Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

  Out of the Easy is a novel set amidst the backdrop of steamy, sultry 1950's New Orleans (the French Quarter to be exact).  Josie is the daughter of a local prostitute whose years of neglect and mental abuse had Josie striking out on her own at a very young age.  Josie lives on top of the bookshop where she works.  She also cleans the quarter's most famous brothel every morning.  Josie is brilliant, but a victim of circumstance until she concocts a scheme that may just get her Out of the Easy.
  This book is wonderfully vibrant, filled with interesting, believable characters.  It's surprising and hopeful, suspenseful with a great sense of mystery until the very end.  I highly recommend this book for mature young adults and plain old adults alike. 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

From the cover and title, I was expecting some froufrou, willowy, Jane Austin chick fest. Surprising then to find - in the first few pages - some raw, gritty imagery set in modern day San Francisco.  An 18 year old orphan is being turned out of onto the street, having been unsuccessfully placed in several unsavory foster homes during her life.  Callous, spiteful, and mean, she begins her life on the outside with nothing but several layers of clothing, a chip on her shoulder, and a prodigious knowledge of flowers and their Victorian meanings. An amazing story unfolds of her life on the street - confronting her tortured past while forging an uncertain future. An unexpected page turner.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr

  The Cutting Room Floor is a suspenseful YA thriller that focuses on two best friends, Desmond and Riley.  Riley is an aspiring actress while Desmond is destined to become a director.  When the book opens we find that Riley has lost her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn, in a heinous murder.  While navigating through other life struggles, Riley tries to crack the case.  Desmond is her shoulder to cry on but he has an agenda of his own.  There are many twists and turns along the way with a surprisingly realistic ending.
  The chapters alternate between the points of view of Desmond and Riley, with Desmond's chapters frequently opening in film script form.  Some people don't care for the back and forth of alternating points of view, but I didn't find it distracting in this particular story.  At some points I found myself putting the book down because I couldn't take the suspense (the reader knows more than the characters in the book), so if you're looking for something to get your blood pumping in this cold weather try The Cutting Room Floor.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown actually brings fear, death and, most of all, blood back into the vampire genre.  There are no "twinkle in the sunshine" vamps in this book.  Vampirism has spread through the world like the long forgotten bubonic plague.  In response, the government has set up "Coldtowns".  These Coldtowns house the nation's vampires and along with them, those who have been recently infected and those that hope to become immortal. 
  Tana ends up on her way to a Coldtown by pure accident.  After a night of heavy drinking, she wakes in the shower, and as she makes her way out of the bathroom, finds that all of her friends have been brutally slaughtered by a pack of vampires.  Vampires, who more than likely, are still lurking in the basement of the house.  She hears cries from a back bedroom and finds her ex-boyfriend and a very scary vampire bound.  While deciding what to do, the pack of vampires starts to break down the door.  What Tana does next changes her life forever.
  The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is well written, fast paced, and exciting.  Holly Black does a great job bringing the creepy back to YA supernatural fiction - just in time for Halloween.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Eye of God : A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins

Nobody, and I mean nobody does Action-Adventure like James Rollins.  The Eye of God is the 9th in the Sigma Force series, and is just as amazing as the others.  Usually, I find myself bored with the characters, plots, or seemingly cookie cutter methods that authors employ when writing long running series, but not with Sigma Force.  James Rollins is a gem and his writing always has you on the edge of your seat.  My favorite part of the Rollins' books is the "fact vs. fiction" section at the end.  James Rollins is a researcher, an academic, through and through, so it's always interesting to find out what pieces of the story were real and which were fictional.
I have read other reviews of this book online and one of the complaints are that the people who work for Sigma Force seem unnaturally talented.  Well, when one is working for a covert government agency you should be resourceful and intelligent - duh.  I never heard anyone complaining about James Bond - geez.  Second, this book may be hard to follow if you have never read any of the proceeding Sigma Force books.  The relationships between the characters have depth, the depth that one may expect after "working together" in nine books.  All in all, I love James Rollins, his characters and his books.  Just a warning, this is probably not a good book for bedtime reading - I was up until 2am one night and eventually put the book down after I couldn't take the suspense.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Roses by Leila Meacham


