Take Me Away

Helpless

2012-01-31T02:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Helpless
Author: Daniel Palmer
Pages: 406
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Kensington Books
Pub. Date: January 31, 2012

I reviewed Daniel Palmer's first book, Delirious, last year and really enjoyed it. (Quick side note.. I just realized both covers have a man under water!) Anyway, I was enthralled by his first book and was excited to pick up the second, Helpless, which is a stand-alone thriller that also incorporates technology into its story.

In Helpless, soccer coach, Tom Hawkins, who is also the father of one of the players, Jill, is accused of having an affair with one of his high school students. Before he can even clear his name, the accusations start piling on including those about running a child pornography ring. And what's even scarier than the accusations alone is that the evidence, all involving technology, starts to pile up against him too. And who can refute that?

I used to work with sex crimes investigators and the families involved so I am aware, unfortunately, of how prominent these issues are. But I also am aware of the fact that sometimes allegations are fabricated and of the devastating effects they can have on those victims of the false allegations. I think that was part of what drew me to this book -- maybe a horrid fascination with how scary and big the internet and computers are and how these things can be so dangerously manipulated. In Helpless, Hawkins uses his skills from when he was a Navy SEAL to do his own investigation to clear his name, and he races to do it before he's put in jail for good because he knows that based on the evidence he'll be found guilty.

While I didn't like this quite as much as Delirious, I have to say Palmer wrote another great story that kept you guessing. One of the things that makes these books stand out is the technological aspect and how these are incorporated into the plot points. There was also a component that involved "sexting" which is so dangerous but also prominent among teens now. As I read that I imagined how I would address that if I had a child... it's one of those things that you can't just wait for, you have to always be open and let your kids know about the consequences. Because it is a scary thing that can have life-long, ruinous effects. In that sense, even though this is a thriller, this might be something that parents should read so they can be aware!!

My only gripe about this book is there was a sort of secondary mystery/storyline that I didn't care for, and while the two story lines were somewhat woven together, I wonder if it was really necessary to include both.

Regardless, Helpless was a smart and psychologically thrilling. I look forward to Palmer's next book!

Winner: Bond Girl!

2012-01-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

The winners of Bond Girl are.....

Kristin and Anita!!!

I already have your addresses so I will let forward them to the publisher. For those who didn't win or who didn't enter, I do recommend this book! It was an enjoyable read.

Cover Copies: Blurry Streets...

2012-01-27T02:00:00.000-05:00

So this cover copies post isn't as bad as past ones that were literally the same stock photo. But these came to my attention when I realized that I was mixing up these books in my head; I'd see one and think it was one of the other two, etc. They all are fairly new, so I wonder if each of the cover designers coincidentally had the same idea or maybe the same source of inspiration?? Or blurry streets are just trendy now?

Check out past cover copies here:
random teenage girl
another random teenage girl
back of girl's hair

Bond Girl (review & giveaway)

2012-01-24T01:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Bond Girl
Author: Erin Duffy
Pages: 290
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: January 24, 2012

Bond Girl is being touted as the Wall Street version of The DevilWears Prada. It definitely had its similarities, and those who liked thelatter will probably like this. I can't really compare since I've only seen themovie version of the second, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a youngcollege graduate who starts a job in finance on Wall Street and realizes it'snot as glamorous as she expected it to be. That's pretty much the whole gist of this book. She deals with some crazy things to impossibly work her way up the ranks.

So far I've made it sound mostly like "chick-lit". While it hasthose qualities, I thought it was more substantial than some others in thatgenre. It also had memoir-like elements which may have been a combination offirst person narrative and the knowledge that the author has her own experienceworking on "the Street"; and it contained elements of an exposé,revealing the greed, back-stabbing, superfluousness, and worst, the rampantsexism in the industry. It was like MadMen up in there, although it may be worse (I haven’t seen enough Mad Men to make a true comparison).

I loved reading about Alex and the craziness she endured at her new job, thethings her boss put her up to. I laughed at various parts. But along with thehumor, I found myself becoming angry as well. Although this is fiction, Ibelieve it’s based on some of the author’s experiences so I took some parts tobe truisms. Any time a money amount was mentioned I felt sick. I have a master’sdegree and work to exhaustion every day, yet my annual salary is a fraction ofthe main character’s Christmas bonus. The other thing that angered me was theway men treated the females in the book. It was so primitive and ignorant thatit enraged me. It’s so hard to believe that kind of sexism exists. (But then, Iwork in a female dominated field of work so I have little experience withthat!) Combining the ridiculously extravagant lifestyle and the sexist a-holesreally made parts of this get to me. But despite all that, truly, I found Bond Girl highly entertaining. It’s aquick and fun read. You’ll probably find yourself cheering on Alex and shouting ather to make certain decisions throughout the course of the book.

There was a statement Alex makes at the very end of the book that was vagueand that was never followed up with. It’s super minor but I’m curious what shemeant, and I guess it’s supposed to not be a big deal. Oh, lest I forget! Bond Girl takes place in Manhattan (well, duh, it's on Wall Street) which was a funaddition for me as well. I loved my literary trip to NYC! I will happily be adding Bond Girl to my New York Shelf!

I am also happy to say that the publisher is allowing me to give away TWO copies of Bond Girl!! Fill out the form below to enter. The winners will be announced this Saturday.

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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: Book-to-Movie Review

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

I read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer in January of 2011 and fell in love with it. I mentioned in my review that I was a little heartbroken about it being a movie because I just didn't think it could possibly compare to the experience of reading the book. Jason recently read (and loved) this as well, so we headed out to the movies last night to see it. To sum it up real quickly, this tells the story of a young boy, Oskar Schell, who struggles to cope in the aftermath of his father's death on September 11th. He finds a key in his father's closet and goes on a quest through all of New York City to find what the key is for. He does this in an attempt to find purpose, make sense of his father's death, and keep his father alive and with him in his mind and heart.

Right away it was evident that the film also used some techniques to portray some of the uniqueness of the book. It wasn't all the same, of course, but it was interesting how they did it. I'm not one of those people who ever notices (or cares for when I do notice) different filming techniques, but I did notice them in this movie and thought they were subtle enough and well done. Based on the reactions I heard from the other people watching throughout the movie, they invested in the characters and laughed at the parts that were funny. I didn't fall out sobbing like I thought I might (LOL), but there were definitely moments that made me cry.

One of the things I loved about the book was the raw emotion it evoked. I actually thought the movie did a great job of showing the intensity and complexity of Oskar's emotions as well as the difficulties in the relationship between him and his mother. But I might feel that way since I have more knowledge from reading the book. Jason said he read some reviews that talked about Oskar's character being a brat, and I think thought process misses the whole point of the complete anguish the child goes through after his father's death. The movie moves mostly chronologically but there are many moments when it goes back and shows a chronologically previous scene to explain something the character is thinking or referring to. There was one scene between Oskar and his mother, played by Sandra Bullock, that was pretty intense and evocative. That was probably the part that made me the most emotional because the relationship between the two of them is so fragile at a time when they really need each other. I do think this might be a difficult film to watch for people who did lose someone in the attacks on September 11th or for anyone who has lost a loved one recently.

The movie, of course, had to leave out some details and back story from the book. The book has sooo much more to love and I compel you to read it, especially if you're interested in the movie. But, I think the movie did a fantastic job at taking as many pieces of the book as possible and creating a way to get across the unique qualities of the book and the characters' emotions, and it followed the book very well. Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, though secondary characters to Oskar, added a lot to the movie. I feel like I can still return the book and enjoy reading it again without being "interrupted" by things from the movie because it fit very well into what I pictured anyway.

The Ruins of Us

2012-01-18T02:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Ruins of Us
Author: Keija Parssinen
Pages: 321
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: January 17, 2012

Sooo... I started reading this a while ago and I initially put it down because I had some problems with some parts of the story (I'll explain in a bit) and I really did not like the characters. That was maybe 50 pages or so in, and I considered just writing my review based on what I felt at that moment. But because of my reading slump issues from last year, and really wanting to thoroughly fulfill my obligations to TLC Book Tours, I decided to keep reading and just see if I changed my mind. But I was skeptical. And a little cynical.

And then I ended up pretty much enjoying this read. That teaches me! I'm going to include some quotes from the book because it is sort of vital to the points I want to make, but keep in mind I am quoting from an advanced copy so there might possibly be some slight changes.

The Ruins of Us tells the story of the Baylani family. American, Rosalie, and Saudi Arabian Abdullah have been married for 25 years. They have two teenagers, Faisal and Mariam. The story begins when Rosalie finds out her husband has taken a second wife and has hidden this fact from Rosalie. Although this is not uncommon to their culture, she is surprised because Abdullah was always different. Faisal is a confused teenaged boy who struggles with his bi-racial identity, sometimes resenting his mother for her causing him to not belong. He overcompensates by devoting himself to a political group and emphasizing his religious beliefs. And Mariam is a feministic teen who wants to grow up to be a journalist. She maintains a blog where she discusses issues in Saudi Arabia. There is also one other character whose perspective we hear from, Dan Coleman, who is an American friend of the family. The Ruins of Us is a portrait of the struggling marriage and how this affects the family; it's about Faisal struggling to fit in to his environment; and it's about how all these issues culminate with dangerous consequences

Although I don't feel quite as strongly about it now, I did not initially like this book because I just didn't think the characters were realistic or consistent. I couldn't figure the characters out at all. For instance, when Rosalie finds out about the second wife. Is she mad, upset, etc.? Yes. But there just didn't seem to be a gravity to it. I get that it's not totally uncommon to the culture, but for as progressive as the characters were described, it didn't make sense to me. (Honestly, it still doesn't... I think the character of Abdullah was the most inconsistent for me.) Like here, he's complaining that his wife has acclimated to the Saudi culture:

"If you're a Saudi man and you marry an American woman, the last thing you want is for her to become a Saudi wife. Otherwise, why would you go through all the trouble with the family?" (p. 41)

So, you become a "Saudi man" and marry a second wife? That seems inconsistent to me. There was another part where he was telling his friend about a girl who was flirting with him and expected him to reciprocate. The friend basically points out that well yeah, you have a reputation. And Abdullah acts all confused and says "I'm a married man." Um, hello, that didn't stop you from finding a whole new wife... And the reasons Abdullah justifies marrying a second wife are so superficial that it was hard for me to take it seriously. Yes, he felt he and his (first) wife had become distant, etc. but marrying another person? At least he acknowledged it:

He saw that now, acknowledged that he had not wanted to deal properly with the distance opening up between him and Rosalie and so had fallen back on the laws of the tribe to avoid it. (p. 104)

But more for inconsistency... in one part Abdullah gets mad at his son, and they get in a little tiff followed by this response.

"Don't speak to me like that, or you can be certain that you won't be going to any university, here or in America. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior from my son." (p. 113)

I wonder if I missed something because not only did this statement elicit confusion from me, but was the topic of university an issue? I don't know. But then, a couple pages later, Abdullah is defending his son to his wife, basically saying ah, he's just being a kid.

Then some parts were just strange...

Rosie's taste for the dramatic raised her arguments with Abdullah to a form of high art, both of them gesturing wildly. Sometimes, Abdullah would just spank her, in utter seriousness, right in front of everyone, and then they would collapse all over each other with laughter. (p. 38)

I really disliked Abdullah's character. This following passage was the clincher for me. (Abdullah thinking about Rosalie.)

Her stubbornness was starting to wear on him and a strange coldness had filled him. If that was how she wanted to behave, then he would let her. He would be patient. He had all the time in the world because he had love available to him. It was she who would grow lonely night after night in an empty bed. (p. 118)

I did find a passage I liked, though, since much of this book is about marriage and parenting:

There should be some sort of training before you got yourself mixed up in such things -- marriages and divorces and children and second marriages. He had trained for every other part of his life, football as a youth and then business and economics as an adult. Even driving required training. Yet when you married, what advice did people give? Only congratulations, and what good does that do anyone? (p. 90)

I did find, though, that I became invested in the characters. I never did grow to like any of them that much except for Mariam. (Okay, Dan grew on me too). But then the last third of the book the plot totally picked up and I devoured the book to find out what would happen. It was sort of funny because this book had some similarities to the last book I read. They were both about Muslim teen boys who are confused and take their beliefs too far.

I did think it was interesting to learn about Rosalie and her motivations for living in Saudi Arabia. She had spent time there as a child (like the author...) and had idealized it as she grew up so that once she was an adult, she wanted to live there. Yet, she was always the outsider because of her looks but also because of her beliefs. A lot of this book is about her difficulty straddling the cultural divide. I felt like I could relate to her in some of these ways.

So to conclude, I had difficult in the beginning but I'm glad I decided to read the rest. I didn't care for the characters most of the time, but I did enjoy the story. And I actually think this book would be a great read for book clubs, because there are a lot of topics that could be discussed. I have to say that I appreciated The Ruins of Us for making me think so much whether it was about the story, the characters, or the issues they all dealt with.

Follow the rest of the tour here:

Tuesday, January 17th: Book Hooked Blog
Thursday, January 19th: Broken Teepee
Friday, January 20th: Bibliosue
Monday, January 23rd: Book Club Classics!
Tuesday, January 24th: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife
Thursday, January 26th: Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, January 31st: Col Reads
Wednesday, February 1st: The House of the Seven Tails
Thursday, February 2nd: Raging Bibliomania
Monday, February 6th: Library of Clean Reads
Tuesday, February 7th: Man of La Book
Wednesday, February 8th: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews

American Dervish

2012-01-15T02:30:00.000-05:00

Title: American Dervish
Author: Ayad Akhtar
Pages: 357
Audio Narrated by: Ayad Akhtar
Audio Hours: 9 hours, 28 minutes
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co. (Hachette)
Audio Publisher: Hachette Audio
Pub. Date: January 9, 2012

American Dervish is a coming-of-age story of sorts. It tells the story of Hayat Shah, a Muslim Pakistani American growing up in Wisconsin. Adolescence is difficult enough without having to learn to manage a cultural divide, and American Dervish follows Hayat as he learns to do just this. We enter the main part of the story when Hayat is 10-years-old. Hayat's parents appreciate their culture but are fairly mainstream in terms of their lifestyle. But then they bring Hayat's "aunt" Mina from Pakistan to save her from her wrecked marriage. Everyone is drawn to Mina, including Hayat. Mina starts teaching Hayat about the Qur'an and encourages him to study to become a Hafiz (one who memorizes the entire Qur'an). Much to his parents' dismay, Hayat passionately takes on this religious study. In the meantime, Mina meets and falls for a Jewish doctor whom Hayat likes well enough but dislikes for his Judaism. Hayat naively acts on this, and this ironically innocent act of hatred leads to unforeseen consequences which ultimately aim to teach Hayat about life and about what Islam really means.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read many (any?) Muslim coming-of-age books, and it was interesting to learn from Mina about the Qur'an along with Hayat. I loved some of the insights she relayed, whether they were talking about the Qur'an or life in general. I didn't bookmark it so I don't have the exact quote, but her explanation of what happens to people who keep their pain inside (they become their pain, feel they deserve pain, etc.) was so astute (and something I thought I could use in therapy!) I had a lot of these moments in the first half of the book. I'll admit, though, that as the story progressed and Hayat became more immersed, I became more uncomfortable. There were a couple moments when I felt like the philosophical talk about Islam became a little too much that I started to feel detached from the story. But it could also have been my discomfort with Hayat as well. Especially as he starts to really think negatively about Jewish people at one point; I'm not Jewish, but it was still uncomfortable for me. He starts to ignorantly take on beliefs without really thinking through them and often doesn't think them through unless something happens or, as in one instance, his mother confronts him about the ridiculousness of what he is saying.Despite my discomfort, I was so absorbed in the story and the things that happened to the family. The experiences that the others had, not just Hayat, in dealing with their culture and faith while living in America were interesting. And it was disheartening in some ways, because they weren't always able to just be themselves or follow their true desires because of the pressures and expectations from others of their heritage.

Jill mentioned in her review her disappointment in Hayat and his failure to grow as a character throughout the book. I read that when I was about halfway through so it was on my mind a little, and I do have to agree that Hayat's growth was fairly superficial. I did find myself immersed in the story and his journey, though, so for me American Dervish was still really enjoyable.

It's also possible, however, that I enjoyed this book because I listened to it on audio (which I haven't done much of but hope to get into more). I didn't realize right away that the author narrates the book himself. And I only thought to look because I was really enjoying his narration. He has a nice reading voice, and he did an excellent job with the different voices which involved various Pakistani accents, a Boston accent, and a couple times a female Wisconsin accent. I looked him up and turns out the author is also a trained actor which would account for the great audio performance. Despite some of its flaws, there are some really interesting aspects to this story, and I would still recommend it.

The Chalk Girl

2012-01-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Chalk Girl
Series: Mallory #12
Author: Carol O'Connell
Pages: 373
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin)
Pub. Date: January 17, 2012

I used to have a pretty hard and fast rule that I would not pick up anywhere in the middle of a series. But on a couple occasions I've picked up in the middle out of some type of necessity and found it isn't always so bad. And I was really interested when The Chalk Girl came to my attention, even though it's the 12th in the series! I am so happy I took a chance with this one because I loved this book and excited about reading future books in the series (as well as the first 11).

Kathy Mallory (better known just as "Mallory") is a detective in the Special Crimes Unit in New York City. Mallory is a hardened, rough around the edges girl with a crazy past. She grew up in the foster care system, and I'm sure there's a lot more back story in previous books, but I felt like I was given a lot of information in this installment. Some compare Mallory to Dragon Tattoo's Lisbeth Salander, but I think Mallory is much scarier and seemed more emotionally hardened. In The Chalk Girl, a little girl is found lost in Central Park. No one knows where she belongs since no one has filed a missing child report. The child seems different in some way, and no one knows what to make of her statements that her uncle turned into a tree. Surprisingly, the little girl attaches immediately to Mallory and through this connection they slowly unravel the mystery of the current situation as well as unearthing a long hidden crime.

The setting, the "special victims unit", and the complexity of the situation reminds me of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which I love. The characters are different, of course, but I think otherwise that fans of the show would likely be fans of this book. I'm curious to learn more about the characters, although I will say that for this being the 12th book I wonder that Mallory's character hasn't grown more than she has. But then, I don't know where she started.

One interesting aspect of the writing was the way the author sometimes added in her own short commentary of sorts; the narration, overall, is the traditional third person past tense, but I noticed a sarcastic or facetious comment every now and then. Usually I would find this distracting, but it was amusing it its context. The Chalk Girl also tells two related stories... the main story is the one I've described, but the beginning of each chapter has a quote or paragraph from a different story. Those pieces in themselves were intriguing, albeit somewhat confusing, but the further you get in the book the more you realize the two stories are intertwined.

I have to apologize because it's been at least a few weeks since I read this so I'm not saying as much as I may have if I'd reviewed it then. But I do know that this story absorbed me and I'm excited to read more in the series!

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, Volume 1

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, Volume 1
Compiled/Edited by: hitRECord & Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Pages: 83
Genre: Humor, Entertainment
Publisher: !t (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: December 6, 2011

I'll admit up front that part of the reason I wanted to review this is because it was associated with Joseph Gordon-Levitt who I love as an actor. But, also, the book sounded so unique. This book is essentially a compilation of the contributions to Gordon-Levitt's production company hitRECord where artists of all types tell tiny, but impactful, stories utilizing a combination of words and art.

The book is actually tiny and adorable. I read it as soon as it came in the mail, and it took me about 5-10 minutes. I then handed it over to my husband who read through and enjoyed it as well. Some of the stories are better than others, but overall it was a fun read. It's one of those where you appreciate the story told because of its wit as well as for the artwork that goes with it. I don't know that I would spend the listed $14.99 on it for myself, but as a gift for someone who's the creative type or maybe even as a conversational piece for the home or office I would. It is definitely charming.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Joining the People's History Read-a-Long

2012-01-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

This last year has found me getting more interested in both non-fiction and in learning about history... so, I decided to join the read-a-long hosted by Jill and Jenners for A People's History of the United States. It's at a totally casual pace of one chapter a week (and, really, the chapters are not that bad), so the plan is to finish in early July!

Here's the synopsis from BN.com:

A classic since its original landmark publication in 1980, Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States is the first scholarly work to tell America’s story from the bottom up—from the point of view of, and in the words of, America’s women, factory workers, African Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. From Columbus to the Revolution to slavery and the Civil War—from World War II to the election of George W. Bush and the “War on Terror”—A People’s History of the United States is an important and necessary contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.

I won't necessarily be posting every Monday, but the first chapter is to be done and "discussable" on January 16 and then one chapter each Monday after that. I started reading and it seems like it's pretty engaging and accessible. I'm looking forward to this!

The Submission

2012-01-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Submission
Author: Amy Waldman
Page: 299
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (Macmillan)
Pub. Date: August 16, 2011

The Submission is a serious and thought provoking novel about issues of racism, tolerance, and awareness; about immigration, belief systems, and grief's healing processes. It's two years after the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers. A jury of artists and professionals, including one family member of a person who died in that attack, have convened to choose the winning architectural entry for the memorial that will be built at ground zero. After some conflicts and thorough discussion, they decide on a winning entry. Only, when the name of the winning design is announced, Mohammed Khan, everyone immediately recoils in fear and astonishment. How is it possible that a Muslim man's design is the winner of the memorial for the attacks perpetrated by Muslim men?

What follows is the fight over how to handle this situation both by the jurors and then by the American public, as the information is leaked to the press. Some think Khan's design shouldn't be allowed to be created while others believe his rights are being violated. Some believe Khan, himself, would be doing the right thing by withdrawing his submission (despite the fact that this memorial would be an extreme milestone in his architectural career). Then there's the discussions about the difference been a Muslim man and an Islamic extremist, not to mention Khan may not even believe in Islam. No one really knows; not even Khan, at times. Although the entire book revolves around this exact plot and storyline, there were several supplemental themes. What about the people who were in America illegally but who also lost family members in the attacks. Should they not be provided with the same concessions and care that other family members are provided? And how is it decided what is the best way for people to heal from extreme grief?

