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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

The Week in Books (1/14 - 1/27 2013)


Last week has been one of the busiest for me at work. I usually never find the need to work more than eight hours a day, but I ended putting in more than that each day this past week, after one of my colleagues resigned. That cut into my blogging time, but I managed to read a good bit.

The Twelve Tribes of HattieThis week I read...
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis: I picked this one up after all the hype that has been following this book ever since it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this one much. There were just too many narrators and the ending felt too weak for me to appreciate this book.
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal: A month after popping the first disc into my car stereo, I finally finished this book. Being a long book and being about a character I fervently disliked, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit turned out to be a challenging book to listen to. Although I enjoyed the book as a whole, I felt that the execution could have been better.

Into the WildCurrently I'm reading...
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: After loving Krakauer's Into Thin Air, I picked up Into the Wild to listen to in my car, hoping for a similar treat. Sadly, this book about a kid who walked out into the wild, trying to live freely and then dying two years later in Alaska, isn't as captivating.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane: I had heard some buzz around this one when it first came out. It was even freely available on the author's website for a brief period, but it is only now that I managed to find the time to read it. While this book caters awesomely to my likes (books and computer programming!), the writing is amateurish. Still, it's turning out to be a nice mystery and I'm hoping it will be worth it.

Reviewed (Yikes, just one this fortnight!)
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton


Comments

JudithLeeswammes said…
Sorry to see that you didn't like The Twelve Tribes of Hattie very much. I would like to read it, although I also don't like too many characters. I must reconsider!
I saw Into the Wild the movie and wasn't impressed. I can't imagine how the audio is.
Athira / Aths said…
I hope you get to try it. I will be curious to hear what you think. I know many others enjoyed the book, so you may too.
Athira / Aths said…
I was initially thinking of watching the movie too, but now I don't care after finding the audio book a little dry.
As I'm sure you already know, you're not missing anything ;). The acting is good the story just did nothing for me.
Jenn said…
I've heard such good things about Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. I'm curious to see what you think as I typically don't hop on the bandwagon for super popular books until they've been out a while.
Athira / Aths said…
I don't either read the hyped up books until much later. I end up not liking the book much usually. I picked Penumbra for my book club. So far it is okay - I hope it picks up soon.
Helen Murdoch said…
Sort of an "eh" kind of week. Bummer. I also couldn't deal with Into the Wild after really liking Into Thin Air.
JoV said…
Reading and reviewing one book a week seems good enough, as I struggle with that too! :) I love "Into the Wild" and I hope you are touched by it because I did. I have the movie DVD still to watch. Let me know what you think about it.
Athira / Aths said…
You're right! I've gone weeks without reviewing, so it is good that I at least had one post out. At the same time, I hope I don't forget to review some of those books I really want to talk about - that happened a lot last year. Still, no pressure - it's nice not to be on a schedule. :)
Ryan said…
I really like Jon Krakauer. I think Into the Wild might is his most thought provoking book to date (though Where Men Win Glory comes a close second). Hope you enjoy it.
Athira / Aths said…
I like Jon Krakauer too. I've found what little of him I have read to be very thoughtful, well-researched and the man himself very honest. I didn't enjoy Into the Wild very much but I loved reading through some of the philosophical and argumentative sections. I'm definitely craving more Krakauer!
Athira / Aths said…
I like Jon Krakauer too. I've found what little of him I have read to be very thoughtful, well-researched and the man himself very honest. I didn't enjoy Into the Wild very much but I loved reading through some of the philosophical and argumentative sections. I'm definitely craving more Krakauer!