     Red and White roses - symbols of the warring English houses of Lancaster and York are the inspiration for this novel. However this is a decidedly American story - a sweeping saga ala "Gone With the Wind" which spans some 100 years in east Texas.
     Second sons of 3 rival English & French families, deprived by primogeniture of their estates, move westward from South Carolina intending to establish a gentile Southern enclave of cotton plantations, timber farms, & mercantile stores. 
     Prospering and settling into stately homes set back on tree-lined streets, they leave to generations of offspring -  family mysteries, supposed curses, and legal disputes - in addition to their land and their money.  
     An engrossing, good old-fashioned story of love, land, war, family secrets, and destiny.  

Friday, September 6, 2013

Strawberry Picker by Monika Feth


 I ordered this book because I read a review that touted it as Dexter for teens, and I can't tell you how many teens come into the library asking for suspense and horror books.  Unfortunately, I'd have to disagree.  The book alternates between the viewpoints of the killer and his victims, but it doesn't leave you rooting for the killer.  This guy doesn't kill bad guys, but unsuspecting women.  The reader, or at least I, felt absolutely no empathy for this guy. 
  I decided that if the book turned out to be good I would order it for the library, since no library in the Delaware system owned it.  I think I'll pass.  Our collection dollars could be spent in wiser ways within the same genre.  Oh well, no harm in trying.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Orange is the New Black : My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

Once I heard that Netflix was turning this book into a series, I jumped right on the bandwagon and decided I just HAD to read it.  Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman is an account of how her need to escape her white bread life sent her to the federal pen.  There were both good and bad things about this book.  The first half of it flew by reading more like fiction that non-fiction.  It had that un-put-downable quality that I love in good books.  The middle portion was a little more difficult to swallow, becoming a bit preachy about the ills within our prison systems.  We get it - prison is BAD.  The ending was dynamite and left me wanting to know more about Piper Kerman and her life since her ordeal ended.  I recommend this book based on the relationships Piper made while in prison and because of the interesting dynamic that was captured on the page that explained the difficulties in maintaining the relationships she left on the outside.  Her observations of the different types of people she encountered while inside are also amusing (a particular type of woman became known as "Eminemlettes").  At times funny, and at other points heartbreaking, this book is worth picking up.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende


This beautiful, sweeping historical saga begins mid 1700's on the Caribbean island of Saint-Domingue (modern day Haiti).  Upon his father's death, Toulouse Valmorain reluctantly leaves his bon vivant bachelor life in Paris to manage the family sugar plantation in Haiti. Planning to get his affairs in order quickly & return to Paris, he faces a brutal overseer and rebellious slaves, & quickly realizes that as an only son, he must stay to provide the income for his family to continue living their opulent Parisian lifestyle.  Procuring a suitable wife, he then buys a 9 year-old slave girl to care for her. The rest of the story involves the relationship between these 2 figures & many colorful ancillary characters.  From Toussaint Louverture leading the infamous slave rebellion, to Napoleon's army dessimated by yellow fever, to Voodoo, to pirates & political intrigue & the mercantile trade of slaves, rum & sugar - the narrative moves from Haiti to Cuba & finally the wild & wonderful Creole town of New Orleans pre Louisiana Purchase, where beautiful light-skinned mulattos are auctioned off at debutante balls to wealthy single patrons.  Engrossing, enlightening, thoroughly enjoyable.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson

 Gabriela opens her mailbox to find her Death Letter.  She has exactly seven days before she's due to depart.  Seven days to figure out her death's secret weakness, because if she can do that, she can earn herself a pardon.
  Steven Arntson opens up a weird world in which a percentage of the population is chosen for departure.  There's still the unexplained, unexpected and natural deaths of this realm, but with a little extra.  Deaths walk freely and visibly within this world, often hanging out at local coffee shops.
  In addition to the fantasy element there is impending war and a draft, familial problems and struggles with love and friendship.  The premise of the book made it intriguing and the background stories kept it moving.  All in all, a pretty solid read for fans of fantasy and the paranormal.   

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Don't read this book on a Nook, Kindle or iPad.  I did, and I also tend to speedread.  However, 1/3 of the way through, I wanted to flip back to re-read parts more carefully.  (And being able to flip back and forth is decidedly NOT one of the virtues of an e-reader.)  I will buy the book, and read it again - carefully and slowly.