This novel was so emotionally charged for me, as I'm sure it will be for many readers. I abhor ignorance, especially as it relates to racial issues. The Submission is told from various viewpoints, so the reader is often provided with Khan's perspective. I think knowing how benign his attitude and reason for entering the contest made it that much more enraging for me the way he was treated. There was a quote near the beginning of the book about a woman so pessimistic that in looking so intently for a bruise in an apple eventually caused the bruise herself. (Unfortunately, I can't remember the page number). That was how I felt about the characters in this book. Their fear became so exaggerated that they caused new fears they hadn't necessarily had in the first place. Even the person who was his staunchest advocate started creating fears of her own and questioning her beliefs. And it seemed like Khan wasn't always sure that the route he had taken (for instance, not having to answer any questions whatsoever, on principle) was the right way to go.

One of the dynamics I found so interesting was those of Khan's and how he so questioned his own beliefs. While he seemed assured and was rational (though there were times when I wished he would concede in just the smallest of ways to help come to a compromise) he was often conflicted. This is evident as described in this quote about the way he tamed his interactions with others.

...he realized that the difference wasn't in how he was being treated but in how he was behaving. Customarily brusque on work sites, he had become gingerly, polite, careful to give no cause for alarm or criticism. He didn't like this new, more cautious avatar, whose efforts at accommodation hinted at some feeling of guilt, yet he couldn't quite shake him. (p. 25)

And this quote describes the way in which his rationality started to give way to paranoia because of some of his experiences.

The memory of the airport interrogation was unpacked, shaken out, stuffed full of straw to make it lifelike once again. There was no evidence Roi hadn't elevated Mo because he was a Muslim but none against it, either. If he had been singled out once, why not again? Paranoia, no less than plasticine, could be molded. (p. 40)

Unfortunately, there isn't a wonderful, pretty resolution to everything. Though I found the book gripping, its focus was really on how this situation affected various people in the community from those who lost family members to those who wanted to have a "cause" to fight (for or against) to the governor who wanted to twist this for her future presidential campaign. This book angered and saddened me, but it wasn't overly dark or melancholic either. I thought the author did a good job of portraying the complexity of the various perspectives. The ending was a little ambiguous, but the real meat in this book was the dynamics of the characters and all the thoughts they elicited for me. This is one I will not be forgetting for a long time!

The website for this book is actually pretty interesting. It introduces all the main players in the book. Check it out if you have a chance!

Little Princes

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Little Princes
Subtitle: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
Author: Conor Grennan
Pages: 305
Genre: Memoir, Sociology
Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: January 25, 2011 (Hardcover); December 27, 2011 (Paperback)

I was so excited to have an opportunity to review this book for its paperback release. I immediately regretted passing it up last time I had the chance, especially after hearing such wonderful things about it. The sociological aspect of it combined with helping children is right up my alley. This book did not disappoint at all. I absolutely adored it!!

When author, Conor Grennan, decided to take a year long trip around the world, he planned on spending a couple months at a children's orphanage in Nepal. He admittedly included these plans more for the achievement and how it would look to others. But what he didn't expect was to love and care for the children so much. Shortly afterward, he learned that the children were being trafficked from their mountainous villages and being sold for labor in the bigger towns. This, and his love for the children, sparked in him a desire to do everything he could to save these children and reunite them with their families. This led, later, to the creation of the non-profit organization, Next Generation Nepal.

Little Princes turned out to be more memoir-like than I expected. For some reason I imagined it being more sociological non-fiction. But, regardless, the memoir form worked just as well and gave it a personal component. I was surprised at the humor that sparkled throughout the book. Conor was very unprepared for the cultural differences in Nepal, and describing his reaction to these experiences was fun to read. I loved the scene when he first arrived a the orphanage and the children jumped all over him. I love that they all called him "Brother", and I loved the scene when he was trying to teach them how to say his name. Oh, and his experience walking through the village telling all the villagers "Namaste" had me rolling with laughter. (You have to read to find out why).

These funny moments were more in the beginning of the book. The latter parts became more serious, though the children and the volunteers' interactions with them lent a lighter bent to the book. It's probably not surprising that the book was very heart warming as well! It sounds like the author really had a life changing experience in volunteering at the Little Princes orphanage. While I don't find myself being brave enough to travel around or across the world to do what he did, he re-inspires me to dedicate myself to the children I am passionate about here in the U.S. I truly loved this book and will be recommending it for sure!

I reviewed this book as part of TLC Book Tours. You can follow the rest of the tour below:

Tuesday, December 27th: sidewalk shoes
Wednesday, December 28th: The Feminist Texican
Thursday, December 29th: The Road to Here
Tuesday, January 3rd: Amused By Books
Wednesday, January 4th: The House of the Seven Tails
Thursday, January 5th: Amusing Reviews
Monday, January 9th: Library of Clean Reads
Tuesday, January 10th: Book Snob
Wednesday, January 11th: Tales of a Capricious Reader
Tuesday, January 12th: BookNAround

Reading & Blogging Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve! I'm recovering from the wedding of one of my best friends last night!

I'm hoping 2012 will be a much better reading year for me! It's ironic that in 2011, I did about half of my total year's reading during the first four months of the year when I was finishing grad school and worked two jobs... then I graduated and downsized to one job but found that the job takes up way too much of my time. So I need to better prioritize my free time! I haven't made regular new year's resolutions, but I did make some for reading and blogging!

Read 100 Books: This has been my goal for many years and I've yet to reach it. This year's total has been my worst in a while (62). We'll see how it goes. My husband is also making a goal of 50 for the year which is HUGE! He actually has read 40 so far this year which is his highest ever.
Read More of What I Want: Hasn't this always been a goal since I've been blogging as well? I just want to be more conscious of reading what I want rather than only reading review books. January is always my very favorite reading month every year because I focus on reading mainly what I want... I want this to last throughout the year!
Post at Least One Review a Week: I used to have a goal of three a week... how did I ever keep up?!?! I think one a week is realistic for me at this time. I've got some reviews to catch up on, but I have enough pending to do this for January and February. I just need to keep up the reading!!
Keep Better Track of Review Books/ Maintain Communication with Publicists: I don't keep track of this in any way, and even when I do read a review book timely I rarely follow up with the publicist/author/etc. I want to focus on being more aware of this as well. Not that I'll necessarily be posting reviews any quicker (although that would be nice), but I can promise to be more aware.

Best of 2011

2011-12-30T11:36:00.001-05:00

Best (and worst) of 2 0 1 1

I love end of the year reading lists! It's so fun to look over what all I accomplished (in reading) for the year and see what everyone's favorites were. My reading year, in terms of quantity, was awful this year or just not up to where I like it. But I still feel pretty good about what I DID read this year and look forward to reading way more in 2012. Here are my favorites (and least favorites) this year.

First off, let me say don't forget to check out my Non-Fiction 2011 post for a better breakdown of this year's non-fiction reading if you haven't already because truly, I would consider all of those books at the top of my 2011 reading in general. It's super hard to break it down further than that! But as for fiction....

Let's start with what I was the most disappointed with. Keep in mind that this does not mean that these were the worst books... just what disappointed me most based on what my expectations were.

Great House by Nicole Krauss -- I didn't get it.

The Good Psychologist by Noam Schpencer -- Review to come eventually, short but not easy read

The Tiger's Wife by Tea O'Breht -- Good writing but I didn't necessarily get the story

The Best New-to-Me Author whose books (read two this year) were fantastic! (Can't wait to read The Untelling soon)

Leaving Atlanta by Tarayai Jones -- one of the character's ending scenes haunts me

Silver Sparrow by Tarayi Jones -- two girls with the same father but one is a secret

Biggest Surprises

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee -- I bought this for the cover but thoroughly enjoyed the cute story
The Four Ms. Bradwells -- Not a fluffy book at all. Had a lot of depth and women's issues

Best New-to-Me Series

Transfer of Power and The Third Option are #1 and #2 in the Mitch Rapp Series by Vince Flynn. My mom, dad, and husband have read the entire series and are obsessed. Also got my sister to download one onto her nook. I look forward to reading more of these!
The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell is #12 in the series. Review to come in 2012. I'm super excited to have been introduced to this series!

Honorable Mention: These weren't my very favorite but were really good and I want to include them.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, Bent Road by Lori Roy, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (review to come), Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman, and The Cradle in the Grave by Sophie Hannah

Okay, fine, I narrowed down the best non-fiction to these three. (Go here for links to these three)

Most Powerful and Also in the Best of 2011 Category

The Submission by Amy Waldman -- Review to come in 2012
The Buddha in the Attic by Julit Otsuka -- Finalist for the National Book Award
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan -- Lots of food for thought

And, my very favorite of the year happens to be the second book that I read this year.....

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
I adored this book. The movie version with Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks came out on Christmas but only in limited locations, and Orlando wasn't special enough to have it showing here! So I have to wait for the movie.

That's it! Happy 2012!!

Non-Fiction 2011

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Non-Fiction 2011

This year was amazing for non-fiction! I hadn't read much of this genre prior to the past couple years, but so many that I have been reading have really excited me! Maybe I love the fact that I'm learning and that I feel smart but am enjoying it at the same time! While I'm doing a separate best of list, I wanted to highlight the best of the non-fiction I read this year.

Sociological Memoir

Little Princes by Conor Grennan (review coming in January 2012)

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

Science

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee (review coming in 2012)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Political/Cultural/Sociological

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

Tangled Webs by James B. Stewart

Decision Points by George W. Bush

Short Stories, Crime, and Memoir

Heart of the City by Ariel Sabar

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford

I would have an incredibly difficult time narrowing down these books to my favorite. Of the 11 listed here, I can only narrow it down to 6!

A Christmas Carol

2011-12-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Pages: 159
Genre: Classic Fiction
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub. Date: September 12, 2006 (this edition)

Merry Christmas!!! I'm not sure how many of you are reading blogs today, but I thought it was fitting to post my review of this book on Christmas Day. I'll keep it short.

I think this might be the first time I've actually read through A Christmas Carol from beginning to end. I've started, but not finished, in the past. And, of course, I've watched various versions of the movie. (I think A Muppet's Christmas Carol has been my favorite!) My husband and I wanted to have a tradition of reading A Christmas Carol together every year, though this is the first time we actually followed through.

I also have little experience reading Dickens. I know for sure I read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities in junior high, but I don't remember much and I had a much different taste in literature at the time. So, that being said, I did enjoy A Christmas Carol. It's a classic story, of course, and who doesn't love the story of a Scrooge who completely turns himself around? Dickens's writing has a subtle humor to it. I suspect, though, that if he were a writer today I wouldn't quite appreciate his writing style. Being that this was written in the 1800's I'm a little more forgiving and it makes more sense. But each sentence was so long that by the time I got the end of the sentence I couldn't remember what he was trying to say in the first place. And he had to include so many examples of everything he described, just to make a point, I guess. Those things bothered me.

But overall an enjoyable Christmas book. It is a classic, after all! And I really like the illustrations in this book. They are a little dark, but very well done.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-21T22:31:00.001-05:00

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Series: Millennium #1
Author: Stieg Larsson
Translated by: Reg Keeland
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday (Random House)
Pub. Date: September 16, 2008

I've owned this series for a while but just recently got around to reading this book. I was nervous. It's had such acclaim. My mom and husband both read this and enjoyed the series. But then I also remember reviews saying it was a slow moving book and that the first 100 pages were unnecessary. But after finally reading this for myself, I am a huge fan!! I will say that for about the first 30 pages I wondered where it was going. But I stuck to it and was hugely satisfied by the end.

For the few of you who have yet to read this book, it starts off with Mikael Blomkvist, investigative journalist and partial owner of the magazine, Millennium, being convicted of libel against a big time corporate worker. Sort of as a result of this he then becomes involved with the Vanger family, the very wealthy owners of another large corporation. Henrik Vanger hires him to write his biography and, in the meantime, to investigate the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger, in the 1960's. It's a tough job to take on considering it was years ago and was very thoroughly investigated at the time. But as Blomkvist starts to find out more about her disappearance, he unveils some horrific secrets. Then there's Lisbeth Salander, a strange girl who happens to be an incredible private investigator or, rather, hacker, who ends up getting involved in the Vanger situation as well.

It's hard to explain why I liked this so much. I do enjoy the genre, but this one is just very well written and is more literary in nature. Plus, I guess I really enjoy Lisbeth's character. She's sort of unpredictable. And even though she has an extremely rough exterior, it seems like more of a shell and she is a hurt and vulnerable person on the inside. I'm totally interested in learning more about her. Even though she's sort of weird and rough on the outside, I feel like I can relate to her. The mystery and everything that goes with that is really intense and the family secrets are crazy. And this wasn't one of those mystery/thriller books where I'm able to figure anything out ahead of time. I thought the author did a great job of peeling back each layer of the story piece by piece. There also was an undertone to it about women's rights and violence against women. (In Sweden it was originally titled something like "Men who Hate Women"... something along those lines). And since I consider myself sort of a very minor feminist or at least am passionate about women's rights, this was an interesting aspect for me. I hear this theme continues through the rest of the series and that we learn more about why it is.

I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, and if it weren't for the fact that I have a specific reason for reading what I'm reading now, I would go straight into picking up the next book! The thing that motivated me to finally read this was that the American version of the movie is out in theaters as of this week. My plan was actually to finish this earlier so we could watch the Swedish version and then go to the theater to see the new one. I look forward to the movie (though I have a small fear that they will incorporate parts of the sequel in the movie... ). We shall see and I'll report on how it is once I see it!

Left Neglected

2011-12-12T22:30:00.000-05:00

Title: Left Neglected
Author: Lisa Genova
Pages: 324
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Pub. Date: January 4, 2011

I haven't read Lisa Genova's debut, Still Alice, yet so I can't compare, but Left Neglected really lived up to the hype of this author in general. While Still Alice explores Alzheimer's, this one explored another neurological disorder appropriately called Left Neglect. (Despite being largely unknown, or at least one I've never heard of, it is, indeed, a real disorder). The brain of someone with this disorder fails to recognize the left side of everything be it the left side of the body, what would normally be seen out of the left eye, the peripheral vision in the left eye, the left side of words, documents, pictures, etc. Genova's main character, Sarah, compares this to the average person not being able to turn their head all the way around to see the back. That's sort of what a person with Left Neglect experiences with the exception that the average person doesn't have to be reminded that there is something behind them they can't see. With Left Neglect, the person is convinced they are seeing and feeling everything there is to see and feel on the left. That is until they're told to do something with their left hand and can't seem to send the message from their brain to their hand.

Genova really did a fantastic job, without laying it on too thick, of depicting a type-A woman who really just fills her plate to overflowing, enduring a crazy packed schedule, working eighty hours a week, juggling the care of her three children along with her husband and the nanny, etc. Then, in a life changing second, this woman, Sarah, has an accident that causes traumatic brain injury. This is the aforementioned Left Neglect. What follows are Sarah's experiences being a successful, top-of-the-ladder, working mother who is resigned to living a sedentary and frustrating existence in which she doesn't even have control over her own body and has to accept care from everyone around her.

Genova has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, as well as a degree in biopsychology, so you can only imagine the amount of intellectual detail or understanding she has available to her for this type of book. But she doesn't drown her story in fact; instead, she blends just the right amount of medical information with an expert amount of character building to create the perfect fictional novel. In fact, I found Genova's writing to be extremely engaging and insightful, which in addition to her science background, prove her to be quite the all-around talented woman. Her style of writing was smart, and the commentary made as part of the narrative was keen and funny. I loved the book for this aspect alone. Her observations of the world, and the way she expressed her thoughts, made me smile to myself frequently. She had a way of creating such empathy for the character. Not only did I really like Sarah, but I felt like I was experiencing Left Neglect with her. And I adored all the secondary characters as well.

Left Neglected was an engrossing novel that has excited me to both go back and read her debut, Still Alice, and to see what she writes next!

Sidenote: I read this book and wrote the review back in March!! I've had it sitting in a small pile of reviews all this time and never thought to post it!

Holiday Awesomes and Givaway Winner!

2011-12-11T20:35:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm a little late on the Book of Holiday Awesome giveaway. Here are some of the responses I got about everyone's "Holiday Awesome"!

Meg at Write Meg said, "Listening to Hanson's "Snowed In" holiday album while decorating the Christmas tree with my family. It's a tradition more than 13 years strong!"

Anita at A Woman, a Wife, a Mom said, "Wow, there are too many!
1. Peppermint white chocolate mocha at Starbucks.
2. Making special once a year cookies with my kids."

Kirsten said, "I love having my family all together now that I have a child in college. And the food - pies, christmas cookies!"

Mary said, "Does putting up the Christmas tree count??" (Yes, Mary, it does!!)

Heather at Raging Bibliomania said, "Houses that have Christmas displays in the yard!"

Ti at Bookish Chatter said, "Every year we take two kids with Downs Syndrome to look at Christmas lights. These "kids" are not even kids anymore! We've been doing it since my son was born and he is 13 now! We get hot cocoa, I make cookies and we drive around listening to the Brady Bunch Christmas CD. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is. "

Liz said, "Like the overlooked holidays that can offer cheer amidst dreary days."

Carrie at Nomadreader said, "Miracle on 34th Street (1994 version)"

Kristin from Kritters Ramblings said, "Every year since we have lived in the DC area (3) we have made a date to go see the national christmas tree and get a picture taken."

Mary from Bookfan said, "I love Christmas music (but not before Thanksgiving). And then I love putting the ornaments my children made when they were young on the tree. So many memories tied up with those! Awesome."

Thank you everyone for sharing!! And now the winner of The Book of Holiday Awesome is....

Mary from Bookfan!!!

A Train in Winter

2011-12-04T22:33:00.001-05:00

Title: A Train in Winter
Subtitle: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France
Author: Caroline Moorehead
Pages: 384
Publisher: Harper (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: November 8, 2011

For this book I'm including the publisher's synopsis (from bn.com):

They were teachers, students, chemists, writers, and housewives; a singer at the Paris Opera, a midwife, a dental surgeon. They distributed anti-Nazi leaflets, secreted Jews to safety, transported weapons, and conveyed clandestine messages. The youngest was a schoolgirl of fifteen; the eldest, a farmers wife in her sixties.

Eventually, the Gestapo hunted down 230 women active in the French Resistance and imprisoned them in a fort outside Paris. Separated from home and loved ones, these disparate individuals turned to one another, their common experience conquering divisions of age, profession, and class, as they found solace and strength in their deep affection and camaraderie.

In January 1943, they were sent to their final destination: Auschwitz. Only forty-nine would return to France.

A Train in Winter draws on interviews and deep archival research to uncover a dark chapter of history that offers an inspiring portrait of ordinary people, of bravery and survival—and of the remarkable, enduring power of female friendship.

I chose to use the publisher's synopsis because I'll admit I wasn't able to get all the way through this so I wasn't sure what the best way to describe it was. I initially had my review date extended because I had difficulty with time and getting to the book. But I had plenty of time since then and found I just could not maintain interest in the book. Even though the overall story was interesting with this one, I got bogged down with all the details.I found myself confused often because of the number of people described along with all the French names (obviously that's no one's fault!)

The story of the occupation of the French and the various reactions of the people was interesting. However, the real part of the story in the latter portion of the book, the human aspect of this story, was what I was interested in. I had so much difficulty slogging through the beginning, and I had seen other reviews discussing the second portion of the book that eventually I skipped ahead. The writing didn't necessarily change so much, but the story was what I was drawn to. One of the draws, for me, to this book as the aspect of the friendships and human bonds created through such horrifying situations. But relating in that way also made those portions very difficult to read as well.

I do think this book told an important story about a group of women, and I wish I could have gotten more into it. Even with the portions of the book I did get into, however, I didn't feel I could commit fully since I had not fully read every part of the book up to that point (maybe my own issue). Therefore, I do think my fascination of the stories was somewhat hampered. I do think that had I read this at another point in the past year when I had much more brain energy to put into the book, I would have enjoyed it much more so those of you who have the brain energy, you'll probably like A Train in Winter. But if you aren't totally and thoroughly interested in the subject, I might recommend passing on it.

Catch up on the rest of the tour here:

Tuesday, November 8th: Unabridged Chick
Thursday, November 10th: Melody & Words
Friday, November 11th: Elle Lit.
Monday, November 14th: Diary of an Eccentric
Wednesday, November 16th: Among Stories
Wednesday, November 16th: Unabridged Chick - author interview
Thursday, November 17th: Broken Teepee
Friday, November 18th: Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms
Monday, November 21st: Jenny Loves to read
Tuesday, November 22nd: Picky Girl
Monday, November 28th: Reviews by Lola
Tuesday, November 29th: Buried in Print
Wednesday, November 30th: Savvy Verse & Wit
Friday, December 2nd: Wordsmithonia
Friday, December 2nd: Books and Movies

The Book of Holiday Awesome (Giveaway!)

2011-12-01T23:16:00.001-05:00

Title: The Book of Holiday Awesome
Author: Neil Pasricha
Pages: 192
Genre: Entertainment
Publisher: Amy Einhorn (Penguin)
Pub. Date: November 17, 2011

I had been curious about these "Book of Awesome" books since I first saw them around last year. But anyone who knows me knows that a *Holiday* version of the book would be sure to excite me. I'm one of those annoying (to some) cheerful holiday people who absolutely loves everything about this time of the year. I like to go shopping with the crowds and am sad when there's not enough Christmas Shopping Crowd. I look forward to hopping in my car no matter the destination because my car radio is tuned to the 24/7 Christmas station the.entire.christmas.season. and I do NOT get tired of it! Beautiful lights on houses make me happy. Peppermint mocha is not just a treat but pretty much a necessity. Movies like Elf, Love Actually, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, etc. are on constant play... and, in fact, think Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf... okay, not quite that bad but you get the picture. Basically, I could write my own book of holiday awesome. But someone already did so I am here to present one lucky person a copy!

