Friday, April 30, 2010

Review Musings

I have several reviews for you today ...

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
My rating: 4 stars

What a wonderful surprise this book ended up being! This is such a charming, interesting story! The writing is fantastic, the characters are unforgettable, the story is compelling. It's just fantastic. I was entertained, educated and compelled to think all in one book. Fantastic! I definitely recommend this one!

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
My rating:  4 stars

NOTE: I read this via audiobook

I was quite taken with this book - it was quite compelling, raw and intense. The book covers 5 teenagers from different places, with different issues (family, background, etc) who all end up prostituting themselves.

I understand that the book was written in verse but there was a very 'novel' feel to the audio book - each voice was different for each character which was nice and added to each individual stories. Although some of the voices were less effective than others, I wasn't bothered by any of them too much.

Each character comes to life at Hopkins' hands - they live, breath and elicit emotion from the reader as we follow their journey into prostitution. The material and circumstances of the book are harrowing, difficult to read and extremely thought provoking. I've continued to think about these characters and their stories after finishing the book which is always a great sign of a compelling read.

This is an excellent YA book that I think all older teens (15 and older, in my opinion) should have the opportunity to read. It really gets to the heart of how just one choice (seemingly insignificant at the time) can result in a spiraling of events that can change a life forever.
 

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong
My rating:  4 stars

I wasn't a big fan of the 9th book in this series so I was worried when I started this one but I shouldn't have been. Elena and Clay!!!!! I've missed them. I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. Compelling story, the return of some of my favorite characters and I enjoyed the pace of the book. Great addition to the series ...  

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Review: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott


Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
My rating: 4 stars

I've had this secret desire to write since I was a kid. I have always been convinced that I would one day give it a shot but have tended to avoid the actual act of writing throughout my life. Part fear of failure and part complete and utter insecurity. I saw a number of reviews of this book that just raved about it so I've been looking for it in my book buying travels. I came across it 2 weeks ago and immediately started reading it. And, I really enjoyed it! I don't know that I'll ever get it all together enough to actually put pen to paper and write but I think this book is an excellent resource for those wanting to write, those who already write AND those who just love good writing. I haven't read anything of Lamott's but I found that I loved her voice in Bird by Bird - very real, sarcastic and interesting! I think this is an excellent resource for writing and BEYOND. There is a lot in this book that is applicable to a lot of areas of life. This is one I'll be holding onto and keeping in my at home library!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Review: A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore


A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
My rating: 3 stars

I'm really struggling with rating this book. On the one hand, the writing in this novel is AMAZING. There is no other way to put it. It's such a beautifully written book. I kept re-reading certain passages, amazed at just how beautifully they were written. Particular bits and pieces of this book were some of the most beautiful writing that I've encountered.

I thought the book was very readable and I didn't find myself struggling with the actual reading of the book at all. However, I did struggle with the very clear plot problems that I found throughout the novel. Those plot points ultimately took away from the overall novel for me. I did not love the characters but I liked them enough to find them compelling and keep reading about them. However, I felt like the plot was all over the place, here then there then back here again. Many of the plots that were initially developed seemed to pepper out with no obvious conclusion. And the conclusions that were made in a few of the plots were ineffectual and left me cold. Ultimately, I felt that Moore may have been trying to do just a bit too much with one book, with one story. And, ultimately, the novel as a whole fell short of what it could have been.

In the end, what stays with me is the writing. The amazing writing. There are scenes from this book that will stick with me forever, they were so beautifully and poetically written that I cannot seem to stop re-visiting them. That alone was worth the reading of this book. I'd hoped for more but I'll take what I was able to get. If you're a fan of beautiful writing and not entirely bothered by plot devices that often do not work, this might be a book you'd enjoy. Otherwise, you might want to look elsewhere for your next book.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Review: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly


The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
My rating: 4 stars

I just loved Callie and this entire book was a joy to read. So refreshing and captivating! I love a girl like Callie and I'm so glad that I read this if for no reason other than she's an amazing character! But, even better, the book itself is wonderful too - the story is refreshing, interesting and well written. I loved how Kelly made the characters, the place and the time in history come to life within the pages of this book. I felt as if I was there with them. I really enjoyed every moment of reading this book and loved the relationship between Callie and her grandfather. He was also a remarkable character! I definitely recommend this book! It's excellent!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Review: Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan


Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
My rating: 4 stars


What a sweet little book - such an easy read yet very impactful and interesting. It's really a character study when it comes down to it ... and the characters really are interesting and compelling. I found the sense of place to be very well done by O'Nan - he really gave you a feeling for the time and place of the novel. At times, I felt as if I was there with the characters of the book, watching them experience the events of the book. It's also rather elegant in a very simplistic way. I loved the simplicity with which the story was told and how it really helped the reader 'feel' the book in a very raw way. The emotional sub-text could be overlooked if the reader focuses too much on the simplicity of the story. The emotion is very real and raw. I loved that aspect and felt it really made the book very powerful. Ultimately, I felt it was a very quaint, interesting novel that I'm so very glad that I read.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Adding to My To Be Read List ...

It's been awhile since I have posted a 'to be read' list here on the blog so here goes ... (note: all synopsis are taken from Goodreads)

How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer

Synopsis: The stories in How to Breathe Underwater, Julie Orringer's debut collection, swim with tragedies both commonplace and horrific. A fall from a treehouse, an ailing mother, a near-drowning, a premature baby, a gun--each is the source of a young woman's coming-of-age, which we witness through Orringer's lovely, driving prose. The author possesses an uncanny ability to capture scenes and complex emotions in quick strokes. In "Pilgrims," young Ella is taken to a hippie household for Thanksgiving, where her mother joins several other cancer patients in search of natural remedies: "Some of them wore knitted hats like her mother, their skin dull-gray, their eyes purple-shaded underneath. To Ella it seemed they could be relatives of her mother's, shameful cousins recently discovered." Shame is as omnipresent as water in this collection, sadly appropriate for stories about girls becoming women. Orringer possesses an acute understanding of the many rules of girlhood, in particular the uniquely childish importance of "not telling" (for fear of becoming a traitor, and consequently, an outcast). But though her subjects may take us to the murky depths--submerging us in the cruelties girls and siblings commit against each other--Orringer's nimble writing and subtle humor allow us to breathe.

My thoughts: I'm not a big short story collection fan but I'm hearing wonderful things about this collection so I'm going to give it a shot.  I've heard that the writing is wonderful so I'm looking forward to it!

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen 

Synopsis: In this breathtaking and beautiful novel, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a mother, a father, a family, and the explosive, violent consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions.

Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mother, whose three teenaged children come first, before her career as a landscape gardener, or even her life as the wife of a doctor.  Caring for her family and preserving their everyday life is paramount.  And so, when one of her sons, Max, becomes depressed, Mary Beth becomes focused on him, and is blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterwards is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible line of hope and healing that connects one human being with another. Ultimately, in the hands of Anna Quindlen’s mesmerizing prose, Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the the things we fear most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel, to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live but must be brave enough to try.

My thoughts: I listened to an interview with Anna Quindlen last night about this book and found it so intriguing so I immediately added it to my TBR list. I'm a Quindlen fan. I find her to be a great writer with an interesting perspective! I'm looking forward to digging into this one!

Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay

Synopsis:  In this vivid and captivating journey through the colors of an artist's palette, Victoria Finlay takes us on an enthralling adventure around the world and through the ages, illuminating how the colors we choose to value have determined the history of culture itself.

How did the most precious color blue travel all the way from remote lapis mines in Afghanistan to Michelangelo's brush? What is the connection between brown paint and ancient Egyptian mummies? Why did Robin Hood wear Lincoln green? In Color, Finlay explores the physical materials that color our world, such as precious minerals and insect blood, as well as the social and political meanings that color has carried through time.

Roman emperors used to wear togas dyed with a purple color that was made from an odorous Lebanese shellfish–which probably meant their scent preceded them. In the eighteenth century, black dye was called logwood and grew along the Spanish Main. Some of the first indigo plantations were started in America, amazingly enough, by a seventeen-year-old girl named Eliza. And the popular van Gogh painting White Roses at Washington's National Gallery had to be renamed after a researcher discovered that the flowers were originally done in a pink paint that had faded nearly a century ago. Color is full of extraordinary people, events, and anecdotes–painted all the more dazzling by Finlay's engaging style.

