March Books

March is the month of expectation. The month has felt so long, mostly because I can't wait for a more springlike weather and some sunshine, but also because I've been sick for a couple of weeks. Not like full on sick, but just not feeling 100%. It's getting better though.

Anyway, I was supposed to document my thoughts on the books that I read this March.

I was in a mood for something light and fluffy and picked up Sophie Kinsella's latest book "My (not so) Perfect Life. Kinsella is best known for the Shopaholic series, which I loved way back when. This book was a super quick read. The story is simple and quite predictable, but I didn't mind, because I didn't pick up this book hoping for anything deep and complicated. It was fun chicklit. 

Fredrick Backman's "A Man Called Ove" has been a best-seller for a while. I've been hearing about this book for maybe a year, and been intrigued. It's by a Swedish writer, and became a spectacular success. The book is about a man, Ove, who is the type of man (serious, responsible, rule-follower, stubborn, old fashioned) that is a somewhat common type in the older generation is Scandinavia. I compared him much to my own father, actually. Not the same of course, but there was surprising amount of similarity. The book was quite emotional, and funny. In the end it was about emerging from grief and depression, hope, and your purpose in life. If I had one complaint about the book, it was the age of Ove. The author tells us that he is in his late fifties. I think the character would have felt more authentic if he was older, more like in his seventies. 

Jukka Viikilän "Akvarelleja Engelin Kaupungista" sai kaunokirjallisuuden Finlandia palkinnon viime vuonna. Odotin kirjalta siis paljon, mutta petyin kun se ei täyttänytkään odotuksiani. Edellinen lukemani vuonna 2014 Finlandia palkinnon saanut kirja, "He Eivät Tiedä Mitä Tekevät", oli mielestäni loistava. Viikilän kirjaa en ymmärtänyt ollenkaan. Se oli unenomainen ja runollinen, mutta ei hyvällä tavalla. Mielestäni kirja oli jotenkin kikkaileva ja teennäinen. Olin toivonut oppivani Helsingin historiaa ja siirtyväni Engelin aikakauteen sitä lukiessani, mutta ehkä en vaan päässyt kirjaan kunnolla sisälle. Se hyvä tässä kirjassa oli että se oli lyhyt.