As I think I realized with the last installment of this series, The Book of Even More Awesome, it truly is not the type of book you can plan on reading from beginning to end with a book mark. For me it's more of a pick it up now and then and flip to a random place in the book kind of book. Each page or so has an *awesome* thing with a brief description of that awesomeness. There are actually other holidays represented here, not just "the holidays". Not all the *awesomes* are as great as the next, but overall it's still a pretty fun book. It's a nice book to have out on the coffee table, I think, to peruse during a commercial on tv or for guests to flip through. Different people will, of course, relate to different ones of the awesomes. I don't think I necessarily need the descriptions that follow each thing and would probably prefer a more personal story. But overall this book is fun!

So, I have ONE copy to giveaway to a lucky winner! To enter just fill out the form below. I will choose a winner on Friday, 12/9, so there is enough time to get the book to you before the holidays! (I've included a spot on the form for you to include your favorite holiday *awesome* thing just for fun! Let me know if I can share it and your name/blog title and I will post those here later this month!)
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Another Cover Copy!!!

2011-11-28T22:38:00.001-05:00

Okay, this one is so obvious, especially since both of these are recent books. Other bloggers have to have already commented on this, but since I've been sort of absent, I'm just noticing this.

Really?? I'd be so mad if I were the author! I only noticed this one because I was looking through my wish list on paperbackswap.com and saw Mockingbird on there but knew that the copy of Long Drive Home that I have has the same picture. Crazy!

Sunday Salon: Attack of the Busies

2011-11-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

I had no intentions of basically ignoring the book blogging world for the month of November! I hate that I find myself in this predicament more often lately. It was a combination of things this time. The majority of it was that darn old work again! Ever since I switched to just the one job full time, I have had such a hard time balancing work and life. I've always been great at this type of thing which makes this so frustrating. But it's a completely different type of work situation than I've had before, and it has really thrown me for a loop! Suffice it to say, not only have I not been blogging, I haven't been reading either! I have plans to catch up with work again and will try very hard to stay on top as much as I can, because this being behind thing is NO FUN!! Not only have I not been blogging or reading, but I haven't been commenting much either. Since I pared down the blogs I'm followed a while ago, it isn't sooo bad anymore, but I still have tons of posts to go back and comment on.

Another reason I haven't been reading, however, in the spare moments between work is that I picked up an old hobby of mine that I hadn't done in years. In fact, I realized it was a hobby that I spent a very large amount of time with years ago, but for about 5-6 years I didn't do it much. So when I re-discovered my hobby I became a little obsessed and think I made excuses to watch tons of tv so I could work on it more. (Counted cross-stitch for those wondering, and I am currently working on a Dickensian Christmas Carol kind of thing).

So anyway, back to the reading. I did have to have one blog tour date extended (A Train in Winter). I posted one blog tour this week. And I have a plethora of other books that I've been working on. I just recently finished the short memoir by Mindy Kaling (The Office), am trying to get through a bio on Charles Dickens (though it's likely going to be a DNF), and am periodically flipping through The Book of Holiday Awesome. The thing with reading slumps is that once I start to come back from it, I have no interest in reading any commitment/review books. I want to read only what interests me in the moment, and since I know I have obligations to tend to first, I do what I always do when I feel overwhelmed or anxious: avoid it. So then I read nothing at all. (!!) Guess I better shape up since I just agreed to four more blog tour dates, haha... three of those four are books I have really been wanting to read, so that will help.

So that's that, my monthly "why I'm not here" post. No exciting news in my life or anything like that. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is anticipating the rest of the holiday season as much as I am!!

People Tell Me Things

2011-11-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Title: People Tell Me Things
Author: David Finkle
Pages:258
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Publisher: Nthposition Press
Pub. Date: November 1, 2011

The discussion of me possibly reviewing this book involved its New York City element so I thought it would be a fun book to review. People Tell Me Things is a collection of fictional short stories told in first person by one narrator. (I need to edit this to state that it is actually not supposed to be one person, but it really felt like it throughout the reading). The concept behind the stories is that the author, David Finkle, is experienced in dealing with the artsy crowd of NYC (artists, writers, musicians, etc.). The narrator of the stories does, as well, and shares his experiences and his observations as the confidante. I was amused by some stories, but overall I felt fairly indifferent.

There was one main thing preventing me from enjoying the book, and I noticed that once that was resolved, I enjoyed the stories immensely better. I almost re-started the book at that point (but ultimately chose not to). For some reason, maybe because it's narrated in first person, I kept thinking this book was non-fiction. Actually, it was something about the narration. I felt frustrated because the character wrote as though the reader would understand the references he made and, of course, I didn't (I know now because it was fictional). But I actually spent time googling these people because I thought, wow if they are real people, this author is just calling them out! Driving the bus all over town over all his friends! Some of the references were real life people, such as the photographer in one of the stories, but none of the other seemed to be (at least, not outright). Anyway, I finally made the realization that all these stories were fictional, and this allowed me to connect to the narrator better.

So then what I ended up liking about the stories were that they were conversational. Although I didn't always understand the purpose of the story or the "message" that short stories often try to get across, I did feel that each individual story had a momentum to it that interested me enough to continue reading and to figure out what the end was going to be. It was almost like when someone is telling you a joke and even if you don't get it right away, you wait to hear what the punchline is. They didn't all have a "punchline" that I appreciated as much, though the storytelling was sometimes funny. One of the ones I initially found the funny was one where a man makes a seemingly innocuous comment that his friends end up ribbing him forever about - to the point where it became harassment.

Although there were some stories I liked better than others and the stories had some good elements, I wasn't taken with the book overall. I would recommend it to someone who specifically enjoys short stories and enjoys a little bit of eccentricity.

Follow the rest of the tour:

Monday, November 7th: Books Distilled
Wednesday, November 9th: The Broke and the Bookish
Monday, November 14th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Tuesday, November 15th: Life in Review
Friday, November 18th: A Bookish Affair
Monday, November 21st: Dolce Bellezza
Wednesday, November 23rd: Take Me Away
Monday, November 28th: Literature and a Lens
Wednesday, November 30th: Unabridged Chick
Thursday, Dec. 1st: Sarah Reads Too Much

The Buddha in the Attic

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

Title: The Buddha in the Attic
Author: Julie Otsuka
Pages: 144
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday (Random House)
Pub. Date: August 23, 2011

I was excited to read this because of all the rave reviews I had seen around. Then it made the list of finalists of the national book award, and since I was already interested in reading this I went ahead and picked it up. Apparently, Otsuka is the author of well-received book, When the Emperor was Divine, which I haven't read. A lot of what I have read about these two books say that book and this book are similar, though I don't know if it's just the content or the style so I can't compare.

The Buddha in the Attic tells the story of a group of Japanese women who come the United States just before the second world war. The women are mail order brides on the way to meet their husbands and live the "American Dream". Unfortunately, life doesn't turn out the way they dreamed. They talk about the first nights with their husbands, who, by the way, are nothing like what they advertised. They talk about working for and interaction with white people. They discuss having children and the ways in which their children grow up, taking on the American culture. And then they talk about the ways in which they and other Japanese persons are forced out of their homes and communities.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was beautiful and the content was so human, authentic, and insightful. Otsuka told a story about a group of women that all other women, regardless of race or ethnicity, can relate to in one way or another. One of the things I really loved about this book is also the same thing that might turn off a lot of others. The story was narrated in first person plural form. This method provided a unique but very effective way to tell the story and get the messages across. But I'll admit it wore on me every once in a while. I think some readers who prefer more traditional novels might not like this. But it was otherwise a great way to tell the story about a group of people that really applied to the group as a whole rather than being that different for each individual. It's a short book that makes quite an impact in it's few pages.

I definitely recommend The Buddha in the Attic and I hope to get to Otsuka's first book one of these days.

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-04:00

October in Review

Happy Halloween!! Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween parties and your children have fun with their trick-or-treating. I'm not actually a big Halloween person. I've had fun with it in the past, but really what I look forward to is the day after Halloween when it is officially November which makes it officially... "the holidays"!

Anyway, I didn't read quite the collection of scary books I meant to this month, but no biggie because I've been reading some other good books. Here is what I reviewed this week:

The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Morning Glories, Vol. 1 by Nick Spencer
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

I also talked about being a wuss and about having accidental DNFs.
I'm getting a little behind on reviews but hope to have up soon both The Buddha in the Attic and Lightning People.

I'm incredibly looking forward to November and December! Hope everyone else has a great November of reading!

When She Woke

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

Title: When She Woke
Author: Hillary Jordan
Pages: 352
Genre: Fiction, Dystopian
Publisher: Algonquin Books (Workman Publishing(
Pub. Date: October 4, 2011

This was one of those books I hadn't necessarily planned on reading right away, but I thought I would read a few pages and then I became totally absorbed in the unique story. When She Woke is inspired by The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and actually liked it, but I really don't remember it enough to make many comparisons between that and this. However, I do feel that despite being inspired by it, When She Woke is definitely something different and unique in its own right.

I don't recall it specifying when, but this book takes place sometime in the future. The U.S. has created a system where only the worst of the worst criminals stay in jail. Instead, others are sentenced to "melachroming" for a certain amount of time in which their entire bodies are turned an entirely different color. The different colors represent different crimes - killers are red, misdemeanor type crimes are blue, drug related offenses yellow, more serious drug related crimes orange, and child molesters are purple. (It's been a little bit since I read this so I could be slightly off). However, the government is also theocratic so crimes are also judged from a religious perspective. Hence, Hannah Payne is sentenced to melachroming (red) for 13 years after she has an abortion. Not only does she have an abortion, but she refuses to name the father of the child. As you might imagine, melachromed individuals, although free, have to deal with a prejudice so intense that they'd probably be better off in jail anyway.

Hannah first spends 30 days in a sort of jail that also doubles as a reality show for the public. That's part of the punishment, although the book doesn't really go into any background information about that. Afterwards, Hannah ends up in a very scary home run by hypocritically religious zealots. She's treated like a prisoner there and has to attend daily sessions of "enlightenment". This part was incredibly creepy and offensive. My thought while reading this was that I would NOT recommend this book to someone who did have an abortion; I imagine that the things purported by some of the characters in the book, specifically during "enlightenment", would be difficult for someone who had this experience to read; it was awful! Whenever Hannah has a reason to think she might be free, something else happens to teach her more about being prejudiced against. She faces constant stares and rebukes by the general population, is refused services at various stores and restaurants, faces physical and sexual attack by others, and is pursued by a violent vigilante group who seeks out melachromed individuals to kill.

The plot continuously moved forward and I was fascinated in learning more about this world so those two things kept me turning the pages. I am not typically into the dystopian genre and I thought this one had the right amount of dystopia mixed with the right amount of contemporary storyline to keep a reader of more mainstream fiction interested. The main draw, I think, with When She Woke was the discussions that could be generated from various aspects of the story. For instance, not only is the government theocratic in nature, but Hannah comes from a type of evangelical religious family. Her mother disowns her for having the abortion, and her sister's husband refuses to allow the two contact. So various issues about religion were brought up. Also, should people who have been committed crimes (I'm NOT talking Hannah but the other actual criminals) be allowed to be free as long as they are very clearly identified as such? And if you do have strong beliefs about any specific morals, what is the best way to teach others about them? And, of course, for those willing to go there, what constitutes a crime in the first place? Just some very interesting things to talk about. Real dystopian lovers might be disappointed at the lack of explanation beneath much of the world building (just based on what I've read other people say in their reviews of dystopians). For me, this book was more about the world itself and the philosophical questions it generated. Race and religion, prejudice and government... it's all there!

The Plight of the Accidental DNFs...

2011-10-20T21:55:00.000-04:00

If you're the type of reader that doesn't waste time slogging through books that just aren't interesting to you, then you're familiar with the purposeful DNFs (did-not-finish). But I noticed that over time I've started to experience the plight of accidental DNFs. These are books that I'm reading and am typically enjoying (though not always but still plan on reading through to the end) that I end up setting aside for a minute. And then I don't pick them back up! Maybe for a week or two I'll assure myself that I'm returning right back to it, but weeks, months, and sometimes YEARS later, I realize I never did. I'm sure this happens for various reasons. Possibly as a result of Book ADD, as Trisha puts it or just the pressure of reading other books in general. Here are a random smattering of books that I never finished for almost no good reason!!

The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons
This was the first purchase I made on my nook almost two years ago. I was really enjoying it when I did get to a slower part that made me put it down for a minute. Plus, at 752 pages I figured I should take a break and read something smaller or less focused on such a singular topic. This sat on my nook untouched for probably a year and a half until my husband decided to read it.

Dracula by Bram Stoker
I just talked about this one not too long ago. Although I had every intention of continuing through anyway, I haven't had the desire to pick it back up because it's actually quite boring. I'm almost halfway through. Does it get better? My husband, who was reading this at the same time as me, who is usually good at finishing books anyway, has also not gotten very far and has resorted to other books instead.

The Passage by Justin Cronin
I didn't mean to mention my husband really at all in this post, but he applies to all three books so far! This one is out of my preferred genre, but I heard such AMAZING things so he and I planned on reading this one together. I really enjoyed part 1. My hubby finished this book. I never got any further. To me the rest was "meh". I wanted to finish so we could discuss, and to this day he'll bring up that I never followed through with this and he has things he wants to talk to me about. I'm thinking maybe it's some of these longer books that I just get bored with. Or maybe I feel overwhelmed at the enormity of it, because I really did not get far at all.

The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
I started reading this one earlier this year not too long after it came out. It was pretty interesting for a while. I was horrified at the section that talked about the people who believed in the various conspiracy theories. Then it slowed down and I thought I'd fit in a fiction. And that was the end of that! (This one is actually sitting next to my reading chair with a bookmark still in it, just awaiting my return).

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
I had lots of review books and commitments to attend to when I happened to pick this one up during an innocent trip to the bookstore. After reading in the store I knew I had to take it home. And although I loved what I was reading and was super excited in anticipation of the famed power point chapter, I had to put it aside for other reading commitments. And even though I feel excited about this book, and I've heard such great things, it's like I moved forward in my reading momentum and I dropped this one way back and can't go back to pick it up! I WILL for sure though. This one is a must read for sure.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
This is another that falls into the category of I was really enjoying it and everyone says it's great yet somehow I forgot about it and it sits unfinished. This one I started in October of 2010 on my nook while on vacation visiting my brother-in-law in Raleigh. I specifically remember this one being featured in some newsletter or ad about indie picks. I bought it on my nook, and I don't even remember at this point what happened to make me stop reading! Will also return to this one day for sure.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
I had to know what all the hype was about. I actually started this one as well in October of 2010 on my nook while visiting the brother-in-law. Then I didn't read it again for at least a couple months. Then around January I really made a lot of headway in it. This one was a conundrum for me... I did enjoy the character driven aspect of this, although I also felt the overly pretentiousness of it. The characters were just too much... don't know what else to say about them, and I felt like asking why I should care about them. Nevertheless, I never meant for this to be a DNF. In fact, I invested too much in this one for that.... I haven't read it in close to a year, but it's possible I might return to this one.

Body and Soul by Frank Conroy
I bought this for my mother for her birthday maybe two years ago. She had been really into piano playing at the time and wanted to read a book that featured that. I did some research and found this one with rave reviews. My mom said she really enjoyed and might re-read it one day (which is rare for her) so I thought I'd love it. I actually was enjoying this too but it got a little slow, I put it down to read something else for a little, and well... by this point I'm sure you know what happened. This one is actually sitting on top of The Eleventh Day also awaiting my return. I actually do hope to finish this one as well.

Well, that's just a smattering... I only meant to include a few books but then I kept thinking of more. And I'm sure as soon as I hit publish more will come flooding into my memory. Am I the only one who does this? Is it really that weird to take a year or two to finish a book?? (Actually I'm laughing about that because it has to be weird). But am I the only one?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-10-16T23:23:00.000-04:00

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Pages: 348
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pub. Date: June 7, 2011

I have to admit that despite the reviews I read, I don't think I quite understood what I was getting into when I started reading about these peculiar children. Overall I guess I'd say this was okay, and I could see how some people loved it. I didn't love it as I hoped I would, but thought it was fun. It was slightly creepy, and not just in the obvious way. The main issue is I did not realize how much supernatural or fantasy elements were involved. Or maybe it wasn't so much fantasy but time travel type of stuff. Definitely not realistic which is what I expected for whatever harebrained reason.

Now that Jacob is a teenager he realizes that a lot of his grandfather's stories about his own childhood can't be real. His grandfather told stories about monsters that were out to get him, about peculiar children who lived in a home he stayed in. He tells stories about a girl who could levitate, a boy who was invisible, a boy with incredible strength (who could lift a boulder), and many others. Upon the grandfather's sudden death, he leaves Jacob with mysterious last words that Jacob has no clue what to do with. Jacob has a very difficult time dealing with his grandfather's death and eventually starts seeing a psychiatrist to help him. Eventually Jacob convinces his parents to let him go on a trip to Wales to check out the home his grandfather grew up in. What he finds, instead, is a decrepit, battered old home that couldn't possibly still house anyone. And the town itself is very isolated and sparse. It's a weird place, for sure, and only gets weirder as Jacob realizes the peculiar children DO exist, STILL, and that his grandfather's stories may not only have been true, but that they certainly didn't tell the whole story.

The plot takes an adventurous turn about three quarters of the way through the book. I could see where that was fun, but that was also the most unrealistic. The book was neat in that it interspersed actual photographs throughout the book (like the creepy one on the cover). The author noted that all the photos were originals, though some were slightly altered. Although it was interesting to see the pictures, I felt like sometimes the story behind them was contrived just so that the picture could be included. The picture on the cover is so intriguing to me, but don't be mistaken like I was and think she's the main character. I was confused for a little bit because the main female character is actually a teenager and picturing her as a little girl doesn't make sense!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was surely a peculiar read, and I can say that I really liked all the characters. I liked the way it rounded out and created sort of a final resolution for Jacob in terms of his grandfather. Those who grew up with grandparents and enjoyed learning about their histories may enjoy that aspect of the book. I didn't have that experience but was still able to appreciate it in the characters. I did enjoy this book. The quirkiness and fantasy aspect of it is probably something I may have liked more when I was a kid, though. I'd still recommend this if you're looking for something different!

The Sunday Salon

2011-10-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a Sunday Salon in a while. I've come to the conclusion that my reading and blogging habits are just going to have to be different than they were in the past. And I'm okay with that. I may not have a book review up every 3-4 days like I used to aim for, but I'm back to posting fairly regularly and hope to increase it slightly. I had initially planned on spending all day Saturday doing some reading and catching up on reviews and blogging. But then what started as an innocent trip to the mall to get out of the house turned into us waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours to upgrade husband to the iPhone 4s (and I didn't have a book with me). We hadn't planned on getting that right away. Even when we started standing in line we weren't nearly aware of how long we'd be waiting in line. Ah well, we actually ended up having great conversations with each other while waiting in line - something we're often too busy to do much of when we're at home. But hopefully I can catch up on reviews soon because I'm actually a few books behind!

I had started reading Dracula maybe a week ago. At first I was really enjoying it and anticipating where it might go, but now I'm with Marce... it's not gripping me either. Maybe when it was published in 1897 it was spookier. For now it's fairly dull. But I hear it's fantastic so I will get back to it eventually. In the meantime, I started reading When She Woke which was sent to me by Kari. I hadn't necessarily planned on reading it right away, but I decided to read the first page or two and then didn't stop! It's inspired by The Scarlet Letter but still incredibly different and has LOTS to talk about. I finished it last night and am excited to discuss that one soon!

I am excited about the National Book Award finalists that were announced last week. Usually I haven't read any of the finalists and sometimes haven't heard of them. This time I already read one and had already planned on reading two of the remaining four on the list. So I'm excited about that and am thinking I'll do that soon.

The Tiger's Wife is the one I already read. Great writing but I didn't care for the story. The Buddha in the Attic I actually started yesterday and am seeing why it was chosen as a finalist. The writing style is interesting, though I hope it doesn't wear on me by the end of the book. I had also wanted to read Salvage the Bones based on the reviews by Heather, Heather, and Audra. I hear that one's a tough one emotionally, though, so we'll see if I really end up getting to/through it!

I've got a busy week ahead of me including testifying in court on a case from my last job. I'm already looking forward to next weekend!

Morning Glories, Vol. 1

2011-10-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Morning Glories, Vol. 1 (Issues 1-6)
Subtitle: For a Better Future
Author: Nick Spencer
Illustrations: Joe Eisma
Genre: Graphic Novel; Thriller
Publisher: Shadowline (Image Comics)
Pub. Date: November 16, 2010

I picked this graphic novel up a while ago and sort of forgot about it until my husband took it off the shelf recently. It's considered a thriller and fit the theme of this month well. I don't read graphic novels that often, but I have to say I enjoyed this one and definitely plan on reading the rest of the series. In fact, I'll probably read the single issues and get caught up before they print them together as a novel. This is the first volume that includes issues 1-6, though I saw that a new book is being published this December with issues 1-12.