One person's experience of living the same life over again every time she dies. Sometimes with fleeting images and memories, sometimes changing history.  It spans the 20th century, from her birth in 1910, through the Blitz in London in WW2,  up to the 60's.  You'll need to invest some time reading this beautifully written book -  it's worth it.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Wow.   Ok.  So.   Uh.   Ick.   - -  Remember  50 Shades of Grey?  If you were at all offended by that one, don't get NEAR this book.  26 year old female sexual predator of 14 year old boys.

If you are able to get past your revulsion of the main character, the author does an excellent job getting us into the mind of a sociopath, who cares nothing - and I mean nothing - about anyone but herself.  Every single move of her life is calculated to provide the best possible result.  Cunning, in a constant state of sexual desire, & armed with anti-aging creams and lacy underwear, she repeatedly takes you beyond unimaginable boundaries.  You think she can't possibly do anything worse, then she proves you wrong.

I can't help thinking that if the genders were reversed, this book would  NEVER have had a chance of being published (a stinging indictment of our culture). Controversial & shockingly graphic. I felt a sticky creepy need to shower when I was finished.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

"The Last Girlfriend on Earth: and Other Love Stories" by Simon Rich

This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. If you like satire and offbeat, sarcastic humor, you might enjoy it too. The stories in this collection revolve around the theme of love - finding love, keeping it, and ending it. It grabbed me with the first story, told from the perspective of a condom and his time spent in a teenage boy's wallet. Some of my other favorites included the story of God and his demanding girlfriend and the story of Oog who is in love with Girl. Oog's not really smart, and he might not be able to count as high as some other guys, but he seems like a good guy, if you don't factor in the way he gets rid of his competition. Even some of the more ridiculous stories, such as the one where the main character's ex-girlfriend starts dating Hitler, still made me laugh.

If Simon Rich's other books are as funny as this one, I plan to read them all.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Crap Kingdom by DC Pierson

  I know that a book I've read isn't that great when I can barely muster up the moxie to write a blog about it.  Enter Crap Kingdom (I know, I know - the irony).  As a professional librarian I hate to admit that I bought this book because of it's cover and title.  The SHAME.  I'm telling you I can barely sleep at night.
  Tom Parking is an average American teen with average teenaged problems.  He secretly wishes that he was destined for more, and alas, it turns out that he is.  He is the "Chosen One" for a place he ends up referring to as Crap Kingdom.  Crap Kingdom is aptly named as it's a dirty and backward place, a place Tom has no interest in saving.  That is until he is replaced as the "Chosen One" and then he wants back in.  Tom's indecisiveness leads to otherworldly drama.
  Honestly, the best I could hope for is that the title and cover snare an unsuspecting teen into reading.  Otherwise, there are many more interesting choices that cover the fantasy/romance YA genre.  Bottom line: skip it.
   

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith


"There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently".  Ain't it the truth?  Hadley is on her way to her dad's wedding, in London, to watch him marry a woman she has never met.  Suffice it to say - it's a bad day.  Then, just when Hadley thinks her day couldn't get any worse, she misses her flight.  When she is rebooked on the next outgoing plane, she ends up sitting next to Oliver - a mysterious Brit who attends Yale and is ridiculously dodgy about what he is studying. 
  I can say that this book was just alright.  Filled with teenage angst and romance, I honestly expected more out of Jennifer E. Smith.  The characters had dimension, but I saw the ending coming from a mile away.  There was nothing unexpected or really unique about it.  If you're looking for a breezy read, there are certainly better options. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Winger by Andrew Smith


  Winger is one of the best books I've ever read.  BAM.  There it is.  Ryan Dean West is a fourteen year old junior at a fancy boarding school.  He comes off a little annoying in the beginning while constantly referring to himself as a loser, but, alas, don't be put off.  Ryan Dean really grows on you.
I'm just going to say it. 
  Ryan Dean is required to live in "O Hall", the dorm reserved for the campus troublemakers after he pulls off a genius tech hack.  Not only that, but he's forced to live with the school's biggest bully.  Thankfully, Ryan Dean is a superb rugby player, a little bit of a fighter (natch), a romantic and a comedian.  These attributes save him more than once.
  As Ryan Dean makes his way through junior year friendships are tested, while some are broken, hot chicks are kissed, punches are thrown, and a tragedy occurs that will completely break your heart.  Laughing hysterically one moment and then crying the next, this was my journey through this book.  Whatever your preconceived notions of YA literature are - you are missing out if you don't read this book.  Seriously.
   
