books with buzz

I just got done with 2 different books that have been getting a lot of buzz lately.

One is "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan. This is a post-apocalyptic YA zombie story with a tragic romance thrown in. Sometimes I read a first novel that is so good it makes me hate the author because, you know, why didn't I write that? It's that good. It has a unique vision since it deals not with the immediate effects of a zombie attack, but with what happens to the survivors after a couple of generations. Really great novel.

The second is "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. Everyone is talking about this book so I thought maybe I could read it for a program I do at the library where I give adult book talks. Um, no. This is basically a study in sexual repression and sexual obsession. It is suspenseful and definitely intriguing, but hard to read at times. And there is no way in hell I am going to talk about it to little old ladies at the library. In 1909, a woman answers an ad in a newspaper and travels to Wisconsin to marry a wealthy and lonely businessman. She has a plan for this marriage, one that is somehow both complex and simple and only revealed in bits and pieces. The businessman has a plan, too. I really hate to give away too much because it was masterfully written.

Of the two, of course I liked the YA better. But as far as adult, "literary" novels go, the Goolrick was certainly worth my while.