In da *BEWK* cluuuuuuuuub! It’s been so long. Too long. Super duper long. Let’s discuss three stand-outs for me this year. (We’re doing this instead of Friday Flotsam today because yesterday spun out of control and I ran out of time. So – books it is!)
I’m nearing the end of my 8th book of the year, and while I’ve truly enjoyed all of them on severe levels, these three left a mark in a way that clearly must be blabbed about.
Let’s get in it.
West With Giraffes – OKAY. Did not think I would enjoy this as much as I did. But I found myself immediately hooked, warmed and invested from the get-go. It’s a true story, but with a bit of fictional embellishments woven in here and there.
Set in 1938, before the horrific grit of WW2, two giraffes survive a hurricane during their trip across the Atlantic. After that, we follow their entire trip across the United States, making their way to the San Diego zoo. And this happened! They’re in this jank wooden crate wagon of sorts, and the young man who drives them across the country has no real idea of what he’s doing. But he fakes it in order to get to California and make a new life for himself. There’s a love interest. There’s a cranky older man passenger guiding the driver across the country. There’s 1930s landscape and newspapers and scandal and bad people and fantastic people. It is TRULY a wonderful story. And it bops back and forth in time as the driver (who is now 105!) writes down this magnificent adventure for someone special. You seriously have to read it. I’ve recommended it so much and to everyone.
Bump it up!
The Wedding People – SO GREAT.
You must know off the bat that it deals with suicide ideation, so let this be a trigger warning for those who need it. It’s all about a woman who finds herself at the end of her marital and emotional rope. She escapes to a Victorian-style hotel to end her life, only to find that she’s the only guest at the hotel NOT involved or invited to this lavish wedding taking place all week. And the bride quickly discovers this not-on-the-guest-list gal, oddly befriends her in her deep state of despair and derails her entire suicide mission. Sounds dark. It is!
But it’s FUNNY. The dialogue is easy, witty and digestible. The story enchanting, modern and hilarious. It will drive you crazy. It will warm your heart. You’ll be confused about a virtual dog and what exactly that is. Or maybe you won’t. You’ll want to cast the characters in your head for a movie. You might even want to be invited to the wedding. Or not.
All in all, it’s a quick, fun (but dark!) read that you’ll need to devour this weekend. Make it happen.
Valley of the Dolls! OKAAAAAY.
I loved it. I’m probably one of the last people to ever read this CULT CLASSIC. I mean, it was released 50 years ago! It’s definitely a book of its time. Set from 1948 through the mid-sixties, it follows three close friends (well, at times) and their individual rises in the entertainment industry. Hollywood, Broadway, European films. You watch them struggle, make it big, collapse, pick up the pieces, try again, make it big, collapse yet again. And aaaaaall with the help of the dolls. AKA: pills. The language is fun to read because it’s so vintage. They use words like louse. Haha! There are no cell phones, no internet, no streaming, none of it. It’s glorious. You will love the style, you will hate (most of) the men, you will scream at these women, you will want to hug these women, and you will want to flush these pills. And yes, I plan to watch the movie!
Have you read this one? If not, carve it in your spring reading. It is a MUST.
And that’s it for now! Tell me what you’re reading. I’m about to finish Greenwich Park and it is CRAZY. Dying to know what the hell is happening with Rachel. Who she really is. Ack!
What’s on your nightstand? (said like, what’s in your wallet?)
5 Responses to Bev’s Imaginary Book Club: West With Giraffes, The Wedding People, and Valley of the Dolls