A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING by Dave Eggers

Nope. Not this time. Loved A HEARTBREAKING WORK..., WHAT IS THE WHAT. Liked ZEITOUN a lot. Am a fan of Eggers. But this one is a snoozer. Protagonist is in Saudi Arabia to pitch his IT company's services to the king. Each day he travels from Jeddah to a Pie-in the-Sky, partially built city of the future nearby, to make his presentation. Each day the king is a no-show. Wash, rinse, repeat, yawn. Like Groundhog Day, but not funny.

THE POLYSYLLABIC SPREE by Nick Hornby, BROOKLYN by Colm Tóibín, THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER by Junot Díaz, LP Colombia, LP Cambodia

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This month’s reading felt very male. XY.

THE POLYSYLLABIC SPREE by Nick Hornby

A year of his columns from The Believer, chronicling a year of reading, and reviews of what he read. Chatty, funny, smart… bibliophilia without the pretension. A pleasure.

BROOKLYN by Colm Tóibín

What a disappointment. This book was recommended by so many people whose reading tastes I respect. Please tell me what I missed. A naïve Irish girl comes to the New World and becomes a New Yorker. Sweet and clear… but pretty much just a melody with no real harmony, undertones or any real surprises.

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER by Junot Díaz

Well, he’s got his voice back. I loved Drown, fell right into Díaz’ smartass characters and his smartass language. Waited for a follow-up, but Oscar Wao didn’t do it for me. The writing felt self-conscious, and I didn’t buy the teenage characters. (Job hazard for a middle school teacher?) This is How You Lose Her felt authentic, again. And I was hooked on getting a peek at the ‘sucio’s’ side. The writing in parts of this story collection is a little too True Confessions-esque, but most of it is raw and magnetic.

Lonely Planet Colombia

Lonely Planet Cambodia

Where to next?