Quantcast
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 83

Book of the Month: The Nest

Well, I’m starting to get the hang of this teaching and still having time to do other stuff that makes me feel like a human (not a money-seeking-robot) thing. Earlier this year I was offered a deal on three months of Book of the Month at half price and jumped at it, since it was right before summer vacation and I thought I might finally have time to read again.

Each month on the first, five book selections are revealed and members have five days to choose one for the month. The selections range across genres including thrillers, historical fiction, contemporary literature, science fiction and more. Each month there is a celebrity judge who endorses a selection, and other judges each put forth an argument for their pick.

The books are up-to-the-minute new releases in hardback, and a total steal at $9.99 apiece. Up to two extra novels can be added to your box for that low, low price each month. They are usually around the 300-400 page mark, meaty but finishable. The box always contains a note from the judge who endorsed your selection, a branded treat like a crazy straw or “after book mints,” and a bookmark with a literary quote in addition to your selections. If you can’t decide, the site will pick a novel for you based on a brief preferences quiz completed at sign-up.

On to a review of my first selection: The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, selected by Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
thenest-bookcover
guest judge and actress Ellie Kemper of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

The Nest is the story of the Plumb family, a collection of middle-class siblings on the cusp of receiving an unexpectedly sizable inheritance. After decades of counting on those chickens that are about to hatch, the eldest brother Leo becomes involved in a scandal that might just ruin everything.

The Plumbs include:

  • eldest brother Leo, a rake and sometime entrepreneur who is rapidly coasting toward the end of his good fortune and goodwill;
  • elder sister Beatrice, a writer in a long dry-spell following early success;
  • younger brother Jack, an acerbic antiques dealer seldom troubled by ethics, whose taste outpaces his income;
  • youngest sister Melody, a supermom with a perfect house she can’t afford and two perfect twins she hopes to send off to perfect Ivy League schools on the strength of perfect SAT scores;
  • and mother Francine, former half-hearted trophy wife to the deceased Plumb patriarch and half-hearted mother of four.

This book was a quick, moderately interesting read. It’s very gossipy, so if you love a fresh issue of People magazine (or Page Six column), this might be one for you. The characters are well-drawn, but it was actually side characters like a retired fireman, Jack’s husband, and Beatrice’s agent/Leo’s ex Stephanie who I found most engaging. The plot has some complexity, with each Plumb scheming and maneuvering to achieve their ends, but I admit I didn’t like any of the Plumbs enough to be invested in how their story resolved.

The Nest was more than worth the five bucks I wound up paying for it, but left me ambivalent about whether I would continue my BOTM subscription when my promotion ran out. Stay tuned, I will be posting reviews of more BOTM selections all week!


Filed under: Book of the Month, Uncategorized Tagged: contemporary, fiction, rich hipsters, subscription service Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 83

Trending Articles