Cottle - Assignment 2

 I love reading and read almost daily, but here are a few of my favorites from the past year. After COVID-19 caused the local libraries to shut down, I found the majority of these books from lists online or from my family. My mom, cousin, aunt, and I all bought 3-4 books and then shared them all with each other throughout the beginning of quarantine, and it was such a cool experience. One of those books, Where the Crawdads Sing, was from that exchange. This book ended up being one of my favorite books of all time. The author is so talented at enthralling the reader and creating a whole world that seems like reality that I was instantly captivated and finished the book in an afternoon. Since I've read it, the book has taken off and become very popular and is featured in most bookstores, so I'm so glad the author is getting the recognition she deserves for it. 

Another interesting book I read was Daisy Jones and the Six. It is about a band in the late sixties that is loosely modeled after Fleetwood Mac and their album "Rumors". The characters in the book were endearingly and frustratingly human; they weren't perfect by any means which made the book that much more interesting. My only problem with Daisy Jones and the Six was the format of the book. It is set up like an interview, with the person's name preceding anything they said. As I read more I became more adjusted but there were a few times that I'd read a page and then have to go back and re-read the page just to figure out who said what. I read both The Hunting Party and Big Little Lies, which are both centered around a crime and the entire book revolves around the events leading up to it before finally revealing who did it. I liked these books a lot more than I thought I would given that I'd never been a big fan of mysteries before. I think what sets them apart from others in the same genre is that they aren't cliche and predictable- when they are I get bored really fast.

 Finally, as embarrassing to me as it is, I have to confess that I didn't finish one of the books I started recently, Luckiest Girl Alive". Even though the books I read don't all have to be super happy go-lucky, this book and it's main character was too dark for me to deal with. I had no interest in what happened to her because of how horrified I was at her, her actions, and thoughts. I understood the intent of the book and the appeal to some, but I decided it wasn't for me and that I would much rather start another book.