End of May Wrap Up

Well, the slump continues. I only read 2 more books in the rest of May.

I picked up Normal People by Sally Rooney after hearing such high praise about it. I had previously tried Rooney's debut novel Conversations with Friends which resulted in a DNF so my hopes weren't too high. The book is a slice-of-life story about two people named Connell and Marianne in high school and college. The story was fine, but I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Most of the conflict was derived from misunderstandings or not speaking their mind. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I picked up Dune by Frank Herbert. I've recently been enjoying science fiction more and decided to pick up this classic because my husband wanted to watch the movie. (I almost always read the book before watching the movie if I can help it.) It has a lot going on. There are warring houses, an inhospitable planet, deadly sandworms, and a precious resource called melange spice. There are prophecies, an order of superhuman women, and a boy savior. I did feel some of the writing was dense (my copy was nearly 800 pages) but I loved the world-building and found the story quite immersive. I gave it 3.5 stars. Then my husband and I watched the 1980's adaptation and found it quite lacking. I'm hoping the 2020 version will be much better.

I knew my slump was coming on so I didn't create a TBR. But now I wonder if I would've read more if I had created one.