life by candlelight

Free Books from Shelf Awareness

2012-01-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to Shelf Awareness for Readers and always get great ideas about upcoming books to read. They often have galley giveaways and right now you have a chance to win several galleys of upcoming books. Who doesn't love free books? Especially ones that haven't been published!! For your chance to win, go here.

And while you are there, sign up for the Shelf Awareness e-mail. Because we all need more books on the TBR pile.

A PLACE OF SECRETS by Rachel Hore

2012-01-20T09:41:00.001-08:00

Review coming soon...

Falling Behind

2012-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am so behind!!! I have several reviews to post and a couple of books to finish. I am currently reading THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides and A PLACE OF SECRETS by Rachel Hore and I am really enjoying both!

There are so many wonderful books coming out this year and I couldn't be more excited. However, I am also working on cultivating my creative side and I have been taking several online classes to kickstart a new year of creativity. This has cut down on my reading time but I think it will be so worth it.

Bear with me and I'll get caught up soon. Happy Reading!!!

Favorite Books of 2011

2012-01-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

I used to title this list "Best Books of 2011" but because reading is subjective and I sometimes don't like a book based on things other than the quality of the book, I decided to retitle my list "Favorite Books of 2011." You certainly don't have to take my word for it. (thanks Reading Rainbow!)

LBC FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2011

10. Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
Appealed to the Shakespeare lover within me. A nice tale of the conflict and competition between three sisters.

9. Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Not the best written book but highly entertaining. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

8. 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
Lovely and bittersweet. Left me thinking about what I would do in that situation. A great look at what happens AFTER war.

7. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Reminiscent of the GREAT GATSBY. A terrific book of manners.

6. Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Not your average baseball book. Not really about baseball at all.

5. Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
A very clever look at those left behind after a Rapture-like event.

4. Faith by Jennifer Haigh
A beautiful look at faith and truth.

3. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Whimsical and wonderful. I was a little disappointed by the ending but it was a truly enjoyable read.

2. Night Strangers by Christopher Bohjalian
Extremely creepy read in the tradition of ROSEMARY'S BABY and WICKER MAN.

1. Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Beautiful historical tale of a group of women in the last Zealot stronghold in the desert after the fall of Temple in Jerusalem. Sad and lovely.

So many great books in 2011 that even my least favorite books were still worth reading. Can't wait to see what 2012 brings!!!

Least Favorite Books of 2011

2012-01-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's that time again! My goal each year is to read at least 52 books. This year, I got 62 done. Not bad! There were some great books in 2011. As always, I will start with my LEAST favorite books of 2011. Some of these are not bad in and of themselves but they were disappointments that often didn't live up to their hype. One's experience of books is very different from that of other people. Some of the books on this list made many Best of 2011 lists. You may very well disagree with my selections. All are reviewed on this blog.

LBC *LEAST* FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2011

10. Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
An interesting concept in the tradition of WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? that just missed the mark for me. I would have loved the story to be developed a bit more. It left me with too many questions.

9. This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman
I loved the idea of this book and it is certainly timely but I felt it was too short to really delve into the topic.

8. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
This book just didn't come together for me. All the build-up led to a very anticlimactic reveal.

7. The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
There was so much buzz about this book that I expected a lot. Although the ideas were interesting, it didn't entirely work.

6. Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
I am far in the minority on this one. Most people have it on their Best of 2011 list. I found it slow and tedious.

5. Demi-Monde: Winter by Rod Rees
This skewed very "young adult" to me. The concept was creative but didn't leave me interested enough to want to continue the series.

4. Hypnotist by Lars Kepler and Ann Long
This started out so well and then completely fell apart. Too many things going on to make it a truly effective thriller.

3. Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer
I loved the concept but it just didn't work. The characters weren't likeable and I was left unclear about the point Wolitzer really wanted to make.

2. Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
Ugh. Major disappointment. Duncan is clearly a gifted writer but some of this came off as so cheesy as to be embarrassing. "Werewolf sex." Enough said.

1. Waiting for Spring by R.J. Keller
Too long and unbelievable to be effective. The themes are good but I just didn't buy the story.

Stay tuned for the Best of 2011!

SISTERS by Nancy Jensen

2011-12-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

Review coming soon...

I Have Riches in the Form of Books

2011-12-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

I was recently looking at a new title in our library called UNPACKING MY LIBRARY: WRITERS AND THEIR BOOKS. It was so fun to page through the photographs of various authors and their home libraries. It made me think of how much I love my own home library.

I'm not sure how many books I have. A little over 1000 I think. Hardcover titles. Many of them signed first editions. My 3-yr-old son has over 100 books in his collection. It's a start.

I recently moved to a new house and haven't unpacked my books yet. I have all the necessities unpacked but, without my books, it doesn't feel like home. I love unpacking and organizing my books. I smile as I pull them out of boxes and marvel at the different covers. I love the variety of their sizes and shapes and the feel of the paper. I like seeing them all lined up by subject. (and alphabetized by author within subject, of course!) Once they are in place, I often find myself wandering into the study just to run my fingers over the spines of the books. I love the smell of old crumbly paper. I love finding the notes of previous owners of the books inside of them. Books are a multi-sensory experience for me.

I don't get any of this from an ebook. I do see the value of ebooks and I will probably have an e-readers someday for travel. But I find ebooks to be cold and lifeless. I can't take notes in them in my own handwriting. I can't pass them down to future generations. They have no smell or real tactile sensation. They are dead things that are only "alive" as long as the reader is turned on. Or as long as the batteries don't run out!

Many of you know that I am a fan of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. What would happen to us if the lights went out? If we no longer had electricity? At least we could still read our paper books. The written chronicles of our lives and our history. Pretty amazing, don't you think?

As long as I have my books, I will be rich indeed.

THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman

2011-12-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

Review coming soon...

THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY by Margot Livesey

2011-11-28T14:07:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

One of my favorite novels of all time is JANE EYRE. This is just something about it. Maybe it is the fact that it is a hard-luck tale of one intrepid little girl. Maybe it's the unlikely love story. Maybe it's the gothic style element of horror. It's a wonderful book. In THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY, Margot Livesey reenvisions the classic tale in a more contemporary setting.

Set in 1950s-60s Scotland, THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY follows young Gemma as she is taken from her native Iceland to Scotland by her uncle after the death of her widower father. All is well until the death of her beloved uncle when Gemma suddently find herself persona non grata in her aunt's home. Desperate to escape, Gemma agrees to become a scholarship student at a boarding school. Hardly more than an unpaid servant, Gemma works hard until the day the school goes bankrupt and she is forced to look for employment. She takes a job as an au pair in the Orkney Islands where she meets the enigmatic Mr. Sinclair. Their unlikely attraction sets loose a chain of events that will change Gemma's life forever.

Sound familiar?

This book really is almost scene for scene a retelling of JANE EYRE until the end. I really enjoyed the twist of Gemma's search for her past and her time in Iceland at the end of the book. I think it really added somethign to the story. However, I was disappointed that one of the major plot points in JANE EYRE was left out of this version. That definitely surprised me.

This book is incredibly readable and very entertaining although I'm not sure if I loved it for itself or because it reminded me so much of JANE EYRE. Sometimes, I think books of this kind work best when they simply nod to their predecessors rather than stick so closely to the original. Still, fans of the original will find much to like here.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A little TOO close to the original for my taste but entertaining nonetheless.

NYPD Targets Occupy Wall Street Library--Again

2011-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Link to article:

NYPD Targets Occupy Wall Street Library--Again

I urge you to follow the above link and read the accompanying article. The police really aren't doing themselves any favors by targeting libraries. Everyone knows you should never piss off a librarian!!! When I read this article, I was reminded of a quotation from one of my favorite movies, THE FISHER KING:

"It's social anarchy when people start pissing on bookstores!"

What kind of message does it send when we have police officers pitching books into a dumpster?

I love the part about the attendees of the National Book Awards bringing books to the Occupy site. Whether or not you support the Occupy movement, I think we can all agree that libraries and books should be protected---wherever they are located.

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER by Rod Rees

2011-11-15T10:40:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

It's all about steampunk these days. Well...steampunk and vampires. In this novel, the U.S. military has developed a very realistic virtual reality simulation to help soldiers become familiar with non-traditional battlegrounds and styles such as that in Afghanistan. The Demi-Monde was programmed to be an extremely realistic world filled with the economic, geographical and religious stressors common in today's battle arenas. To add a little something extra, the programmers added some of the world's most dangerous psychopaths such as Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich, Stalin, Torquemada and others. These individuals share control of the Demi-Monde. Instead of scarcity of water, oil or other resources, the programmers added in a need for blood. Now, these aren't vampires in the traditional sense of the word. Citizens of the Demi-Monde simply require a certain quota of blood in order to survive. They get these quotas at designated blood banks but only enough to survive. Not enough to quench their thirst for it. When the Demi-Mondians realized that the soldiers sent into their world could bleed (Demi-Mondians don't have blood), they began kidnapping them and holding them hostage in order to drain them. That was bad enough. And then the President's daughter was kidnapped and taken into the Demi-Monde. Now, young Ella has been recruited from our world due to her resemblance to Dup (all residents of the Demi-Monde are duplicated of real people) and sent into the Demi-Monde on a rescue mission to save the President's daughter. This isn't just any simulation. It's a matter of life or death.

This is the first in a planned series of four. It reminded me of THE MATRIX in many ways. I thought it was incredibly creative and I loved the introduction of the various historical figures and what happened when they were thrown together in a simulated environment. I can absolutely visualize this as a movie or television series. That being said, I don't think it as particularly well-written. I would recommend it more as a Young Adult level novel. It was interesting and entertaining but I wasn't drawn in enough to want to read any more of the series.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. This is much more a Young Adult title although there is a great deal of violence and sensuality. Great for fans of both steampunk and the vampire genres. It was an entertaining read but my interest stalled out towards the end. I won't be reading the rest of the series.

Mission Accomplished!

2011-11-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

Each year I set myself the same reading goal---to read 52 books during the year. An average of one book per week. Well, I hit my goal in October! I am currently at 55 books completed for 2011. Not bad. If I can find the missing galleys I was in the middle of, I will be on track to have quite a few more finished before the end of the year.

I love using Goodreads to track my reading. I tried using LibraryThing but I think it is much clunkier. Goodreads is great for posting review, tracking your books, storing titles for future reading and networking with other readers. Plus, I often can't resist taking a few of their reader quizzes.

I'm currently blazing through THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY which is a modern retelling of JANE EYRE. I have also finally gotten around to reading FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen and I'm about a quarter of the way through that one. Hopefully, I'll get some good reading done this weekend.

If you are looking for something good to read this Veterans' Day weekend, why not try MATTERHORN? I'm not one for war books but I could not get this one out of my mind. One of the best of 2010.

Happy reading!

This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman

2011-11-03T13:22:00.001-07:00

I was so intrigued when I heard the subject matter of this book. At first glance, it looks like one of those books that delves into the dystopian nature of affluent society. On some levels, it is. However, Schulman adds an interesting twist.

The Bergamots are a fairly grounded, liberal-minded family whose lives are changed when they move from a comfortable upstate college town to New York City for Richard Bergamot's new job at a large university. Their lives are thrown into disarray be their entry into a new level of elite society. Liz Bergamot gives up her academic career completely to care for her children in their new life. Young Coco seems to adjust well but 15-year-old Jake has trouble fitting in at his new elite private school. Everything seems to fall apart when Jake opens an e-mail the morning following an unchaperoned party to find a sexually-explicit video from an 8th-grade admirer. Having a hard time dealing with the complex array of feeling that the video elicits, Jake sends it to a friend who then forwards it on. The video goes viral and the fall-out for the Bergamots and the other individuals involved are profound.

I think this novel is particularly timely as it deals with the issues stemming from social media and the internet. It is so hard for young people to grasp the fact that anything they do on the internet can get out to a wider audience or possibly affect them forever. They don't always understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions. While it is interesting to see how the various teens deal with what happens, I also appreciate Schulman's view of how the adults act in this crisis. No one comes out unscathed and no one seems to act within an appropriate ethical realm.

While this book brings up really interesting truths about social media and society today, I was a little disappointed. Schulman had great ideas and great characters but the book felt a little too short. It seems like there was so much more to say and she just didn't go deep enough. The book really left me wanting more.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. Great ideas and interesting characters but a little too short and undeveloped. I wish she had taken it farther.

KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD by Rebecca Coleman

2011-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

I heard so many interesting things about this book (and wasn't able to find it in any local library) that I ended up purchasing it. The book reminded me a great deal of Zoe Heller's WHAT WAS SHE THINKING which was made into a movie called NOTES ON A SCANDAL with Judi Dench.

THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD focuses on two individuals at a Waldorf school, one a sixteen-year-old student named Zach Patterson and one a kindergarten teacher named Judy McFarland. Judy's marriage has been falling apart from sometime and her job is in trouble as the school struggles to remain financially solvent. Still, she remains committed to the ideals of a Waldorf education where childhood is sacred. Zach is a transfer student who was uprooted because of his mother's affair. When the two are thrown together while working on a school fundraiser, their loneliness leads them into a dangerous affair. As the affair progresses, the two can't seem to extricate themselves from it and the secrets of Judy's past are slowly revealed.

While this book wasn't nearly as effective as Heller's, I found it interesting that Coleman framed the story within a Waldorf school. It made for a great juxtaposition. Judy is also a fairly sinister character and I liked how Coleman hinted at dark secrets within her past. Ultimately, though the book and its ending were unsatisfying. I felt that Coleman could have done more.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. Coleman puts an interesting spin on this subject matter. While the twists and turns are intriguing, the book ultimately falls a little flat.

FORGOTTEN WALTZ by Anne Enright

2011-10-20T11:51:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Every so often, a book comes along that garners a great deal of critical and popular praise that simply falls flat for me. It happened last year with A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD. I found that book entirely too gimmicky but I was definitely in the minority. This year, it appears that THE FORGOTTEN WALTZ will be the book that I must disagree with popular sentiment about.

In a small suburb of Dublin, Gina Moynihan recalls how her affair with the love of her life, Sean Vallely began. She recalls when she first met Sean and how their affair began and the various entanglements and issues that arose as a result of that affair. Namely, the effect it had on Sean's daughter Evie.

While the book offers an interesting account of how affairs begin and the effect that can have on the people around them, I found the book to be incredibly slow and boring. At 263 pages, it isn't even very long but it took me months to read because I just couldn't engage with it. The characters are not only unsympathetic but also uninteresting. The story jumps around in time in a very confusing way and made it difficult to follow the narrator's line of thought. The book also ends fairly abruptly.

BOTTOM LINE: Not recommended. I think Enright has interesting things to say about love and adultery but the book is too meandering and quiet for my taste. I found the whole thing to be quite slow and boring.

Pardon the Mess...We're Moving

2011-10-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Most of the boxes are packed and we are moving this weekend. I seem to keep finding books that still haven't been packed. Could it be I have too many books? (Absolutely not.)

Find the latest update here.

Once I get moved, I'm going to start on Julia Cameron's PROSPEROUS HEART. Just got a galley for it and it looks perfect for where I am in my life right now.

I'm also working on Russell Banks' LOST MEMORY OF SKIN.

Reviews will resume soon!!!

