Notes from the Commute

A Man Called Ove, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and the Midnight Shift

We’re back with some Notes from the Commute. I went through a reading slump over the last few months of my old job. But with a new job on the horizon and a week off in-between, I was able to read some classics and new releases.

So here’s some short reviews on books that I’ve read recently. If you’ve read any yourself, let me know what you think!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This book is so heartwarming, although as a pitch it sounds a bit neurotic to say that I enjoyed it. It follows Ove, a grumpy old man who keeps trying to end his life but is rudely interrupted by nosy neighbours. I feel that I need to re-emphasise how heart warming it is. It’s a great read with expertly written characters that turn Ove’s life around. Whatever you’re reading at the moment - read this next.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow follows the deep friendship of Sadie and Sam as they start a video-game company and grow into adults. There are many things that I enjoyed about this book but there are also many parts that I didn’t like. I liked that the focus was always on them being friends and treating friendship as an important relationship, not something to be dismissed or thrown away. But I found it difficult to connect with the characters, which made the story drag in some places. It is beautifully written, but as we follow the cast from their early twenties through to their forties we see them grow older but they don’t grow up. Which was really hard to connect with. I do always like a book that gives polarising reactions, because I heard nothing but good things before I started reading it and extreme mixed reviews after.

The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-ran

This one is an easy pitch: Vampire murder mystery set in Korea. The story follows Su-Yeon who’s investigating a series of suicides that she believes to be murder. I always love reading books that play around with old lore to make it new and exciting. The Midnight Shift shifts what we know about vampires as we follow the detective and brings a fresh spin on the story. It’s a fast-paced narrative but trapped in the dark so it feels particularly moody.

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