 

Friday, June 28, 2013

LPL Book Club Reads Bel Canto

The LPL Book Club met yesterday to discuss Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Overall, the group enjoyed the book and gave it a 4.5 on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being "hated it!" and 5 "loved it!"

This book is based on a true story. Terrorists took over the Japanese embassy and held over 70 men hostage for 4 months. In Bel Canto, the group has gathered in the Vice President's house to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Hosokawa, a businessman from Japan. The guests have a variety of motives for attending the party. The government of the unnamed country where the story is taking place hopes that Mr. Hosokawa will begin doing business there. Mr. Hosokawa, however, has no intention of doing business in this country and is only attending the party because opera singer Roxanne Coss is performing and he is a huge opera fan. During the party, a group of terrorists, 3 older and a group of much younger boys and girls, enter through the air conditioning ducts and take everyone hostage. Many are let go, including all the women except for Roxanne Coss.

Throughout the story of their long imprisonment the relationships between the hostages and their captors change, and the hostages themselves change. It becomes difficult for them to envisage a world and a life outside of their present situation. Mr. Hosokawa and Roxanne Coss develop a relationship, as do Gen, Mr. Hosokawa's translator, and a young girl, one of the terrorists. The story of how these relationships develop keeps the reader interested and wondering how things will turn out in the future.

Opera is a recurring theme throughout the book. Roxanne practices every day and the hostages and terrorists eagerly await her performance. One of the terrorists is found to have an extraordinary talent and she begins training him. She has big plans for his future, after this has ended, with seemingly little thought to the consequences of the kidnapping. Several other hostages and terrorists develop relationships of varying types, and make plans for "after" forgetting that things might not happen as smoothly as they would like.

There are several surprises at the end of the book that are somewhat jarring. Despite that, it's well worth reading.

The LPL Book Club meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 4:00 PM. The next meeting will be July 25th and we will be discussing Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. This group is open to all.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

All That Is by James Salter


Buoyed by the 5 star ratings on Goodreads, I was excited to dive into this one by a respected author. I ususally don't do spoilers but seeing as how NOTHING happins in this book spanning 4 decades, I'm not giving anything away.  We start out on a promising note with a protagonist in the Pacific Fleet during WW2, and find out he was raised by a single mother.  OK, maybe these forces somehow shape his later life?  Nah!!

He ends up in New York, goes into publishing, marries, divorces, has a career and several love affairs, gets hollow revenge. But there's no emotion, no dramatic crescendo, no storyline - just an average white guy and his ordinary life, with ordinary friends and lovers meandering through their ordinary lives.  Salter definitely knows how to turn a phrase, but EXCUUUUSE ME - - I would like a PLOT please!!!    Sexist, with vacuous characters, this book feels like bad B/W movies from the '40s - - no wait! At least they had plots.  
Oh, and by the way, that guy swimming on the front cover?  Has nothing to do with the book.  






Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

  Alright, so let me start by saying that a major perk of being a librarian is getting to read books before they hit the street.  This is one of those books.  Its official release date is July 23rd and you will definitely find it on our shelves after that.
  A Really Awesome Mess is a really awesome book.  The story is told through the alternating voices of Emmy and Justin.  Both have been sent to Heartland Academy (a.k.a. Assland), a reform school for emotionally disturbed youth.  Emmy earned her ticket by bullying a bully on Facebook (among other things) and Justin arrives after swallowing a fistful of Tylenol (among other things).
  Despite the seemingly grim circumstances surrounding their intake, neither Emmy nor Justin believes that they should be there.  As they get to know the other kids in their group, and one another, they find that they are all more alike than they want to admit.
  Ultimately, A Really Awesome Mess acts as a window, and sometimes a mirror, into the difficult lives of teens.  Family issues, eating disorders and sexual promiscuity all make an appearance within its pages.  Throw in friendship, romance and an escapade with a pig, and you've got one entertaining ride.  This book should not be missed. 