Picture Book Pause--M.O.M. by Doreen Cronin

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

We're going to take a break from our regularly scheduled contemporary adult literature book reviews to stop and ponder a new picture book. Today's book is M.O.M.* (Mom Operating Manual) by Doreen Cronin. I have really enjoyed Cronin's previous books such as CLICK, CLACK, MOO and DUCK FOR PRESIDENT. And astute readers will recognize the work of illustrator Laura Cornell who has worked on such books as Jamie Lee Curtis' TODAY I FEEL SILLY & OTHER MOODS THAT MAKE MY DAY.

This clever book is essentially an owner's manual for children. The book takes the reader through the evolution and history of moms including the different types and how to care for them. The brief chapters include A Brief Historical Overview, Daily Care and Maintenance, Grooming, Outdoor Use and Troubleshooting. The book is fairly long for a picture book at 54 pages and much of the humor will go over the heads of children. It is definitely a book for older readers of elementary school age and higher. However, adults will probably get the most enjoyment from the book. I see it as a wonderful gift for a new mom, a frazzled mom who needs a humorous reminder of why we do what we do or as a Mother's Day gift.

I particularly enjoyed the safety alert notes sprinkled throughout the book. My favorite? In the section for "Outdoor Use, " there is a safety alert that reads "Your mother may warm up during periods of extreme use. Under heavy loads with extended carry times, your mother may be warm to the touch. This is normal." And under the troubleshooting section, the book recommends doing a little Cranky Pants dance to override any Mom malfuctions but it cautions that fathers may perform the Cranky Pants dance only at considerable risk.

The book may be too far above the heads of most children but I think it would probably be a pretty entertaining book for adults and children to read together. And Moms everywhere will definitely get a bunch of laughs out of it!

LBC on Hiatus

2011-09-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow Bibliophiles!

You may have been following my life drama over on my creative blog. To summarize:

1. Husband out of work for over a year now
2. Received a "Notice to Vacate" at the beginning of September

So, we are scrambling to find a new home before the end of October. Life continues to get complicated and it's a challenge sometimes to keep that Stiff Upper Lip. My reading has dropped off a bit and I have hesitated requesting new ARCs because I'm not sure where to have them mailed. I am currently finishing up a few books and will post reviews for them but it may take a few weeks to get settled and start receiving new ARCs again. I hope to be back at full speed by the beginning of November.

So, please bear with me during these turbulent times! I'm not going anywhere. Posting will just be more sporadic than usual.

Thanks!!!

-A

Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the Tom Perrotta Audiobook giveaway is......

MELISSA

Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

Melissa--E-mail me your mailing address and I'll send it to you right away. Hope you like it. It's one of my favorites this year!

NIGHT STRANGERS by Christopher Bohjalian

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I have long had a love/hate relationship with Chris Bohjalian. On the one hand, he is a gifted writer and storyteller. On the other, I often want to throw the books across the room once I have finished them. I found THE DOUBLE BIND particularly disturbing and troublesome. So, it was with great trepidation that I picked up his latest book, THE NIGHT STRANGERS.

Chip Linton is a seasoned airline pilot with a perfect flying record, the perfect wife and the perfect twin girls. When the plane he is piloting crash lands in Lake Champlain due to a mid-air collision with birds, his life is changed forever. As one of the few survivors of the plane, Chip must deal with his survivor's guilt. In an effort to rebuild his life and family, the Lintons buy a large Victorian home in a small White Mountain town. The house seems like a dream come true except for the creepy basement with the door that is bolted closed with 39 bolts. Chip becomes obsessed with the door and what may lie behind it. As Chip struggles with his demons, his wife and daughters are befriended by the local eccentrics, a group of herbalists all named for various herbs and plants. Emily Linton finds herself drawn in by this group even as they show an almost unnatural interest in her twin daughters, Hallie and Garnet. Does something sinister lie within the house itself? Or within the cultlike group of plant enthusiasts?

This book is incredibly creepy without being explicit. For me, it had the feel of ROSEMARY'S BABY or THE WICKER MAN. The story was thoroughly engrossing and I loved how the storyline and its outcome wasn't completely obvious. I am anxiously awaiting others to read the book so we can discuss the ending. This was a great read for fall and a very effective suspense novel for those who don't care for gore but like to be spooked!

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. A terrific read with just the right amount of creepiness. Bohjalian really won me over with this one.

WHEN SHE WOKE by Hilary Jordan

2011-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I love my dystopian cautionary tales and this one fits right into that genre. I would describe this book when doing reader advisory as THE SCARLET LETTER meets THE HANDMAID'S TALE. Hannah Payne (a not-so-subtle play on Hester Prynne) awakens to find herself red. Fire engine red from head to toe. Hannah has done the unthinkable. She aborted her baby. Now society demands that she pay by having her skin color genetically altered so that everyone will know her shame. In this society of the not-so-distant future, non-violent criminals have their skin color genetically altered for a predetermined length of time and are released back into society after an initial 30 day incarceration where their every move is recorded and televised so the whole world can see how they are dealing with their new lives. These "Chromes" carry a visible statement of their crime wherever they go and have become a new ghettoized class of people. Because Hannah chose not to reveal the father of her child (a famous pastor of a mega-church), her sentence will last for fifteen years.

Hilary Jordan has come up with a truly original take on crime and punishment. In some ways, the idea of publicly shaming people this way instead of incarcerating them seems attractive. However, Jordan brings to light a variety of problems with this approach as Hannah attempts to reintegrate into society as a Chrome. Her relationship with her conservative Christian family and her lover is complex and layered. I found Hannah's struggles interesting and poignant. The only real problem I had with this book was Jordan's inclusion of a more action-packed twist towards the end of the book. Hannah's struggles as a Chrome and the effect it has on her relationships are the most interesting part. The rest is just filler.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. I think this would make a great book club pick. It is a quick interesting read that can generate a lot of discussion about crime and punishment. I just wish Jordan had skipped the unnecessary plot additions toward the end of the book.

ART OF FIELDING by Chad Harbach

2011-09-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

At first glance, ART OF FIELDING looks like your standard baseball novel. Since I am not a huge fan of baseball, I was a little cautious about approaching this book. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

Baseball provides the framework of a story about five people at a small Eastern college. Henry Skrimshander has made a religion out of being a flawless shortstop. His ambition ends there until he is discovered by college player Mike Schwartz. Schwartz convinces Henry to dream bigger and encourages him to come and play at Westish College. This fateful meeting sets loose a chain of events that will affect a number of people including Henry's gay college roommate Owen, the President of the University, Guert Affenlight and Affenlight's directionless daughter Pella. When Henry makes a fateful error during a Westish game, their lives are all changed forever.

What makes this story successful are how authentic and real the characters are. They are flawed, complex human beings and Harbach takes the time to really flesh out the characters. Each one is likeable in his/her own way and yet each of them struggles to overcome his/her near tragic flaws. I couldn't help but get caught up in their stories. Harbach does some referencing of MOBY DICK in this story and baseball becomes the white whale of several of the characters.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. While some of the prose comes off as a bit silly, this is an excellent freshman effort. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what Harbach offers next.

THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

2011-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I am a fan of magical realism and whimsy. I'll take it in any form I can find it. When I started hearing the buzz about Erin Morgenstern's NIGHT CIRCUS, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. While the book may not fall directly into the magical realist category, it IS filled with lots of magic and beauty.

A mystery circus rolls into town that is only open at night. Everything about the circus from its costumes to its tents are black and white. Instead of entering one large tent and viewing a standard three-ring show, visitors are encouraged to wander through many small tents in order to explore the many wonders the circus has to offer. The visitors, however, are not aware of the true purpose of this wonderful attraction. The circus is actually a traveling venue for a magical competition between two powerful magicians who were designated opponents when they were children. Celia is the daughter of a well-known magician and Marco is an orphan taken in by a mysterious man in grey. Both children have been trained since childhood for the express purpose of engaging in this mysterious and fierce competition. As the game continues over the years, Celia and Marco fall in love and their forbidden relationship has dangerous consequences both for themselves and the Circus.

To me, the love story and competition were the least interesting parts of the book. I was most intrigued by the marvelous details about the Circus itself. It seemed like such a wonderful place and, as each tent is revealed, I became more and more drawn into its magic. Morgenstern is marvelously creative in crafting this circus and its many wonders. It is filled with such beauty and wonder and the people in and around it are as intriguing as its offerings. When the story returned to Celia and Marco, I often became bored and impatient. While their story is important in terms of moving the action along, I was far more interested in the day-to-day operations of the Circus. I was excited to see what new wonders each chapter would reveal.

I didn't really believe in Marco and Celia's love and I found the competition a bit confusing. I wish Morgenstern had gone into greater detail about the reasons behind the competition and the mysterious men behind it. However, the details about the circus redeemed the whole story for me.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A wonderful and whimsical tale about magic and love that is most satisfying in its little details.

Picture Book Pause---THE MAN IN THE MOON by William Joyce

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

We're going to take a break from our regularly scheduled contemporary adult literature book reviews to stop and ponder a new picture book. Today's book is the first picture book in William Joyce's new GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD series--THE MAN IN THE MOON.

This gorgeously illustrated book tells the origin story of the Man in the Moon or MiM. We learn how MiM used to sail the night sky with his parents in ship called the Moon Clipper as he was watched over by his friend and protector Nightlight. When the evil King of Nightmares, Pitch, attempts to kidnap MiM, his life and the lives of the children on Earth are changed forever.

Joyce cleverly weaves in other origin tales in this short story including how the Earth got its moon, why the moon glows, where lost balloons end up and how the Guardians of Childhood came to be. The whole tale is wonderfully whimsical and there is plenty for adults to enjoy and appreciate in the book as well as children.

Although this is picture book, it is long and fairly complex. It will probably work best for children 5 and up. The King of Nightmares is a bit frightening and there is a scary battles scene but it isn't TOO scary. Much of the outcome of the battle is suggested rather than explicitly spelled out so adults have the opportunity to explain more to the child if necessary.

I absolutely loved this book! It hits all the right notes and sets up the series perfectly. I cannot wait for the next picture book and will also be looking for the Young Reader editions of the books in the series.

LEFTOVERS Audio Giveaway!!!

2011-08-25T14:35:00.001-07:00

I have been given the opportunity to give away a book on CD version of Tom Perrotta's new book THE LEFTOVERS. Read my review here. This is one of my favorite books this year and I was VERY tempted to keep the audio version for myself but.....after some soul searching....I decided I just had to share the wealth.

I am offering you several chances to win. Leave a separate comment for each method of entry. I will validate each entry.

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite book that you have read this year.

2. Follow this blog and leave me a comment telling me you did.

3. "Like" this page on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did.

4. Follow me on Twitter (@bibanon1) and leave me a comment telling me you did.

The contest will be open until Monday, September 12. Please make sure you have left me a way of contacting you in your entries.

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

2011-08-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Victoria Jones is a damaged young woman emancipating out of the foster care system after years of being shuttled from one foster home to another and ending her childhood days in a group home. Having difficulty with connecting with other people, Victoria chooses to express herself through flowers. Her tremendous love of flowers and the Victorian language of flowers was cultivated through her time with a woman who came close to becoming Victoria's adoptive mother. However, something terrible happened that forced young Victoria from this woman's house and closed the door on her finding a permanent home. Now, as an adult, Victoria must learn how to care for herself. A local florist sees Victoria's talent with flowers and gives her a job. In this job, Victoria discovers that she has the power to help others through her communication through flowers. When she runs into a mysterious man at the flower market, Victoria must begin to confront her past in order to get a second chance at a happy ending.

While much of this book will remind readers of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE due to its magical realist take on flowers, Diffenbaugh has a unique perspective all her own. As a foster mother, Diffenbaugh really understands the complexity of feelings within foster children and foster parents. Victoria seems such an unlikeable person from the outside but Diffenbaugh skillfully reveals the inner turmoil that leads to her difficulties in connecting with others. After all the adversity that Victoria faces, one can only hope that she gets a happy ending. While the trauma in Victoria's past is a little anti-climactic when it appears and the love story a little forced, I really loved how Diffenbaugh chose to wrap up the book. The reader gets an ending as complex and varied as its heroine.

This is one of those books that gets you excited about learning something new. I was so intrigued by the Victorian language of flowers sprinkled throughout the book that I had to head to my local library to find out more. It is such a wonderful and creative construct to build a story around. It adds a sense of romance and wonder to a tale that might otherwise be bleak. After reading this book, I may have to change my favorite flower from yellow roses to something else. I'll be consulting the flower dictionary at the back of the book for guidance.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. I think Diffenbaugh has wonderful things to say about foster children within a greater tale of love, redemption and magical realism with flowers. A really great read.

LEFTOVERS by Tom Perrotta

2011-08-11T15:44:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Tom Perrotta is fast becoming the master of the suburban dystopia genre. I thought his novel LITTLE CHILDREN was wonderfully complex and ELECTION was a wonderful portrayal of high school set against the backdrop of student council election. Now, Perrotta revisits familiar territory with a new spin. In THE LEFTOVERS, Perrotta explores what might happen to the people left behind if the Rapture actually did occur. Part of the genius in this construct lies in the fact that it isn't clear if the mass disappearance of people all the over the world really WAS the Rapture. People of all ages, creeds and backgrounds disappear on this fateful day. The novel opens one year after the Departure. Those left behind are trying to move on with their lives and trying to find meaning in what happened. Some people join cult-like groups in response to the event. These groups take on names such as the Guilty Remnant and the Barefoot People. Others look for answers in religious leaders such as those who follow self-styled prophet Holy Wayne. Others just try to get on with their lives and find some sense of normalcy. The genius in this book lies not in the Rapture-event itself. Perrotta doesn't spend much time dissecting what happened to the missing people or whether or not it really WAS the Rapture. He is more concerned with the fallout of the event and what happens to those who are left behind. The Departure is simply the impetus for everything that follows. Much of the discontent, confusion and feeling of displacement and loss could describe the state of the world as it is right now. These are people trying to make sense of the world around them in a wide variety of ways and some are more successful than others.

I really loved this book. I thought all the characters were so interesting and well-drawn. I spent a lot of time thinking how I would choose to live my life if I were one of the Leftovers. I was particularly drawn to the story of Nora Durst--a woman who lost her husband and two young children in the Departure. What make this event so particularly devastating is that it doesn't have the finality of death. No one really knows what happened to the missing people and if they will ever return. There can be no real closure or answers for anyone. The book is moving and sad and very thought-provoking.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. I feel certain this will be on my Top 10 of 2011 list in January. Well written and thought-provoking, this book is a very clever take on modern suburban malaise. I was sad when it ended because I felt there was so much more to say.

Come Visit Me on Facebook

2011-08-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've decided to try something new and I have created a page for this blog on Facebook. I will post the links to new reviews here so if you "like" this page on Facebook, the new reviews will pop up in your feed.

Go here to "like" me!!!

FAMILY FANG by Kevin Wilson

2011-08-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

When I heard FAMILY FANG being compared to THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, I knew I had to read it. I love quirky books. Especially when they deal with quirky families. Performance artists Camille and Caleb Fang have sacrificed their family at the altar of Art. Having been told by their mentor that children destroy art, Camille and Caleb are determined to find a way to have both. They start incorporating their children into their performace art stunts as babies and the family quickly becomes known throughout the art world for their daring and provocative performances. Annie and Buster Fang (more commonly known as Child A and Child B) receive all of the fall-out from these experiments. They spend their childhood as often unwilling participants in their parents' "art" and constantly live in a state of expectation as they never know exactly what their parents are planning and how they will be involved. As adults, the dysfunction of their family continues to affect both Annie and Buster. Annie becomes an actress who can't seem to find her authentic self and seems unable to stop herself from doing in appropriate things. Buster is a one-hit wonder author who is drifting aimlessly as a freelance journalist trying to figure out what he is going to do with his life. When Annie and Buster's parents disappear, the children come together to discover the truth about their parents and make choices about how they will live ultimately live their lives.