Morning Glory Academy is a renowned boarding school. We're introduced to six teens who are chosen to attend the prestigious school. Casey, the blonde girl at the center of the cover, comes from Chicago and is a whiz at physics and is highly motivated. (Why do I feel like I'm writing a teacher's progress note, haha). Ike is from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and left behind a tense relationship with his cold mother. He seems a little antisocial/psychopathological. Then there's Zoe from San Diego, a diva leaving behind a bevy of boys. From Toronto there's Hunter, a sweet and innocent kid with an emotionally absent father. Jade is the "emo" girl from Des Moines whose small town family can't understand why she'd want to leave their town. And then there's Jun, the mysterious Asian kid whose family and background we don't know anything about.

The craziness of the school starts immediately, exposed both to the reader and even the characters. I don't want to spoil too much and I'm afraid that saying anything about what happens would spoil it. But everyone quickly learns the school is not what they thought, and there are reasons why each of them specifically was chosen to attend. It's as though once they are there, they're trapped and there is no communication with the outside world. Something extreme happens with Casey that leads her to take charge of the group, as she tries to organize a revolt against the authority figures. The school staff is in on all the hidden creepiness and have crazy powers. The things going on at the school are creepy and sinister and totally mysterious. Morning Glories has been compared to Lost, so just imagine the complete WTF-ery. Lots of crazy and lots of action. I'll admit the last issue bound in this book confused me... and it definitely leaves off in the middle of the story, but keep in mind this is just issues 1-6 and there are many more to come! I love the artwork as well. It's rich and colorful. Detailed enough but simple at the same time. Just the way I like it.

I recommend this book if you are into graphic novels or if the thought of a thriller about a crazy and mysterious boarding school interests you!

I'm a Wuss!

2011-10-08T23:49:00.001-04:00

Or let me tell you about my latest DNF...

As a teen, and even into my college years, I loved horror movies. The scarier the better! Oh the memories of curling up under the covers at sleepovers to watch The Exorcist, or It, or The Shining. And even younger than that I couldn't get enough of R.L. Stine's Super Thrillers. And remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Loved those when I was a kid!! One of my favorite shows when I was young was SNICK'S (Saturday Night Nickelodeon) Are You Afraid of the Dark? And as recently as the Saw movies and the most recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, I continued to be addicted. I could go on.

But then somewhere along the lines, I guess in the last few years, I became an incredible wuss. While I can still enjoy some movies like the traditional Halloween, I no longer jump to see the latest horror movie whenever I see a preview. In fact, it's not uncommon for me to turn away from the tv when a preview comes on.

Even though I didn't specifically join any reading challenges, I thought I would still read some spookier reads in the spirit of October. Two years ago when I joined the R.I.P Challenge one of the books I chose was Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant. I was really excited about reading it but I never got around to it so I was sure I would do it this year.

Well, it turned into a DNF for me after maybe 25 pages.. but not because it wasn't good. Because I am a WUSS! And during the reading of those 25 pages, I must have asked my husband at least 3 times if I should continue. The premise is that Booker prize winning author, Dermot Nolan, is past his deadline for his newest book and has yet to write a page because of a really bad bout of writer's block. Then this mysterious man leaves a horror story manuscript in his mailbox. Dermot thinks it's ridiculous but his wife keeps telling him to read it. Clearly, I didn't get very far. But in the 25 or so pages, I read some of what I assume was in the manuscript. Along with the narrative about Dermot and his wife, another story is being told of innocent people who log into a website, worstnightmares.com (I don't know if it's real and I'm not looking), to document their worst nightmares. The "dream healer" is on the other end listening to their worst nightmares and then kills each of these people via... their.worst.nightmares. So what's your biggest fear? Whatever it is don't tell the dream healer! So I assume that the stories of these people being killed is what Dermot is reading in the manuscript. What I think the rest of the book is about is that Dermot ends up using the manuscript pretty much as his own but learns that the things in the book really did happen.

Now, writing that description I still feel like it sounds so good and I want to read it! But maybe it's just this specific topic but I couldn't do it. I read about maybe 3 people already at that point who had documented their worst nightmares. And the book is graphic and tells me exactly what is happening. Gave me the heebie-jeebies! Maybe it's that angle and the gore of it (although I'm sure that compared to many books it really isn't that gory) that scared me from reading on. In a way it sort of reminded me of the Final Destination movies which I liked when the first one came out but those quickly fell off my list of movies to watch because they were so morbid and awful.

So all that being said, it seems like a good enough book and still had my interest when I stopped reading it, but I just couldn't go on because I apparently have become very picky about scary books! My husband still wants to read it so I'm holding on to it. In the meantime, I've moved on to other fairly spooky but much more neutral books! Although I am attempting a foray into Dracula later this month... I hear that's pretty scary as well. Wish me luck!

The Interpretation of Murder

2011-10-06T00:05:00.001-04:00

Title: The Interpretation of Murder
Author: Jed Rubenfeld
Pages: 450
Genre: Historical fiction; mystery, 1900's NYC
Publisher: Picador (Henry Holt & Co.)
Pub. Date: May 8, 2007

Author Jed Rubenfeld (who happens to be husband of the infamous Tiger Mom, Amy Chua) wrote his senior thesis at Princeton on Sigmund Freud and studied Shakespeare at Julliard. (This is all per the author bio in the book). In The Interpretation of Murder, Rubenfeld mixes these two topics to create a 1900's murder mystery in New York City revolving around a real life mystery involving Freud. Apparently, in 1909, Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis and its theory of oedipal complexes, spent a week in America. He never returned, and he henceforth referred to Americans as savages and criminals. Rubenfeld imagines what could have occurred and mixes fact and fiction into an atmospheric tale of murder and psychoanalysis.

On the day that Freud arrives in America along with his colleagues Carl Jung and Sandor Ferenczi, a woman is murdered at the Balmoral hotel in Manhattan. Not long after, another young woman, Nora Acton, is attacked in a similar manner but manages to survive. But her loss of voice and momentary amnesia prevents her from telling who the attacker was. The narrator, Stratham Younger, an American follower of Freud takes on Ms. Acton as a psychoanalytic patient so he can cure her "hysteria" to ultimately help solve the muder.

There really was a lot that went into this book, and I can really appreciate that.. Despite having to study Freud, Jung, and Ferenczi to some extent in school, I really don't know much about them. Knowing who they are and what they were about but not knowing so many other details made the reading slightly frustrating only because I didn't know what was fiction and what wasn't. I suppose it's not really any different than any other historical fiction, but maybe other books that are placed further back in history and who are so much further removed from my knowledge don't matter as much to me. I don't know. But anyway, it was neat to read about the psychoanalysts' view on the events that occurred in the book. Apparently, the character of Nora is based on the actual case study of a client Freud called Dora. The psychoanalysis provided for Nora in the book is actually that of the one Freud really did on Dora... and it's out there! Thanks goodness we have come further than that in the mental health field!

The mystery kept me involved throughout the book but then it became a little confusing for me in the end. There was a "feel" to this story that I don't know what to call. There must be a word or genre to describe it... you know the movie, Clue? It had that feel to me where each of the characters had their own little quirks. There were many characters all sort of running about in the story. And at the end when the mystery is solved, it's incredibly long and complex and the few characters involved basically explain how the whole thing went down. I don't actually prefer mystery novels like that, so the only other gripes I had with this book would be related to that.

Otherwise, I was definitely intrigued by the characters, and I liked the way Rubenfeld incorporated the analysis of Hamlet as well. In many ways, though this was an entertaining mystery, it was also a thought provoking book. I'm so glad the author included a lengthy author's note at the end to explain what, in fact, was truth and not. He also provided follow up information regarding the characters in the book. In addition to the psychoanalysts, many of the other characters were real as well!

Overall, there were things I liked and didn't like about the book so it gets an okay rating from me in terms of story. In terms of writing and research done by author, it was fantastic.

September in Review

2011-10-01T12:22:00.002-04:00

September in Review

I don't know, is that what September is supposed to look like? Or is it more October? I have no clue since here the picture would be the same as my review last month (for July and August). I haven't been outside yet this morning but I hear we're having a cold front.... the high is only 84. I'm not joking!

This month I reviewed the following:

I wrote a post on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, a post about Bookish Mindfulness & Memories (such a good way for me to keep my sanity and peace) and joined in on Top Ten Tuesday to talk about the books I'd love to re-read. (Most of the time I can't think of enough books to list 10 for any given topic, but this time I keep thinking of more I'd like to re-read, haha!)

The winner of the Ivan and Misha giveaway is....

nfmgirl of Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World!

I really don't have a whole lot to say about this month. One of these days coming up I'll post a picture of my new reading room!

Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

2011-09-27T08:59:00.005-04:00

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's topic is the Top 10 Books I want to reread. I'm actually one of those people who could probably subsist on just a select few books that I read over and over, so I'm definitely a proponent of rereading! But of course, I do like new books as well and there are just so many to read that I actually don't reread as often as I'd like.

With the exception of the top three being the top three I'd like to reread (in random order), these are in no particular order:

1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- I plan on rereading this around Christmas time. It's one of those feel good books that I think goes well with the season.

2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- I adored this book. I'm definitely going to reread it before the movie in November (oh wait, I JUST realized how really soon that is!) But I can tell you I am extremely & incredibly anxious about this being turned into a movie because I love it just the way it is. I wonder if my reread will be my last read... depends on how I see it after the movie. (I will say I think the movie will be good on its own and it has good actors, but I just liked the book so much!)

3. Girl in Translation -- Another one I adored. I can't reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and not read Girl in Translation. Can't wait to go back and read about these characters again!

4. Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters ~~Trilogy~~ Series #1) -- This one might surprise you because it's out of my typical genre, but I probably read this at least three times before I ever even started blogging. It used to be a trilogy, but I guess now there is a fourth one... LOL. I read the second one but never got further than that. If you love magical books with a love story, you'll love this too.

5. If You Follow Me -- This wasn't well-received by all the bloggers who read it, but it seems like those who liked it loved it! Just looking at the cover of this one makes me think back to when I read it and how much I liked it.

6. The Housekeeper and the Professor -- Beautiful

7. I Know This Much Is True -- It's been a long time since I read this one so I don't remember the details at all. But I remember that I also adored this book and felt that it's 900+ pages flew by!

8. The Count of Monte Cristo -- It's been a while since I read this one too, but it was fantastic!

9. Gone with the Wind -- I haven't read this in years and years, and it's been almost as long since I saws the movie. I grew up with this being watched/read frequently as my mother is a HUGE fan and I miss it!

10. The Weird Sisters -- I just read this one this year but look forward to revisiting these characters and the writing!

Bookish Mindfulness & Memories

2011-09-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about mindfulness lately. Really in the grand scheme of things, my knowledge of mindfulness is just pebbles in a valley of rocks and boulders. But the little I understand is of interest to me, especially as it pertains to slowing down the mind and body and reducing anxieties. I'm seeing various foci in terms of mindfulness but in general it's a concentrated awareness of oneself at any given moment. It's the awareness of all of your senses in that moment (what do you see? hear? feel?) and can be used as an exercise to transport yourself to a place of peace when you're feeling not so (at peace). Similar to meditation, I think, which I also would like to learn more about.

They say reading isn't necessarily a form of mindfulness, but it can be if the focus is not on content but experience. And I imagine that for bloggers and other book lovers that the experience might be more mindful. Where are you when you're reading? Are you in a cushy chair or cuddled up with pillows? Or are you outside with the sun warming your shoulders? Or maybe you're sitting in the car in a parking lot, knees bent to bring your legs up in front of you turning the driver's seat into a makeshift reading chair (as I am often wont to do in between clients' homes). What does the book feel like? A lot of books I've read lately have different types of textures on the covers. Some feel almost like a suede (ah, it's hard to describe), whereas others are more glossy. What are the pages like? Are they thick or thin? Neatly cut or deckle edged? And the smell. Most readers I know love the smell of books. Is it a new book smell or is it just a little bit musty? One of my special requests when trading books online is that books do not come from a smoking home or otherwise smell like smoke, as it can literally ruin the experience for me of reading that book (truly no offense intended to smokers!) And what about the font? Is it large or small? Is there anything special about it? Are there curlicues as decoration on the pages? Sometimes I'll notice a special design at the beginning of chapters like a shaded box over the chapter name or maybe just a pretty design at the top of that page. And how are you feeling? Are your muscles tense or do you feel relaxed, at ease? Are you breathing fully or could you maybe slow it down a little to calm yourself a little more?

Those are just some examples of being in the moment when reading.But I've also found that I am able to create specific memories from reading. Maybe not all books, but some where there has maybe been something special about that experience. And maybe this isn't considered mindfulness per se, but I think there are similarities in its astractness. You know how when a specific song comes on the radio, it can transport you to a time and place far passed? That's how I feel with some of the books I've read. For instance, I have the book Room by Emma Donaghue on my shelf. It's an ARC signed by Ms. Donaghue at BEA in May of 2010. That right there can invoke those memories. But the main memory I have is of the last morning in New York City reading that book while standing and waiting for the Subway. The experience of reading that book is forever mingled with that specific memory - a memory to which I a happy to be transported. I actually have another New York City subway book memory (from a different NYC trip this past December) and that is of reading Daniel Palmer's Delirious while standing on the subway. I love how in the city you can be surrounded by a crowd and still be all alone in your own place. More memories: I remember reading Wench while sitting in my car one evening in a church parking lot in Orlando while waiting to meet my husband for a basketball game at the nearby arena. When I think of that specific experience, I feel an incredible peace and happiness. My husband and I have partial season tickets to see our favorite NBA team and going to those games is such an (ironically) relaxing escape from the rest of the world. And I am able to specifically tie that feeling in with reading that specific book.

I have a memory of reading Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult not long after finishing my undergraduate degree. I specifically recall lying on the couch with my legs over the arm of the couch and feeling a wonderful freedom I hadn't felt in a long time, knowing there wasn't any homework I needed to do and that I could invest all my thought into just being in the moment. Of course, I have to wonder how much of this memory is fabricated by me or twisted in some way because according to my lists, I didn't read this book until 2006 and I graduated from college in the spring of 2005. Interesting conundrum! Maybe my memory isn't quite accurate, but hey it's a peaceful one and that works!I remember last Christmas morning choosing from my stack of new books and cracking open Zeitoun. That one was different because it was a dust-jacket-less hardcover. But there was definitely a joy and piece I felt on that day as I read. I have a couple that correlate to being away for work which would have otherwise been a frustrating experience for me (as I dislike work-related travel). I read True Colors by Kristin Hannah in my hotel room on the frequent 15 minute breaks that the training, held in the hotel, gave us. Even though I disliked being away from home, that was a peaceful experience. Or the time I had to travel to North Carolina to testify in a trial for work. I was reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver on my nook. While I don't have these kinds of memories for every book I've read, considering I've read over a few hundred in the past five years alone, I can come up with quite a few examples.This just goes to show that reading, especially for those who already have a love for it, can be an experience, in and of itself, separate from the emotions generated by the actual content of the book. I have to say I love that about books, especially considering that, for me, they are often an escape, a means to "take me away" from the stressors of daily life. And I haven't even mentioned the peace I feel at walking through a bookstore, preferably with a coffee drink in hand. I do that once or twice a week regardless of if I want to buy anything. The peacefulness helps keep me sane! (Kudos to anyone who can tell me what bookstore this picture is of!.. Click on the picture to enlarge.)

So what are your bookish mindfulness memories??

So Near

2011-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: So Near
Author: Liza Gyllenhaal
Pages: 311
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: NAL-New American Library (Penguin)
Pub. Date: September 6, 2011

When I was a case worker (in child welfare), I transported children in my car all the time. I will never forget the first time I had to put a car seat in my car and the absurdity I found in that I was expected to figure it out on my own. I had no children for which I'd have been given experience. And I remember the looks on the other girls' faces as they scoffed at my unknowing. Ironic that in a child welfare agency I was tasked with doing, on my own, what new mothers are encouraged to learn from safety classes at the local fire stations. One of the girls did resign to helping me. Anyway, (I know you're wondering what this has to do with So Near), this situation is one I couldn't help but think of several times through the course of this story....

Jenny and Cal are parents to two-year-old Betsy and life is pretty good. Cal and his brother, Kurt, own a construction company, Horigan Builders, that (though it wasn't specified, I believe) works hand-in-hand with their father's business, Horigan Lumber and Hardware. Business isn't doing quite as well due to the downed economy, but the Horigan's have a lot of support. Then one day, driving home after a Horigan's vs. Horigan's baseball game, Cal's jeep overturns and Betsy is thrown from the car and is killed. Jenny and Cal's marriage, then, is ultimately affected as they each grieve in their own ways; but they also each have a secret, one in which they each take the blame and feel an overwhelming guilt, as they each believe they are the cause of their child's death.

So Near is told in first person but alternates between Jenny and Cal's points of views. This format worked well for this story because it gives the reader an all-knowing perspective that is necessary to one of the underlying concepts. So Near is about how a marriage can fall apart based on simple miscommunications. In seeing both Jenny's and Cal's points of view (often the same situation from both sides), we can literally see the mistakes being made. It's akin to being a marriage counselor working with a couple and seeing the big picture that the couple can't. It had me crying out for them because despite the magnitude of the tragedy they were enduring, the potential demise of their marriage was truly based on such simple concepts. And much of the source of their miscommunication was the guilt they each felt about the accident for which neither wanted to admit to the other.

So they each handle their grief separately. However, while Jenny does by focusing on her gardening, Cal does so by taking on Gannon Baby Products, the manufacturer of the car seat Betsy had been in. He hopes that a lawsuit against them will maybe prevent any future accidents, if not make them pay for being what could be the cause of Betsy's death. I loved how Gyllenhaal was able to portray the emotions Jenny and Cal went through. While not everyone has experienced this specific situation, emotions are universal. I loved the following quote because it demonstrates the need people have to externalize their difficult feelings. Here is when Cal is first talking with the lawyer who will help him file the suit:

"I slumped back in my chair. My heart was racing. Yes! I thought. It was as though Lester had been able to put shape and meaning to the anger and confusion that I'd been living with these past three months." (p. 116)

In the meantime, Jenny imagines she sees Betsy everywhere but explains how this is not the strangeness in her life but, rather, the other way around:

"It wasn't the first time I imagined I saw Betsy. Though it's more sensing her presence than actually seeing her. These visitations never feel scary or crazy to me. For the brief seconds that I know she's there -- reaching out for me -- everything actually feels right again. Normal. It's the rest of my life that seems so out of kilter. It's as though I exist in a constant state of vertigo." (p. 127)

And one more of Jenny describing the totality of the grief she has felt in her life:

"Sometimes, oddly, I find myself confusing my memories of Betsy -- or more my sense of loss and longing -- with those that I have of my mother. As if all tears trickle down into a single pool eventually -- and all great sadness becomes one. " (p. 132)

Because of their grief and inability to communicate with each other, and also because of the secret guilt they each feel, Jenny and Cal make some bad decisions. Their decisions saddened me, and I know some readers will not like that part. I did wonder if parts of the ending and Jenny's and Cal's reactions to their behaviors were a little too pat, but I could see that part being justified as well.

After writing most of this review, I realize I didn't get much into the car seat issue, after all. But that is also integral to the story. Was or was not the car seat at fault for Betsy's death? I think in some ways this becomes the focus for Cal because, as alluded to in the earlier quote, we often need something to define a situation or make a tragedy purposeful.

Although So Near was a book about a tragedy and the enduring grief related to it, (as well as actually some other family dynamics which I didn't mention here), for me the overarching message was about the marriage and how easily miscommunication can spiral. You'll probably have moments, like I did, of wanting to shout, "Just tell him/her what you're thinking and everything will be okay!" And hopefully everyone can take something away from that for their own marriages and relationships.

The Cradle in the Grave

2011-09-14T00:08:00.003-04:00

Title: The Cradle in the Grave
Author: Sophie Hannah
Pages: 456
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Penguin
Pub. Date: August 30, 2011

This is the second book of Sophie Hannah's that I've read, and I am truly thrilled to have found Hannah's books. Just as with The Wrong Mother, my first Hannah book, The Cradle in the Grave involved an intricate, gripping plot combined with literary elements and some controversial topics.

The Cradle in the Grave tells the story of three women whose children passed away for unexplained reasons. Some call it "crib death" or SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), while others say the mothers murdered them. Two of the mothers are initially found guilty and later acquitted on appeal, and the other mother is found not guilty from the get-go. Fliss Benson, originally somewhat of a peon in the production company, Binary Star, is suddenly tasked with taking over production of the documentary on these "crib death murders". Then, Helen Yardley, one of the wrongly accused mothers is killed. Fliss, meanwhile, receives a card in the mail with 16 numbers on it (4 rows of 4); it just so happens that the murdered woman is found with one on her as well. So while Fliss tries to continue with the documentary and find out the truth about Helen's murder, document the history of the children's crib deaths, and possibly find out what really happened to the children (all while hoping she's not next), the entire local police station band together to solve the murder of the famed mother. Oh, and there's also the expert witness doctor who testified against all these mothers who is now being investigated and will likely lose her license.

First, let me say this book is apparently party of a series... I think. The detectives all appeared in The Wrong Mother. I don't remember much about them but their basic characteristics and their names. I'm not sure if their back stories are really integral to the series or not. I'm one of those that does NOT like reading series out of order... and turns out this is the most recent in the series and The Wrong Mother is third of five. Normally that would give me all kinds of reader anxiety, but I really didn't feel like I was missing anything. If I hadn't recognized the names, I wouldn't have realized I was reading a series. The core of this story was really the other characters, the mystery, and the scandals.

Not only is Hannah's writing wonderful, but I liked the format and structure of the book. Though most of the story is told through the traditional narrative methods (alternating chapters from the detectives in third person and Fliss Benson in first person), Hannah also included interview transcripts, excerpts from a book one of the characters wrote, an article written by another character, and later the prologue from another character's book. Now as I write it it sounds confusing, but truly it wasn't and it added a lot to the story.