Thursday, June 6, 2013

The Dinner  by Herman Koch

Translated from Dutch & billed as "A European Gone Girl", this book is a dark psychological study of parents & children, love & ambition. I am more apt to compare it to a Gillian Flynn novel ala We Need to Talk About Kevin,  except ALL the characters are - - uh, creepy?

The entire plot unfolds over dinner in a posh Amsterdam restaurant where 2 couples dance around an uncomfortable incident involving their children - who knows what? and how much? and when did they find out? and what do we do now?  Flashbacks abound to keep the reader puzzling - who ARE these people????   and what WERE they thinking????   Often described as fascist and voyeuristic, The Dinner is a delicious serving of evil that will leave your brain unsettled.  What a read for a book club!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Let me confess: I have hit a reading slump.  I decided to jump back into the pool with The Diviners by Libba Bray, simply because I had heard too many good things to ignore it any longer.  While the buzz was positive, I'm not a read-a-review before reading the book type of girl.  I like the element of surprise and the ability to form my own opinions.
The Diviners settles around our main character Evie who has been banished from her boring mid-west town for performing unusual party tricks.  This banishment suits Evie just fine, as her exile leads her to Manhattan.  The downside?  She has to stay with her uncle Will, an expert in all things creepy and the curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult.
As Solomon's Comet prepares to make an appearance, strange murders begin to occur, murders that mirror those that started fifty years ago, the last time Solomon's Comet came through town.  The police tap uncle Will to consult on the cases and Evie tags along.  Soon she realizes that her party trick may help them catch the killer.
The plot and characters are thorough and delicious.  The book is a certifiable tomb, but I found myself breezing through the pages, completely invested in the outcome.  I was annoyed once I got to the end and found that this is the first book in a series.  I guess that's where reading reviews, before reading the book, is helpful (sigh).  No doubt, Libba Bray has a set the stage for an unforgettable and un-put-downable new series.
 

Monday, May 13, 2013

I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections  by Nora Ephron

Several years ago I read Nora Ephron's "I Feel Bad About My Neck" and loved it.  However since then, she became ill with leukemia and has since passed, so it was with trepidation that I decided to read this. It includes many personal memories and anecdotes. . . and lots of name-dropping. She grew up in Hollywood among stars, producers, and screenwriters, & it was all she knew. In 1962 with an Ivy League degree, she started out in the mailroom at Newsweek while her male counterparts were sent to the newsroom. Lots of history about her parents, marriages (one to Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame), and successes as a screen writer for such mega-hits as When Harry Met Sally & Sleepless in Seattle. But the book is less comedic and more wistfully sad.  Less mid-life hilarity, more mid-life reflection on aging.  Don't get me wrong - women of a certain age are sure to find themselves in this book, and smile at the relevancies - "I have no idea who anyone in People magazine is".  Bittersweet for anyone who admired her life. 

Monday, April 29, 2013

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

   I normally never pick up a Western but after reading the reviews on Goodreads, this looked promising - and it had an extremely cool cover. Alas, the reviews were much more fun than the book itself - however, I seem to be in the minority on this.
   Advertised as a dark, comedic "cowboy noir" genre, it's the story of 2 notorious gunslingers for hire during the 1850's California Gold Rush.  deWitt has been compared to Cormack McCarthy? - - puuuullllllease!!!  Shallow, boring, unfunny.  I felt like I was watching a B-grade movie complete with bad acting, minimal plot, gratuitous violence, then everyone goes home.
Snoozzzzzzzzzz. . . .
But as I said, I am in the minority on this one.  What do you think?

Monday, April 22, 2013

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

   I may be the only person on Earth to have never read a Harry Potter book so I have nothing with which to compare J. K. Rowling's first "adult" book. In my mind it stands alone as compelling & complex, a scathing pronouncement on English Society.  There are those who dismiss this book saying she "should stick to kids' books" and I can't disagree more. Yes some of the characters are dull, dim-witted, and unlikeable - really?  That's the point - and it's crucial to the story. Rowling's writing style gives them incredible dimension and credibility.