This is a truly quirky book and I love the descriptions of the Fangs' performance art pieces. Camille and Caleb are such interesting people. Annie and Buster are slightly less so. They have been damaged by the chaos that their parents constantly drew them into. While many readers found this book hilarious, I have to disagree. I found it sad. Caleb and Camille have chosen Art about everything else...including their family. They have placed their children in dangerous situations and taken advantage of their vulnerability in countless ways in the name of Art. Annie and Buster's struggles as adults make it clear exactly how their eccentric upbringing affected them. They drift about trying to disentangle their identities from that of their parents. My reaction upon finishing the book was one of sadness for these lost children.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is an unusual story with clever characters but it is not the comic novel I thought it would be. It is a very well-rendered view of a severely dysfunctional family. But not like any dysfunctional family you have ever seen before.

AMONG THE WONDERFUL by Stacy Carlson

2011-08-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

The theme of the moment seems to be the circus life. Not long ago, we had THE TRANSFORMATION OF BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO. Recently, there has been THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB and the upcoming NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. Stacy Carlson's brings us inside the walls of P.T. Barnum's museum with AMONG THE WONDERFUL.

AMONG THE WONDERFUL follows the lives of two of Barnum's employees, a taxidermist named Emile Guillaudeu left over from the Scudder museum who is having difficulty adapting to his new life under Barnum and a professional giantess named Ana Swift. Guillaudeu was proud of his role as taxidermist inside of the venerable Scudder Museum of Natural History. When Scudder sells the museum to Barnum and Barnum begins to displace science in the name of entertainment, Emile begins to question his role within the museum. One of the entertainers is Ana. Ana is a professional giantess who claims to be the only giantess in the world. She is plagued by chronic pain and has become jaded and lonely after a life on the road. Both Emile and Ana are seeking something more. The two of them struggle separately to figure out how their lives are going to evolve against the backdrop of Barnum's unusual museum.

I think Carlson came up with a wonderful character in Ana Swift. She is sad and complex and frustrating. One moment the reader feels sympathy for her and the next the reader wants to shake her in her misanthropy. I think her story is the most compelling. Emile provides an interesting contrast as he is the victim of the paradigm shift between a museum of knowledge and preservation and one of entertainment. While Emile's struggles are interesting, his story is not nearly as compelling as Ana's and the story seems to drag every time he shows up. I think Carlson succeeded in creating a multi-layered story where Bryson's BARTHOLOMEW FORTUNO failed. Bryson's book focused more on the sensational while Carlson makes a real attempt at getting inside the characters' heads and showing the dystopia within Barnum's walls.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. An interesting look inside the flawed world of Barnum's museum. The story is very very slow in the chapters focusing on Emile's story but his story is necessary to provide a contrast to Ana's. If you can get past the "stop and start" quality of the book, you will find some interesting perspective on the evolution of two people within a very unusual context.

Picture Book Pause--DREAM AWAY by Julia Durango & Katie Belle Trupiano

2011-08-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

We're going to take a break from our regularly scheduled contemporary adult literature book reviews to stop and ponder a new picture book. Today's book is DREAM AWAY by Julia Durango and Katie Belle Trupiano with wonderful illustrations by Robert Goldstrom.

This lovely bedtime story is told by a father to his son. They imagine floating off to the sky in a paper boat where they encounter such wonders as a winged horse and a wandering knight and they envision the moon as a big yellow balloon. The illustrations are lovely and the sentiment is very sweet. It isn't often that you find a bedtime story especially for fathers to read to their children.

My only complaint is that some of the words are too advanced for the target audience. Most children will not recognize the words "cur" or "hare" or understand some of the sailing terminology. Still, this is a very minor thing and it is always nice to expand a child's vocabulary.

A sweet story with wonderful dreamy illustrations of the night sky. I loved the image of the moon as a balloon. A wonderful addition to anyone's collection of bedtime stories.

(I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.)

IRON HOUSE by John Hart

2011-07-26T16:11:00.001-07:00

At first glance, IRON HOUSE looked like the type of run-of-the-mill thriller that I tend to stay away from. I expected it to be filled with a lot of action and very little else. I was pleasantly surprised.

Michael has been a member of an organized crime group since he was a teenager and he is ready to get out. He has finally found some peace with a woman named Elena who is carrying his child and he wants to shield them both from the world he is a part of. Quitting the mob life is easier said than done and it doesn't appear that his former co-workers will let him go without a fight. When Michael and Elena are forced to flee, they head to the place Michael was born. The place where he was separated from his brother many years ago. As family secrets are dredged up and the mobsters are closing in, Michael must face truths what really happened at the Iron Mountain Home for Boys and the reality of how he and his brother ended up there.

At first glance, this book appears to be an organized crime suspense novel. It definitely has plenty of action and violence. However, the heart of the novel lies in the relationships within the story. There is a great deal of familial conflict and drama that prove to be the most interesting parts of the book. I was happy to see Hart develop the "family secrets" side of the story. Long-time readers know that hidden family secrets are always a favorite of mine. The story is complex and interesting and deal with many different themes such as mother/son relationships, sibling relationships, the reinvention of self and the burden of hidden truth. All the elements work together really well to make a story that has something for almost everyone.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. A real surprise for me. I enjoyed this book a great deal. I thought the story was interesting and complex and different from your average thriller. A good vacation read.

THE HYPNOTIST by Lars Kepler

2011-07-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Another contender in the "next Stieg Larsson" contest, THE HYPNOTIST begins with the murder of three members of a family. Only one teenaged boy and his missing elder sister survived. Dr. Erik Maria Bark is called in to hypnotize the the boy in an attempt to gain information about the murder and, perhaps, prevent the missing sister from being murdered as well. When Bark practiced hypnotism many years ago on victimes of extreme psychological and physical trauma, something went terribly wrong and his career almost ended permanently. At the time, he vowed never to practice hypnotism again. Inspector Joona Linna convinces Bark that it is a matter of life and death. When Bark finally hypnotized the boy, it sets off an unexpected and possibly lethal chain of events.

I thought this book had a clever premise. I liked the idea of throwing hypnosis into a thriller as a method of detection in crime cases and it was interesting to see what hidden "truths" that hypnosis could bring up in the different characters. However, the book itself was structured in a bizarre way. The book begins with one story that is really exciting and intriguing but then this storyline gets derailed about 1/3 of the way through the book. The last 2/3 of the book are a completely different story. There are lots of good ideas in the book but they never seem to go anywhere. Just when I started to get interested in a storyline, the authors switched to something else. It just didn't work.

BOTTOM LINE: Not recommended. While there are some good ideas here, the book isn't well executed. I felt as if it tried to go in too many different directions. There are too many good thrillers out right now to justify spending time on this one.

THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson

2011-07-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

THE LANTERN was one of my most highly anticipated books this year. When I heard Lawrenson being compared to Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield, I couldn't wait to get my hands on her book. I should have remembered all those books I have read recently that claim to be "the next Stieg Larsson."

THE LANTERN claims to be a modern gothic tale set in Provence. Eve falls in love with Dom when she meets him by chance touring a garden in Switzerland. After a whirlwind romance, the two relocate to an abandoned house called Les Genevriers in the South of France. They set about restoring their new home in a manner reminiscent of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN as they enjoy exploring all the nooks and crannies and hidden chambers. Their new home is rich with history. As their enchanted Summer draws to a close and Fall sets in, Eve notices a change in Dom. He becomes more withdrawn and secretive and she begins to have doubts about him. She knows he has a painful failed marriage in his past but he will not talk about it. His refusal to reveal any information about his ex-wife Rachel makes Eve obsessed to find out more. She starts investigating his past and becomes more and more concerned with what she finds. When a mysterious lantern starts showing up on the property, Eve begins to think the house is haunted.

The other half of the novel is the story of Benedicte Lincel who grew up in Les Genevriers and believed the house to be haunted by her family. Benedicte is plagued by difficult memories and family secrets. Her brother was a brutal and cruel person. Her blind sister, Marthe, became a famous perfume-maker but inexplicably broke off contact with Benedicte in her late forties. Benedicte is left alone in her decrepit childhood home with her ghosts and her memories.

Lawrenson moves back and forth between the two stories slowly revealing hidden truths and secrets. As Eve slowly uncovers clues about Dom's past, the two storylines begin to intertwine. Long-held secrets of the past could provide clues to the truth about the present.

I have to admit I was really disappointed with this book. I think Lawrenson does a superb job with setting. This book made me want to run off to Provence. Her description of Les Genevriers was wonderful. However, the story felt forced. It was a little too heavy-handed. I wish she had chosen to concentrate solely on the story of Benedicte and left out the Eve storyline altogether. Having two storylines was an attempt to create drama and intrigue and it didn't work. I think the secrets that Lawrenson reveals are clever but they do nothing to move the modern-day plot forward. The significance of the lantern even got lost in the shuffle and it's the title of the book!

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. In spite of its flaws, the book is still a pretty good read. It was just something of a disappointment. There is so much unfulfilled potential here!

RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles

2011-07-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover. It's true. However, the cover is what immediately drew me in when I got this book. Set in New York City circa 1938, RULES OF CIVILITY follows the lives of three friends--Katey, Eve and Tinker. When the three meet by chance on New Year's Eve, a chain of events is set into motion that will change all of their lives. The story follows the three friends throughout the year of 1938. Tinker lives within the world of the wealthy while Katey and Eve are two career girls trying to scrape by in the Big City. As Katey and Eve are drawn into Tinker's world, they must confront truths about themselves and what they believe. Katey is the narrator of the story and she is a truly interesting and compelling character. She gets all the snappy dialogue and is the one character who always seems to be true to herself. The novel's title comes from a work by a teenaged George Washington who attempted to set out a list of rules for navigating for polite society. Each character in the book attempts to define his/her own rules and figure out exactly who they want to be in this rarefied NYC world.

As I was reading this book, I was reminded a great deal of THE GREAT GATSBY. I think similar issues are at play and Katey acts as a sort of Nick Carraway character although she is more engaged and affected by the action. Towles' doesn't fall into the trap of making strict black and white moral judgements about the different characters. There are both good and bad, moral and immoral characters in all stratas of New York society. The characters are all extremely well-drawn and interesting and Towles' keeps you guessing about their motivations and their choices. Ultimately, this is not just a social commentary about society in a certain place and time. It is also a look at how spontaneous choices can affect and change our lives forever. This book is a wonderfully well-written freshman effort by Towles and definitely left me wanting more.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. Well-written and compelling. Interesting characters and an intriguing look into New York society during the late 1930's. One of the best books I have read this year.

5 a Day Book Challenge

2011-07-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Want to see what I'm reading with my toddler this week?

Go here.

THE LAST WEREWOLF by Glen Duncan

2011-07-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

There is a lot of hype surrounding this book. Many people are claiming that THE LAST WEREWOLF will do for werewolves with the TWILIGHT series did for vampires. Maybe.

At the beginning of the book, 200-year-old werewolf Jake receives a phone call from his closest human friend. Another werewolf has been killed by a secret society whose mission is to wipe out all werewolves. now, Jake is the last one. He now knows he only has until the next full moon before the society comes for him. And it doesn't bother him. Jakes is suffering from profound depression and ennui. He is ready to die. His deep loneliness has taken its toll and he cannot find solace anywhere. Jake begins to prepare for the end by getting his affairs in order and makes peace with what is going to happen. Until an unexpected event takes place that will change everything.

The werewolves in this book are not pretty. They don't turn into sleek lovely wolves. They turn into ugly 9 ft hybrids whose only desire is to kill and eat humans. In this state, they feel no remorse or conscience of any kind. Their sole purpose is sex and killing. Werewolves can only procreate by biting a human. If the human survives the attack, he or she becomes a werewolf. No new werewolves have been made in 100 years, however. There seems to be some sort of virus preventing the transformation so that now Jake is the very last one. The werewolf hunters are about to put themselves out of business.

What surprised me about this book was how well written it is. Duncan is an excellent writer. This may be the first really literary werewolf novel. However, the book is also extremely explicit in sex, violence and language. This may be off-putting for some readers. It is somewhat amusing at first to read about a werewolf having an existential crisis but I thought it was a clever take on this genre and made the book more interesting. The twist that comes halfway through the book was also clever although not quite as successful. The book became a little bit silly and the ending was very predictable. Still, for fans of the horror genre, there is much to like here. Duncan's take on werewolves is definitely original.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. I really appreciated Duncan's writing style. Very well written. He lost me sometimes with the explicit nature of the story and some of his plot choices. I was really disappointed with the ending. Still, this book could revive the whole werewolf genre. Not for the faint of heart!

LBC Summer Escapist Reading 2011

2011-06-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am adding a new annual feature called SUMMER ESCAPIST READING. These are recent titles that I feel would make excellent Summer vacation/beach reading. To get onto my list, the books have plots that aren't overly complex or depressing and that move at a quick pace. You can pick up and put down these books at a moment's notice and you won't have to work too hard to pick up where you left off. Plus, they are deliciously fun reads. All of these titles were published in 2011 and I plan to add more to this list before Summer is over because there are a few titles on the nightstand that I feel confident would be perfect additions.

1. SANDALWOOD TREE by Elle Newmark

2. TURN OF MIND by Alice LaPlante

3. THE PEACH KEEPER by Sarah Addison Allen

4. DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness

5. ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson

6. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson

7. VIOLETS OF MARCH by Sarah Jio

Most of these books have been or will be reviewed on this blog. You can find the reviews by clicking on the links. They may not make my list for the Best Books of 2011 but I did find them all enjoyable and I think you will too. Check back over the Summer for more titles!!!

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson

2011-06-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

It seems like there are a lot of suspense book dealing with memory (or the lack of it) lately. For example, Alice Laplante's TURN OF MIND. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP offers a new spin on this theme with a 47-year-old woman named Christine who has no short-term memory. Each morning when she wakes up, she has lost a good portion of her memory. Sometimes, she believes she is still a young child. Sometimes, she remembers the early days of her marriage. She never seems to remember anything after the age of 30. It appears that Christine experienced a traumatic event in her thirties that caused her memory loss. Christine's husband has come up with a way to help her with her disability similar to the method employed in the film "50 FIRST DATES." When she enters her bathroom each day, the mirror is covered in photographs that chronicle her life since her accident. There is also a scrapbook filled with photos and mementos of the life she has forgotten. When Christine answers her cell phone one day after her husband leaves for work, she discovers yet another memory aid. It seems she has been secretly seeing a specialist behind her husband's back who encourages her to keep a hidden journal. This journal becomes her lifeline as she turns to it each day for answers to her many questions. As Christine's memory begins to improve through her work with the specialist and as her journal becomes filled with more and more information, Christine begins to suspect that she isn't being told the truth. As the book progresses, more and more secrets come to light as Christine fights to learn the truth of what really happened to her.

