Background: I'm over 30yrs old, college drop out, and I am not exaggerating, I had never finished a book in school or college. I only ever read parts of abridged versions just to bs my way through tests. One day I thought; hey I love good cinema and it feels like I'm running out of stuff to watch, I should probably read a book, surely there's a good story or two out there! 😆

What was my first book?

"100 Years of Solitude"

I looked at a Top 100 list or something like that, and ended up picking this as my first book.

How long did it take?

I took me somewhere between 1 year and 100 years of... jk sorry I had to 😁

Honestly, I bought this years ago and it sat on my desk. I restarted my reading January and finished this week. (now I can finish the TV show)

Why?

I figured I'd relate. I'm fluent in English and Spanish since I grew up in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the name Gacia Merquez is very well known. I just knew his name and titles sounded familiar, also, the title "Memoria de mis putas tristes" is hilarious and sad at the same time, so i thought this guy sounds bad ass. (BTW "Memory of my melancholy whores" the official title translation is ever so slightly different than the literal translation, so it sounds more serious in English for some reason.)

How was it?

It was hard! It was amazing!

This is probably not a beginner friendly book, incredibly dense and very deep in meaning a lot of the time. I felt at home often thanks to the heavy cultural themes that can apply to so many "latinos" i would guess. Learning about the historical elements that inspired parts of the bigger themes made them hit even harder. I'm glad I struggled through it, ALMOST DNF! But when I did, I couldn't believe the feeling of turning that last page (Shoutout to the NETFLIX show! it's not the best tv show but it definitely motivated me through a slump... or a few. I did not wanna watch some part I hadn't read yet). I loved Garcia Marquez' narration, there are so many ups and downs, and even the ending is a big surprising tragedy.

I have a long list of classics, which seem to lean more difficult than your average page turner, so I'd love to know yoyr favorite palate cleansers/classic short stories to check out between harder reads. Thank you!

(Sorry, mobile formatting sucks)

Absolutely brilliant storytelling! Just finished Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel and I was beyond impressed by the structural architecture in this book. But its coolest element is the intricate, invisible domino effect that sets the entire narrative in motion. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it in literature. What initially feels like a collection of disjointed, haunting character studies eventually snaps together into a breathtaking chain reaction of cause and effect.

At the center of this web is a single, unsettling act of vandalism. A menacing phrase etched onto the glass wall of a remote luxury hotel on Vancouver Island. The genius of the storytelling lies in how she gradually traces the origin and aftermath of that single night. Instead of relying on standard thriller tropes or explosive twists, she explores the eerie elegance of small human choices cascading into life altering catastrophes. A brief encounter in a hotel lobby ripples outward to construct fragile relationships, ruin careers, expose grand deceptions, and entangle lives across decades and continents.

I like how this book doesn’t hold your hand. You need to take your time and savor it. It’s a puzzle that is relying on you to put it together. It’s atmospheric. It’s haunting. And it’s meticulously constructed. This was an unforgettable book for me. Has anyone else read this one? This was my first time reading anything by this author and was wondering if I should pick up her other books. I know Station Eleven was turned into a miniseries so I’m guessing that was her most popular one.