   In the modern rural English countryside, a popular council member dies of an aneurism triggering an oh-too-sophisticated scramble for the vacant seat. As the characters are slowly introduced, their relationships are woven together in a complex plot towards a tragic end. Rowling peels back their thin veneer of respectability to reveal the secrets, prejudices, pretentiousness, self-absorption and shame.
   One can understand why the Potter books are so popular once you glimpse Rowling's portrayal of children, which figure so prominently in this story.  She gets into their brains, makes you see through their eyes, feel their pain.   The adults brood about, nursing petty jealousies and feuds, either completely unaware or painfully mistaken of the effects their actions are having on the young residents of the town - until it's too late.

Her writing style is sometimes explosive and visually graphic:
“Onwards and outwards the news of Barry’s death spread, radiating, halo-like, from those who had been at the hospital....Gradually the facts lost form and focus; in some cases they became distorted. In places, Barry himself was lost behind the nature of his ending, and he became no more than an eruption of vomit and piss, a twitching pile of catastrophe, and it seemed incongruous, even grotesquely comical, that a man should have died so messily at the smug little golf club.”

This is not your grandmother's English drama.  Those expecting fast-paced action or paranormal activities will be sorely disappointed. But this is another kind of classic - more "Room With A View" with a bit of "Deathly Hallows" thrown in.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My Ideal Bookshelf by Jane Mount & Thessaly La Force

This book is a creative idea beautifully and simply brought to life by the art work of Jane Mount.  Dozens of writers, artists, designers, and other creative types were asked to write a short essay about their ideal bookshelf next to which Mount paints an image of this individual said shelf.  The result is a book filled with hours of interesting viewpoints, inspiration and at least 20 new titles to add to your to be read lists. 

The question, what books are on your ideal bookshelf?, is one of those desert island, last meal questions whose answer reflects so much about a personality.  Not to mention, technology has wiped away much of the idea or even consideration of the spine of a book. These images remind us how artful a shelf of honest to goodness books can be.

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Wild Trees by Richard Preston

An astonishing account of several unschooled naturalists obsessed with finding the largest tree on Earth.  Hiking miles into unmapped, unexplored areas of the California Redwood forests, they access areas so remote & inaccessible, no human save possibly ancient Native Americans has ever been there.  To fuel their passion, they fashion climbing apparatus and ascend hundreds of feet into the forest canopy, going as far as living atop the trees for weeks to find & observe new and undocumented species of plants & animals - a virtual Great Barrier Reef of life which has evolved entirely in the sky.  Complete with maps and drawings, this book of exploration, danger, persistance, and human folly is an unexpected joy to read, proving that there are still wonders of nature we have yet to uncover.

Monday, March 4, 2013

French Lessons  by Ellen Sussman

Loved this little book of vignettes about 3 French tutors and their 3 American students over a 2-day period in Paris.  Nothing deep, just good story telling and interesting characters grappling with life and love in all its forms. Woody Allen should base his next movie on this book. 
The Girl Who Fell to Earth  by Sophia Al-Maria

I was overdosed on Afghanistan/Taliban books, and German/Nazi occupation books, and Irish childhood misery books - so when I saw this was about a teenage girl in Qatar, I thought - meh!   Wow, was I wrong!  This book was current, poignant, enlightening, well written, and memorable.  Bedouin man speaking no English comes to America to make good; moves to Pacific Northwest & marries an earthy, self-sufficient American girl;  has children;  Father misses family & returns to Qatar.  Told from the perspective of the teenage daughter, the story is a realistic portrayal of extreme culture clash. Pacific Northwest liberalism vs. a rigid, segregated, polygamist theocracy.  Also interesting because the story ends before 9/11, so there is an undercurrent of impending disaster as the book progresses.
The Art Forger  by Barbara Shapiro