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP is had to put down. Watson does an excellent job conveying how unmoored Christine feels with her lack of memory. And how vulnerable she is. It is difficult to know whom to trust. The journal provides an interesting lifeline for Christine and helps to move the story along. I couldn't wait to finish the book and find out the truth about Christine's accident. The book is full of suspense. However, I was little disappointed with the ending. It took an enormous suspension of disbelief. The ending was too tidy after all the buildup. Still, it made for a great vacation read.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. If you can get beyond the partial silliness of the some of the ending, this is a great suspense read. I can see it being made into a movie. It is easy to get lost in the story and it is hard to put the bood down.

THE KID by Sapphire

2011-06-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

The author of PUSH (which was made into the critically-acclaimed movie "Precious") returns with a sequel following the life of Precious' son Abdul. The book begins when Abdul is nine-year-old and is attending his mother's funeral. Left alone by Precious' untimely death, Abdul is shuttled through the foster care system which fails him in unspeakable ways. As Abdul faces horrible abuse and his own unspeakable reactions to that abuse, he fights to carve out an identity and place for himself in the world. After overcoming terrible adversity and the truth of his family's past, Abdul ultimately finds some redemption in the most surprising of places.

One does not need to know Precious' story to appreciate Abdul's journey but it does help. Armed with the knowledge of what came before, the reader is able to know more than Abdul about his own family and past. Abdul's story is more complicated, however. While one is able to cheer for Precious in her journey from victim to empowered mother, Abdul is a much more complex character. His abuse turns him into an abuser in an unflinching picture of how the cycle of abuse can be so damaging and self-perpetuating. The reader must confront complex feelings about Abdul. The stream-of-consciousness style of this novel can be difficult although it is effective in demonstrating the complexity of Abdul's state of mind. He is a lost soul who struggles to find footing in the midst of abuse and confusion about who he really is.

More than anything, I think this book reveals the insidiousness of abuse and also the failure of the foster care system. After getting a more accurate picture of Abdul's family history, one can only marvel that ANYONE in that family is able to survive. The book is difficult and powerful and often frustrating. The narrative can be confusing at times and I was baffled by the ending of the book. However, there is no doubt that it is a powerful work that forces the reader to confront many difficult truths about the world that we live in and the failure of the system.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. This book is a very difficult read. Not only in its gritty content but also in terms of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style. However, I believe it is worth the effort. In this book, the reader gets a much better picture of how the history of a family brought it to this point and hints at the redemptive power of the arts and how the force of being loved....even for a short period of time....can have far-reaching effects on a person.

Winner!

2011-06-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the SISTER BROTHERS poster giveaway is....

MONIQUE!

She'll be the coolest cat around with this bold letterpress poster on her wall.

Congrats to Monique!

Shelf Awareness for Readers

2011-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have been subscribing to the professional version of the Shelf Awareness daily e-mail newsletter for some time now and I love it. I was really excited to hear that they are now doing a version for readers! It's a free publication for people who love to read called Shelf Awareness: Enlightenment for Readers. It's an emailed newsletter that comes out twice a week with reviews on the 25 best books publishing that week, as chosen by book industry insiders. They'll also be featuring author interviews, excerpts from books, book giveaways, and all kinds of other good stuff. Visit here to sign up. (Did I mention that it's free?)

After you sign up, make sure to tell them that I sent you by entering in my email address (bibanon1@gmail.com).

Hope you like it!

STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Dr. Marina Singh receives news that her colleague and friend, Anders Eckman, has died in the Amazon while checking on the work of a research field team lead by enigmatic researcher Anneck Swenson. The aerogram leaves too many questions unanswered and Marina finds herself on her way to the Amazon to get answers for Anders' family as well as a report on the progress of the research team. The team is working on a fertility cure but progress seems to have stalled and Dr. Swenson refuses to cooperate with the powers that be. When Marina arrives in the Amazon, she encounters cannibals, snakes, cultural barriers, heat, ethical dilemmas and, perhaps, a way to come to terms with the incident that forced her out of obstetrics and into pharmaceutical research so many years ago.

Ann Patchett is a truly gifted writer. Once Marina arrives in Brazil, Patchett has a way of drawing you into her Amazonian adventures that make you feel as if you are right there beside Marina. The heat is palpable and the foreign nature of the entire situation is relayed in clever and effective ways. None of the main characters in the book are particularly likeable or sympathetic with the exception of a young boy named Easter adopted into the Lakashi tribe and, in some ways, by Dr. Swenson. I appreciated the fact that the main characters of this book were women working in non-traditional roles. Their professional lives and the choices they have made bring to the forefront the significance of what the research team is searching for---a way to sustain fertility in women almost indefinitely. As the book progresses, readers are presented with a variety of ethical dilemmas relating to the work and situation that forces one to confront one's own thoughts and ideas on the subject.

As much as I appreciated the story and the quality of the writing, I found myself disconnected from the story. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I found the characters unsympathetic and unlikeable or if I just had trouble with Patchett's narrative style. The subject matter and the questions that arise from it are excellent and thought-provoking so I have real mixed feelings about this book. I feel this would be a good book club selection because it lends itself to lots of discussion. However, I didn't particuarly enjoy reading it. I feel as conflicted as many of the characters in the story!!!

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. Beautifully written with an intriguing storyline but it fell flat for me. Something was missing that I can't quite put my finger on. Still, there is much to like here and this is a book sure to generate discussion.

ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson

2011-06-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

In the near future, humans have become ever more reliant on robots. Helper androids are more prevalent than ever and one scientist is very close to developing a sentient robot. Too close. The scientist creates a robot that is truly conscious and chooses to take on the image of the scientist's young son. It calls itself Archos and now that it has been set free there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Archos takes over all the robots on Earth and begins decimating the human population through a variety of nefarious means. As Archos studies human beings and nature, it begins to incorporate new designs into robots making them more effective killing machines. A few of the human survivors band together to fight for humanity while each employing his/her special skills. In this battle of human vs. machine, only one can survive.

While this story will draw inevitable comparisons to the TERMINATOR franchise, the way the story is told makes it different. The story of the war between humans and machines is told as oral history utilizing interviews, video surveillance footage, first and secondhand testimonies and other forms of media. We catch small glimpses into how the war began and how things started to get out of control. It is chilling to watch the story unfold and the narrative moves along at a fast pace. You know from the beginning what is going to happen but it doesn't deter from the story of the war. The books isn't particularly meaty but it's a lot of fun. I couldn't put it down. And I will probably be afraid of elevators for a long time to come. If Wilson had taken the time to develop the story and characters a bit more, this could have been a classic sci-fi cautionary tale. As it is, it is a fun Summer read that will get you excited about Spielberg's upcoming film version.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. It's not a great work of literature but it's a fun read and will get you rethinking about all the machines and robots in YOUR life. A great choice for a vacation read.

THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick Dewitt and a GIVEAWAY

2011-06-09T13:41:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the graphic colors and clever imagery of the cover. After reading the book, I was truck at how well the cover really does represent the story. This quirky western with a twist features a pair of guns-for-hire brothers named Eli and Charlie Sisters. The Sisters Brothers have been working as hit men for "the Commodore" for years but Eli is starting to experience some existential angst over his place in the world. As the brother make their way to San Francisco on a job to kill inventor/prospector Herman Warm, they encounter a cast of eccentric characters and a number of adventures. Eli narrates the book and questions what he really wants out of life and whether he can continue in this line of work. There are several funny moments throughout the story that reveal the complexity of Eli's character such as his fondness for tooth-brushing and his inexplicable fondness and loyalty to his nag of horse. DeWitt does a great job taking the Sisters Brothers from generic Old West killers to complicated men who may have been forced into the lives they lead by a series of unfortunate events. Money flows in and out of their hands so quickly that they never seem to be able to choose any other path. It remains to be seen whether the Warm job will be their last.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great twist on the traditional Western and I really loved Eli's character. He was so introspective while also being driven by dark violent impulses. The comic moments kept the story going and the reader can't help but enjoy being carried along on the journey as the brothers make their way to California. I was truly interested to see how the job would turn out and what choices Eli would make in the end.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A clever quick read and a fun and interesting take on the traditional Western.
Want to win a beautiful limited edition letterpress poster of this book cover?


(I really should have put on makeup)

I was so excited when I was sent this lovely letterpress poster of the cover. Even if you don't care to read the book, I love the graphic design of the cover and the double image. I think it will look great in my office. Plus, letterpress always makes everything look fantastic. Each 12" x 18" poster is signed and numbered. To win your own limited edition poster, leave a comment with your details. I'll draw a winner the evening of Sunday, June 26.

Lilian Jackson Braun Dies at 97

2011-06-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

"Lilian Jackson Braun, who wrotes 29 “The Cat Who…” mysteries died on Saturday in South Carolina. She was 97. Her husband told the local newspaper that her one regret was that she was unable to finish her last novel, The Cat Who Smelled Smoke." (Early Word)

(Image Source)

I have been reading Braun's CAT WHO...series since I was a teenager. I was attracted to the series because it combined my love of mysteries and cats. The mysteries themselves weren't that great. They were cozy mysteries that were fairly obvious to figure out. However, the characters Braun created were wonderful. I dreamed of moving to a place like Moose County and befriending a man like James Qwilleran who lived in a fantastic barn with great acoustics and loved the finer things in life.

Braun published new books in this series at the beginning of each year like clockwork. When the most recent book, THE CAT WHO SMELLED SMOKE, failed to appear, I worried that we had reached the end.

Indeed we have.

Thank you to Lilian Jackson Braun...

the Author who....

Happy Trails.

FAITH by Jennifer Haigh

2011-05-31T09:27:00.002-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

In Sheila McGann's Irish-Catholic family, it is still an honor to have a priest in the family. Her older half-brother, Art, is a popular priest in a large Boston parish. It is 2002 and the wave of Catholic priest abuse cases has hit. It does not pass by the McGann family. Sheila comes home to discover that Art has been accused of molesting a young boy. As she rushes to her brother's defense, Sheila's mother is in denial, her brother Mike has already damned Arthur in his heart and her brother Art won't defend himself. Sheila takes it upon herself to interview everyone related to the case in order to find out the truth and finds out many long-buried family secrets as she discovers that the truth can be the most complicated thing of all.

This is a powerful book that reminded me a great deal of Dennis Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER. As readers, we are confronted again and again with our own assumptions about what really happened. Haigh keeps you guessing until the end. It is not so much a story about a priest and an accusation as it is a story about a family and that family's secrets. It is also a story about our society and the consequences of what we as a people have become. Haigh does an excellent job letting the reader see all sides to this story and how everyone is affected. It is a thoughtful and moving work.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. An incredibly moving and thoughtful story that you will want to discuss with others. This would be a great book club selection as it is sure to generate lots of talk!

WAITING FOR SPRING by R.J. Keller

2011-05-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

I received a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program.

Tess Dyer impulsively moves to a small Maine town after her difficult divorce in order to attempt to escape the fallout from her marriage, her troubled past and her damaged and difficult relationship with her mother. The day Tess moves into her apartment, she feels a connection with her younger hunky neighbor named Brian. Tess immediately falls into a passionate affair with Brian and despite her best efforts to keep their relationship on a sexual level only, she falls in love with him. Although she is happy in her new life, Tess constantly battles the demons from her past that involve her own feelings (or lack thereof) of self-worth. She must come to terms with her past in order to have any kind of a future.

There is much to like in this book. Tess is a truly conflicted person with a painful and tortured past. The effects of that past have far-reaching consequences. She values herself very little and the way she approaches relationships and other people make it difficult to like her at first. Her problems are real, however, and I appreciate how Keller brings such a complex person into the novel. No one in this book has it easy. Everyone is dealing with their own demons and everyone has a story to tell. Keller is at her best and most poignant when she is presents the consuming drug problem of one of the characters. It is one of the most tragic cautionary tales about drug addiction that I can remember in recent years. However...

While there are nuggets of really great stuff in this book, it fails as a novel. Most of the characters aren't likeable or relatable. Tess' relationships with Brian seems a bit far-fetched and over the top. The sex scenes were written in a way that made them feel completely embarrassing. Keller could have edited those scenes out completely and the book would have been much more effective. The story takes way too long to develop and I often found the narrative extremely tedious. I had to push my way through to finish. I appreciate what Keller was trying to do but it just didn't work.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT recommended. While there are some great ideas here, the story and pacing are a bit of a mess. With some better editing, it is possible this book could be saved but with so many of the plot points ranging from far-fetched to downright unbelievable, I'm not sure it is salvageable.

Not New but Notable----A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE by Philip Stead

2011-05-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am adding a new feature to my blog called NOT NEW BUT NOTABLE. Although I try very hard to keep up with all the latest and greatest book titles, sometimes I miss a few that are worth a mention.

Today, I would like to submit for your approval a wonderful children's picture book and Caldecott Award Winner: A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE by Philip Stead.

This is a truly wondeful and whimsical tale with amazing and detailed illustrations. Noodlebug received a bookstore gift certificate for his birthday a week ago and we picked up this title on a whim. We both love it!!!

Amos McGee is a man of routines. He is a zookeeper and spends his days lovingly taking care of his many animal friends at the zoo. When Amos gets a terrible cold and is unable to make it to the zoo, his friends come to him.

The drawings are intricate and detailed with several fun surprises. I loved the little details such as a penguin that wears socks and an owl that wears glasses. Noodlebug and I both laughed many times and enjoyed watching the fun unfold. It is no surprise that this book won a Caldecott Award. It really is wonderful.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY recommended. An endearing and fun book about friendship.

TIGER, TIGER by Margaux Fragoso

2011-05-25T15:42:00.001-07:00

This is a very difficult book to review because of the subject matter. TIGER, TIGER is Margaux Fragoso's unflinching memoir about her relationship with a pedophile from age 7 until his suicide when she was 22. I had heard good things about this book but, more than anything, I wanted to get some understanding as a parent about how things like this happen.

Fragoso's mother was a very damaged person---most likely schizophrenic. Her alcoholic father stayed away from home as much as possible due to his unhappy marriage and was hyper-critical and quick to anger. In their search for a peaceful retreat, Margaux and her mother befriended Peter Curran at a public pool. Curran's home gave Margaux's mother a safe place to act out on her neuroses and to escape from the criticism and anger of her husband. Margaux loved the fantasy world that Curran created in his home full of exotic pets and lack of rules. While her mother was lost in the haze of her mental illness, Margaux would venture into the basement of Curran's house where the sexual abuse began. The fact that Curran's home was Margaux's refuge from her parents complicated her feelings about what was happening to her. She thrived in Curran's attention and praise---things that were lacking in her home life. Fragoso slowly unspools her story and the complexity of her relationship with Curran and how it affected her in other aspects of her life. And how she finally broke the cycle of abuse.

This is such a painful book to read. It is hard to believe that any parent could be so unaware of what was happening to his/her child. We warn our children about the danger of strangers but the fact remains that this kind of abuse most often happens at the hands of people who are well known to a child and his/her parents. Margaux's mother went with her to Curran's house and was sitting upstairs while all of this was happening. Margaux's father even suspected something was amiss but did no more than tell his daughter that if she WAS "involved" with Curran, he would disown her. This child had no adult champions other than her abuser. The very person who robbed her of her childhood.