As for the actual meat of the story, there was so much. Like I said, there was really intricate thriller, but it was combined with a pretty hot topic. In that vein, this book was sort of a vehicle for discussion. There was a time in the past when I stopped a book midway through and really had a lot of negative to say about it because it felt like the author must have been wronged and clearly had an agenda. As I have spent my entire post-college career in child welfare, I took offense to that. I worried momentarily that The Cradle in the Grave was going there as well. Hannah's characters ruminate and philosophize on the concept of crib death and on the child welfare system. (Turns out the child welfare system in the UK works exactly as the one in Florida!) So, of course, if the characters criticized parts of it (which they surely did), I was thinking of the rebuttals and rationalizations in my head. And I also happen to know a lot about "crib deaths" from my last job, so whenever there was talk about the symptoms of all the various injuries, I was SURE I knew what happened. Turned out, though, that Hannah managed to present rational arguments from both sides of the debate and really represented the topic well, in my mind. I liked how the book ended in that while the mystery was solved, the other topics left me thinking. There's definitely a lot that could be discussed after reading this book, though I would only recommend discussion of it to the most democratic and sensitive of groups.

The Cradle in the Grave was fantastically put together and wove in quite the hot topic for debate. I can't wait to read more of Hannah's books.

That September Day 10 Years Ago

2011-09-11T00:30:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure everyone in this country will be spending some time today thinking about that Tuesday 10 years ago from today. I truly cannot believe it's been an entire decade already! On September 11, 2001, I was a college freshman at the University of Central Florida. When I think back to my experiences that morning, I feel incredibly ignorant. Despite my admiration for the concept of New York City, I didn't even know what the twin towers were. I got ready for class and headed over to the UCF campus where I met my friend, Sarah, at her dorm so we could walk to our psychology class together. The ride from my townhouse to campus was only a few minutes so I didn't hear very much on the radio. By the time I parked on campus all I knew was that there was a plane that crashed into a building. Obviously a tragedy, but I had no idea at that time of the overwhelming significance. I met with Sarah and we walked across campus to our class. Our class continued as scheduled, and I remember our professor asked if we had heard about the plane(s) that had crashed. I don't remember exactly what I was thinking at the time except that it was much worse than I had realized (what? two planes?) But after a quick remark, the class continued.

After class, Sarah and I headed down to the student union to grab lunch. I picked up a salad from Chick-Fil-A and we walked down to Sarah's dorm where we planned on eating with her roommates. So it wasn't until lunchtime when we sat down on and turned on the tv that I understood what really had happened. And then there was this overwhelming fear for which I'm sure you're all familiar. Even down in Florida, phone calls couldn't go through to others (also in Florida) because the networks were so busy. It took forever to get through to anyone.

I had to work that night at a restaurant where I waited tables. I remember it was an extraordinarily slow night, and all of the guests and workers were watching the tv's in the bar to keep up with the news reports about what had happened. It was a very somber evening.

There's so much that can be said about that day but also so little. Because we all already know. So let's keep in mind the people who lost their lives that day as well as their families. Also, everyone whose lives have been affected in the aftermath. I'm hoping to be able to take another trip to Manhattan in the near future and will be checking out the new memorial. I also recommend touring the pentagon. We did that on our last trip to Washington, D.C. and it was very enlightening. You have to request tickets at your local congressman's website. And I recommend checking out the pentagon memorial afterwards as well.

I've surprisingly read very few books about 9/11, but I do recommend the ones I can think of: Let's Roll by Lisa Beamer (non-fiction/memoir), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (fiction), and One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury (christian fiction). I recently started to read a new non-fiction that came out, The Eleventh Day by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan. It was really interesting but I did get a little bored halfway through and just haven't gotten back to it. I will definitely review it here when I'm done.

Ivan and Misha (Review & Giveaway)

2011-09-06T01:00:00.002-04:00

Title: Ivan and Misha: Stories
Author: Michael Alenyikov
Pages: 197
Genre: Fiction, Related Short Stories (GLBTQ)
Publisher: TriQuarterly (Northwestern University Press)
Pub. Date: October 30, 2010

Ahhh, what do I say about this... Ivan and Misha in most ways is a gem. It's fantastically written, emotionally provoking. But I almost stopped reading it right into the first story after the prologue. I'm glad I continued, but there were definitely a couple moments that made me uncomfortable.

Ivan and Misha are twin brothers who emigrate from the USSR in the 1980's with their father to New York City. The prologue starts there and then picks back up in their lives in 2000. We read a story from Misha's point of view, one from their father's, one from Ivan, and a seemingly random one from one of Ivan's ex's. And there are a couple other voices interspersed among those stories. The stories jump back and forth in terms of chronology but do so to meet the purpose of being about that specific character and their experiences and emotions. Our characters are dealt with issues of love, culture, AIDS, death, and mental health issues. Overall I enjoyed this book because of the writing. I kept finding passages I loved. The author truly managed to create raw emotion in his writing. I specifically liked the story from the father's point of view. It reminded me of Olive Kitteridg e in that he was reflecting on his life from his old age, on his children, etc. Alenyikov also excelled in his depiction of the mania Ivan experienced as part of his Bipolar Disorder.

I want to include some passages I liked, as the writing and the emotions evoked were my favorite thing about this book. The following is the father describing the confrontation when he learns his son, Misha, is gay.

He stood there and took all my words. His face grew red. His arms crossed his chest. The set of his jaw hadn't changed since he was two. When I ran out of words I threw those magazines in his face. Then we stood in silence. I was emptied of feeling. Numb. So bewildered I forgot the cause of my rage. Do you have any idea how terrifying that silence was to me then? It was the silence between a father and son that if not breached can last forever. I know. I did not speak to my father for his last twenty years.
"Papa," he said, calmly, steel in his voice. "If you do not accept me for what I am, I will see you next at your funeral."
We stared at each other. Neither of us gave ground. Time passed. I don't recall if I'd ever stared so long into another man's eyes--and, yes, I could see what I'd been missing for too long: that he was no longer a boy.
Then, I looked away.
And of course I had no choice: accept him or lose him, really quite an easy decision. (p.57)

And another quote from when Misha is talking to his boyfriend who has insecurities related to what his mother thinks of him.

"Yes, your mother is a psychotherapist, and yes, she may be, as you insist, larger than life and so very demanding. But why," Misha had asked, "is this such a problem it cannot be solved? They are people. All people are too much of this, too little of that. What is the big deal, Smitty, if they love you?" (p. 85)

And let me include one more quote that I thought was interesting. (I like the analogy).

Leaning against Ivan's cab, Taz lit a joint. They passed it back and forth, each time leaning in, hips grazing hips, fingers touching, Ivan on fire, looking up at a crescent moon and a scattering of stars in the city's night sky. Ivan doesn't do drugs. Another rule. (The second he's broken this week; it'll take three to know they fall like dominoes.) (p. 126)

Really, there were plenty of other quotes I could have included. For that, and because I felt for the characters, I really enjoyed this book. But let's talk about the taboo part-the part that almost made me put it down. So much of this book is about love in all its forms; sensuality; the psychological complexity of that. But maybe I'm just not psychologically complex enough in my thinking. In the very beginning of the book there were some incestuous undertones and then not too long later there was a moment of incest that disgusted me. And I really don't know what was worse, the act itself or the situation in which it occurred. I just don't get where that came from or why. I moved on anyway because I really liked all its literary merits and the characters otherwise, but something similar crept back in near the end, again really bothering me. And you know, I haven't read much LGBTQ literature specifically, but the problem I have is that for those prejudiced against this population, homosexuality is viewed almost as a sexual disorder. Isn't this what we are trying to teach people that it is certainly NOT?? So then why couple their sexuality with such a taboo (and truly sexually dysfunctional) concept? I truly don't get it, so maybe it's just beyond my reach. But those moments were uncomfortable for me. But then I think about the fact that maybe not all books about LGBTQ characters should have to be teachable moments, but just books about those specific characters and their respective lives regardless of the characters' sexual identity? So anyway, that was the main problem I had with the book and I'd love to hear your thoughts about that!

I also wanted to mention that I may have had my first conscious understanding of unreliable narrators. It's a concept I've seen other bloggers talk about but wasn't sure if I got it. But pretty much all the characters in Ivan and Misha are unreliable!

The publisher/author is offering a giveaway for one signed copy of Ivan and Misha! The giveaway is good for the U.S. and Canada. All you have to do to enter is fill out the form below! Giveaway will run through September 20th.

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Follow the rest of the tour!

Wednesday, September 7th: Unabridged Chick
Thursday, September 8th: A Bookish Affair
Monday, September 12th: Lit Endeavors
Tuesday, September 13th: Stuff as Dreams are Made On
Wednesday, September 14th: Literature and a Lens
Thursday, September 15th: The Reading LIfe
Monday, September 19th: Wordsmithonia
Tuesday, September 20th: Regular Rumination
Wednesday, September 21st: Dolce Bellezza
Thursday, September 22nd: Bibrary Bookslut
Friday, September 23rd: Ready When You Are, CB
Monday, September 26th: Col Reads
Tuesday, September 27th: Books Are Like Candy Corn
Wednesday, September 28th: The Book Pirate
Thursday, September 29th: Stella Matutina

Incognito

2011-09-02T20:30:00.000-04:00

Title: Incognito
Author: Gregory Murphy
Pages: 302
Genre: historical fiction (1911)
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)
Pub. Date: July 5, 2011

It's been far too long since I read Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence for me to at all compare it to Incognito as many reviewers have. In that vein, all I really know is that they both have to do with early 1900's high society in New York City. In Incognito, lawyer, William Dysart, becomes acquainted with Sybil Curtis when his client, Lydia Billings, asks that Ms. Curtis's property be purchased for her. Mr. Dysart quickly realizes this task will be much more difficult than he was prepared for and that there's a lot more going on between Ms. Curtis and Mrs. Billings than it initially seemed. As he interacts more with Ms. Curtis and tries to figure out what's really going on, William begins to fall for this mysterious woman.

Incognito is heralded as a literary mystery. At times I did feel that's what I was reading, but really when it came down to it there really wasn't a big mystery. Sure, I was curious what the connection was between Ms. Curtis and Ms. Billings, but it's revealed practically halfway through the book and didn't hit me as this big "ah-ha". I mean, I sort of had an "ohhh..." moment but that's it. If that's what the whole story were built around it definitely would not have worked. There was another small mystery in that William's mother died when he was young, and his vague memories lead him to search for the truth about that situation. But even that one I saw coming. So for these factors, I found the story somewhat anticlimactic. I wish the author would have delved deeper into other factors of the story lines because it would have added a depth that would have rounded off the book much better.

The majority of this book was actually an enjoyable read. William Dysart was a likeable character. His counterpart, Sybil, finds him to be an honest, genuine person not common to his standing, and this is what draws her to him. Similarly, I found myself caring for his character for those reasons. And although Sybil's character was nice enough, I don't feel like she was built enough to make William's falling for her that realistic. In this sense, I found Incognito to be reminiscent of a typical romance book where nothing significant really happens to warrant the attraction between two characters. There were a couple scenes that I felt were a little hokey in their interactions. What I did enjoy reading about was William's wife, Arabella, and the realizations Williams has about how she essentially tricked him into believing she was a woman who desired only a simple life as well as a woman who loved children and wanted a family. None of these were apparently true, and she prefers material things and being a part of the high society. Murphy did well at portraying this luxurious but hypocritical society. I would have preferred more of this and less of the mild mystery and stereotypical romance. I certainly wouldn't call this a 5-star read as 17 amazon reviewers did, but it was okay and I could see where a romance fan might really enjoy the elements of this story. I, however, am now in the mood for The Age of Innocence!

July & August in Review

2011-08-30T23:15:00.000-04:00

July and August in Review

I'm combining these summer months since I never got a chance to review July by itself. So, I've finally been able to get some more reading done but it's nowhere near where it was before. I am working only one full time job now but, ironically, this one job is keeping me insanely busier than when I had a different full time job combined with graduate school combined with this job part-time as an internship. How is that possible??? But there are other perks to this job so I guess it's just a trade-off that I'm willing to accept.

As for my blogging, I reviewed four books in July:

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
The Storm at the Door by Stefan Merrill Block
Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward

And five in August:

Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
Silver Sparrow by Tarayi Jones
The Rules of the Tunnel by Ned Zeman
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman
The Third Option by Vince Flynn

This month I also caught a really bad cover copy, and I welcomed author Margaret Dilloway to Take Me Away to guest post. The giveaway winner for How to be an American Housewife is Megan D!!

In July, my husband and I traveled to Washington, D.C. with my parents for a little vacation originated from plans to go see Manchester United vs. Barcelona play at Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD, as my mother is somewhat of a soccer hooligan! (okay, slight exaggeration!) The trip was incredibly fun and a nice escape from what has been a stressful time at work. August brought my 29th birthday (one more year of being young, heheh... actually I'm looking forward to my 30's). However, we also got bad news medically about my mother, as she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She just recently underwent surgery and we are hoping she will be good after that, as they call it a "favorable" cancer. But it's still scary and she has some recuperating to do and some minor treatment (relatively speaking) to still undergo.

In other blogging news, I've been feeling sort of discouraged about blogging lately. It's ridiculous how something meant to be fun, to be an outlet, an escape, can often turn into pressure and create other negative feelings. I won't go too much into it, but I'm finding that I often have to remind myself that I just plain like to read and that's what I should do. And there shouldn't be such things as pressure and even "belonging" necessarily in merely enjoying a hobby. It's complicated. The last thing I need to do is stress over the lack of time I have to devote to blogging! I'm thinking other book bloggers will likely understand, and if any of you reading this are not bloggers you're probably thinking I don't have enough to worry about, haha!

Anyway, I actually have some EXCITING news... okay, really it's nothing big or life changing necessarily, but after five years of living in our home and not doing anything to our second bedroom but using it as a storage room (reminiscent of a beginning hoarder) and overcoming severe disappointment that it will likely never be a nursery, we decided to clean it out and turn it into a READING ROOM!! Only a book nerd would be excited about that, I suppose. We covered the one wall with wall-to-wall bookshelves. We do have a computer desk in there but we simplified from the huge desk we had to a little IKEA desk. The desk actually came with a nice-sized sturdy shelf where we have stored our "educational" books (ie. textbooks, my trusty DSM IV-TR, etc.), we covered the door-less closet with a curtain, and we bought two reading chairs (super comfortable even though it may not look it)! We need to finish it off with a couple matching foot stools (that were out of stock when we IKEA'd) and maybe a rug. We also put up those two fabulous reading art pictures by Pamela Miller that I bought at the UCF Book Festival. No pictures of the room yet because I want to finish it up for real. But the room has transformed from something I rarely even went in or looked at to the most relaxing, peaceful room in the house!

So now that I'm settling in to this "new" job and the recent craziness, I'm hoping to have more time to enjoy what I want to do. But then, these next few months usually get crazy don't they?

Cover Copies

2011-08-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted about one of these in a while, but this one was so blatantly THE SAME. Maybe they thought because there were three years between the publication dates no one would notice??? Well, I had the first one recommended to me a while ago so it's sitting unread on my shelf and I noticed this one right away!

Cover copies like this really discourage me for some reason. How about we get away from the mentality of even keeping stock pictures, and we utilize designers to create consistently original covers! Is this a reflection of the bad economy? I feel confused about the reason for this.

The Third Option

2011-08-23T23:35:00.000-04:00

Title: The Third Option
Series: Mitch Rapp #2
Author: Vince Flynn
Genre: Fiction; Political Thriller
Pages: 402
Publisher: Atria (Simon & Schuster)
Pub. Date: November 28, 2000

This might sound really silly, but I kept thinking I wouldn't be able to really connect to this book. Sure there's the whole really liking the first in the series and thinking this wouldn't live up to it. But it was mostly the fact that the title has the word third in it when it's the second book in the series. It seemed very counterintuitive. But see, that's before I realized what "the third option" was. And when I figured it out, I became horrifyingly intrigued. You see, here's how it's described on the back of the book: "when diplomacy has failed and military intervention is deemed inappropriate, our leaders sometimes take the third option."

Essentially, the second in the series refers to the inner turmoil and corruption within our own government. Mitch Rapp (remember, super CIA bad boy) is sent to Germany on a mission to kill a German count who is secretly cooperating with terrorists. But Mitch soon finds out he's been set up. Meanwhile, in Washington, the director of the CIA is dying and not everyone is happy at the potential of Irene Kennedy, director of the counterterrorism center, potentially being named as the replacement. Enter the corruption and the extreme lengths the crooked politicians will go to get their way and boost their own careers. Mitch doesn't know who he can trust and will go after anyone he suspects, especially when his girlfriend is pulled into the fray.

I had so much fun with this one. It was different from the first in that, even though that one had some corruption too (as I'm sure they all probably will) it was still focused more on a singular attack from a foreign source. In this one, the "attack" is from within and it's more permeated in that it's from everywhere with lots of players. The reader knows who almost all the players so the suspense is more in wanting Mitch to figure out who they are. I really like the president in this and the first book and anticipate sadness when the president character changes later in the series as I think it does. While this book does have a certain ending, it was different from the first in that it still leaves this one aspect hanging so that you want to move right into the next one to pick right back up!

Now, if I had to say anything negative, there is probably a total of about one entire paragraph if I pulled from everything in the book that bothered... but I have to say there were a couple times when the narrative style became sort of cheesy or cliche. For instance, a couple times when a new character was introduced the reader was told what color her hair was and what she was wearing. I found the information unnecessary. I didn't care that her shirt was short or any of that nonsense. There was one other thing along those same lines, but considering my mind has blanked on it I guess it's not important. But like I said, that happened infrequently.

So, I can't decide if I liked this the same or better than the first in the series, but I know I want to read more!

Domestic Violets

2011-08-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Domestic Violets
Author: Matthew Norman
Pages: 352
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: August 9, 2011

The reviews that I'd read up until I recommended this to my husband glowed with enthusiasm. I'd also heard it was featured at this year's Book Expo America. It's potential for comedic relatability (even so far as the dog with acute anxiety, yes we have one of those) seemed like something my husband might really enjoy so I recommended it to him. And since I just happened to have a review copy, he began reading it right away. He started laughing within seconds of starting it and continuously for the rest of his reading experience. It was one of those where we'd both be sitting on the couch and I'd look over at him like "really?... let me turn down the volume on my show so it doesn't interfere with your laughing"... hehe. But really, he enjoyed it from the very beginning. So it wasn't long before I picked it up as well in between his readings, and we both ended up finishing it the same day (which just so happens to be the same day I started reading it).

Tom Violet is the lead character. He has the anxious dog, a wife with whom he is trying unsuccessfully to conceive a second child (makes for a funny opening scene), and a father who has overshadowed him in the biggest way - by winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Tom, meanwhile, is wasting away in corporate dullness and hopes for his secretly written manuscript to one day be published. Tom's life seems to be quickly spiraling downward when he unexpectedly takes back control in a spur-of-the moment way we all wish we could. But really Domestic Violets isn't about that one thing. It's about that mid-life drama that makes you question everything about your life. But it was done in a fun, witty way.

Now, I will say I found this book to be fairly standard "guy-lit" but it was solid and incredibly engaging. After all, I read it in a day. But I'm finding that some people think that label minimizes it, so maybe it's just that all the "guy-lit" I've read has been really good. I found this book surprisingly hopeful. Although it deals with parental issues, trying to live up to the outrageous success of one parent, issues with adultery, what we're meant to do in life, and the drudgery of the daily lives we often end up in, Domestic Violets was still fun and, ultimately, uplifting. I sort of got from it that things happen and we can't necessarily predict it all. We have to more go with the flow and let things play out. And not take things too seriously.

I think other big readers will enjoy the focus on the literary world. Tom's dad, Curtis Violet, wins the Pulitzer Prize and is a celebrity. I wonder if that's how it is in real life, where everywhere the author goes people recognize him. Maybe I'm just in an area with few readers because I have trouble seeing that happen here, but maybe it does, and it was fun to read about anyway. Overall, the characters felt truly genuine, as did the flaws Norman painted onto each character.

Domestic Violets was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that both my husband and I (with our varying tastes) read quickly and have shared good conversation about already. I had a smile on my face as I read and that's always a good sign!

The Rules of the Tunnel

2011-08-16T23:40:00.000-04:00

Title: The Rules of the Tunnel
Subtitle: My Brief Period of Madness
Author: Ned Zeman
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gotham Books (Penguin)
Pub. Date: August 4, 2011

The Rules of the Tunnel is a uniquely told memoir by a journalist who suffered from depression for years and eventually underwent ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) and lost two years of his memory. I sort of have two minds about this book because I didn't really feel it was for me, but I could see where some people would really enjoy the style.

I've gotten better with the non-traditional type of books. One of my favorite books of the year so far would be considered non-traditional. But it's still rocky territory for me. So as soon as I realized this book was written in second person, I'll admit I felt disappointed. And, of course, I got used to it but it's just not my favorite form of narration for sure. The author has a wittiness that I enjoyed at times, but it's subtle. I snickered now and then but didn't think the book, overall, was hilarious. I also found myself getting slightly bored with the stories I read about other people that Zeman, as a journalist, was writing about. There is a purpose to his including those stories, but I would have still rather focused solely on the author's experiences. And despite, at times, finding the book engaging, I found other parts sort of strange, and there was an overall self-deprecating, sad (well, duh, but still) sort of air to it that left me able to put it down and not pick it back up right away again.

