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"Mermaids in Paradise" by Lydia Millet

I found this new app called Overdrive. It's basically a Netflix for books - but the books are from your local library and all you need is a library card. An acquaintance of mine told me about it while we were at our Tuesday night yarn club gathering at the Yarn Cow in Jacksonville, FL. I have a decent drive to and from work and I started getting audio books from the library, but haven't had a chance in a long while. But now, with this app, I can request audio or ebooks and check them out without ever entering the library, which is really convenient. The first book I listened to was Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millett.



It wasn't a bad book, but I couldn't really get into it. There were some interesting parts like a kidnapping and the pursuit of mermaids - or was it to protect the mermaids? But it started out really slow. This book is about protecting nature, or at least that's what I figured it was about towards the end. Protecting the reef and the wildlife and not trying to make natural habitats into tourist attractions because that's what is ruining the environment. On the other hand, it talks about this couple who are getting married and then going on their honeymoon on a tropical island - where they accidentally come across mermaids.

The writing is choppy. The descriptions are spot on, but that's really all it has going for it. I would have rather had maybe one chapter about the wedding and why they chose this destination for the honeymoon. Then dive into how they found the mermaids and why they are trying to protect them and who they are protecting them against. It's a good concept, but the true nature of the book gets a little lost.

Maybe I just didn't get the book, but I'm not saying you should definitely read it. I will give you another review on it from the New York Times and maybe it will appeal to you and maybe it won't. But at least you will have another view. :)

Next book . . . "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen

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