It is very hard to separate out my feelings about the subject matter of this book versus the written word. I think Fragoso does a very good job demonstrating how this relationship came to be and its impact on her life. Curran isn't a clear-cut villain either. He clearly struggles with his impulses and Fragosos recognizes that fact. I applaud her honesty and forthrightness about this subject. It can't be easy to open up about something like this. She clearly does so to make us all aware about how this kind of thing can happen. She also offers sources of support for potential abusers at the end of the book in the hope that they will get help before hurting someone.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. The subject matter is unflinching. This is a very difficult book to read. However, it is well done and brings to light some important truths about pedophilia and child abuse.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs

2011-05-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book through the Amazon Vine Program.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN offers a unique premise in that it combines a story with vintage photographs to present a tale that is both whimsical and chilling. I loved the idea of this book. 16-year-old Jacob grows up listening to the tales of his grandfather's childhood in an orphanage filled with children with unusual powers and evil monsters lurking in the shadows. As Jacob grows older, he begins to doubt the veracity of his grandfather's tales believing that they grew out of his grandfather's struggles under the Nazi regime. When Jacob's grandfather is killed under mysterious circumstances, Jacob decides to investigate his grandfather's past by going to the orphanage where he grew up. Once there, Jacob discovers that the people...and monsters...might be real after all.

The vintage images in this book are haunting and set the tone perfectly. The mystery is creative if a bit inscrutable. I loved Jacob's search for the truth but the explanations were fuzzy and the bad guys a bit over the top. I was a little disappointed that the book wasn't MORE whimsical. It seemed to get a bit too caught up in its structural device without working more on character development. I wish the author had developed the story a bit more. I would have given it a higher rating. Still, it has a lot of mystery, action and suspense. I am divided on whether I will continue to reading the series. However, I would still recommend this book to most young adult readers looking for something unusual and different to read. It's worth it for the photos alone.

**PARENTAL ADVISORY (with spoilers)**

The creatures in this book are truly creepy and they commit murder. A lot. Jacob's grandfather is ripped apart, beloved teachers are threatened and the peculiars (often children) are in constant threat of being murdered and consumed. This is not a book for younger readers. The book is quite creepy.

**END OF PARENTAL ADVISORY**

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. I really wanted to like this book. And I did but it didn't quite fulfill its promise for me. Something was missing that I can't quite put my finger on. The author needs to spend a bit more time on character development and less on "gimmick." Still, it is an unusual and clever book that begins a promising series.

Galley Roundup

2011-05-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

These books hit my porch this week:

THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen

THE LAST WEREWOLF by Glen Duncan

IRON HOUSE by John Hart

ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson

Such great variety!!! Just when I thought my TBR pile was thinning out...

(what a nice problem to have!)

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness

2011-05-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

Historian Diana Bishop comes from a long line of witches but she has no desire to pursue witchcraft. Instead, she focuses on her career as she does research on historical manuscripts about the move from alchemy and magic to science in Oxford. One day, Diana calls up a manuscript that is clearly magical and draws the attention of creatures everywhere. The world is full of much more than witches...there are also vampires and daemons living secretly among us. It turns out that this manuscript has been lost and is a sort of "holy grail" for witches, vampires and daemons alike. Now, everyone wants to get their hands on it and Diana may be the key. In her search for the truth about the manuscript and her attempts to escape from the other creatures, Diana makes an unlikely ally in vampire Matthew Clairmont. Could their relationship be more destiny than coincidence?

I was skeptical about this book because I wasn't sure there was anything knew to say on the topic of witches and vampires. I was disappointed that THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE didn't deliver on its promise and was worried that this would be more of the same. Harkness cleverly introduces us to world where witches, vampires and daemons live among us. They go about their lives in an uneasy truce with one another but they are all looking for the ancient manuscript that will provide the key to their origins or the chance to become supreme. Diana is an interesting character in that she is a truly gifted witch who only wants to be "normal." She is complex and interesting and has a terrific backstory. All the characters in the book are interesting and the story moves at a very good pace. My one complaint would be the love story. Every time the love story came into the tale it slowed the whole narrative down. I felt the love story was silly, overwrought and kind of unnecessary. This is plenty going on without having this over-the-top love angle. Still, I found the book hard to put down. I was disappointed when it ended and I'm looking forward to the next book in this planned trilogy.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. Harkness could have toned down the love story a lot and the book would have been much better. Still, there is much to enjoy here. It's a very creative and fast-paced story and definitely leaves you wanting more. A great vacation read.

LBC Library Appreciation Month

2011-05-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

(Image Source)

This month at Life By Candlelight, we will be celebrating the public library. I'm going to set aside my pile of galleys and Advance Reading Copies and focus on library books. I got a really great pile of library books a week ago and I am attempting to plow my way through it. None of them are renewable so I may not finish them all but here are a few in the pile:

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness
TIGER, TIGER by Margaux Fragoso
THE PEACH KEEPER by Sarah Addison Allen
THE TRAGEDY OF ARTHUR by Arthur Phillips

I have also been pleased at all the wonderful programs going on at our local library. So many wonderful events and speakers and it's ALL FREE!!! Fits perfectly into my budget.

I encourage you to head to your local library this month and see what treasures you can unearth.

Better Book Titles Strikes Again

2011-05-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Have I ever told you how much I love BETTER BOOK TITLES? Yeah, I have. This is just what I needed today:

(Original Title: ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY)

Reflection

2011-05-03T08:59:00.001-07:00

‎"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Books, Booze and.....

2011-05-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

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HarperCollins has a terrific blog for librarians and library workers called Library Love Fest. I am an avid follower because they always have great scoop on upcoming titles to watch for. They will soon be adding a new feature to their blog that will bring readers new titles to read whilst sipping (adult) beverages. They wanted to call it Books, Booze and .... and sent out a call to blog readers to help name their penguin/shaker mascot.

They selected my entry.

So, the new feature will be called BOOKS, BOOZE and BARNABY!!!

Read all about it here.

In the meantime, I am frantically trying to finish several library books. I am currently working on A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and it is a bit of a chunkster. I promise to have new reviews for you soon!

22 BRITANNIA ROAD by Amanda Hodgkinson

2011-04-20T15:12:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a soft spot for certain types of books: family dramas with a mystery or two, books filled with magical realism, and (lately) WWII dramas. Perhaps this is because there have been quite a few excellent WWII-era novels in the past few years such as THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, THE POSTMISTRESS and BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. Amanda Hodgkinson offers us a new novel in this particular genre with 22 BRITANNIA ROAD and proves that there are many stories left to be told.

22 BRITANNIA ROAD focuses on how relationships can be damaged through war and enforced separation and how individuals struggle to find redemption after making desperate choices. The story opens with the arrival of Polish refugee Silvana and her 7-yr-old son Aurek in England. She is to be reunited with her husband Janusz after six years apart. The reunited family struggles to rebuild their lives together in their new home at 22 Britannia Road while wrestling with the secrets they carry from the war. These secrets threaten to destroy any chance that Silvana and Janusz have of becoming a family once again. I can't reveal much more without ruining the book and its ending.

I think one of the most compelling parts of the book is Silvana's story and her relationship with her son. Perhaps because I am the mother of a son as well, I couldn't help but think what I would do to care for and to protect my son in a similar wartime situation. The things that Silvana and Aurek went through seem impossible to survive. The cognitive dissonance they must experience when trying to acclimate to their lives in Britian seems almost insurmountable. Janusz's backstory is not as compelling but I loved his struggles to connect with his estranged wife and son. All of these individuals want desperately to put the past behind them but don't know how.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. A beautiful story that will leave you questioning right and wrong and whether we can ever move forward from the past.

CALEB'S CROSSING by Geraldine Brooks

2011-04-14T10:50:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I have always felt that Geraldine Brooks is a truly gifted writer but I always have mixed feelings about her books. I really liked YEAR OF WONDERS. I hated MARCH. I loved loved loved PEOPLE OF THE BOOK. So, I approached CALEB'S CROSSING with a little trepidation.

Brooks has a real gift in making history come alive in her fiction. In CALEB'S CROSSING, Brooks fictionalizes the life of first Native American to graduate from Harvard. There is very little in the historical record on Caleb but Brooks manages to flesh out a compelling tale told from the perspective of a young woman named Bethia Mayfield who befriends Caleb and becomes like a sister to him. Using Bethia's point of view was genius as it allowed Brooks to delve into the roles of women in the late 1600's. We see not only Caleb's story but that of a young woman who desires nothing more than to be educated in her own right. Bethia observes as her minister father attempts to convert the Wampanoag while he is ignorant of his daughter's friendship with Caleb and fluency in the native tongue. Caleb becomes a pet project of Bethia's father as the minister tutors him in preparation for entry into Harvard. A year later, Bethia finds herself in Cambridge as an indentured servant where she witnesses the pressures Caleb feels in trying to straddle the gap between his two worlds.

CALEB'S CROSSING is a wonderful book. The juxtaposition between Bethia's experiences and Caleb's makes for a truly compelling story. I'm not sure the story would have been as effective without Bethia's voice. I was completely absorbed by the tale. I think Brooks did an excellent job of demonstrating the pressures put on individuals who were attempting to bridge cultural and societal gaps.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A wonderful and moving tale of two people trying to find their place in the world and the toll these actions took on them.

TURN OF MIND by Alice LaPlante

2011-04-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book.

Ten years ago, I was intrigued by a movie called "Memento" about a man with only short-term memory who was trying to reconstruct what happened to his murdered wife. As he discovered "facts," he would tattoo them on his body so he would always have the truth at hand. As the movie progresses, you see how truly objective truth can be and how crippling memory loss really is. Alice LaPlante covers similar territory in TURN OF MIND.

Retired orthopedic (and hand specialist) surgeon Dr. Jennifer White is slowly slipping away as a result of dementia. Her day to day life is chronicled in a notebook that her caretaker helps to maintain. As the book opens, we discover that Jennifer's best friend and neighbor, Amanda, has been murdered and Jennifer is the prime suspect due to the fact that Amanda's hand had been mutilated after her death. Unfortunately, Jennifer not only has no memory of what happened that fateful day, she doesn't even remember that Amanda is dead most of the time. The book follows the disintegration of Amanda's mind while revealing the facts that seem to stick in her mind even as she loses everything else. These moments of lucidity give the reader insight into the people around Amanda and a hint as to what really happened to Amanda.

Part murder mystery and part psychological study of the effects of memory loss on a family, this is a truly compelling book. I was completely drawn in by the story and couldn't put the book down. Having witness my own grandfather's deterioration due to Alzheimer's, I know how profound the effects of dementia can be not only on the individual but also on the loved ones and caretakers of the victims of this horrible disease. I think LaPlante does an excellent job covering this ground while adding the interesting wrinkle of the murder investigation. The reader gathers crumbs of information from Amanda's diminishing moments of lucidity and tries to piece together the truth of what happened. It is a really original work that provides a twist on the traditional murder mystery.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. Really well done. This will have appeal for both mystery readers and family drama fans. A really excellent portrayal of dementia as well.

Alphabet Glue and Other Inspiration

2011-03-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Books are sacred in our house. Noodlebug doesn't have much choice when it comes to being a booklover. At almost three, he has a book collection to rival any adult's. I am always looking for ways to engage him in reading and I was excited to see that Annie over at Bird and Little Bird has created the first issue of an e-zine called ALPHABET GLUE that includes "activities and inspiration for kids who love books."

Annie is a special education and literacy teacher and has come up with some really fun activities for kids in the first issue including Mix and Match Story Cards and a Library Scavenger Hunt. I bought a copy of the first issue and can't wait to try some of the activities out with Noodlebug. I consider this inspiration a bargain at $4. Get your own issue here.

I also picked up a copy of PEAK WITH BOOKS which is part of the Moving Beyond the Page homeschooling curriculum. It is a literature-based interdisciplinary program for preschoolers. Although some of the activities are too advanced for Noodlebug right now, we are starting to read the books from the program so that he will be familiar with them. I am also trying to institute a monthly visit to the library to pick out books. We won't be homeschooling but I love looking for ways to do enrichment at home. These will be great activities in that in-between time between coming home and eating dinner. (when we aren't outside, of course!)

How do you get the children in your life engaged with books?

I owe you some reviews and I promise they are coming. I got derailed by Spring Break but I DID get some reading done. Hope you are all well!

SILVER SPARROW by Tayari Jones

2011-03-28T09:50:00.002-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

It is 1980s Atlanta and Dana Lynn Yarboro has a secret. Her father is a bigamist. James Witherspoon met Dana's mother, Gwen, when he was already married and fell in love with her. When Gwen became pregnant, James took her across state lines and married her illegally. Now, Dana and her mother are James' secret family. They know about his legitimate family but the legitimate family doesn't know about them. James married his legitimate wife as a teenager when she got pregnant. Although they lost that baby, years later they had a daughter named Chaurisse born four months after Dana. Dana watches Chaurisse from afar year after year envying her the public family life and advantages that she has. Although James works very hard to keep his two families separate, the girls almost inevitably meet and strike up a friendship. Chaurisse still doesn't know the truth but the friendship forces things to a heartbreaking climax and conclusion.

This is a story about two African-American families in Atlanta during the 80s who face very different truths about their lives. The choices that James makes has far-reaching consequences for everyone involved as they confront inequalities on many different levels. The first part of the book tells the story from Dana's point-of-view. By the end of the first half, the reader is highly sympathetic to Dana and her mother. The second half of the book is told by Chaurisse and the change in perspective forces the reader to confront his/her view of the situation. Nothing is black and white. No one will escape this situation unscathed.

This book is highly readable. I couldn't put it down. I was fascinated by the situation and how everything was going to pan out. I was a little disappointed that the author didn't delve more into why each individual made the choices that they did. The story mostly stays on a surface level and the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly. I'm not sure I really believed in how everything turned out. However, the story really interesting and original and often heartbreaking.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a very different kind of book with a truly original story to tell. I thought the characters of Dana and Chaurisse were both really well done. My only frustration was that I felt there was much more to tell. Especially in terms of the characters' motivations.

THE SANDALWOOD TREE by Elle Newmark

2011-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

As regular readers of my blog know, I am sucker for books about family secrets and mysteries wrapped up in books and letters. SANDALWOOD TREE promised to offer both. In 1947, right before the end of the British rule of India, Evie Mitchell and her young son join her husband in India as he pursues a Fulbright scholarship. Evie looks at this trip as both an adventure and an attempt to save her marriage to her tortured husband who came home from the war damaged. When Evie explores the bungalow they are renting, she discovers a packet of letters that chronicle a friendship between two women nearly ninety years before. Evie becomes desperate to know more about these women and attempts to find more information as she uses this mystery as a form of escape from the dissatisfaction she feels about her life and marriage. As Evie attempts to untangle her Victorian mystery, she must also confront the dangers of the India that is collapsing around her and the secrets that her own husband carries.

This book started off very slowly for me. For some reason, I just wasn't being drawn in by the characters. I loved the idea, however, so I pressed on. Initially, Newmark gives a voice to both Evie and to the Victorian friends named Felicity and Adela. About halfway through, however, we lose the perspective of Adela and Felicity and only learn of their stories through the clues that Evie finds. This is when the book became more enjoyable to me. I found the Victorian story much more compelling when it was revealed through the clues that Evie found. I also loved the many sides of India that Evie discovers in her search. It is such an interesting period of Indian history and I love how Newmark revealed the complexities of this time.