So I went back and forth with it. And admittedly, I wasn't as attentive to the second half of the book because these peeves I had in the first half. Now all that being said.... I feel others might like this because truly, it is a memoir about the author's experiences with mental health problems and treatment and many will find that interesting. And second, the book does have a modern, fresh kind of style to it that many would find engaging. So take from this what you will. I do think the book was well done and put together well, but if you're typically into more traditional kinds of reads this may not be for you. Oh, and the cover, I like. It freaked me out, however, when I realized that the pile of puzzle pieces is more than just puzzle pieces.... take a look and tell me it's not just a little creepy!

Follow the tour here:

Monday, August 1st: Rundpinne
Tuesday, August 2nd: The Broke and the Bookish
Wednesday, August 3rd: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, August 4th: Chaotic Compendiums
Monday, August 8th: Acting Balanced
Tuesday, August 9th: Book Dilettante
Wednesday, August 10th: BookNAroun
Thursday, August 11th: In the Next Room
Monday, August 15th: A Bookworm’s World
Tuesday, August 16th: Brain Candy Book Reviews
Wednesday, August 17th: Take Me Away
Thursday, August 18th: Bookshipper
Monday, August 22nd: Luxury Reading
Wednesday, August 24th: Melody & Words
Monday, August 29th: Life in Review
Tuesday, August 30th: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, August 31st: My Book Retreat

Silver Sparrow

2011-08-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Silver Sparrow
Author: Tayari Jones
Pages: 340
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin (Workman Publishing)
Pub. Date: May 24, 2011

I read and enjoyed Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones earlier this year and adored the characters in that book. I was fortunate enough to meet Tayari, who was super wonderful, at this year's UCF Book Festival and had her sign my book (the first Silver Sparrow book she had signed!) I truly anticipated this book but worried that my high hopes would lessen my enjoyment of the story when it came down to it. Fortunately, I thoroughly enjoyed Silver Sparrow. I was enraptured by yet another wonderful story of how life circumstances affect the children whose lives it is intertwined in.

Silver Sparrow starts out with the line, "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist". And so begins the stories of Dana Lynn Yarboro and Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon, half-sisters, though unbeknownst to "Chaurisse" and her mother. For their whole lives, Dana and her mother have lived a secret life - one in which they can't reveal who their father/husband is because Mr. Witherspoon has another wife and daughter nearby who don't know they exist. In fact, no one but his brother, Raleigh, is aware that James married another woman and fathered another child. Dana grows up in this secret life where "surveillance" of Chaurisse and her mother are regular activities for her and her mother. We first meet Dana as a young child and watch as she turns into an adolescent, all along wondering why she isn't good enough to have her father full-time, why she has to be hidden, whereas Chaurisse can live openly. And as she gets older, it becomes more difficult for Dana to stay away from Chaurisse, especially since they run in some of the same circles. But in doing so, she becomes dangerously close to exposing the truth to the other family. Halfway through the book, we switch to Chaurisse's point of view, though I liked how chronologically the story continued moving along. While Dana is clearly the unfairly treated daughter, we are then exposed to the injustices Chaurisse has to deal with as well.

Just as in Leaving Atlanta, Jones did a magnificent job of bringing these characters to life and making them authentic. It was so easy to relate to both girls and to really feel like I could understand where each of them was coming from. Ultimately, they both had a bum deal despite their differences that each girl envied of the other. I was riveted by the charade their father put on, and the build up of tension as the two families came close to collision was palpable. And in staying true to its authenticity, the book did not end in the glittery, perfect way I hoped it might. But that made it more real and gave me something more to think about. Silver Sparrow is one I would definitely recommend! (And I just wanted to mention that also liked the title and thought it was clever!)

Transfer of Power

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Transfer of Power
Series: Mitch Rapp #1
Author: Vince Flynn
Pages: 549
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Political Thriller; Fiction
Pub. Date: July 28, 1999

It was a long time coming, but I finally forayed into the renowned (at least in my family) Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn. I figured I might like it because second to books that take place in NYC, I really enjoy reading books that take place in Washington, D.C. There's just something so significant and powerful about stories that take place in our nation's capital, even if they're fiction. But the renowned issue... Mitch Rapp (well, okay, the series in general and of course, author Vince Flynn) are an absolute favorite in my family. Both my parents have read the entire series to date and my husband just finished the seventh (of eleven). And they all RAVE about them. In fact, the four of us just recently returned from a vacation to Washington, D.C. and can I tell you how many times Mitch Rapp came up into conversation? LOL! Flynn's books are an absolute must read for them so I knew I eventually needed to try it out.

The first book in the series is Transfer of Power (not to be confused with Term Limits, Flynn's first book that is a stand alone). In it we are introduced to Mitch Rapp (as well as some ancillary characters who I assume may reappear in later books??) who is essentially a CIA counterterrorism bad ass. A well known terrorist, whom Rapp has been pursuing, physically takes over the White House, while taking over a hundred hostages. His men lace the White House with bombs and began making demands of the United States. President Hayes is evacuated to his bunker in time, leaving the Vice President to take over as Commander in Chief. But bureaucracies are everlasting, even during a time of crisis when on-the-spot decision making is most needed, and the vital decision makers cannot agree on whether they should take the White House by force or negotiate with the terrorists. Either way, they put the hostages and/or the President at risk. Mitch Rapp manages to enter the White House to spy on the terrorists and gain intelligence that can help the Vice President decide what to do next. But with the Vice President worried more about how to appeal to the American public so he can win the next election, Rapp and his cohorts take some matters into their own hands.

Transfer of Power was an absolutely addicting and thrilling read. It was, however, scary considering the experiences our country has had in the last decade which made the fictional scenario seem more real. Besides that, though, the political drama, the tension, all of it was so thrilling. I imagine that to enjoy this book, you'd have to have some interest in the government (or at least the drama of it) because of course it's flooded with governmental terms and titles. In the beginning it seemed to switch from one scene to another fairly quickly in an effort to set the scene regarding all the players. But I caught on quickly and it was fascinating from there. Definitely one of those books that constantly calls to you until you're done reading it. Only problem is the series itself has the same effect. I have so many other books to read but I'm dying to read the next one already! (Good thing I have all 11 books in the series so far waiting on my TBR). If you enjoy the show 24 (at least one season of which the author actually co-wrote) then you are sure to enjoy Transfer of Power.

Guest Post: Margaret Dilloway (and giveaway!!)

2011-08-01T23:35:00.005-04:00

One of the books I was most excited about last year was Margaret Dilloway's How to Be an American Housewife (click the link for my review). In it she tells the story of a Japanese mother and her American daughter, their relationship, and the mother's past. How to Be an American Housewife is out TODAY in paperback!! I'm so happy and honored to have Author Margaret Dilloway here today with a guest post about growing up half-Japanese/half-American in the 60's and 70's. For those of you who have read my blog for a while and/or know me in person, you know this is a topic I am always interested in since I am half-Asian as well. So here is her post. Also, the publisher has offered a giveaway to one lucky reader of this blog (U.S. entries only please) so make sure you sign up for that as well, as I definitely recommend this book!

Usually, having a Japanese mother was great. It made me feel different and special. I was the only kid I knew who had lots of exotic Japanese items, like geta (wooden shoes), a kimono, and Japanese dolls with real hair, that I could bring in for show and tell. Nobody else had a mother who could speak another language, who looked different.
But sometimes it could be confusing or memorable, and those moments made their way into the book. For example, my family sometimes used solely Japanese words for certain things, so I had no idea what the English words were. For going to the bathroom, where English speakers would use “potty” or “poop,” my parents used Japanese baby words, “shi-shi” and (I’m not even sure how to spell this, and Google wasn’t a help) and “oo-oon.” “Shi-shi” is onomatopoeia for the sound it makes; and “oo-oon” is the sound a person makes, I guess, when doing that other action.

When I started kindergarten (no preschool for me) and the other kids raised their hands and said, “I have to go potty,” I had no idea what they meant. All I knew was that I had to go “shi-shi,” and I didn’t think they’d understand my words. In a bit, I learned that I could just ask to use the “restroom,” and figured out what the American slang for bodily functions was later.
I also had this problem when I was playing with a little kindergartner friend of mine. I remember we were lying on the sidewalk outside her house. She must have blown her nose (or, let’s face it, probably just picked it) and showed me a, “big, gross booger.” I looked at what she was pointing at. “That’s not a booger. That’s hanakuso-tare.” My friend got confused. “What’s that? This is a booger.” “No, it’s hanakuso-tare.” She laughed. “What are you saying?”

I finally realized what she meant, that “booger” was the English word. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I looked up hanakuso-tare. It’s the possibly impolite saying of never-ending snot. When my mother said it, it sounded like, “hanaxso-ta-day,” said very quickly, and she used it for anything that came out of the nose.
It’s also interesting to me that because I used these words in a family setting outside of Japan, I have no idea if these words are used in regular Japanese conversations in Japan. I suspect not. I think if I used these words to ask Japanese strangers for a tissue, say, or for a restroom, they would be horrified or amused. I don’t even know if the way my mother pronounced the words was standard or her southern dialect.
My mother also had a few traditions different from other families. Once I borrowed an egg from a neighbor for my mother to complete a recipe. In the U.S., when you “borrow” an ingredient, you usually don’t mean you’re going to return it; it’s just a neighborly thing to do, and one day the neighbor might request the same kind of help from you. But my mother didn’t subscribe to this point of view.
The next day, after we bought more eggs, my mother sent me over to the neighbor’s house with two eggs. “Tell her it’s how Japanese do it,” she instructed. She did not want to be beholden to anyone, for anything. The neighbor tried to wave me off, saying it was fine, she didn’t need the egg back, but I had to insist that she take both.

When I was growing up, I never thought of myself as particularly Asian. If I got teased, it was for having a crooked mouth or being painfully shy. I didn’t look particularly Japanese, and we never hung out with other Asians.

Most of the children we knew in those days didn’t bat an eye when they had to remove their shoes at the door before entering the house. “It’s a Japanese tradition,” I’d say, and the kid would just do it without comment. Kids know every house has different rules (and toys and food). The neighborhood kids, having known my mother since they were tiny, simply accepted it as the way of life. The kids I met at school were not the sort who would pipe up un-politely about another culture’s traditions —and honestly, I had only a couple of close friends growing up anyway.

The shoes-off tradition got more amusing when my brother turned into a teen. Teenage boys (surprise!) are kind of stinky. So to have six pairs of athletic shoes lying by the door was not particularly pleasant. Our cat loved it, though. The cat would wait by the door for the boys to take off their shoes and then stick her head in them, rubbing and rolling, until she’d had her fill. I remember this mainly because my mother got so much entertainment out of it; it was rare to hear her laugh, but this did it every time.
There’s a part in the book where another mother can’t understand Shoko’s accent, and there’s a big mix-up over popcorn balls. As a kid, I was never aware of anyone not understanding my mother. But my husband’s mother, who never met mine, told me a story about a Japanese mom she knew when her kids were little. It was difficult to have a conversation with this lady, she said, and she expressed how badly she felt that she hadn’t tried harder to include her. I included a similar scenario in the novel, for Shoko.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Margaret!! Thank you, too, for sharing your experiences. =)

For those who would like to enter the giveaway, just fill out the form below! OR head out to your local bookstore and pick up the paperback today!

Close Your Eyes

2011-07-23T15:37:00.006-04:00

Title: Close Your Eyes
Author: Amanda Eyre Ward
Pages: 272
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: July 26, 2011

This is the third book I've read by Amanda Eyre Ward and I was again pleased by another engaging and interesting storyline. Now, it's been ages since I read the other two by her so I don't remember much about them, but there is a simplicity to her stories that I really enjoy. They typically pick up very quickly, and the characters are easy to relate to.

Six-year-old Lauren Mahdian and eight-year-old Alex Mahdian were spending the night in their treehouse the night their mother was murdered. Their father was arrested for her murder and incarcerated, while Lauren and Alex went to live with their grandmother. Now Lauren and Alex are adults and, while the two of them are close, they differ in how they've coped with their mother's death and father's arrest. Alex has aggressively pursued his own investigation to prove his father's innocence and has chosen a lifestyle that worries Lauren. Lauren, on the other hand, afraid to commit to anyone or anything, lives a life of numbness knowing her father murdered her mother. We are then introduced to a second similar but seemingly unrelated storyline regarding a pregnant woman, Sylvia, who escapes a bad marriage and tries to find solace in her childhood, wild child friend, Victoria. The two stories merge fairly predictably, and Lauren and Alex learn the truth about some family secrets and more about their mother's murder.

The "surprises" in the storyline were mild, but the plot, in general, was engaging. I initially felt a little disappointment in the character building because their dialogue seemed nongenuine and superficial. It improved quickly after that, however, and I did feel the characters come more to life, though they were never fully fleshed out. That being said, one of the things I've enjoyed about Ward's books is her succintness. She doesn't waste any time on unrelated aspects of the story. I can depend on the fact that her books will be thoughtful, yet somewhat short, reads.

Unrelated to the writing itself, I liked that the main characters were "ethnic" (half-Iraqi I think). It's not one of those things I notice lacking, necessarily, but I liked seeing it and find that I relate to more ethnic characters. And this wasn't anything that was central to or necessary for the story.

Some readers will probably say that Close Your Eyes wraps up too well in the end, but sometimes it's nice not to have to wonder too much. This was a nicely told story about how a traumatic incident can affect children in the future and about unearthing family secrets.

Follow the rest of the tour here:

Monday, July 11th: Bewitched Bookworms

Wednesday, July 13th: Starting Fresh

Monday, July 18th: A Bookworm’s World

Saturday, July 23rd: Take Me Away

Monday, July 25th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Tuesday, July 26th: Bella’s Novella

Wednesday, July 27th: Colloquium

Thursday, July 28th: In the Next Room

Friday, July 29th: Luxury Reading

Monday, August 1st: Nomad Reader

Wednesday, August 3rd: Life in the Thumb

Thursday, August 4th: Rundpinne

Wednesday, August 10th: Crazy for Books

The Storm at the Door

2011-07-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

Title: The Storm at the Door
Author: Stefan Merrill Block
Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: June 21, 2011

The Storm at the Door is an interesting and insightful, if very reflective, book loosely based on the lives of the author's grandparents. Katherine Merrill has spent her marriage to Frederick making excuses for his erratic behavior and wondering what happens to the "real" Frederick when he starts acting differently. After a concerning incident, Katherine agrees to have her husband committed to a mental institution, Mayflower. The book alternates back and forth between Katherine's thoughts and experiences and those of Frederick's. While Frederick deals with his own mental health issues and reflects on life in the mental institution, Katherine reflects on their marriage and what it means to be married to a man like Frederick.

This is a uniquely written book. The perspective or narrative style that it's written in was difficult for me to get used to which did affect my ability to connect to it at first. First off, it's written in present tense which I typically do not care for. But second, there is a sort of distant nature to the writing. The reader is introduced to the characters as though we are watching from afar rather than engaging with the characters' stories on a more personal level as is typical in fiction. I was able to forget this the further I read into each chapter, but whenever I noticed it at the beginning of the chapter it threw me off guard a little.

The Storm at the Door did possess a level of insight that was commendable. The theme was essentially the impact of Frederick's mental health issues on their marriage which, despite taking place in a past setting, is completely current as well. Life is difficult for both parties, in different ways, that were genuinely demonstrated through the course of this novel. Due to the smart pacing of the novel, I felt like I could empathize with the characters with each experience they had related to their respective perspectives. The author's writing and use of words to tell the story, too, was so eloquent. His words are those to be read slowly. Thus, this book is not a fast read. The literary nature of this book will enthrall some, while others will have difficulty keeping interest. I say this because I felt one or the other of these feelings at various times throughout the book. A Storm at the Door was well done, especially as it illustrated the effect of Frederick's mental health issues and his experiences at the mental institution as well as for its character studies, but it won't necessarily be accessible to all readers.

I was the last stop on this tour, but check out the prior stops for more reviews:

Monday, June 13th: Luxury Reading
Tuesday, June 14th: Book Club Classics
Wednesday, June 15th: Books and Cooks
Thursday, June 16th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Friday, June 17th: Diary of an Eccentric
Tuesday, June 21st: Life in Review
Thursday, June 23rd: Girls Gone Reading
Friday, June 24th: Rundpinne
Saturday, June 25th: Colloquium
Monday, June 27th: Man of La Book
Friday, July 1st: Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, July 5th: Crazy for Books
Thursday, July 7th: Raging Bibliomania
Monday, July 11th: Melody & Words
Tuesday, July 12th: Amused by Books

Before I Go To Sleep

2011-07-14T08:10:00.004-04:00

Title: Before I Go To Sleep
Author: S. J. Watson
Pages: 358
Genre: Pyschological Thriller
Publisher: Harper (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: June 14, 2011

Before I Go To Sleep is one of those thrillers that will addict you to reading to find out what's really going on. Author Dennis Lehane called it "Memento on Crystal Meth" and a host of other popular authors have great blurbs on the cover and back of the book as well. Because really, this book was great! They've even sold film rights already... to Ridley Scott!

Every morning, Christine wakes up not knowing where she is or who she's with. Her memories have been taken from her so her husband, Ben, has to explain who she is and what happened. A terrible accident stole her memories or her ability to maintain her memories after going to sleep at night. After Ben leave for work, however, a phone rings in Christine's purse. A doctor tells her he's been studying her and to check the closet for the journal she's been keeping.

The majority of the novel is the journal entries Christine has been keeping over the prior couple weeks. In that way, the reader (including Christine!) has revealed to them a little at a time the various truths that Christine had been learning. For those who do not like epistolary novels, no worries! Even though the majority of the book is written as though they are journal entries, they are still written normally, as though Christine is remembering what happened. We, the readers, merely know that this is supposed to be a journal entry. But I thought it was a very clever way to reveal some secrets. And, of course, the more Christine learns, the more dangerous everything becomes because everything is not as it would seem...

I really enjoyed the reading experience and found myself yearning to read more to figure out the truth. I had a couple of gasping-out-loud moments. That being said, as great as the book was I didn't necessarily love it as much as the mounds of bloggers who are saying this was one of the best books of the year. In its favor, though, it is one of the best of its genre that I read this year. But I guess for me, even though parts of the book shocked me, the other parts didn't come completely out of the blue. I didn't necessarily guess what was happening, but it didn't all surprise me when it did. I hate to minimize how good the book was, though, because I still really enjoyed reading it , but I guess my gripe is that the end didn't absolutely blow me away which I was hoping it would!

All that being said, I would absolutely recommend this to others!

Follow the tour here:

Tuesday, June 14th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Thursday, June 16th: Life In Review
Monday, June 20th: A Bookworm’s World
Tuesday, June 21st: Colloquium
Wednesday, June 22nd: Bibliophiliac
Thursday, June 23rd: The Infinite Shelf
Tuesday, June 28th: Jen’s Book Thoughts
Wednesday, June 29th: Helen’s Book Blog
Thursday, June 30th: Drey’s Library
Tuesday, July 5th: Booking Mama
Wednesday, July 6th: Musings of an All Purpose Monkey
Thursday, July 7th: a lovely shore breeze…
Monday, July 11th: Lesa’s Book Critiques
Tuesday, July 12th: My Life in Not So Many Words
Wednesday, July 13th: My Two Blessings
Thursday, July 14th: Take Me Away
Friday, July 15th: Crazy for Books

Never Knowing

2011-07-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Never Knowing
Author: Chevy Stevens
Pages: 407
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin's (Macmillan)
Pub. Date: July 5, 2011

Never Knowing is the second book by author Chevy Stevens who wrote last year's big hit, Still Missing. Last year we were exposed to what happens when a woman is kidnapped, held captive, and forced to become a "wife" to a psycho. This time we are introduced to Sara Gallagher, the oldest of three girls, but the only one in the family who was adopted by her parents. Sara is engaged to be married and has a 7-year-old daughter when she finally decides to officially try to find her birth mother. Sara is hurt when she learns her birth mother has no desire to ever meet her but terrified when she learns why: Sara was conceived as a result of her birth mother being raped by a serial killer who was unable to finish his intended actions. Worse yet, this information is mysteriously leaked to the press causing Sara's biological father to learn about her -- and being pursuing her.

What a super scary, suspenseful, and creepy book! First of all, it was a very strange coincidence that the night I started reading this (pre-planned) was the night I happened to watch the 20/20 special on tv about the daughter of a woman who had killed her three older children. This child was taken from her mother at birth and grew up to realize she was the daughter of a cold-blooded killer. So it was totally weird to realize the same thing was happening to the main character in the book I had just started reading! Anyway, that was an aside, but I don't think that contributed at all to the reason I found the book scary and suspenseful. The author did that all on her own. I was thoroughly addicted to this book, wanting to find out what was going to happen next and if Sara's dad was going to find her. I was even afraid to turn off the light at night after putting this book down to go to sleep.

There was one thing about the story that I made a truly wild guess about and was happy to learn that I caught on! I like to think this was my advanced insight. ;) But in all reality the story was well done and the pacing was good. I became frustrated at some of Sara's attitudes about being adopted and the lack of relationship she had with her adopted father. I could see where it may have contributed to the story but I think it would have had the same affect if her adoptive relationship with her parents was better than it was depicted. But that was my only gripe.

When I first peeked at the book when it arrived in the mail, I was surprised to find that it was written in the same style as her first book with each chapter depicting a therapy session. My first thought was that I thought it was best to keep that style to one book. But my other thought was that is this author's "thing" now and I still think it's a unique way to tell the story so in that case I liked it. If you read and liked Still Missing you will definitely like this book. And for those who haven't but who like thrillers, I would recommend this.

Definitely a suspenseful, thrilling read!

