Well… it’s good my recent trip wasn’t planned as a reading retreat, because I read two books I thought I was really going to love… and I liked them okay, but they were a little disappointing. First up…
I feel really bad saying I didn’t love this book. I know it’s a classic, and everyone else seems to give it rave reviews. It was written in 1979, and the premise is, the main character, a young Black woman living in Los Angeles, goes back and forth in time to the early 1800s, where she lives the experience of a Black woman at that time.
I think what I didn’t like was, since it’s billed as “science fiction” I wanted the story to be weirder. Like, once I accepted the premise of time travel, everything kind of played out like I thought it would. I will say it’s a good companion to Gone With the Wind. If you read that book and were lured into thinking slavery wasn’t really that bad, Kindred will set you straight, for sure.
Next up…
I really thought I would love this! It sounded so good, and everyone says Stephen King is a master storyteller. Well, there was one glaring thing about this book that bothered me. It takes place in 2021, and there was constant mention of Covid. This person wore a mask- this person didn’t. Are you vaxxed? Double vaxxed, Moderna. Pfizer. Covid is a hoax. People are dying. And, politics. Thank goodness we got rid of Trump. The democrats stole the election… and on and on.
In the afterword, King says he purposely included these things because he feels a story is more realistic if it has real life details. For me, it was stressful and distracting. I read so I DON’T have to think about politics! I don’t want to relive Covid, and how divisive that was for our country. Every time it was mentioned- which was all the time, it took me out of the story.
The story was… interesting. This is not a horror novel, but it was horrIBLE. People are disappearing, and what’s happening to them is gruesome. I did enjoy Holly’s character (when she wasn’t talking about Covid) and enjoyed the process of her investigation. I didn’t love this book, but I’ll definitely give Stephen King another chance.
As soon as I got home, I dove into this book-
I love it! I’m almost done, and everyone knows you can’t really judge a mystery until the very end, so I’ll talk about it next time.
Now, let’s look at that photo of Holly again…
Hey, what’s in that Starbucks cup? Muahahahaha! Coming up tomorrow… what I ate (and drank) on this trip.
Have you read any of these books?
Top photo by Life’s Captured Sparks on Unsplash
20 Responses
You’re allowed to not love Kindred! The reason that science fiction often doesn’t work for me is that it gets too weird and too explain-y. I didn’t need to know why time travel is a thing, why it only seemed to be a thing for Dana and Kevin, or how they were paying their rent in 1976 from the 1800s. All I wanted was to be along for the ride.
I think that I can safely skip Holly. I have a lot of nostalgia for the pandemic, but I don’t need to wallow in the details of which mask the lead character choses out of their stash of masks to wear to the grocery store. Yes please to skipping the politics. I can see where an author might want to write about those things to get their own head in the game, but I have to imagine that about 90% of it should be edited out between drafts 1 and 2. I really loved 11/22/63, but I’m not sure if I will read another King.
Looking forward to the eats recap! I hope there’s some Earl Gray in that cup!
Oh, there just MIGHT be Earl Grey in there! And- I do have another Stephen King book on my “maybe TBR”, which is The Stand. It’s another long one and I’m very intrigued…
I have read Kindred and I didn’t like it. I also feel bad for saying that because wow people love that book. But you know me and time travel. I had so many quibbles about it and it just…wasn’t for me.
I have not (and won’t) read Holly but I don’t actually mind pandemic-related story details. Not that I ENJOY thinking of that time, but I’m in a mental place now where I can hear about it and it doesn’t bother me. Sometimes I’m like “Oh yeah, I forgot we did that” and it’s an interesting feeling. A few books I’ve read – Animal Instinct and Happiness Falls – talk about it in a way that is relatable. Well, not the wild random sex part of Animal Instinct, but other details. Does this comment make sense? Idk, I’m leaving it as is.
I read Happiness Falls, and the thing is- Covid actually played a part in that story. So it made sense to talk about it. Every single mention of Covid and politics could have been left out of Holly, and the story wouldn’t have been effected at all. IMO it would have been improved… but, to each his own.
I read Kindred and liked it just fine but didn’t LOVE it like other did. The fact that it was sci fi light was a good thing for me as sci fi is not a genre I love. I feel like the book was overhyped by the time I read it so it had really high standards to live up to.
I am reading “The Sicilian Inheritance” which I am liking overall. It’s historical fiction set in Sicily. Historical fiction is not a genre I favor as much as I used to, but I am glad I finally got it off my hold list after deferring it so many times!!
Yes, that could also be part of it- I think Kindred was overhyped for me. My expectations were probably a little too high.
I loved Kindred. I’m not a big sci-fi fan, so the fact that it wasn’t too out there was good for me. I haven’t read that Stephen King book, but I have read a few of his books. My favorite is an oldie but a goodie, The Dead Zone. I read it AGES ago, back in the 80s I think, but I loved it.
I know people who say Stephen King books are in their top ten books of all time. I did read 11/22/63 and loved that- so I’ll definitely read something else by him, soon.
I read that Jackson Brodie book last fall! It wasn’t my favorite of the series, but I do love him as a character. I can’t wait to hear about the road food you had – such a critical part of a roadtrip haha!
It turns out I didn’t love the ending- but I still liked the book overall. Now I have to go back and read the others in the series…
I love your reviews and don’t think I’ll be reading any of these.
I was a big Stephen King fan in college but haven’t been drawn to anything in ages.
I prefer not read about horrible things — I get enough of that in the news.
Yes I know! Or, if I’m reading about horrible things at least I want them to be entirely fictional- not horrible things in real life.
I haven’t read any of these books and am unlikely to read any of these books!
I don’t generally like time travel. Occasionally it’s done really well and I love it, but it needs to be used sparingly and only when the story is a GOOD ONE!
I just started Happiness Falls, so I’m interested to see how COVID gets woven into that story.
Oh, Covid is woven into that story in a big way! But that’s fine- it’s actually important to the plot. I’ll be interested to see if you like that book. I liked it but didn’t love it, and it gets mixed reviews.
I haven’t read any of those books but kind of imagine what you are talking about with Holly. I read his latest short stories and don’t think I can say I love it.
good that you found a book you loved after two disappointed reads.
Yes, I’m on a good roll again with books- two good ones after the two “meh” experiences.
Oh, I’m bummed you didn’t love Kindred but that’s okay! I can totally understand why it didn’t work for you. And I think the reason it didn’t work for me is the reason it DID work for me – reading is so personal, isn’t it?! I don’t need my sci-fi to be too over-the-top so that’s why it worked so well for me.
I haven’t read much Stephen King, although Lisa and I are buddy-reading 11/22/63 soon! I’m really looking forward to reading that one.
I did love _Kindred_, but I read it a long time ago and it really blew my mind then.
I’m probably more jaded now 🙂
But yes–that part about how she gets irritated with _Gone with the Wind_. That part was significant to me.
Oh no, I’ve read the odd lockdown novel but I want to know that’s there and I can choose to read the book or not!
Huh… Kindred is on my list to read. Sorry you were a bit disappointed.
I wanna know what’s in your cup. I may have a guess.