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. This week, all three books have been hyped (and reviewed favourably by some of my favourite bloggers) but do I want to read them?
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summary: Seventies band, Daisy Jones & The Six, split at the height of their popularity. No one knows why, until now.
I’m thinking: Yes, I’m giving in to the hype.
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Summary: Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. Eli’s life is complicated, and then he falls in love.
I’m thinking: Yes (note the 4.53 Goodreads rating from 770+ reviews – impressive!).
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
Summary: Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences in prison. On the outside is her son, and on the inside are the thousands of women hustling to survive.
I’m thinking: Yes, love the style.
I have definitely got my eye on Daisy Jones & will be interested to know what you think of it. 🙂
Looking forward to seeing what you think about Daisy. I’m wondering whether to add it to my list or not.
The Mars Room is very good in part but I found the final sections a bit obviously “message driven”…
I’m really wary of hyped books, but these do all sound good… I’ll wait to hear what you make of them 🙂
I’ll start with the Aussie (Dalton) and then perhaps the Kushner. Kushner speaking in Melbourne in May, so might try to read it beforehand and go (authors attending the Sydney Writers Festival tend to trickle down to Melbourne).
I LOVED Daisy and absolutely did not expect to, so I think there’s real substance behind the hype. I hope you love it too.
I’ve requested Daisy Jones & the Six from the library on the strength of Elle (above; hi!) and Naomi F’s responses, but I’ve struggled with Kushner before (I DNFed The Flamethrowers) so am wary of trying her again.