Fictionalized version of what may have become of several paintings stolen from the Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. This book roped me in with a blend of fact vs. fiction, intrigue vs. romance, artistic passion vs. cutthroat business practices.  Well written and good story line posing interesting questions: what would you do for money & prestige?  Where does ethics stop and survival take over?  The story concludes, but leaves you wondering: all those priceless paintings you see in museums - are they authentic? 
The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Brilliant loner gets led thru a warp in a city park and into an alternate reality where he goes through rigorous testing to get accepted into Magic School.  Somehow the schoolmasters are able to alter reality so that his parents actually think he is going to a "normal" prestigious college.   Great premise - right?   All the action from there follows his predictable escapades thru 4 years of college fun and mystical schooling with all his fellow magic students. 
One horrific event during the school years kept me reading in anticipation of some good vs evil confrontation.  After graduation, they all move to NYC w/their newly minted BA in Magic, and unlimited money.  What I didn't understand is WHY were these people going to magic school?  To what end? At this point in the book, when they are young adults, they continue to appear immature, self-absorbed and aimless, and I stopped caring and stopped reading. 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander

  I'm sure everyone is aware of the basic essence of Dr. Alexander's book Proof of Heaven, but for those of you who have been living under a rock, I'll explain.  Dr. Alexander is a well respected, academic neurosurgeon who contracted a rare E. Coli infection that attacked his brain and left him in a coma.  During his coma, he was monitored by some of the best physicians in the country, and his brain was completely inactive.  While in the coma he experienced a profound, spiritual and life-altering journey.  When he awoke, this man of science, of evidence and explanation was left wondering how to describe what had happened.  Such near death experiences are often attributed to random activity in different parts of the brain while a patient is physically unresponsive.  Proof of Heaven is Dr. Alexander's attempt at explaining that these events were not random or physical, but spiritual.
  I don't come from a particularly religious family, but I do believe in God.  Sometimes that faith waivers in times of difficulty and strife, when I see bad things happen to the people I love, or when bad things happen to the innocents in our society that I simply cringe at while watching the news.  This book, while not preachy or given to a specific religion, does reaffirm my belief in the spiritual realm.  It also left me full of hope and inspiration.  If for any reason you find yourself doubting that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and this world, or if the state of humanity in general has left you wanting - read this book.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

A book about a book store - are you snoring yet? While the quiet and unassuming Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore in San Fransisco is a focal point of this novel, technology, cryptology, mystery, science fiction and a secret society are what the story truly revolves around.  It is 2008 and the once gainfully employed Clay Jannon is a jobless Graphic Designer who begins working the night shift in Mr. Penumbra's Bookstore to pay his bills.  As he gets to know the quirks of the store's regular customers he uses his tech and programming skills to inadvertently crack a code of a secret society hundreds of years old.  Thus begins the unexpected unraveling of a code breaking race between a technology giant and an old intellectual society, exploring the unlikely communion of technology and the origins of printmaking.  As a lover of both technology AND the tried and true paper book, this book satisfied my belief that there is room and a need in our world for both.  If nothing else, there are some great chapters taking place at the Google campus that make for fascinating and entertaining commentary on the lifestyles of the technological elite. That, and the books on the cover glow in the dark. 

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky

  Heads in Beds is a light read about a guy, Jacob Tomsky, that never intended on being a life long member of the hotel business.  But once he was there, he never left.  He worked in almost every position - valet, front desk and housekeeping management.  Though the hours were long, the pay was good and he found that after a while he wasn't really qualified to do anything else. 
  This book is what I typically consider a "beach read".  Nothing too serious or emotionally charged, just a fun story with amusing anecdotes that numbs your brain and leaves you happy and satisfied at the close.  Tomsky offers tips on how to win free extras when visiting hotels.  He covers everything from late checkouts, comped minibars and free room upgrades.  Other than being a hotel how-to, Heads in Beds was quick and funny read.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

  If you haven't heard about this book I'm sure that it will only be a matter of time before you find it on your radar.  John Green's latest tomb is popping up on "best of" lists everywhere.  While it's considered a YA novel, that shouldn't deter anyone from reading it.  This book created so many emotions for me that I'm having difficulty distilling my thoughts into a succinct blog entry.
  Hazel is terminal, and she has been for most of her adolescent life.  She meets Augustus and Isaac at her cancer support group that her parents force her to participate in.  What unfolds is an unexpected story of relationships made, strained and broken.  This is NOT a story about kids dying from cancer, this is a story about kids living with cancer.
  While the subject matter may seem a bit macabre, the tragedies in the novel are blurred by seemingly genius bits of humor.  I wish I had friends like this in high school.  They're bright and hopeful, full of love and longing, and for all intents and purposes, the kind of people I always hoped that I would be.
  I tend to lean away from books like these, simply because I don't want to depress my self in an imaginary world, when there is so much that is depressing right here in reality.  It turns out that this is a story of hope, and I know that I'll keep it with me for a really long time.
 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Recent Reads Titles

The Recent Reads Book Discussion Group met for the first time in 2013 yesterday, and for the first time at a new time - 4:00 PM. This nontraditional book group is open to all. There's no specific book to read each month - you read what you like, then share with the group!