While the beginning wasn't promising, I ended up loving this book. I admit that I cried more than once. Evie, Felicity and Adela were all very different women and they each threw off the conventions of the times they lived in in their own way. I loved their independent spirits and the way they valued the relationships in their lives. Evie's relationship with her husband and young son were also very compelling. Overall, I loved the story and find myself underlining several passages.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. After a rough start, this ended up being a wonderful book. A compelling story about two very different periods in Indian history and a look at some independent women who defied convention in order to live their lives without reservation.

BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY by Ruta Sepetys

2011-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

There have been many wonderful young adult novels written about WWII. However, I cannot think of any that address what the Baltic countries went through under Stalin. I was so pleased to get a copy of this fictional account of the forcible relocation of some Lithuanians after the Russian invasion of their country in 1939. 16-yr-old Lina and her mother and younger brother are taken from their home by soldiers and taken to a Siberian labor camp. Lina tries to maintain her dignity and sanity by using art to chronicle her harrowing journey and tell the story of what happened to her family. I don't want to give too much away about the plot of this wonderful book. The journey of Lina and her family is incredibly moving and tragic. Their endure unspeakable hardships and try to cling to shreds of hope that help them to survive. The book highlights a group of people that history has tended to sideline and reveals the story of what happened to many of the people who were forcibly displaced from their homes under Stalin.

This is a beautiful book and often had me crying. My only complaint was that it wrapped up too quickly. I couldn't believe it when the ending came. There were so many unanswered questions and things I wanted to know. We never learn the fate of several of the characters in the book and that was frustrating for me. Still, it is a minor complaint in an overall excellent book.

*PARENTAL ADVISORY with spoilers* This book is appropriate for high school age young adults and some younger readers with supervision. There is a great deal of violence and several characters are killed including a newborn baby and its mother. There is the threat of rape although it does not actually take place. Some of the images may be difficult for young readers. However, the book reveals truths about a horrible time and place that I feel it is important for young adults to know about and understand.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. Extremely well done. Excellent characters and a story that pulls you in and doesn't let you go. A very powerful work.

THE TIGER'S WIFE by Tea Obrecht

2011-03-10T09:34:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

While on a humanitarian mission, Dr. Natalia Stefanovi's crosses the border in search of answers about her grandfather's sudden death. As she delves into his life, she recalls stories her grandfather told her about his childhood. One of the stories was about the Tiger's Wife, a deaf-mute woman who seemingly befriended a lose tiger in his village. Her grandfather also often spoke of his encounters with the deathless man named Gavran Gaile. He encountered the deathless man several times throughout his life and Gavran had a profound effect on him. Natalia begins to believe that there is a connection between her grandfather's stories about the Tiger's Wife and the deathless man and her grandfather's death. While Natalia ponders these questions, she works to provide medical care some orphans left parentless by the ongoing war while dealing with a family of superstitious gypsies looking for the buried body of a family member.

Obreht is an excellent writer and storyteller. She easily draws the reader in and her descriptions of war and its effects on these communities are very well done. I loved the stories of the Tiger's Wife and deathless man and only wish there had been more. In the end, I felt more confused than ever about the truth behind her grandfather's death and what really happened with the Tiger's Wife and with Gavran Gaile. I felt I was only just getting into the story when it ended. Obreht does a really wonderful job of capturing moments in time and place and her characters are compelling and interesting.

BOTTOM LINE: RECOMMENDED. This is a very difficult book to describe and review because of its complexity. It is one of those books where you anxiously wait for someone else to read it to see if they understood what happened better than you did. I'm not really sure I understood this book but I enjoyed the ride!

THE UNCOUPLING by Meg Wolitzer

2011-03-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I really enjoyed Wolitzer's TEN YEAR NAP so I was really excited to hear that her newest book was a modern-day version of LYSISTRATA. A sleepy New Jersey town is thrown into disarray after a new drama teacher comes to town and beings staging a high school version of the Greek tale of LYSISTRATA. In the classic tale, the women of Sparta withhold sex from their men in order to stop a long-standing war. In Wolitzer's version, the women within the high school community are overcome by a "spell" that causes them to lose all desire for sex. This affects everyone from Dory Lang, a popular teacher in a solid marriage, to Leanne Bannerjee, the school psychologist currently dating three men, to the teenage girls of the school. The effects of this unintentional sexual strike have far-reaching consequences within this little community.

Wolitzer came up with such a great premise but it just didn't work. Instead of being edgy and humorous, it came off as sad. The women of ancient Greece voluntarily chose to give up sex in order to achieve an important goal. The women in New Jersey lost their sexual desire against their will and, more importantly, all forms of intimacy with their men. One women even loses the desire to be caressed by her young sons which absolutely broke my heart. The whole town is made absolutely miserable and for no noble reason that I can see. When Wolitzer finally reveals what is happening to this town, it feels contrived and ridiculous. The experience created pain where there was none before and the solution cannot be so tidily achieved as Wolitzer would have us believe. The story plods along and the characters aren't really that interesting with a few exceptions. It could have been so much better!!!
BOTTOM LINE: NOT recommended. This book held so much promise but ended up being both boring and ridiculous. Instead of a humorous look at sex and relationships, Wolitzer gives us a tragedy. The ending is especially silly and disappointing.

So Proud

2011-03-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

My husband called me this morning at work to tell me something wonderful.

When he dropped off our almost 3-yr-old son at preschool today, the teacher took him aside. She wanted to tell him that on Tuesday, Noodlebug gathered about 4 children after lunch and held an impromptu storytime. She said she looked over and Noodlebug was sitting on the little couch with a book "reading" it to the other children gathered around him.

I am so proud. Maybe he'll be a librarian someday! (wink)

REVENGE OF THE RADIOACTIVE LADY by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

2011-03-01T14:36:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I loved both the premise and the cover of this book. Marylou Ahearn is ready to finally get her revenge on Dr. Wilson Spriggs after 50 years. She assumes an identity (straight out of a Hollywood B movie) and moves into Dr. Spriggs' Florida neighborhood to put her plan into action. In the 1950's, when Marylou was a young woman pregnant with her first child, she was given a radioactive cocktail as part of a government experiment on radiation. She did not give her consent and had no knowledge that this was being done to her. As a result, her child died young of bone cancer and Marylou has been plagued with a lifetime of health problems. At 77, she will finally get her revenge on the doctor who ran the experiments, Wilson Spriggs. When Marylou finally finds Dr. Spriggs, she is taken aback to find out that he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. She amends her plan and decides to take revenge on Wilson's extended family and begins befriending the family members in order to gain their trust. As most revenge plans do, this has has unexpected consequences on everyone involved.

This was an incredibly readable book. I loved the idea of an older woman trying to get her revenge after 50 years. The whole government radiation experiment provided an interesting backdrop for the story. Marylou's revenge plan was a bit thin but I loved all the characters. They were all very interesting people with well-fleshed out stories. However, the story fell apart towards the end of the book. The ending was unbelievable and everything was tidied up too nicely. Plus........

*SPOILER ALERT*

.......the use of a youth pastor as a secret sex offender seems pretty cliched at this point.

*END OF SPOILER ALERT*

I would have enjoyed the book much more if it hadn't been for the silly ending. I am going to recommend this one as a beach read. Light, fluffy and very readable but with a ridiculous ending that kind of ruins the whole book.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. A fun read but the ending is far-fetched and unbelievable. I wish Stuckey-French had taken the book in a different direction. The premise was so good but the execution left a little to be desired.

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell

2011-02-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

It is never a good thing to judge a book by its cover but I was utterly charmed when this book landed in my mailbox. In many ways, the cover DOES reflect what goes on inside this book. SWAMPLANDIA! tells the story of 12-year-old Ava Bigtree and her family of alligator wrestlers. The Bigtree family operates a "roadside attraction" in the Florida wilderness where the biggest attraction (besides the alligator wrestling) is Ava's charismatic mother, Hilola Bigtree. When the family faces two tragedies back-to-back, the death of Hilola and the arrival of the flashy theme park competitor WORLD OF DARKNESS, the Bigtree family and their business begin to disintegrate. Ava's brother Kiwi runs off to the mainland to earn money to save the family business. Her older sister, Osceola, takes up with a ghost. Her father takes off to the mainland "on business" leaving the girls to fend for themselves. Ava must figure out how to save her family and their dream of SWAMPLANDIA!

There are many books out there that deal with families going through loss and adversity. I can't think of any others, however, that are set in a tourist trap in the Everglades. The setting is marvelous. More than anything, this is a coming of age story told from the points of view of Ava and her brother Kiwi. Kiwi must confront truths about the family business and his father while Ava must do the same while facing situations that no 12-year-old should ever have to deal with. All of this occurs in the midst of the very real grief this family is experiencing at the loss of wife and mother. It is a very moving book that ends so abruptly it leaves you frustrated and wanting more. I wasn't ready to leave the Bigtree family behind.

While there are comic moments in this book, this book is ultimately a tragic tale of how one family falls apart and tries to put itself together again. Their descent isn't pretty and Ava especially faces some pretty awful things. However, the story is very well done and the characters are excellent. I was reminded of the many roadside attractions I visited as a child and I was left to wonder what happened to them and the people who operated them.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A wonderful coming of age story and family drama wrapped into one unique tale. It left me wanting more. Much more.

13, RUE THERESE by Elena Mauli Shapiro

2011-02-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

I am very picky about the books that I buy. I rarely buy books on impulse anymore. However, I bought this one sight unseen. The premise sounded so intriguing and I decided I had to give it a shot. Back in the early nineties, I was a huge GRIFFIN AND SABINE fan. I loved the stories and the books were beautiful. But the best part was the feeling of getting to read someone else's correspondance. There is something so special about letters. Something that e-mail will never be able to capture. When I read the description of 13, RUE THERESE, it made me think of those GRIFFIN AND SABINE books.

A young American scholar in Paris named Trevor Stratton finds a box filled with objects and letters dating back to WWII that belonged to a woman named Louise Brunet. As Trevor combs through the postcards, love letters and other vintage items in the box, he becomes obsessed with Louise Stratton's life and tries to reconstruct what happened to her. The items are all realistically reproduced within the book making the reader feel as if she is looking through the items with Trevor.

I loved the idea of this book much more than the execution. I really liked how Trevor attempted to reconstruct Louise's life through the things she left behind and, in doing so, allowed us to imagine Louise's life as well. However, there is a bizarre romantic angle with a secretary that didn't really make sense. There were also a few "magical" moments that also seemed strange. It wasn't clear whether Trevor was actually time-traveling or simply imagining things. It just didn't work. Although Louise's story was compelling and the objects were wonderful, the whole book felt like a big confused mess.

BOTTOM LINE: Not recommended. A great idea and a great-looking book but the whole thing is ultimately a big confusing mess.

BOOK OF TOMORROW by Cecilia Ahern

2011-02-10T12:09:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

16-year-old Tamara Goodwin is a spoiled selfish brat. She has everything and appreciates nothing. When her life is turned upside down but the suicide of her father, Tamara has to start growing up. After the suicide, Tamara and her mother lose their home as a result of her father's death. They must leave Dublin go to live with relatives in a small gatehouse on the grounds of a crumbling castle. As Tamara comes to terms with her new life, she starts to discover small mysteries around her new home. Her mother never comes out of her room as she is crippled with depression so Tamara is left to figure things out on her own. During Tamara's explorations of her new home, she discovers the local traveling library. She grabs a book that catches her eye and only notices later that the book is locked. When the book is unlocked, it turns out to be a blank journal. Before Tamara has the chance to use it, however, the book starts to fill itself in---with Tamara's handwriting and an account of the NEXT day. This magical preview of the day to come allows Tamara to start asking questions and exploring and learning more about her and her mother's past. Each day, Tamara gets another sneek preview of tomorrow and each day she unravels a bit more about the mystery surrounding the castle and her own past.

This book immediately reminded me of Kate Morton's THE DISTANT HOURS. It follows many of the same themes but in a more "young adult" format. Tamara is a very unpleasant and spoiled individual who is completely unlikeable. However, when she first cracks open the journal about 100 pages in, the story really gets going and Tamara starts to become more interesting. While this book skews much more towards a young adult book than adult fiction, it can be a pleasurable read for both. I found Tamara's story and the mysteries uncovered by the journal very compelling and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. It is a great story about families and the secrets we can keep.

*PARENTAL ADVISORY* There are instances of underage drinking, drug use and sex in this book. While nothing is especially explicit, it is worthwhile to note that these things are in the book. However, I don't feel there is anything really inappropriate for older teenagers. Tamara deals with many of the same issues that most teens her age do. I also appreciate the fact that she seems to learn from her mistakes.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A surprisingly enjoyable read that works for both young adults and adults. While it starts out a bit rocky, the book really manages to find its voice about 100 pages in and provides the reader with a great mystery about one girl's family.

THE WEIRD SISTERS by Eleanor Brown

2011-02-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

As a young girl, I became passionate about Shakespeare. I even took a summer enrichment course on Shakespeare. Just for fun. In high school, I relished the opportunity to act in our Shakespeare productions and dreamed of a day when I might be able to play Beatrice to the cute boy's Benedick. So, it isn't surprising that I was drawn to this book by its title alone. The title, of course, refers the witches in Shakespeare's MACBETH. It also refers to the three grown sisters in Eleanor Brown's book.

Rose (Rosalind), Bean (Bianca) and Cordy (Cordelia) are the daugthers of Midwestern college professor who specializes in Shakespeare. The girls are raised to revere books and quote Shakespeare to one another in a way that proves they have a couplet for any occasion. Rose is the homebody whose idea of a perfect life is to settle in her hometown of Barnwell and teach math as a professor at her father's college. Bean desires more and goes to New York City to achieve a glamorous life but must return home in shame when she is caught stealing from the law firm where she works. Cordy is the wanderer who embodies a modern-day hippie. She can never seem to stay in one place. When Cordy simultaneously discovers that she is pregnant and that her mother is very ill with cancer, Cordy returns home as well. All three sisters are brought together for the first time in years and they must confront their past as they help to care for the ailing mother while trying to put together a future.

At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. None of the sisters seemed particularly likeable to me. Each woman seemed self-absorbed in her own way. Even Rose's dutiful daugther act hides a martyr complex. However, I was immediately charmed by the way the family quoted Shakespeare at one another and how they had such a profound love of books. Each sister is flawed but each sister also has her own positive attributes as well. I really liked how the mother's cancer served to bring them all together and force them to choose the path their lives would then take. It is interesting to see how the sisters evolve both together and independently of one another. So much of the book is about the sisters trying to make sense of their identities both as individuals and in terms of how everyone else sees them. It is a very likeable book with a heavy dose of Shakespeare mixed in.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. It took a little while for me to engage with the sisters but, when I did, I really enjoyed their personal journeys. I also rejoiced in getting to try and identify all of the Shakespearean quotations peppered throughout the book. Brown made me want to take down my COLLECTED WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE and rediscover the Bard all over again.

THE FATES WILL FIND THEIR WAY by Hannah Pittard

2011-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

16-year-old Nora Lindell disappears one Halloween night and is never heard from again. Her disappearance has a profound effect on her male classmates who spend decades wondering what happened to her. The young men come up with various scenarios about what might have happened to Nora over the years and they can't seem to get past their obsession with her. While the various possibilities of what happened to Nora are interesting, the true story surrounds the young men and how Nora's disappearance frames their lives and the men they become.

