READ THIS! {Sweet Tooth}

On Monday morning, I am officially starting a Summer-long temp job! Without a job, or any prospects, for the last 3 weeks - since I finished student teaching - I've gotten a little bit bored. But I am so excited to begin a job for the Summer, but possibly most of all, I am excited for the commute! I know, who says that? I say that. Yes, it means taking the T again - something I was really hoping I had officially been done with in December - but it also means 2+ hours of a commute 5 days a week to read. My bookpile has been growing and growing, and Sweet Tooth is the first book I have read since March. And - confession - I only read it in the past couple of days. 
But finally, only a few days into May, I have for you the review of April's READ THIS! selection, Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan...

via

Amazon describes this novel as, "Cambridge student Serena Frome’s beauty and intelligence make her the ideal recruit for MI5. The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. England’s legendary intelligence agency is determined to manipulate the cultural conversation by funding writers whose politics align with those of the government. The operation is code named “Sweet Tooth." Serena, a compulsive reader of novels, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate the literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. At first, she loves his stories. Then she begins to love the man. How long can she conceal her undercover life? To answer that question, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage: trust no one. Once again, Ian McEwan’s mastery dazzles us in this superbly deft and witty story of betrayal and intrigue, love and the invented self."
This book took me a little while to get into. The first half is a lot of background, and I was just not engaged by McEwan's story until almost halfway through the book. Part of the first half of the book is Serena reading author Tom Haley's stories, and while they weren't bad, it felt like a lot of filler to me. It wasn't until the second half, where Serena and Tom begin their love affair, that McEwan really captured my interest. He creates a beautiful love story that pulls you in bit by bit and not until the book is ending do you realize how invested you have become in this romance. Although it did take a little while for me to really get into it, I fell in love with this novel, and like so many other McEwan stories, the twists and turns surprised me and delighted me.
Did you read along last month? Did you also fall in love with the love story created by Ian McEwan? How did you work through the short stories - did they add something to the story, or simply seem like filler to you too? And what did you think about the ending??? Did she stay or did she go? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this novel!
Without further ado, May's READ THIS! choice is Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple...

via

Amazon describes this novel as, "Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. o find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world."
This story seems funny and heartwarming, and I am so excited to dive into it! Maria Semple is also a former "Arrested Development" writer - and in honor of this month's "Arrested Development" return to Netflix - I thought it would be the perfect book for May. I hope you'll join me in reading it this month, and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!