Saturday

Ian McEwan deftly portrays the uncertainties of our post-9/11 world. Saturday follows Henry Perowne, a highly respected neurosurgeon, one full day. Perowne awakes in the very early hours of the morning to see an airplane in flames making an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport. In post-9/11 days the perception of a burning airplane making an emergency landing is disturbing and upsetting. The day continues with a series of intertwined events lead to a family crisis ending the day.

I enjoyed McEwan's writing and his insight into a world that struggles to find balance post 9/11. However, I dragged through the book, which I think was more representative of how tired I was at the time, than how much I liked the book.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

Lorna Landvik created five fascinating women of Freesia Court who find each other one fateful snowy evening during a snow ball fight. What seemed like a chance meeting turns into a monthly book club where Faith, Audrey, Merit, Slip and Kari share everything from their dreams and fears. All aspects of life are bared from children, marriage, Vietnam, political protests, domestic violence and homophobia.

I wanted so much to enjoy this book, but it fell flat for me. I have reflected for a few weeks on why I did not love the book the way I thought I would. I have wondered if it is because of a busy life that does not allow me to read longer than two minutes before falling asleep. Or, if it was the way the narration of the novel skipped from character to character with each chapter. Either way, the book was alright for me.