The Sunday Salon - Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

I didn't review anything this week (I was busy substitute teaching among other things) so I think I'll use this time to catch up on a review that I was planning on posting. The author, Joshua Henkin, has been all over the blogsphere promoting his book so when I got the chance to read it I was very excited. I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed!

Matrimony begins with the reader being introduced to Julian Wainwright who is off at college and is an aspiring writer. At college he meets Carter who will become his best friend and Mia who will become his wife. Henkin takes us on an emotional ride through Julian's life. We get to see the struggles and joys of marriage and the highs and lows. I enjoyed this novel and loved following along with Julian and Mia's life. I came to care about the characters and of course wanted to see everything end happily :) Mr. Henkin writes with a nice flow and I found myself swept away with the story and its' characters. Here is a passage that I particulary enjoyed just for the writing itself:

"She nudged Julian out of bed and they shambled in their pajamas through the house. She felt desperate for him to know her better, felt a conviction that despite having been with her for three years, he didn't apprehend her at all. From her parents' bedroom came the sinister whirr of the white-noise machine. She felt somnolent, guiding Julian through a haze from which she feared she would never emerge."

I also liked that we got to see Julian's struggles with writing and trying to write a book. This was a family and friendship oriented novel that is worth reading. All in all, a good read and I'm glad that I picked it up.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Recommendation: Recommended for those who enjoy general fiction, women's fiction, or just a good book.

Challenges: New Author Challenge, 100+ Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("H" Author)

In other Salon news, I had a very successful reading month in January. I know I probably won't be able to keep it up but if I could I would definitely make 100 books this year. I'll try to get an end of the month post up but who knows when...maybe next Sunday. I finished Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris and Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs this week. Both books were the 2nd in their series and very enjoyable. I can't wait to continue on with both of these series. I'm currently reading Fatal Febuary by Barbara Levenson (for review) and America and the Age of Genocide. I have a bunch of good books checked out from the library as well as review books so I need to get to reading :) So many books, so little time as they say! To all of you football fans, enjoy the Superbowl!