June in Review

2011-06-30T22:00:00.004-04:00

June in Review

Ahh, I've been struggling with reading and blogging lately. It has taken an absolute backseat to the work stuff I've been dealing with lately, but I am almost caught up! I'm hoping to get back to my regular schedule or at least something like it soon! I've been awful with my blog tours... either not getting through books or pushing off reviews for later dates. I hope I can be forgiven for that. =( Also, I plan on returning to at least a somewhat more regular commenting on other blogs as well. I have not deleted anything in google reader for a while and have over 800 posts JUST in my "favorites" folder, LOL! Those are the blogs where I read everything. So, I will get there!

Anyway, reviews for the month: Hello Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth and You Are Not Your Brain by Jeffrey Schwartz, MD and Rebecca Gladding, MD.

If you missed my interview with Girl in Translation author, Jean Kwok, please check it out!!! I also have a couple giveaways to announce winners for:

The Last Summer of Louisa May Alcott

goes to

JHS!!

Girl in Translation

goes to

Red Headed Book Child!!!

That's about it for this month! I'm dying to get back into reading and blogging so hopefully I'll be around more!

You Are Not Your Brain

2011-06-27T07:46:00.005-04:00

Title: You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution
Author: Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D. & Rebecca Gladding, M.D.
Pages: 338
Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology
Publisher: Avery (Penguin Group)
Pub. Date: June 9, 2011

Once again I haven't been the best reader (but I'm definitely getting there!) I didn't quite finish this book but I did read part and hope to finish it soon. Despite that, I've already read so much useful information and have even brought some of what I've read into my therapy with clients too.

The basic premise of You Are Not Your Brain is that a lot of the bad habits, anxieties, and other unhealthy issues that we have are things we can change by changing the way our mind (vs. our brain) looks at and deals with our issues. Ultimately, what these authors tout is cognitive behavioral therapy which, in my experience, many therapists use anyway. It's all about identifying your unhealthy cognitions and reframing or relabeling them so that your feelings eventually change and that leads to better behaviors. What Drs. Schwartz and Gladding do, however, is break the concept down even more so that it can be used more easily as a self-help book and is more readily accessible to the reader. They identify and re-label concepts such as your "wise advocate", your "true self", and the difference between emotions and emotional sensations. They also add the topic of neuroplasticity which is a way of actually re-wiring your brain to do things differently. This is what takes it another step past just regular cognitive behavioral therapy.

I think the authors did a great job of taking what can be some complicated concepts and ideas and break it down well for the average reader. The book is long enough to include all the information needed but is small enough to not feel too daunting. There are plenty of case studies throughout that vary so readers will likely relate in some way to at least one and may find it easier to relate the concepts to their own issues. There are also parts with worksheets for the reader to write in and participate in throughout the reading. It id in some parts feel a little repetitive, but I think that's partially a result of the book being written as a self-help for the reader. Were it merely a factual book they may have only needed to mention each thing once, but as a self-help or tool for the reader to use it really needs to make each concept as clear as it can.

So, even though I have a little left to read, I have already found this book immensely useful both for myself and for use with others in therapy. I look forward to finishing it and putting it all together. I would recommend this for readers who have issues that they would like to work on.

Check out the other stops on this tour:

Tuesday, June 7th: Silver and Grace

Monday, June 13th: The Book Faery Reviews

Tuesday, June 14th: Always Well Within

Wednesday, June 15th: Bookshipper

Thursday, June 16th: Guinevere Gets Sober

Friday, June 17th: Positively Present

Monday, June 20th: A Room of Mama’s Own

Tuesday, June 21st: By the By Books

Wednesday, June 22nd: Overstuffed

Thursday, June 23rd: Today’s Path

Friday, June 24th: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Friday, June 24th: Luxury Reading

Monday, June 27th: Take Me Away

Tuesday, June 28th: The Scarlet Letter

Wednesday, June 29th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Thursday, June 30th: The Things We Read

Wednesday, July 6th: Arriving at Your Own Door

Hello Goodbye

2011-06-15T11:30:00.001-04:00

Title: Hello Goodbye
Author: Emily Chenoweth
Pages: 273
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Perennial (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: May 5, 2009 (hardcover); June 14, 2011 (paperback)

Synopsis (from bn.com):

In the summer after her freshman year of college, Abby Hansen embarks on what might be a final vacation with her parents to a historic resort in northern New Hampshire. The Presidential Hotel, with its stately rooms and old-fashioned dress code, seems almost unbearably stuffy to Abby, but the young, free-spirited hotel staff offers her the chance for new friendships, and maybe even romance.

However, for her parents, Elliott and Helen, their time spent together in the shadow of the White Mountains has taken on a deeper meaning. By inviting family friends to join them, they open their marriage up to a lifetime of confessions, and they must confront a secret about Helen's health that they have been hiding from their daughter.

Thoughts:

I had some trouble with this one. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs with beautifully written passages but, for me, the story and plot didn't balance out the writing. There was an inordinate amount of reflection which I supposed is fairly normal for this type of storyline, but it just seemed like so much to me. It made the reading very heavy. The author also seemed to fully stretch out every sentence with so many descriptors. One the one hand it was nice, but after a while it, too, became too much and brought me out of the story itself.

This story is based on the author's real life experiences, and she explains in the back why she didn't write this as a memoir. I wonder, though, if I would have related to it better if it were written in memoir form because I had a little difficulty maintaining interest in the fictional characters. I also think sections of it would have worked better as a short story.

All this being said, the writing itself was lyrical so those who enjoy that may like this book. Those who can relate to the situation or any of the characters will also likely enjoy this book more than I did. I also can't rule out the fact that I've been busy and had a lot going on, so it's possible that I wasn't drawn in as much as I might have been because of the lack of action.

Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation author) on Immigration Today (Q & A, Giveaway!!)

2011-06-11T09:45:00.001-04:00

My favorite book of 2010 as listed here was Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation about a mother and daughter who emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. I am so honored to have Ms. Kwok here today to talk a little bit her book, the immigration experience today, and childhood of two cultures. And at the end, there is a giveaway for one copy of this book!! (U.S. only)

1. I’ve heard you say that parts of this book were based on your own experiences. In what ways do you think this made it easier and in what ways harder to write this novel?

It’s true that much of this novel was based upon my own experience. Like my heroine Kimberly Chang, I also moved from Hong Kong to Brooklyn as a child. I was only five, younger than Kimberly, but I also started working in a clothing factory in Chinatown and our family lived in a run-down, roach-infested and unheated apartment as well. The descriptions of the apartment and sweatshop are exactly as I remember them. I think the great advantage this has given me is that I know I’m not exaggerating – I lived through those hardships and I am certain there are others who were or are in the same situation. The power of my memories lends a certain authenticity and energy to the narrative, I think. At my readings and public appearances, I have the confidence of knowing that this story is mine to tell.

However, you are right in that this also made the story harder to tell in some ways. I needed to have a certain amount of time and distance from these events in my life to be able to handle them at all, because some of that time was so painful for me and my family. I also chose not to write a memoir because I wanted to create a compelling, seamless narrative for the reader and I needed to use fictional techniques in order to do so. I hoped to form characters people would love and put them in a story that readers wouldn’t be able to put down. I was only able to do that after I had trained enough as a writer.

Ultimately, I worked with the hope of combining authenticity and a great story to give my readers a wonderful reading experience.

2. Childhood can be difficult enough, but having to grow up within two different cultures is, in my opinion, significantly more difficult. What is it about Kimberly that makes her so resilient and able to acclimate to this situation?

My heroine Kimberly doesn’t waste time on self-pity. She’s as vulnerable as any other young girl but at heart, she’s a survivor and she’ll focus on whatever she needs to do in order to escape their situation. She’s blessed by having a loving, gifted mother and even though Ma may be powerless in this new life, their bond helps make Kimberly strong. And of course, Kimberly has a true gift in her talent for school. That leads to her double life between exclusive private school and sweatshop, and ultimately, to the love two very different young men have for her.

3. How do you think the immigrant experience would be/is different now than it was 30 years ago? (Or do you think it isn’t different?)

I think that many things have changed for the better. The most important is that people are now much more aware of the difficulties many immigrants face. Bilingual help is much more readily available, and many teachers now know that some of their students may not have necessary materials or support at home. I remember when I was in elementary school, my teacher assumed that I could read my parents’ daily newspaper in order to pass the daily current events quiz. We couldn’t afford to get any newspapers and I was often working at the factory after school until 10 PM at night. I was a child and exhausted by the time I got home; I wasn’t going to watch the late news on our tiny black and white television. It was impossible to listen to the radio at the factory since nothing could be heard above the screech of the boilers and the hammering of hundreds of sewing machines. I failed that test every day. Of course, it never occurred to me to tell my teacher the truth. I was too ashamed and I didn’t think she would believe me anyway.

I think that even now, many working class immigrants have much harder lives than people know. They often work extremely long hours simply to survive. They’ve left behind their loved ones, diplomas, culture and language. I believe awareness is the first step toward understanding and change, and I’m very glad that my book is a part of that process.

4. One of my favorite things, which I mentioned in my review, was the dialogue between the characters and the way they used proverbs and metaphors to express themselves. What was your experience like incorporating this? Was it something you were so familiar with that it came naturally, or did you keep a list of phrases you want to include, (etc.)?

I’m so glad you liked that because it’s one of the most important parts of the book to me. I wanted the reader to experience what it was like to be a Chinese immigrant; I wanted to put her into the heart and soul of a non-English speaker. That’s why at the beginning of the book, when Kimberly’s English is weakest, we also hear English as gibberish. However, all of the Chinese comes through fluently because we, like Kimberly, are native Chinese speakers and we can hear all of its humor and wisdom.

It was a challenge to write because in my mind, I kept veering towards either Chinese or English and sometimes would get stuck on one of those languages. I had to have a clear idea of which language was actually being spoken in each scene and make sure that my thoughts were in that language. Fortunately, I’ve been bilingual from a young age so I knew what it was like to have my thoughts flow from language to language but I didn’t want to be sloppy. I was constantly checking to make sure I wasn’t making any mistakes with the Chinese. There are so many homonyms (words that sound the same but mean different things) in Chinese and I needed to compare the sounds with the written version to know that I was translating them properly.

5. Just because I'm wondering, the scene when Kimberly gets in a fight with Luke at school, did that happen to you? I loved how she handled that!

You really are an insightful interviewer! Yes, that did happen to me, almost exactly as is depicted in the novel. I did “fight” with a much larger boy and it was terrifying. Then (and now) I was quite small for my age but I didn’t run. Thank goodness he secretly had a crush on me or I would have been pulverized.

6. Do you have any info to share about what you’re writing now or anything you’ve finished since Girl in Translation? When will we get to read your next book? :)

I am hoping to be done with the next novel by the end of this summer! In between my BA at Harvard and my MFA at Columbia, I worked for three years as a professional ballroom dancer. The new novel is set both in Chinatown and the professional ballroom dance world. Again, it’s an immigrant family story and a love story. I hope that readers will enjoy stepping behind the curtains of the professional dance world.

The only thing is that I do need to handle a large number of publicity requests now because the novel has been published in 15 countries and won a number of prizes, so I am trying to juggle both the publicity and finishing the next novel at the same time. After the new book is finished, it’ll probably hit bookstores about a year later (if all goes well, fingers crossed!)

Thank you so much for stopping by and answering those questions!
If any of you have not read this book yet, you must!! For a chance to win a copy of the book from the publisher (U.S. only) please fill out the form below.
You can visit the author at her website: www.jeankwok.com

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Blog Tour: When God Was a Rabbit

2011-06-02T08:18:00.003-04:00

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

Synopsis (from bn.com): This is a book about a brother and a sister. It's a book about secrets and starting over, friendship and family, triumph and tragedy, and everything in between. More than anything, it's a book about love in all its forms.
In a remarkably honest and confident voice, Sarah Winman has written the story of a memorable young heroine, Elly, and her loss of innocence-a magical portrait of growing up and the pull and power of family ties. From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, When God Was a Rabbit follows the evolving bond of love and secrets between Elly and her brother Joe, and her increasing concern for an unusual best friend, Jenny Penny, who has secrets of her own. With its wit and humor, engaging characters whose eccentricities are adroitly and sometimes darkly drawn, and its themes of memory and identity, When God Was a Rabbit is a love letter to true friendship and fraternal love.
Funny, utterly compelling, fully of sparkle, and poignant, too, When God Was a Rabbit heralds the start of a remarkable new literary career.

Thoughts so far: Ok, so I've been a bad blogger lately... we know this. My reading is sl.o.w.l.y picking up but I have not yet read a lot nor did I finish this book. That being said, I'm about halfway through and I am truly loving this book! I don't know what else happens, but I'm thinking it's going to be up there with one of my favorites this year. It's a coming-of-age book. It's one of those that's told from the child's perspective, yet the writing is still so sophisticated and astute. It's subtle, too, so we learn things about the main character, Elly, in unexpected ways. Also loving so far the sibling relationship (similar to Francie Nolan and Neely in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which this book sort of reminds me of). At the point of the book that I'm in, the characters are still children but from what I understand the story follows them through adulthood. That being said, Elly (and her friend Jenny Penny!) will probably be characters that stay with me just like the aforementioned Francie, Christy from The Outside Boy, and Oskar from Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, just to name a few! I'm super excited to finish reading this book. It's not a difficult read at all, and if I were in my normal reading state I would have finished this in a day or two because it's one of those that every time a finish a chapter (well, really in this book it's just sections) I want to keep reading. Please stay tuned for the full review!!

May in Review

2011-05-31T08:05:00.005-04:00

May in Review

Well, this month of blogging has been quite sparse!
I posted reviews for:

I Totally Meant To Do That by Jane Borden
The Night Season by Chelsea Cain
Tangled Webs by James B. Stewart

Tangled Webs was a wonderful non-fiction! Definitely one of my favorites this year. It is actually the only book I finished reading in the month of May. (!!!) I rarely read so little but I guess I've had a lot going on! I actually made the decision recently to go down to working one job instead of the two I've been working. I will be focusing solely on therapy. At this point I don't know what effect that will have on my reading, though. You'd think with cutting one job out I'd open up more free time, but I foresee this one job taking a lot of time still - at least until I get into a good routine. So hopefully my reading/blogging will pick up in June but it might not realistically be until July.

I am still taking entries for my giveaway (2 books) of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott which is accompanied by a great guest post by the author, Kelly O'Connor McNees. There aren't too many entries yet so your chances are good!!

Guest Post & Giveaway: The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

2011-05-26T23:00:00.004-04:00

I am very excited to have Kelly O'Connor McNees stopping by Take Me Away today! She wrote The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott which I reviewed last year. (Click on the title to go to the review). Her book recently came out in paperback. Kelly has stopped by to talk about Little Women. I also have TWO copies of her book to give away (U.S. winners only).

Every year around Thanksgiving I get the urge to reread Little Women. The story begins, of course, in December, with Jo March lying on the rug, declaring that “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” The four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and their mother, Marmee, are missing Mr. March, an army chaplain who has been called to the Civil War battlefields to minister to the injured and dying soldiers. Things just aren’t the same without their father there to guide them. Over the course of the story, the March sisters must learn to overcome their individual weaknesses: pride, anger, timidity, and vanity. In the end we see that they are no longer little girls but grown women.

Sounds cheesy, right? And hopelessly quaint, not to mention a celebration of calcified nineteenth-century gender roles. It is all those things. But every year I yearn to read it just the same. There’s something deeply soothing about the simplicity of its moral universe, where the purpose of life is improvement. Good people should try, always, to be better: more generous, more contemplative, more committed.

And, to be totally honest, there’s just one more tiny reason I reread this book: Ever year I hope against hope that Jo and Teddy “Laurie” Lawrence, the next-door neighbor and Jo’s kindred spirit, will end up together. Alas, in all these years it has never turned out differently. Why, I wondered countless times, did Louisa end Little Women the way she did?

The direct answer is the one Louisa herself gave when asked this question by readers. Little Women was a huge bestseller right out of the gate, and Louisa received hundreds of letters asking about Jo and Laurie. The pair could not marry, Louisa explained, because Jo would no longer be Jo if she chose to live a conventional life. Even when Jo marries Professor Bhaer at the end—a plot twist Louisa was forced to tack on at her publisher’s request—it is not the sort of passionate love affair one might hope to see. The professor is much older than Jo and their relationship is mainly an intellectual alliance. Bo-ring!

Louisa’s defense of Jo’s choice never satisfied me. A few years ago, on a whim, I picked up a biography on Louisa and found myself utterly surprised and fascinated by this woman I knew so little about. Her most famous novel represented only a small part of who she was—and, it turns out, Louisa never even wanted to write it. Though she never had a love affair, late in life Louisa burned letters and journals, a fact I found intriguing. The more I learned about who Louisa was, her triumphs and disappointments, I realized there was a great deal about her life I wanted to, for lack of a better word, examine. I had never felt that way about any historical figure before.

But I had more questions than answers. Much of what I wanted to know couldn’t be known. And that’s when I realized that, counterintuitively, fiction was probably the only avenue that might lead me to some answers. By writing about Louisa—creating a fictional episode for the Louisa in my imagination, that is—I could come to see her more clearly, see what was inside her heart and mind as a young woman starting out in the world. Perhaps this story could explain the origin of the character of Laurie and why Louisa would want to save Jo, her fictional alter ego, from heartbreak.

The result is The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, a novel set in 1855 when Louisa was just twenty-two, yearning for independence in Boston and recognition as a writer, but stuck for the summer in sleepy Walpole, New Hampshire, with her family and one irritatingly charming young man named Joseph Singer.

Writing this novel has satisfied my questions—for now. Although I can’t be sure until November rolls around if I won’t start wondering all over again.

Kelly O’Connor McNees lives with her husband in Chicago. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is her first novel. To learn more, visit http://kellyoconnormcnees.com/

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment with your e-mail address. Only ONE entry per person!

Thank you Kelly for stopping by!!!

Armchair BEA: Day 3

2011-05-25T07:38:00.002-04:00

This week is Book Expo America in New York City, the biggest publishing industry event in the country. I was very fortunate in being able to attend last year and am pretty devastated I can't attend this year. So in the meantime, I am participating in "Armchair BEA" which is an event for those of us bloggers who couldn't make it to the event in person!

Today we are doing interviews! I was fortunate to interview Bea from Bea's Book Nook.

1. Tell us a little about your reading life biography (have you always enjoyed reading, where do you read, what do you like to read, etc.)

I have always loved and can usually be found with a book or my kindle, if not on me, then very close by. I always put my kindle in the purse in case I have time for reading during the kids naptime (I teach pre-school). I'll read anywhere - in the bathroom, in the subway, at work, at home, inside, outside, anywhere there is reading material. :D If I'm really bored and nothing else is available, I'll read the ingredients list on a bottle of detergent while I'm in line at the grocery store.

As for what I like to read, these days I mostly read paranormal fantasies, mysteries, and romances, but I also read childrens books, educational research and theory, some psychology and sociology (related to my teaching), general fiction, and anything else that catches my eye. If it catches my eye, I look it over; if I'm intrigued, I read it.

2. What brought you to blogging?

I enjoy talking about books, sharing my excitement and discussing them with others. I belong to several author discussion boards and one of the things that I loved about them is being able to discuss them. No one else in my "real" world enjoyed fantasy books or felt as strongly about reading as I did. Blogging and reviewing seemed a natural extension. Some acquaintances of mine were, and still are, blogger/reviewers and they helped me get started.

3. What's the best thing about blogging? The worst?

I'll answer in reverse order, lol. The worst, for me, is actually a tie between writing, and making deadlines. I love reading, but I don't actually like writing. Deadlines, in all areas of my life, are the bane of my existence. I am SUCH a procrastinator, I'm my own worst enemy. The best thing would probably be the people I've met - readers, authors, other bloggers, etc. I'm not a social butterfly by any means but I've really enjoyed talking to everyone and getter better acquainted with some of them.

4. What has been your favorite read this year?

Only one? LOL Really, I can't pick just one. Hmmm, I've really enjoyed "The Gathering" by Kelley Armstrong, "Undertow" by Moira Rogers, "Dark Descendant" by Jenna Black, "How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper, and "Range Feud" by JA Campbell.

5. If for some reason you weren't allowed to read for an entire year, what would you do with your free time?

Find a way to read, No, seriously, I would. In between, I'd be watching tv, hanging with friends, making soaps and bath salts (another hobby of mine), volunteering more often with Habitat for Humanity, and playing with my cat,

6. What's your favorite book of all time?

You ask hard questions! I think it would be one of these three: "The Tiger's Woman" by Celeste de Blasis, "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien, and "The Unlikely Ones" by Mary Brown. They are well-written, imaginative, emotional but not tear jerkers (ok, maybe "The Hobbit" isn't a tear jerker :D) grab you from the first page.

7. Have you been to any memorable author/literary events? Do tell!

Yes! :D :D In January I went to Arisia in Boston where I got to have dinner with Kelley Armstrong. I'd actually met her a couple of times before at get-togethers with members of her board (I'm a mod on there) up in Canada. I actually drove 8 hours up there to meet her and some of the board members that I'd gotten friendly with. She's a fun, smart, awesome person and easy to be with, very down to earth. I also had the chance to chat briefly with Laura Anne Gilman.

I've also met Patty Briggs several times; for many years she was a regular guest at a fantasy and sci fi con near me, ConBust. I had the pleasure of spending time with her in between workshops several years in a row and also got to spend time with her and her husband last summer at a board camping trip (I mod on her board too :D) At that same con, in different years, I met Lynn Flewelling and Cat Valente.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting Seleste deLaney and Morgan Ashbury, both at the Kelley board get-together and recently I met PJ Schnyder at an anime con in Boston. I've been fortunate in meeting authors, but I've also grabbed every available opportunity. :)

Thanks for stopping by, Bea! :)

Armchair BEA: Day 1

2011-05-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

Today's topic:

Who are you, and how do you Armchair?