Embark upon a thrilling adventure with this intrepid journalist as she travels on a donkey along ancient silk trade routes; with the Phoenicians sailing the Mediterranean in search of a special purple shell that garners wealth, sustenance, and prestige; with modern Chilean farmers breeding and bleeding insects for their viscous red blood. The colors that craft our world have never looked so bright.

My thoughts: I first heard about this one during a recent Books on the Nightstand podcast and thought it sounded fascinating. I'm leery about non-fiction sometimes because it can be so difficult for me to find what I feel is 'good' non-fiction. However, the concept of this book sounds so interesting to me that I think I'll give it a chance!

The Lost Summer by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Synopsis:   Millions of readers have fallen in love with Little Women. But how could Louisa May Alcott-who never had a romance-write so convincingly of love and heart-break without experiencing it herself?

Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay-for the rest of her life.

My thoughts: As I may have mentioned before, Little Women is one of my favorite all time books. It's the book that sparked my love of reading. I still love it and have read it a number of times. So, this book is intriguing to me as a fan of Louisa May Alcott & of Little Women.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Synopsis: You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.

The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

My thoughts: I am hearing so many good things about this book that I had to add it to my TBR. And isn't that cover wonderful! It makes me want to pick the book up and read it! Very compelling cover! And the story sounds so wonderful!

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Synopsis: The novel is set during the winter monsoon season of 1968-69 on and around a fire support base called Matterhorn, located in the mountains of the remote north-western corner of Quang-Tri Province. The protagonist, a young and ambitious Marine lieutenant, wants to command a company to further his civilian political ambitions. Two people stand in his way. The first is a well-loved, combat-weary lieutenant of his own age, who desperately wants out of the bush, but who does not want to leave his Marines with an inexperienced and overly ambitious officer. The second is an angry young leader of the company s radical blacks, who has all the political skill, savvy, and ambition of the protagonist. As the protagonist experiences the costs of combat, he sees the terrible results of his ambition and starts to change, learning that compassion and heart are more important than ambition and skill.

My thoughts: I first heard about this book during a Books on the Nightstand podcast and found the premise to be intriguing. Since then, I've seen a couple of interviews with the author that made me want to devour this book even more!

Review: Away by Amy Bloom


Away by Amy Bloom
My rating: 4 stars

All in all, this was not an easy book to read. But, it was still a wonderful book that I really enjoyed. The journey to that enjoyment was not necessarily easy. The novel is epic in scope and completely and utterly unique and memorable. But, it was not easy by any means. I found the prose to be challenging for some reason. At times so amazingly beautiful that I didn't want to stop reading and other times it felt jumpy and all over the place. That was a difficult dichotomy that I felt over and over throughout the reading of the novel. In many ways, it felt a bit like it was a number of short stories (similar to the way Olive Kitteridge is a novel of short stories) that wrapped around one single woman. Yet, there were moments that I was frustrated with Bloom's writing style.

Yet, the novel was saved for me by the story and the characters. They were memorable and interesting and compelling. I'm stealing from another reviewer who said the following which totally encapsulates how I feel about this book - "almost all of the characters in Away are seriously flawed human beings, but she paints such vivid portraits of these characters' inner lives and complex pasts that I couldn't help but have sympathy for all of them and admire more than a few of them."

I really enjoyed reading about the various places Bloom described in the novel such as 1920's New York, Seattle's skid row and the Canadian frontier. Amazing. And I loved how she used a series of 'peeks' into the future throughout the narrative, ultimately letting the reader see into the future and learn what happens to all of the characters we meet along the way. I thought this was a wonderful technique and really made me feel all the more invested in the novel.

I really liked this book a lot but also felt it was hard to read at times. I struggled with the rating but ultimately feel that the book as a whole deserves 4 stars despite its flaws.

Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead


When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 5 stars

This book is an amazing little book that really surprised me! It is simply fantastic! I stayed up until almost 3 a.m. to get this one finished. I found it impossible to go to sleep without finishing it. The character development was wonderful - the little touches throughout the book made it all the more special. I love how Stead weaves the story together. It was so readable and yet multi-layered so I can totally understand why it appeals so well to both young adults AND adults. The book grabs you from the first sentence, and you are carried into this amazing world with Miranda who is an amazing character. Stead did an excellent job of representing life as a sixth grader. I don't know what else to say beyond the book was like magic to me - simply amazing! Put this at the TOP of your TBR!!