Month: December 2014

Review: The Final Solution by Michael Chabon

E.F. Sunland

The Final Solution is classic Michael Chabon, but the size of an appetizer. It’s a fair introduction to his writing though it lacks his usual humor. Some writers are fun to hate, but Chabon is one that I try so hard to like and come up short. Each of his books (even the Pulitzer winner) share a flaw: He can’t edit himself. His meandering tone saps energy, and his writing is unappealingly pretentious. He writes as though his adjectives and parenthetical remarks are more important than the development of plot and characters. read more

Review: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

E.F. Sunland

Two chapters in, I put seven copies of Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant in my Amazon cart for Christmas and texted folks to say: I found your gift early! A few more chapters and I cleared my cart, sent a round of “Neverminds,” and poured a big drink. It’s not right to label this book “depressing,” but its engrossing depiction of unhappy people isn’t the cheeriest gift for a holiday that’s already awash in familial weirdness. (You still need to read it, though!) read more

SBIRIFY: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

E.F. Sunland

So Bad, I Read It For You: Stephenie Meyer’s Eclipse. We’ve arrived at book three of the Twilight Saga. If you’re not familiar, I recommend a catch-up of Twilight (Book One) and New Moon (Book Two). The following review contains all major plot points for everyone who wants to know what happens without reading the book. I’ve read it, so you don’t have to. (Book Three clocks in at 629 pages—they’re getting longer! Help me.) read more