My name is Jenny and I've had this book blog for almost three years. The first year my posts were pretty sparse because I realized as much as I wanted to talk about my reading, I couldn't figure out what to say and how! But since then I have worked on my writing and am proof that effort and time can lead to great improvement! I love processing my thoughts about what I've read and sharing those thoughts here with anyone willing to listen!

I read a variety of genres. My favorites tend to be literary fiction, contemporary fiction, women's fiction, and mystery/thrillers. My reading tastes have definitely evolved over time! I recently have started to get into reading non-fiction too!

How do I Armchair? The majority of my reading and blogging is done right here on my couch. Nothing special there!

Sunday Salon: When Things Don't Go Quite as Planned

2011-05-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

I started to realize my reading was slowing down. I'm not sure what to attribute it to exactly except maybe some type of burnout and the fact that I have felt like my work has been overwhelming me lately and I haven't been able to keep up. So I had this great plan that I would space out my reviews a little more than usual this month and by doing so I could use only the reviews I already had written. Then I could just read, read, read this month and have tons more reviews to choose from in the coming months. What I didn't anticipate was that my reading would slow even more! I haven't finished a book since May 1st which makes it now two weeks officially. I never go that long without finishing one! Normally I'd have read four to six by now! So that sort of spoils the plan of having tons to choose from for next month. So now I need to come up with a back up plan.

Part of the reason I haven't accomplished much of anything in the past week or so is I randomly became sick this past week, but worse than usual. I had a fever and was practically immobile a couple days. But instead of listening to my body, I tried to push myself to work. Well, even when I did stay home, I wasn't doing anything even remotely using my brain because I was too tired even for that. And like I said, the week prior to that I felt overwhelmed with work.

So, hopefully things will pick up this week. I keep getting amazing books in the mail that I'm so excited to read! OH! And because I haven't been reading or using my brain much, I also haven't been online much and that means not commenting as much as I've wanted. No worries, though. While I'm a little behind, I still plan on catching up on some blogs!

Hope everyone's getting more reading done than I am! ;)

Tangled Webs

2011-05-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Tangled Webs
Subtitle: How False Statements Are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff
Author: James B. Stewart
Pages: 441
Genre: Non-Fiction; Current Events
Publisher: The Penguin Press (Penguin)
Pub. Date: April 19, 2011

The dedication for this book appropriately reads, "To those who seek the truth". In astounding and detailed fashion, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Stewart chronicles the true events of the scandals of Martha Stewart (insider trading), "Scooter" Libby (leaking the name of a CIA agent), Barry Bonds (using steroids), and Bernie Madoff (running a Ponzi scheme). What these individuals have in common, however, is not just that they were involved in criminal investigations, but that each of them committed perjury, lying under oath. The theme that weaves throughout Tangled Webs is that of the epidemic of perjury that has overcome America, which is, sadly, a broader reflection of the loss of values in our culture.

Tangled Webs was a riveting, cerebral, white collar true crime story. I struggle with trying to describe the writing style because it had a narrative quality but wasn't completely a narrative non-fiction. Rather, it had these elements combined with plain ol' great, journalistic "storytelling". Though this book does have a density that may be intimidating (it's long and there's a ton of information), it was an unexpectedly easy and engaging read. I was truly enthralled with the book, with the detailed information, with the points made by Stewart, with everything. I implore any of you who have the slightest interest in the topic to read this! I was so thoroughly impressed with this book, I can't even explain... I just constantly talk about it and all the things I learned from it. I want to share everything I learned!

Stewart organized each section superbly. Through interviews and reviews of grand jury transcripts, Stewart pieced together all the chronological detail of each story including the grand jury testimonies that occurred at the culmination of each scandal. He followed that up with what happened at the actual trial. Each section then ended with what each of the main "characters" is doing now. As I read, I found myself fascinated at times and saddened at times by people's lack of scruples. Each presented story illustrated the very sad fact that these successful role models, of sorts, were dishonest and/or tried to hide their wrongdoings. Sometimes they were completely brazen in their actions. I will say that I lost a lot of respect for the main characters in the book (well, at least of what little I may have had) but also for others that were involved. While there are "main characters" and, yes, they did lie, there were so many accomplices. There were also people who plain didn't do their jobs by following up where they should have. Of course, I acknowledge that I don't have their whole stories, but, for instance, Bernie Madoff could easily have been caught two years before he was which would have saved the public $45 billion in losses. And when I say easily, I mean, several people dropped the ball when only slightly more follow up would have busted the scheme right open.

Another thing I liked about Tangled Webs was the underlying point being that regardless of the actual crimes committed by these people, the act of perjury in itself was a crime; yet, there tends to be a high tolerance and lack of gravitas contributed to this issue. (Some of the issues presented were the thoughts of some individuals that criminally prosecuting someone for perjury was a waste and not important). In my short adult life as of yet, I have seen lying by people, including respected professionals, that so frustrates and discourages me. AND, the irony is that for these individuals, lying only made things worse! For instance, Martha Stewart may never have had any issues had she not lied. In fact, had she just left well enough alone, she would have lost monetarily what to the average middle-class person might be equal to $500 (this is relatively speaking based on the amount of money she makes). Scooter Libby may have had some serious repercussions, but nothing near what he could have had to endure (except for some rather lucky exceptions). In one part, Stewart quoted U.S. Attorney for Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald's, responses about perjury as a crime.

...we brought those cases because we realized that the truth is the engine of our judicial system. And if you compromise the truth, the whole process is lost. (p. 224)

If these facts are true, if we were to walk away from this and not charge obstruction of justice and perjury, we might as well just hand in our jobs. Because our jobs, the criminal justice system, is to make sure people tell us the truth. And when it's a high-level official and a very sensitive investigation, it is a very, very serious matter that no one should take lightly. (p. 224)

If nothing else, Tangled Webs, gives one a lot of thinking points when it comes to thoughts on treating lying and perjury in and of itself a crime as serious as the other alleged crimes (insider trading, etc.)

I also feel that through the descriptions of each of the aforementioned scenarios, I learned a lot about the stock market and the dynamics of the white house. Stewart did an excellent job of providing as much documented information as was relevant while still providing his own commentary, explanation, and summarization. I stayed up to speed with mostly everything, though the quoted parts of the Bernie Madoff section often read like gibberish to me. I was never good at economics or understanding stocks and bonds, and individuals in that arena speak their own language! But even so, Stewart explained everything well. Another commendation: he maintained a neutral stance politically. He pointed out wrongs of both political parties, when relevant, and didn't appear to side with any people over another except for as it related to who was truthful and who was not.

Have you gotten a feel for my thoughts about this book? Because if you didn't, I loved it! It was fantastic! I'm new to Stewart as an author, but he apparently has quite the impressive, best-selling back list. I will absolutely be checking out his previous books and hope you decide to read this one.

The Night Season

2011-05-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Title: The Night Season
Author: Chelsea Cain
Pages: 320
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Minotaur Books (Macmillan)
Pub. Date: March 1, 2011

This is the fourth book in the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series. Those who have read the first three, Heartsick, Sweetheart, and Evil at Heart know how sick and twisted (but addicting) this series is! My husband and I love this series and looked forward to the latest addition. Just as the pattern in the titles changed (no heart!), the focus of the story changed too, which left my husband and me a little perplexed. The first three books dealt with serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, who had a psychological grasp on Archie after almost killing him. Though he hates her, he has a twisted attraction to her at the same time. This was the first in the series that didn't involve Gretchen Lowell. Of course, her presence is always there to a certain degree in that her impact on Archie has affected him forever to the core of his being; but, physically, Gretchen does not appear in this book.

That being said, one of the main reasons series work is that readers enjoy the main characters and, even though Gretchen sits this one out, Archie and his journalist buddy, Susan, are endeared to readers. Archie is one of those detectives who's a little hardened and cynical because of his experiences. He turns to medications for escape whenever one of his Gretchen-induced anxieties encroaches upon him. Susan's the sweet girl whose hair is always a different color. She's managed to become involved in all the danger associated with Archie, and Archie has sort of a soft spot for her.

The Night Season starts with a short flashback to a natural disaster in 1948 that has a connection to the current day mystery not only because a similar natural disaster is about to happen. What appears to be a new serial killer is on the loose. This time one of Archie's team is even affected. The mystery in this fourth book does resemble elements of a campy horror movie at times. But I have to admit that made it fun and definitely different than a lot of the books I've read in this genre.

So, while this was a fun enough addition, I'm thinking most readers of this series will miss the inclusion of Gretchen. I'm curious to see if she comes back to the series and/or what affect she'll have on any more of the books. Was this just a break from the norm, or is the series moving in a new direction with Gretchen being merely the catalyst to the character development of Archie? For now I'll keep reading!

I Totally Meant To Do That

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Title: I Totally Meant to Do That
Author: Jane Borden
Pages: 227
Genre: Humor; Memoir
Publisher: Broadway/Crown (Random House)
Pub. Date: March 1, 2011

Jane Borden is a southern Debutante who moved to New York City after college and eventually ended up living there for over ten years. Her family members back in North Carolina, and her upbringing there, are the ultimate stereotype of genteel southerners. I Totally Meant To Do That is Borden's part memoir part commentary on her experiences straddling these two very different cultures and as she contemplates, after a decade of living in NYC, if 1) she can officially be considered a New Yorker (after all, what is a New Yorker, really?) and 2) if she should stay in the big city or return to her roots in North Carolina.

Based on the plethora of positive blurbs from the likes of Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, and other funny folks, plus the fact that Borden has worked as a contributor for Saturday Night Live, I expected this book to be laugh-out-loud, belly rollicking, hilarious. I was engrossed in the first chapter right away, laughing as she described the illegal knockoffs industry in Chinatown and how she worked as a spy to find fakes of her clients' knockoffs so the authorities could be alerted. I was amused by the chapter in which she described her naivete and the way she obviously stuck out -- trying to make eye contact with everyone she passed on the street so she could smile at them. And I loved the chapter where she compared finding a roommate in NYC to rushing for sororities. I've never done either, but I could still relate it to my own life and I thought "so true!" I also found interesting the chapter where she tries to define what makes one a New Yorker. (I don't agree with what she was told). I thought this following quote was an interesting way to describe New York. Though she's comparing it to purgatory, which is sort of different, the point she ultimately makes is one I can relate to regarding my thoughts about the city.

At home, I would either be a member of a congregation or not, in an exclusive club or not, at a political fund-raiser or not. Inaction is still an action. Not so in New York, where I don't have to be one thing or the other. Living in purgatory is not about being free to make whatever choice you want; the city offers something more profound, a third option: immunity from making choices at all, and therefore from the judgments accompanying them. Purgatory is Paradise. (p. 131)

After about the first third of the book, though, I sort of lost interest. This book really started to seem more about a reflection of her southern roots and the southern lifestyle. The big city really could have been any big city. For those looking for a read about NYC, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this. While Borden continued to make some references to the city and to the comparisons, I felt that was more of a springboard to discuss, in depth, the southern counterpart which I couldn't relate to. And by the end, I felt a disconnect from the book as Borden tried to figure things out for herself.

So now I'm all confused again. Here or there -- which is home? Or, rather, the true task is to discern which of the two is more of a home than the other. I'm Southerner by default. But I'm also a New Yorker. Right? I love this city... don't I? Sorry. Why am I asking you? I'm all mixed up, so much so that I sought counseling from a chintzy etiquette paperback. (p. 215)

I will say, though, that part of that disconnect likely stems from the fact that I am so far removed from her southern background; my life experiences and outlook are so different that I'm sure that hindered what turned out to be a different aspect of the book than I was expecting.

If you're a southern, country girl who has moved to a big city, or really if you're a southerner in general, you may enjoy this book. But, unfortunately, it wasn't the belly rollicking NYC story that I was hoping for.

April in Review

2011-04-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

April in Review

This month I participated for the first time "officially" in the Read-a-Thon. It was an interesting experience; one where I learned that it's actually hard on the eyes and the brain to read that much at once! My husband participated along with me and we did have a fun quality time so, just for that reason alone, we may both participate again in October.

April was also the UCF Orlando Book Festival where I had so much fun. I'm so happy I was able to attend (and participate as an "official blogger"). I met some awesome authors and got to meet in person some wonderful bloggers I've been following for a while. Can't wait for next year!

I didn't post about it before, but this month I was also interviewed over at The Gatekeeper's Post which is a website about the publishing industry. You can see that here.

As for books, I posted a review for Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea which I loved! Also non-fiction but on a completely different note, Bossypants by Tina Fey was as hilarious and wonderfully Tina Fey as expected. (She happens to be hosting SNL Saturday, May 7th!) My favorite fiction of the reviews I posted this month were Bent Road and Leaving Atlanta.

Other books I reviewed:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Codependent No More Workbook by Melody Beattie
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Pox by Michael Willrich
Lowboy by John Wray
Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart

And for my throwback this month I featured a classic: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

I'm excited about a lot of the books I plan on reading and/or reviewing in May. I'm currently reading a non-fiction that I'm loving and can't wait to talk about!

Throwback Thursday: The Secret Garden

2011-04-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

Throwback Thursday – this is an event hosted by me! It used to take place weekly, but is now once a month on this blog. It is the time to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic! Leave a comment here and feel free to take an icon and use it on your blog! Also feel free to do this on as many Thursdays as you like. =)

This month's throwback is: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

From bn.com:
In this beloved children's story, Mary Lennox, an ill-tempered orphan is sent to live in England with an uncle she has never met. While there, she discovers a spoiled cousin and a long-abandoned garden. Working to restore the garden, she finds she also cures her own ill temper and reforms her cousin as well.

I was given this book as a gift from my parents one year when I was little. My mom told me it had been her favorite book when she was little. I have the exact copy pictured above. It's a beautiful hardcover with thick, glossy pages and glorious illustrations throughout. I love it! And what a beautiful, sad, and hopeful story all in one. I also loved the 1993 movie version.

Such a classic!

Husband and Wife

2011-04-27T00:00:00.004-04:00

Title: Husband and Wife
Author: Leah Stewart
Pages: 344
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper (Harper Collins)
Pub. Date: May 4, 2010 (hardcover); April 19, 2011 (paperback)

Husband and Wife could have easily turned into a despairing book about the course of life and marriage. In fact, for the first quarter of the book, the first person narrative combined with what appeared (at the time) to be a long, monological whine led me to believe I would strongly dislike the book. Fortunately, that changed and I was able to enjoy this strong, yet still somewhat melancholy read that does, in fact, reflect on the course of life and marriage. And the more I've thought about this book since reading it the more I've appreciated it, and I've found that my mind focuses a lot on the things I really liked about it.

The book begins as Sarah and Nathan are getting ready to go to a wedding for friends -- one in which they're giving a joint toast on love and marriage. Nathan, caught up in some bad timing guilt, confesses that he cheated on Sarah two summers ago; that his soon-to-be-released book, Infidelity, is, in fact, based on truth. They go through the motions with attending the wedding, but things slowly unravel as Sarah reflects on why Nathan cheated, what it means about her, their marriage, who she has become, etc. And further, does she allow him to continue with publication of the book, even thought it means potentially sharing her defamatory secret with the world? All of Husband and Wife is essentially Sarah's introspection into her life and how she got to where she is from where she was, as well as a self-reflection as she processes what is happening to her in the moment. The storyline isn't necessarily the most original, but Sarah ultimately had some insightful and/or well-written thoughts that anyone in her situation can likely relate to. This first quote is Sarah thinking about the insomnia that hit her shortly after the marital crisis started.

"Of course I didn't know that this sleepless night would be the first of many. Even now it frightens me a little to talk about that time, my capital-I insomnia, because of the possibility that to invoke its name is to invite its return. Oh God, I hope that doesn't happen to me again, you think, and then, because you thought that, it will, and you'll wake once more into a bleak, remorseless stillness. You'll wander in a panic through the rooms of your mind and find them just emptied, as if your thoughts were bugs that scattered as soon as you entered." (pg. 95)

Although most of this book did have a more somber, reflecting tone, about three-quarters of the way through there was a surprisingly comical scene that fit so well into the story. That comic relief was a welcome change and, though short, added a lot to the characters and story.

Here is another metaphor that I liked. The quote is short but described the sentiment well:

"I checked the wall clock and saw that I'd been sitting in the cafeteria for two hours, when I was supposed to be at work. I didn't really care that I was absent, that I was irresponsible. Funny how the loosening of one commitment had loosened all the others, as if they'd all been tied by the same rope."

Ultimately, throughout Husband and Wife I mainly felt a deep sadness for the couple. Like so many couples, Sarah and Nathan are truly a great couple with such potential that basically succumb to the rigors and realities of life. Although it was largely reflective in nature, the writing was still engaging and don't let me make you think that the book was only Sarah thinking to herself. I was afraid of that initially, but there were other plot movements and character involvements that rounded out the story nicely.

For those interested, Book Club Girl will be doing a live interview with Leah Stewart on May 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Click on this link to bookmark where you can go to listen.

Follow the rest of the tour:
Tuesday, April 19th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, April 20th: Tina’s Book Reviews
Friday, April 22nd: The House of the Seven Tails
Tuesday, April 26th: Colloquium
Wednesday, April 27th: Take Me Away
Thursday, April 28th: Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, May 4th: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Monday, May 9th: Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, May 10th: Book Club Classics!
Thursday, May 12th: A Bookish Way of Life
Friday, May 13th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Book

Lowboy

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Lowboy
Author: John Wray
Pages: 258
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Picador (Macmillan)
Pub. Date: March 3, 2009 (hardcover); February 2, 2010 (paperback)

I so wanted to love this book. The premise sounded so intriguing. A 16-year-old teenager with Schizophrenia, Will Heller, rides the NYC subway all day long in an effort to save the world. By having sex. Which will cool off his body. So, yeah, that last part is strange, but the mental health aspect combined with the NYC aspect piqued my interests.

First, the goods. No one can accuse the author of not being a good writer. Because the writing was engaging and otherwise well done. I also thought his depiction of the Schizophrenic experience (for the person himself and for others looking in) was authentic. I haven't had too much experience working with people with Schizophrenia, but I've had some, and combined with the little else I know about it, it felt very true.

So, the bads. I really felt a lack of connection to the characters. It may have been the difficulty I had in understanding really what the significance was of the story except to convey the mental health issue. I felt as though I slogged through much of the book waiting for the big thing to happen. And then it never really did. And then there was apparently supposed to be a surprise of sorts at the end. The only problem was it was something I knew almost all along and actually thought I was supposed to until it played itself out as this big secret being revealed.

I will say that there may have been some more insights that I just failed to pick up on, but it lacked, for me, the psychological depth I thought I might find.

Pox

2011-04-20T22:30:00.001-04:00

Title: Pox
Author: Michael Willrich
Pages: 345
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: The Penguin Press
Pub. Date: March 31, 2011

I think I've been spoiled by narrative non-fiction. Many of you know that for the most part, non-fiction has been a fairly new genre of book enjoyment for me. I've been reading more of it lately but am finding that what I really like is the inclusion of the personal stories throughout and the feeling of learning extraneous topics through the telling of a person's experiences, in some manner.

For that reason, I feel it may be somewhat unfair of me to be reviewing this book. Because truly, this book was fantastic; well put-together, well-written, and thoroughly researched. I imagine that non-fiction enthusiasts, those who consistently read non-fiction of all kinds, will relish this book. While I appreciated much of it, I wasn't constantly drawn to read more like I am with most of my reading. But that could also be a reflection of my workload at the time of this reading and how much extra my brain was able to then process.

However, while some parts of the book lost my interest over the course of the pages, I found other parts fascinating. In some ways, the topic was very relevant to today. I never realized the controversy over vaccinations went back to the 1800's! Currently, I'm a proponent of vaccinations. But the thought of, back then, being forced to have immunizations was scary. (Especially since it was adults, too, that they were forcing the immunizations on). Pox provided a lot of food for thought on the line between civil rights and government imposed health sanctions, even when they're imposed for the benefit of the community at large. Pox also brought up things I never thought of before. You know those indented scars that many people have on their arms as a result of vaccinations? Well, at one point this proof of vaccination was even used as that specific categorical identification.

"Watching with dismay as smallpox spread across the American heartland in 1901, Dr. James Hyde of Chicago's Rush Medical School urged state and local governments to use their full police powers to eradicate this affront to modern civilization. Like many of his professional peers, Hyde found the metaphor of the vaccine scar as passport irresistible. He urged that American governments require this medical mark for entry into the country's civic spaces.... In one respect, vaccination seemed superior to a printed identity document; this government-certified ticket of immunity was stamped indelibly upon the body. Seasoned health officials did not trust the paper vaccination certificates issued by private physicians; they always asked to see the scar." (pg. 227-228)

Surprisingly, this chapter goes on to describe how people did, in fact, try to "forge" vaccination scars by creating fake ones onto their bodies.

So in summary, I imagine those in the medical or legal fields will thoroughly enjoy Pox. More casual readers of non-fiction, like me, may find that Pox is a book to be read in small increments when the interest hits and will find varying pieces of the book better than others. There's definitely a lot of fascinating information to learn but may be overwhelming at the same time.

Follow the rest of the tour:

Thursday, March 31st: Man of La Book
Monday, April 4th: Aetiology
Wednesday, April 6th: Book Club Classics!
Thursday, April 7th: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, April 13th: Superbug
Thursday, April 14th: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Monday, April 18th: Bookworm’s Dinner
Tuesday, April 19th: In the Next Room
Wednesday, April 20th: Rhapsody In Books
Thursday, April 21st: Take Me Away
Monday, April 25th: Mommypotamus
Tuesday, April 26th: Eclectic/Eccentric
Wednesday, April 27th: Life Is A Patchwork Quilt
Thursday, April 28th: PhD in Parenting
Monday, May 2nd: Amy Reads
Date TBD: Ruby Slippers