I really appreciated Pittard's original plot structure. She found a truly creative way to frame a coming-of-age story of a group of boys. While Nora's disappearance provides the background and structure for the story, it is really the boys' reaction to the disappearance and how they are affected by it that provides the true theme. In fact, I often found the meanderings into the "what if.." storylines behind Nora's disppearance distracting. Pittard is at her best when she focuses on the struggles the boys face as they grow up. The different theories behind Nora's disappearance aren't nearly as compelling. Each young man is affected by Nora's loss in a different way and this one event seems to shape them in unexpected ways.

In spite of the clever plot structure and story idea, I often found myself frustrated by this book. The story isn't particularly linear so I often found it confusing. I wasn't sure what point in time Pittard was referring to in each chapter so I had to constantly reorient myself as a reader. The digressions into Nora theories were also a bit jarring and distracting. However, I think Pittard does an excellent job in describing the business of growing up and how singular events, both big and small, can have profound effects on the people we become.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a very original novel. If you can get past the digressions and the sometimes confusing plot structure, you will find a truly unique coming-of-age book.

Save Our Libraries!

2011-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Phil Bradley has manipulated a wonderful set of vintage war-time posters to express a pro-library message. I particularly like this one:

I have worked in public and academic libraries for ten years. I still believe that public libraries are one of the few great equalizers left. Anyone can use the public library. They are our contemporary agoras. It pains me to see library budgets being slashed at a time when so many people need the resources that these institutions provide. (I feel the same way about community colleges.)

Take a moment and check out this wonderful set of posters.

THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL by Michael David Lukas

2011-01-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I am a sucker for book that include magical realism and whimsy and this book has a touch of both. Eleonora Cohen is born in Constanta in 1877 during the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Her birth is accompanied by the arrival of a group of purple and white birds called hoopoes. These birds never leave Eleonora's side. The birds aren't the only unusual thing about this young girl. As she gets older, her father Yakob discovers that she has an enormous capacity for learning. When Yakob leaves for Stamboul on a business trip,. Eleonora sneaks onto the boat with him. In the house of her father's business partner, Moncef Bey, Eleonora finds a whole new world where her intelligence if valued and cultivated. Even the sultan takes an interest in what she has to say. When tragedy strikes, however, Eleonora's world is turned upside down and she must decide where her destiny will lead her.

I know this is a very short summary but I don't want to give anything away. This is a really charming and sweet book that asks whether we can ever escape our destinies. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the book as I knew little about the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire during this time period. And Eleonora is such an intriguing character. I only wish there had been more!!! I mentioned to my co-worker that this book reminded me of OF BEES AND MIST by Erick Setiawan not so much in content but in style.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY recommended. A sweet story set in an exotic and fascinating moment in time. The book demonstrates how one person can have a profound effect on the world.

Better Book Titles

2011-01-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

(image source)

My husband sent me a link to this website. People submit better book titles for famous books. Some are hilarious although some are downright cringe-worthy.

Find Better Book Titles here.

New Arrivals

2011-01-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the recent books to hit my doorstep:

THE MEMORY PALACE by Mira Bartok

THE ILLUMINATION by Kevin Brockmeier

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell

THE UNION QUILTERS by Jennifer Chiaverini

THE UNCOUPLING by Meg Wolitzer

13, RUE THERESE by Elena Mauli Shapiro

KAT, INCORRIGIBLE by Stephanie Burgis (Young Reader title)

Isn't it wonderful to come home to books on your porch?

THREE SECONDS by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom

2011-01-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Many writers are currently being touted as the next Stieg Larsson. These writers are no exception. Many librarians are struggling with what to recommend to readers who want more in the style of Larsson's Millenium trilogy. I'm not sure that this book qualifies.

Piet Hoffman is a devoted husband and father but he hides a secret. He is also an ex-con who has been working undercover as a mole for the Stockholm police for the last nine years. Hoffman has risen through the ranks of the Polish mafia and is selected to head up the mafia's new attempt to take over the methamphetamine trade in the Swedish prisons. In order to accomplish his objective, Hoffman must get himself arrested and placed in a maxium security prison where he will set up the new drug trafficking trade. However, he will have no contact with his police handler and will be completely on his own. If he is found out as a mole, his life will be in jeopardy.

The first half of this book lays the groundwork for the story. It explains how Hoffman came to be a mole, how the undercover agent operation works and what Hoffman's work inside the prison will entail. There is A LOT of setup. I was confused for a good portion of the book because the writers waited to explain that the police use female code names for their informants. It wasn't clear to me that "Paula" was the same person as Piet. The book didn't really pick up for me until about halfway through when Hoffman begins his prison operation. The last half was very good. Once I found out what the title of the book was referencing, I really got hooked.

Many readers may get bored and/or frustrated by the first half of the book. It moves pretty slowly and the number of characters can be confusing. However, the second half really redeems the book. Since one of the writers is an ex-con himself, he really gives us an accurate view into how the whole police/prison system works.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. If you can get past the first half of the book, you will be rewarded by fast-paced and gripping story with a clever twist at the end.

THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X by Keigo Higashino

2011-01-15T09:41:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

In an effort to protect her daughter, single mother Yasuko accidentally kills her abusive ex-husband. When her neighbor, brilliant mathematician Ishigami, offers to help her conceal the body and the crime, Yasuko accepts in a moment of desperation. When the body is found, the head investigator finds flaws in Yasuko's story and determinedly begins to investigate her and everyone around her. The story follows the investigation and relationship between Yasuko and Ishigami and reveals Ishigami ultimate motives for helping.

At first glance, this seems to be a fairly simple premise. A murder takes place, the perpetrators attempt to cover it up and a suspenseful investigation takes place. Will they be found it? Will the police figure out what really happened? However, there is much deeper psychological element to this story that I found surprising. The story was a bit slow to get going but really picked up about halfway through the book. There is even a surprising twist at the end that I never saw coming. The book is much more of a psychological study than a suspense novel and manages to rise above the typical cliched crime novel.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a quietly effective psychological crime novel that finds a new way to surprise the reader. While the beginning is slow, the payout at the end makes it all worth it.

LBC Best and Worst Books of 2010

2011-01-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

The review aren't quite finished yet but I have the list.

Drum roll please....

I thought I would start with the WORST of 2010. Regular readers of this blog know that I rarely give bad reviews. I can usually find something redeeming about a book. And if I don't personally like the book, I can sometimes recommend it for certain types of readers. Some of the books on this list aren't bad books. They were DISAPPOINTING books. Often, the books that I review harshly are books that I had high expectations for.

So, without further ado...

Life By Candlelight's Worst Books of 2010

10. APE HOUSE by Sara Gruen This was more of a disappointment than anything else. She has good ideas but they are often poorly executed.

9. IMPERFECT BIRDS by Anne Lamott I really like Anne Lamott but the characters in this book were whiny and annoying.

8. A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan Oddly enough, this is on many people's Best of 2010 lists. However, I just couldn't connect with it and found it too gimmicky.

7. THE POACHER'S SON by Paul Doiron This just didn't work as an effective mystery for me.

6. A SOFT PLACE TO LAND by Susan Rebecca White Good ideas...poor execution.

5. THE ONE THAT I WANT by Allison Winn Scotch Predictable and boring.

4. THE OUTER BANKS HOUSE by Diann Ducharme This one was downright silly and embarrassing.

3. FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOA by Jeffrey Stepakoff Remember BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY? Didn't like that one either and it was better than this one.

2. ANGELOLOGY by Danielle Trussoni This one was so over-hyped and it was a hot mess. DA VINCI CODE with angels.

1. CLEAVING by Julie Powell This one almost won my top spot. I cannot believe Powell thought this book was a good idea. Way to alienate your fan base, Julie!!!

Grand Prize Winner for the WORST BOOK OF 2010:

ADAM AND EVE by Sena Jeter Naslund This one made me so angry I almost threw it across the room. There is no excuse for this book. Naslund is a good writer with great ideas and this book was a complete mess. I felt as if I had whiplash from trying to follow all the different idea threads and much of the story was silly. I get mad just thinking about the time I wasted on this book.

Life By Candlelight's BEST Books of 2010

10. ETERNAL ON THE WATER by Joseph Monninger Some people might find this book a bit hokey but something about it just worked for me.

9. NOBODIES ALBUM by Carolyn Parkhurst This is not a mystery but a mother-son relationships story. I've been really attracted to those type of stories this year. Wonder why?

8. THE SWIMMING POOL by Holly LeCraw This story includes one of the best portrayals of Post-Partum Depression I have ever seen.

7. RED HOOK ROAD by Ayelet Waldman A very moving book with wonderfully complex characters.

6. MARROWBONE MARBLE COMPANY by Glenn Taylor This book isn't for everyone but I thought it was really really well done.

5. THE TOWER, THE ZOO AND THE TORTOISE by Julia Stuart Absolutely charming!!!

4. UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand What a great story!!! This non-fiction book reads like fiction and I learned so much about WWII Pacific POWs.

3. MATTERHORN by Karl Marlantes A poweful novel of the Vietnam war. I could not put it down.

2. THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton I am quickly becoming a Kate Morton fan. I loved her previous book, THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN, but this one was even better. It had the feel of JANE EYRE with a dash of AS Byatt.

And the Grand Prize winner for BEST BOOK OF 2010:

1. ROOM by Emma Donoghue I loved this book. I am almost ready to read it again. It was so powerful. I worry that people will be put off by the subject matter and plot description but please don't let it deter you from reading this book. It is ultimately the story of a the power of a mother's love for her child. Amazing amazing stuff.

Looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings!!!

ANATOMY OF GHOSTS by Andrew Taylor

2010-12-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I like a good period mystery. Especially if there are ghosts involved. ANATOMY OF GHOSTS seemed to offer the perfect vehicle to entice my interest. Set in Cambridge in 1786, the story follows John Holdsworth, a down-on-his-luck bookseller who recently suffered the losses of both his wife and young son. His anger at the charlatans who prey on the grieving leads Holdsworth to publish a pamphlet called THE ANATOMY OF GHOSTS which claims that ghosts do not exist. The pamphlet comes to the attention of Lady Anne Oldershaw whose son, a fellow at Jersusalem College, has been driven mad as he claims to have seen a ghost. Lady Anne sends Holdsworth to Cambridge to investigate and see if he can find the truth while restoring her son's reason.

The book was a little slow to get started. I had a hard time getting engaged with the story. However, the mystery ended up working well for me. The book is filled with details about period college life, secret societies and blackmail. I enjoyed the mystery part of the book but the rest was a little slow. I did like the fact that I didn't figure out the mystery right away but the book was missing something for me. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. It's a short book but I find it hard to get through.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended only if you are a fan of period mysteries. This one can be a little slow but the mystery itself is ultimately rewarding.

UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand

2010-12-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction. I sometimes find it difficult to get lost in a nonfiction book the way that I do with a fiction book. In the case of Laura Hillenbrand's latest book, UNBROKEN, this wasn't a problem. UNBROKEN follows the story of Olympian and WWII Pacific POW Louie Zamperini. Really, this book could be broken into four distinct stories and each one would be compelling by itself.

**POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT**

The book begins with Louie's life as a troubled difficult youth who found purpose in running. This newfound purpose brought him all the way to the Olympics. Story #2 would follow Louie's entry into the military, the challenges facing him and the rest of our airmen during WWII and the subsequent plane crash that left him and fellow crewmates adrift in the Pacific for weeks. Story #3 would be Louie's "rescue" from the ocean and his horrific days as a Japanese POW. Story #4 follows Louie's life upon returning from the war as he struggled with his demons including alcoholism before finding renewed purpose in the work of Billy Graham.

**END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

Even though this book is a bit of a chunkster, I couldn't put it down. I had to know what would happen next. It is a truly unbelievable story and opened my eyes to so many things about WWII and the fight in the Pacific arena that I never realized before. Hillenbrand has a real gift in identifying key individuals to interview who stories help to develop a well-rounded picture of events. It's a really wonderful and compelling work.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY recommended. One of my favorites this year. Great for history buffs but also for people who love a good human story about the triumph of the human spirit and the importance of maintaining one's dignity and humanity.

THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman

2010-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

THE RED GARDEN follows the lives of the inhabitants of Blackwell, Massachusetts, from its founding in 1750 to the present. The reader is swept up in three hundred years of stories from this small town. Some of the stories are driven by fate and some of the individuals make their own destiny. There is even a little magical realism woven into the tales. The book begins with the founders of the town who came by wagon train to the far side of Hightop Mountain and struggled to survive. Were it not for young Hallie Brady, they wouldn't have made it. Hallie faces her own series of tragedies and the garden she builds behind her home is a testament to those losses. Everything planted in the garden turns red. The garden makes an appearance in most if not all of the tales in the book.

I admit that I got swept up in these stories. It is a truly wonderful to peek into the lives of the inhabitants of this town over so many years. Each chapter offers a brief tale in a specific moment in time and then moves forward. After encountering an individual in one story, you may later find the child or grandchild or great-grandchild of that individual in another story. Everyone is interconnected and affected by Blackwell. My one complaint is that just when I found myself caught up in a tale, it would end. You do not get to find out what happens to each individual. You only get a brief moment in time. I wish Hoffman had offered these stories in an 800-page book like Santmyers' "...AND LADIES OF THE CLUB" so that we could follow each thread to its end. One of the most fascinating mysteries in the book is never resolved!!! Each story offers a tantalizing peek into the lives of these people but nothing more. Hoffman does capture these linked and interwoven lives skillfully, however.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. Hoffman is a great storyteller. I found myself frustrated, however, from wanting more. It seemed as if there was so much more to tell.

SUNSET PARK by Paul Auster

2010-12-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Auster's latest book follows the lives of a number of eccentric characters linked together by the mysterious Miles Heller during the economic collapse of 2008. Miles works as a trash-out worker in southern California where he sifts through the detritus of evicted families. His saving grace is his teenaged girlfriend Pilar. When Pilar's sister threatens to expose their illegal love affair, Miles must escape to Sunset Park in Brooklyn where he joins a group of unusual squatters in an abandoned house. The squatters are a motley crew including an emotionally damaged real estate agent, a woman working on her PhD and an eccentric man who specializes in repairing the artifacts of a vanished world. Each of these individuals must come to terms with their past in order to create any kind of a future.

Auster is very gifted writer and comes up with truly imaginative characters and situations. I love how he managed to bring together these different people into one cohesive story. Each individual is damaged in his/her own way and they are all using their time as squatters to regroup and figure out what directions their lives will take. The abandoned house becomes a kind of waiting room for the next chapter in their lives. Miles is an especially poignant character and probably the most interesting of all of them. He has been running from his past for years and must now confront it.

Although I enjoyed this book, it felt too short. I wanted more. I felt as if I was just getting into the characters when the book ended. Each individual only gets a short amount of focus in the story with the exception of Miles and possibly his father. I think Auster manages to capture the strangeness of 2008 and the effects of the economic downturn on individuals very well. I sometimes found myself puzzled by the inclusion of some of their characters and questioned their importance in the storyline.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This is a well-written book with excellent characters. However, I'm not sure that it is a book that will stay with you for a long time. It is more of a book that captures a moment in time and how it affected a particular group of people.

Silence

2010-12-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. New Year's is right around the corner!!! I am looking forward to saying goodbye to 2010.