This month we read a combination of fiction and nonfiction. It's always nice to add a new book to the "to be read" list! One of the books that sounded really interesting was "The Light Between Oceans" by M.I. Stedman. This book begins right after WWI when Tom, a returning soldier, marries and becomes a lighthouse keeper off the coast of Australia. Tom agrees to go along with a decision made by his wife. The book follows the conflict between the couple, and within Tom, as a result of this decision.


Other Fiction books presented include:

"We Sinners" by Hanna Pylvainen - This book describes a large family in modern-day Michigan who belong to a church that doesn't permit drinking, dancing, or television and discusses their individual reactions when two siblings leave the faith for the temptations of modern culture.

"Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver - Dellarobia Turnbow is a discontent farmwife engaging in a flirtatious relationship with a younger man when she discovers an unusual fire in a forested valley behind her house. This curiosity causes a stir in the scientific and local communities, garnering a great deal of media attention and leads to Dellarobia confronting and questioning everything she thought she believed in.

The person that read this described the writing as "Delicious!"

We also read a few Nonfiction titles:

"The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle & the End of America's Childhood" by Jane Leavy - Drawing on more than 500 interviews with loved ones and fellow baseball players, the author crafts a deeply personal biography of the Yankee great, weaving her own memories of the major-league slugger with an authoritative account of his life on and off the field.

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition" by Julieanna Hever - Presents an introduction to a plant-based diet, discussing such topics as vegan food groups, vitamins, ingredient substitutions, and weight loss, with recipes for soups, vegetables, main dishes, and desserts.


Friday, January 4, 2013

The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam Torode

  I heard about this book through a recent reads book club.  As soon as I heard the title and summary I knew I had to read it.  Tobias Henry is the son of a Baptist preacher who lives in Michigan.  Like most teenaged boys he is obsessed with girls, so he is delighted when he happens upon Bible passages that reference sex and breasts. 
  After an accident leaves Tobias' father blind, embarrassed, and unfit to lead his flock, Tobias is sent on a quest to retrieve money that his father hid when he was younger on his family's farm down in Texas.  Along the way Tobias learns tough lessons about the world.  His travel money is stolen by a prostitute and he's forced to ride the rails with hobos.  One of which, Craw, becomes his de facto street mentor.
  Once they arrive in Texas, Tobias and Craw start working on the family farm while Tobias secretly tries to locate his father's hidden bank roll.  All the while Craw imparts his vast knowledge of love and women.  As fate would have it, there is a girl on the farm - Sarah, who Tobias eventually falls for, but what Tobias doesn't know is that she's cursed.
  This book was sweet and so funny.  I would classify it as sinfully delightful.  I was sad once I got to the last page.  Full disclosure - this book IS NOT in the Delaware Library Catalog, so I had to order it through ILL.  I also found the ebook version at Amazon for $1.  If you need a good laugh, definitely read this book.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Caribou Island

Alaska:  People come here out of curiosity, or for exploration, escapism, validation. Set on an island off the Kenai Peninsula, this is bleak story, every character unsympathetic, which makes it hard to justify why I liked the book.  If you've been to the interior of Alaska, or seen the movie "Into the Wild", you can begin to understand the harshness, remoteness, and desolation of the unforgiving land.  How it draws people there, what it does to them, and why only a very few survive.  

The 4 main characters are weirdly interesting, all self-absorbed in their own personal neuroses.  In the lower 48 this would be inconsequential, but in Alaska, any psychological weakness can prove fatal.

In the end, I wanted more interaction, deeper fleshing out of the characters, & a few plot issues resolved.   Caribou Island is beautifully written - haunting and disturbing, but left me wanting more out of of the book.