook
The Comfort Book – Matt Haig
This is probably best suited for individuals that have had their own struggles with depression and are looking for additional suggestions on how to survive and thrive. I appreciate the stigma breaking Haig does here – especially for men – but I think his fiction, which also covers similar themes, is more for me.
The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11 – Garrett M. Graff
The stories are raw, painful and incredibly difficult. Only a few have happy endings. I had to pause the book several times to collect my thoughts. I cried frequently. That’s a testament to how Graff structured the book, its phenomenal narration, and the fact that it is an oral history.
The Stranger – Albert Camus
Expectation: An overrated classic.
Reality: Not every aspect of the story worked for me, but our collective experience during the pandemic gave new understanding – and perhaps compassion - to Meursault’s personality.
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt
Expectation: A modern “Great American Novel.”
Reality: A captivating and gorgeously written novel that, at times, asks too much of the reader.
The Bridges of Madison County – Robert James Waller
Expectation: A heartbreaking and memorable story of forbidden love.
Reality: A well-written but incredibly male-centric romance with laugh out loud dialogue that detract from the novel’s stronger elements.
A Children’s Bible – Lydia Millet
Expectation: A moody, intelligent apocalyptic tale for modern times.
Reality: A mess.
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
Expectation: A high-brow thriller set in the post-apocalyptic Midwest.
Reality: A richly drawn character study that expertly balances multiple, intersecting plots and timelines.
The Book of Accidents – Chuck Wendig
Expectation: An Americana-hued ghost story.
Reality: Heavy on ambition, light on originality. You’ve heard variations of this story before – and by stronger authors.
Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead
Expectation: An historical fiction epic focusing on the early days of aviation.
Reality: Heavy on scope and scale, light on focus. It’s mostly enjoyable but also didn’t need to be 600+ pages.
Tin Man – Sarah Winman
Expectation: I honestly thought this was a young adult novel.
Reality: A contender for the shortlist of my favorite adult high-brow gay fiction.
The Sixth Wedding: A 28 Summers Story – Elin Hilderbrand
Expectation: “28 Summers, Part II,” also known as a quick cash grab by Hilderbrand.
Reality: An effective and rewarding mini sequel that honors the original while giving the reader closure to the rushed ending of “Summers.”
Wanderers – Chuck Wendig
Expectation: “The Stand” meets “The Walking Dead.”
Reality: A mostly solid end-of-the world story that is a tad too long to provide maximum impact.
Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Expectation: Another character-driven crowd pleaser from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Reality: A mostly solid endeavor that keeps you entertained, but outside of one character it doesn’t deliver the emotional depth of her previous work.
Swimming in the Dark – Tomasz Jedrowski
Expectation: A coming-of-age story about overcoming outside forces to live your life fully.
Reality: Another historical fiction gay love story that felt a bit recursive.
Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender
Expectation: A YA romance with a different point-of-view.
Reality: A disconnected effort with a strong plot focused on identity and acceptance brought down by the typical YA tropes of too smart, too woke kids being mad at the world.
Mama’s Boy: A Story From Our Americas – Dustin Lance Black
Part personal memoir, part family history and part cultural commentary, “Mama’s Boy” is nonfiction that follows the formula of quality historical fiction – a strong female character, intersection with landmark events and overcoming barriers both within yourself and from the world around you.
You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson
Expectation: A YA wish-fulfillment fantasy featuring a BIPOC queer lead.
Reality: A funny, heartfelt and quickly paced story that reminded me of the best late-90s teen comedies.
In the Dream House – Carmen Maria Machado
While “Dream House” didn’t totally work for me, it is an important work. How Machado uses her experiences to raise awareness of the challenges same sex couples face when reporting abuse, to addressing the ways in which the queer community will turn on its own, is important and urgent.
The Guncle – Steven Rowley
Expectation: A what-would-you-do dramedy tailor-made to us queers that relish being the “cool” uncle or aunt.
Reality: A campy, somewhat stereotypical story that runs a little long but delivers a lot of humor and heart.