Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
All three choices this week came via Susan’s round-up of paperbacks released in September.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Summary: Two young boys are grieving their mother’s sudden death. They are visited by Crow, who promises to stay until he is no longer needed.
I’m thinking: No. It’s about a bird. In a house. I’ve mentioned my extreme bird phobia before, right? (The opening scene will give me nightmares…)
Paulina & Fran by Rachel B. Glaser
Summary: Paulina and Fran – art students, best friends and opposites. A man comes between them, Paulina goes bananas.
I’m thinking: Yes. I love the opening line, “Paulina was dissatisfied with her lover… He leaned on things.” I once broke up* with a boy because he didn’t eat vegetables**, so I understand Paulina already.
The Long Room by Francesca Kay
Summary: London, 1981, a spy falls for the wrong woman.
I’m thinking: No. Love the concept, didn’t love the writing.
*the relationship was never going to progress because I couldn’t get past the fact that he ate no vegetables. I’d say “What about asparagus with Hollandaise sauce?” or “What about caramelised roast pumpkin?” I was obsessed with cracking the vegetable issue. I couldn’t. Goodbye boy.
**except potatoes but I don’t think chips count as vegetables.
I’ve heard good things about Paulina and Fran. I totally understand the vegetable thing – I could never be in relationship with a fussy eater, especially one with scurvy 😉
Not sure how Paulina & Fran slipped by my notice when it was first released…
Fussy eaters are the worst (hope I don’t alienate readers….) but when I meet one, I just want to say “Grow up!”
Loved Paulina and Fran – wonderfully raucous but poignant with it! Also loved The Long Room but it looks like we’ll have to agree to differ on that one.
The blurb for The Long Room truly sounds excellent but the writing style didn’t grab me. If it crosses my radar at the library, I might pick it up but this week, I think Paulina & Fran wins.
I haven’t heard of any of these…. I’m so slack I really only get to what I’ve requested and little else!
Not sure why I hadn’t spotted Paulina & Fran before now – it’s exactly my kind of book. Like you, most of my new release info comes via ARCs but I do like Susan’s round-ups of what’s coming.
My husband bought me both Grief is a Thing With Feathers and Paulina & Fran so I say yes to both of them!
There was mention of feathers on the first page. I just can’t do it… I’ll have a panic attack while I’m reading!
I haven’t seen one bad word about ‘Grief is the Thing With Feathers’, so it’s unlucky you have a bird phobia. ‘Paulina and Fran’ sounds great – and not eating vegetables is a completely legit reason to end a relationship. That’s taking picky eating to the extreme; who needs that in their life?
I’m glad my blogging community agree that the ‘no vegetables’ thing was a good reason to end a relationship (albeit brief) – at the time a few friends thought I was being hasty. But seriously, if you can’t bite into a bean burrito or a Caesar salad or vibrant stir-fried greens and not think “Delicious”then I can’t have you around.
No no no Grief isn’t really about a bird at all! Skip the feathery bits and you might love it.