“As a guest, Emily Price had three main drawbacks: she was incapable of saying please, incapable of saying thank you, and incapable of saying sorry, all the while creating a surge in the demand for these expressions.” At Last is Edward St. Aubyn’s fifth book in his Patrick Melrose series. Patrick Melrose, a product of a dysfunctional family, has managed to stop being a junkie but now is fighting alcoholism. He’s separated from his hyper-maternal wife and trying to figure out what to do with his middle-aged life. You don’t need to read the previous four Patrick Melrose novels to appreciate the various dilemmas Patrick has to contend with in At Last. The snarky quote above gives you an idea of what you’re in for. GRADE: B+
As mentioned I have the first trilogy on order from the library. Meanwhile I’ve been reading other Kelley recommendations: Hall’s HIT LIT (read in New Orleans) and the Sheckley short story collection.
You have plenty of enjoyment ahead of you, Jeff. Beth ordered HIT LIT, too. And you can’t go wrong with Robert Sheckley.
I have a revolving door policy with my library right now. They get me the book, I put it on the coffee table and in two weeks I return it unread. This one came in and out like that. I need to stop reserving books.
I’m working my way through all the Library books I’ve ordered, Patti. My goal is to have ZERO Library books by the time I go in for my knee surgery next month. But I have some very thick books to read.
Jackie has just read three 500-600 page paranormal romantic suspense titles back to back to back. I prefer to stick in a few short ones in between, along with the daily short stories of course.
Sometimes when the pile gets too high I just return a bunch of library books and start over. Actually I have very few now – the Sheckley plus three others. The Hall was a fun, quick read. You could tell by reading it that he didn’t think much of Da Vinci Code or Bridges of Madison County.
I’m with Hall: I didn’t think much of THE DA VINCI CODE or BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, either, Jeff. And I have no interest in 50 SHADES OF GRAY no matter how many copies it’s selling.
Thank goodness every once in a while a book doesn’t look fascinating, or even interesting to me. As for the library, I’ve started putting them on “My Lists” on the library site. I can go in any time and shift it to hold status when I’m ready to read it, meantime it’s there if I need a reminder of books in which I’m interested. Works for me.
Our public library’s web site makes it easy to request books, renew books, and manage just about everything, Rick. Of course, it helps to know the librarians who will extend the due date when the renewals have been exceeded!
Thanks for the Melrose Novels, George. Got it yesterday. Hit Lit also came in and is awaiting my attention. I almost finished with Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey and have already started the new Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery. Then two book club books – a Donna Leon and Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell – for Saturday and Wednesday respectively. Then back to the “fun” stuff. I don’t know how people in a lot of bookclubs get their reading done. Maybe they’re retired?
I agree with Jeff. I can’t read two doorstop books in a row. I like to mix it up with shorter and sometimes funnier fare in between.
I can tackle a couple of doorstop books in a row if they’re due at the Library soon, Beth. But, I’d rather not. Glad THE PATRICK MELROSE NOVELS arrived. I usually alternate fiction with non-fiction.
Beth – how can you have the new Louise Penny novel when IT WON’T BE PUBLISHED UNTIL AUGUST 28TH ?!?!?!? I buy and read her books THE SECOND they are available, and am waiting for this…
I’m with Jeff, Rick. Beth must be reading an ARC.
I’m guessing it’s an ARC as Beth has access through the bookstore.
Humpf.