APA: Atwood, Poulin, Abbott

The effects of senioritis are getting so strong... even with IB exams upon me, I can't be bothered to feel stressed... or to study, really. Hence spending the day before IB HL English Paper 2 on this blog entry. Procrastination at its finest (Y)

*note to self: wouldn't it be funny if at the end of the month I fail all my exams and come back to read this blog post... oh the irony

Oh, you noticed the title, did you? Well, reading in April's been slow but steady. I read from three new authors I hadn't tried before, which is always exciting. It was a lucky coincidence that their names made the fun acronym APA... which doesn't at all immediately bring to mind the time-consuming citation style we are forced to employ in all those papers (MLA > APA all day every day. Footnotes? Ain't nobody got time for that!)

Anyways, on with the mini-reviews!

The Edible Woman, by Margaret Atwood

Summary (from Goodreads)

Ever since her engagement, the strangest thing has been happening to Marian McAlpin: she can't eat. First meat. Then eggs, vegetables, cake, pumpkin seeds--everything! Worse yet, she has the crazy feeling that she's being eaten. Marian ought to feel consumed with passion, but she really just feels...consumed. A brilliant and powerful work rich in irony and metaphor, The Edible Woman is an unforgettable masterpiece by a true master of contemporary literary fiction.

My take

First of all... whoo Canadian author! I've heard of Margaret Atwood, but never read any of her stuff up until now. I think Edible Woman was her first book (1969... I know that's not old compared to some other works, but seriously anything that doesn't start with 199- seems ancient to me).

When I first read it, I enjoyed the literal version of the story. This is one of those books where as I read through, I could understand that there was huge symbolism behind the whole thing, but never really came to fully appreciate the underlying message until I read some literary criticism after finishing the book.

And please. Ainsley? Don't we all know some Ainsley's? I know Atwood later developed into a much more vocal feminist, but here, I like the touch of society reigning her in.

Finally, the ending. So open. LOVED IT. THANK YOU FOR ENDING IT THAT WAY, MARGARET ATWOOD. WE DON'T ALWAYS NEED CLOSURE AND YOU REALIZED THAT. MWAH KISSES TO YOU.

★★★★☆

Les Grandes Marées, by Jacques Poulin

Summary (from Goodreads)

Peacefully employed on an uninhabited island, a translator of comic strips (codename Teddy Bear) lives in the company of his dictionaries, his marauding cat, Matousalem, and his tennis ball machine (the Prince). Convinced that the translator's happiness is in jeopardy, his boss helicopters in a few solitude-seeking companions-the beautiful and elusive Marie with her flirtatious cat Moustache; the seductive nudist, Featherhead; Professor Moccasin, the half-deaf comic strip scholar; the moody and contradictory Author; the Ordinary Man; and the Organizer, sent to "sensitize the population." As the spring tides drag ocean debris onto the shore, Teddy Bear and his companions seek out their own solitudes in this hilarious philosophical fable.

My take

This was an exercise in perseverence. If I didn't have to do my French summative on this book, I honestly don't think I would have continued it. That being said, it was nice to appreciate the grasping-at-meaning feel this book often-times gave. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

(In case the title didn't give it away, yes it is a French book. The translated English version is called Spring Tides.)

★★★☆☆

Adrenaline, by Jeff Abbott

Summary (from Goodreads)

"If you knew this was our final day together, what would you say to me?"
“Anything but good-bye. I can’t ever say good-bye to you.”

Sam Capra is living the life of his dreams.

He’s a brilliant young CIA agent, stationed in London. His wife Lucy is seven months pregnant with their first child. They have a wonderful home, and are deeply in love.

They have everything they could hope for…until they lose it all in one horrifying moment.

On a bright, sunny day, Sam receives a call from Lucy while he’s at work. She tells him to leave the building immediately. He does…just before it explodes, killing everyone inside. Lucy vanishes, and Sam wakes up in a prison cell. As the lone survivor of the attack, he is branded by the CIA as a murderer and a traitor.

Escaping from the agency, Sam launches into a desperate hunt to save his kidnapped wife and child, and to reveal the unknown enemy who has set him up and stolen his family. But the destruction of Sam’s life was only step one in an extraordinary plot—and now Sam must become a new kind of hero.

My take

These spy/thriller novels are really growing on me. I'm finding that I enjoy action much more than romance nowadays. Make no mistake, emotions in books are always necessary, but sometimes plain old badassery makes a novel so much more compelling. I didn't even mind that most necessary romantic elements were missing... because this is just what I said. BAD. ASS.

I don't think I'll be reading the sequel though. I like the place this book ends as, and am a little afraid that the next one will turn my world upside down.

★★★★☆