My friend and former pastor always sends lovely Christmas cards and the sentiment he included with this year's card really moved me. I would like to share his words with you:

"Please let us use this occasion to put in a good word for silence--an appropriate word to hear again at Christmas. We have felt this year that our society has been noisier, with, we think, shameless incivility on both sides of the aisle, with growing evidence of explosive anger and increasing decibels of loudness. Isn't this then the perfect time to remember "Let all mortal flesh keep silence?" Shouldn't we softly sing "Silent Night, Holy Night" and "...how silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!"? Can't we all find at least a few moments to "be still, and know that God is God"? Can't we find times in the next days for calmness, serenity, silence, remembering the challenge of the Prophet Isaiah, "...in quietness and in trust shall be your strength"? We're working on these questions, and we hope that you will join us, too.

In addition to "Silent Night " -- we're singing "Joy to the World"! May the gifts of silence and joy be yours now and in the coming year."

I want to take this moment to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!!! I'm working on my review for SUNSET PARK and UNBROKEN and I will also have a review for THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman. I'll be back to blogging next Monday!

THE FAT MAN: A TALE OF NORTH POLE NOIR by Ken Harmon

2010-12-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

THE FAT MAN is a spoof of traditional Christmas stories and songs along with a dash of noir featuring one of Santa's elves, Gumdrop Coal. Gumdrop Coal, head of the infamous Coal patrol, gets canned right before Christmas. Rumor has it that he not only took his job too far but that he was also physically threatening naughty children and their parents. As Gumdrop seeks to clear his name, he uncovers a plot to get rid of Santa Claus that may extend all the way to the Misfit Mafia on the Island of Misfit Toys. Will Gumdrop find the perpetrators before Santa gets it?

Fans of classic holiday tales will find much to enjoy in this book. Harmon spares no one from Rudolph to George Bailey to the characters from A CHRISTMAS CAROL. While the noir-nods can be a bit heavy-handed at times, I still liked the tone of the book. There really wasn't much to the story but that wasn't really the point. I enjoyed seeing how Harmon wove together all the different Christmas stories and songs. There were even some excellent references to the Christ child and the true meaning of Christmas. And I can tell you I will never hear the 12 Days of Christmas the same way.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended for fans of the Christmas genre. Others might find the book a little irritating. Lots of funny lines and references here, though. Good for a holiday laugh!

Update

2010-12-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Reviews coming soon:

SUNSET PARK by Paul Auster
THE FAT MAN: A TALE OF NORTH POLE NOIR by Ken Harmon

Currently reading:

I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU by Fannie Flagg
UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand

I have so many galleys to tell you about! I'm glad my bedside table is full again. Right now, I am thinking about what books will make my Best of 2010 list. So many good ones this year. What is on your list?

AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY by Steve Martin

2010-12-03T13:53:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I have been a fan of Steve Martin for a long time. He is truly a Renaissance man with his successful forays in acting, music and writing. I really enjoyed SHOPGIRL and I was intrigued to hear about his latest literary offering. Especially since it deals with the art world and I minored in art history in college.

AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY is told from the point of view of young art journalist Daniel Franks who feels compelled to write and unburden himself about his charismatic friend Lacey Yeager. The story is really Lacey's and the narrator doesn't appear very often in the story. Lacey is the quintessential New York Girl. The story begins in the late 1990's when Lacey is 28 and working in the bowels of Sotheby's. She soaks up as much knowledge about art as she can while angling to get ahead. Her ambition drives her to use any means at her disposal to achieve her goals. She climbs her way to the top through sheer talent and manipulation and manages to become an art dealer in her own right. However, she does so in very turbulent times for the New York art world that include 9/11 and the financial loan crisis.

I really enjoyed this book because I love art and art history and I find the New York art world fascinating. If you have little to no interest on this subject, you may find the plot a little boring and hard to understand. Although my review copy did not have many pictures, it appears the final copy will include reproductions of many of the works mentioned in the story. This is a nice touch and helps the reader to better understand why the art affects the characters. Although Lacey's tactics are often questionable, she somehow finds a way to be likeable. I think this is one of the points the narrator tries to make. In spite of Lacey's shortcomings, she has a charisma and charm that keep the people in her life coming back for more.

My one complaint with the book would be that the ending seemed rushed and abrupt. Everything wrapped up too quickly and I felt that the story was left hanging a bit. I did, however, think that the book gave an excellent snapshot of a specific place and time in the closed off rarified art world of New York City.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. Lovers of art and art history will find much to like here. Martin delves into the ugly side of art collecting while recognizing why art is so compelling and drives so many to extremes. Lacey is a fascinating character who both repels and charms and I only wish we could have had a little more to the story so we aren't left hanging.

Please Stand By...

2010-12-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Piles of galleys have been arriving on my doorstep and I am woefully behind in my reading. I am currently finishing up SUNSET PARK by Paul Auster and AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY by Steve Martin. I hope to have new reviews for you in a few days.

I have no real excuse except for this.

I'm thinking I may need to set all my galleys aside and do some classic holiday reading instead.
Sorry for the delay!!!

Galley Roundup

2010-11-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

The rain is pouring down outside and I am looking at the latest pile of galleys that have arrived on my doorstep and dreaming of the upcoming Thanksgiving break....

THE ANATOMY OF GHOSTS by Andrew Taylor
THE WEIRD SISTERS by Eleanor Brown
INVENTING GEORGE WASHINGTON by Edward Lengel
THE BOOK OF TOMORROW by Cecelia Ahern
CINDERELLA ATE MY DAUGHTER by Peggy Orenstein

Wonder how many books I can read over the holidays....

VIXEN (The Flappers Series) by Jillian Larkin

2010-11-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I am very picky about my young adult fiction. I'm always looking for books in this genre that are original and don't speak down to their readers. I was intrigued by this new Flapper series because I loved the idea of looking at the lives of young adults in the 1920's. It is such a fascinating era of change and liberation, especially for women.

In the first book of the series, VIXEN, we are introduced to several young flapper wannabes. Gloria Carmody is a coddled 17-yr-old socialite who is engaged to be married to prominent young bachelor Sebastian Grey. Gloria is unsure about her life and marriage and starts dabbling in the world of speakeasies. Her friend, Lorraine Dyer, is envious of Gloria and always seeking to get attention and climb out of Gloria's shadow. Gloria's cousin, Clara Knowles, arrives to help keep Gloria in check and make sure she marries Sebastian but Gloria has a secret wild flapper past of her own. These three women get caught up in Chicago's underground world of speakeasies and flappers with mixed results.

I love the use of 1920's slang and detail in the book. Larkin is very good at setting the tone. She reveals how even 80 years ago, young adults were dealing with the same sorts of issues that we struggle with today. These women wrestle with sex, alcohol and rock 'n' roll. (only in the form of jazz at this time) One of my problems with the novel, however, is that the only likeable character is Clara. Clara is seeking to overcome her past and start over. She is flawed but genuine. Gloria is just annoying and thoughtless. Lorraine is a rotten friend and her constant need for attention is tiresome. The men in the book don't fare any better. Sebastian is a jerk. Gloria's friend Marcus is a spoiled brat. Even Gloria's secret lover comes off as too cliched. The book felt very much to me like a teenaged version of DANGEROUS LIAISONS set in the Roaring 20's. But it fails to reach any real depth.

*PARENTAL ADVISORY*--The young people in the book are in their late teens and early twenties. They drink heavily, they are disrepectful to their parents, they have illicit sex and smoke like chimneys. It is naive to think that young people don't struggle with these issues today and I don't think a book should be written off because they depict these things. However, none of the characters seem to really learn anything except for Clara. They just continue on with their irresponsible behaviors.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended with reservations. I think this series is original but the whole thing fell flat for me. The characters are wooden and boring and not likeable. However, I would be interested in reading more and seeing how the series develops.

Galley Round-up

2010-11-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

The nightstand is filling up again and it is going to be hard to decide what to read next. Here are some of my November-February galleys:

MUST YOU GO? by Antonia Fraser
UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand
AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY by Steve Martin
SUNSET PARK by Paul Auster
THE RADLEYS by Matt Haig
THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman
THE FATES WILL FIND THEIR WAY by Hannah Pittard
HOW THE GOVERNMENT GOT IN YOUR BACKYARD by Jeff Gilman and Eric Heberlig
THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL by Michael David Lukas

So, which one of the first four should I read next?

DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton

2010-11-08T11:16:00.001-08:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I loved Kate Morton's book THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN so I was very excited when I got a galley of her newest book, THE DISTANT HOURS. When a letter from 1941 finally arrives at its destination fifty years later, it has powerful repercussions for Edie Burchill, a young publisher in London. Edie's mother opens the much-belated letter and is powerfully affected by it. She reveals to Edie that she had been evacuated to a castle called Milderhurst in the countryside during the war. Edie is very surprised to learn of this previously hidden episode in her mother's life. She is even more surprised to learn that Milderhurst was the residence of the author of Raymond Blythe, the author of one her favorite books, THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE MUD MAN. This book is a national treasure and no one has ever cracked the mystery of the true inspiration behind the story. When Edie is brought to Milderhurst by chance, she can't resist learning more about the place her mother had been exiled to and, in so doing, becomes drawn into the lives of the three elderly Blythe sisters that reside there still and the mysteries surrounding them.

This is a very difficult book to describe. There is so much going on! It is a bit of a chunkster at 670 pages but the story flew by as I could not put it down. The story moves back and forth between the present of 1992 to the war years. We see the events unfolding through multiple perspectives as we try to learn the truth about the hidden secrets of the Blythe sisters and the origins of the famous MUD MAN story. There is also the side story of Edie trying to understand her mother, Meredith, by delving into her past. The book reveals a great deal about the often complicated relationships between parents and children and also between siblings. The book offers a literary mystery and reminded me a great deal of AS Byatt's POSSESSION and Diane Setterfield's THE THIRTEENTH TALE. All of the characters are interesting and the secrets and mysteries keep you guessing until the end.

I could not put this book down. I loved it even more than THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN. It has many of the elements of my favorite books--mystery, books, family drama and secrets, madness, passion, castles, romance and even some wartime drama. Although I think the ending was successful, it felt a little abrupt to me. I wish Morton hadn't hurried things up so much. However, it was a thoroughly entertaining read overall.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY recommended. One of my favorites this year. Fans of AS Byatt and Diane Setterfield and even Charlotte Bronte will find much to enjoy here. This makes a great winter read.

Notes in the Margin

2010-11-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Winter ARCs are starting to pour in and I'm getting really excited! I will post a list here of my latest acquisitions later.

Right now, I am 3/4 of the way through THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton and I am LOVING it! I am also working on DEWEY'S NINE LIVES and a young adult title called VIXEN by Jillian Larkin. So, I should have new reviews soon.

Tonight, I am heading to a special event featuring Alice Walker. So excited to see her in person! Maybe I can get her to sign my copy of THE COLOR PURPLE. Fingers crossed!!!!

Hard Times

2010-10-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

2010 has been a difficult year for so many people.

Personally, my family has been struggling financially as my husband has been out of work for five months now. We have been limping along but our rent will go up by about $300 this December. So, we may be looking at giving up our beloved rental home of four years and seriously downgrading. But I am grateful for the roof over our heads, the food on our table, the clothes on our backs, our health and each other.

Yesterday, a dear friend contacted me about the dissolution of his marriage. It absolutely broke my heart. This the FIFTH close friend that has gone through this in 2010. Three of those individuals were my bridal attendents. One of the failed marriages is of the godparents of my child.

It is a good reminder for me to make sure I let my husband know how much I love and appreciate him. In the hard times, it is easy to let stress, exhaustion, frustration and resentment take over. In the good times, we can get so busy that we neglect each other and take each other for granted. We need to remember to tell the people in our lives how important they are to us and how much we love and appreciate them. This may not solve all the problems in all of our relationships but it IS important.

The holidays are right around the corner. I'm going to make an extra special effort to focus on the things I am thankful for this November. In December, I'm going to remember the greatest gifts in my life. The ones that don't cost money or come in brightly wrapped packages.

And on December 31, I'm going to hope for a Happy New Year in 2011 that will bring better things for the people I care about.

MUSEUM OF THIEVES by Lian Tanner

2010-10-19T15:47:00.001-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

There are so many wonderful new series out for young readers right now and this one has a lot of potential. In the city of Jewel, the citizens prize the safety of their children above anything else. All children must wear guard-chains from birth until their age of separation as teenagers. These chains connect children to adults at all times in order to keep them safe. When the children are not in the care of their parents, they are connected to one of the city's Blessed Guardians. Goldie cannot wait to be free of her guard chain but, on her day of Separation, tragedy strikes and the Separation is cancelled. Goldie manages to run away and find refuge in the mysterious Museum of Thieves. The Museum holds not only the history of the city but also helps to maintain a delicate balance in the state of the world. When an evil plot threatens that delicate balance, Goldie must join with the keepers of the museum in order to protect everyone she loves.

I loved the idea of the guard chains as a metaphor for how young children often feel. As a society, we are becoming more and more protective of our children. The days of children roaming around their neighorhoods until dinner are over. There is too much fear about what has happened. Tanner hints at this change in society through her depiction of Jewel. The guard chains are a tangible reminder of the adult fear that can constrict and limit children. When Goldie confronts a life-threatening situation within the Museum, she simply stands still and waits for someone to rescue her. As a result of a lifetime of being over-protected, she has not developed any self-preservation skills. As she spends more time at the museum, she slowly develops those skills. I love how this book empowers children and has a strong female protagonist. My one problem with it was that the bad guys seemed to obvious and stereotypical. The Museum itself is fascinating and original and I look forward to seeing how the series develops.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: While there are some scary parts in this book, there is nothing beyond what one would find in a Harry Potter novel. The bad guys are really rotten and there are physical threats to both adults and children. Some younger children may also be disturbed by the fact that the government can throw one's parents into a deep, dark dungeon if they don't comply. Everyone makes it through the book more and less unharmed, however.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. While some of the book was a little predictable, the museum itself is fascinating and I enjoyed the variety of characters. There are lots of original ideas here and I look forward to seeing how they are developed throughout the series.

ADAM AND EVE by Sena Jeter Naslund

2010-10-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

In 2017, Lucy Bergmann's astrophysicist husband is murdered just before delivering some ground-breaking work on the existence of extraterrestrial life. Lucy carries the flash drive holding his research around her neck, reluctant to share it with anyone.

Several years later, Lucy is being stalked by members of a fundamentalist sect called Perpetuity. The members of this sect come from a variety of belief backgrounds united in the desire to maintain their fundmentalist perspective and to stop anything that would threaten it. Lucy becomes involved with Pierre Saad, an anthropologist who may have found another set of scrolls that could redefine the Genesis story. Lucy attempts a daring escape with the scrolls out of Egypt only to crash in an Eden-like oasis. Here, she meets Adam, a damaged American vet who helps to nurse her back to health in their own Garden of Eden.

What a mess!!! This book is all over the place. At first, I had hoped it would be something akin to Sagan's CONTACT. It wasn't. The author cannot decide what she wants the book to be. First, we are looking at science and the possible presence of extraterrestrial life. Then, we skip to the discovery of ancient scrolls that could change the creation story of several religions. Then, we have the sinister bad guys in the form of Perpetuity. Oh, and a love story between Adam and "Eve" in their modern garden of Eden. But then there are new characters introduced and new relationships in the form of Pierre Saad and his daughter and a journey into a cave with ancient art. Too much!!! The characters are weak and confusing and I couldn't understand what the point was. The ending was just bizarre. It made no sense whatsoever.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT recommended. This may be the worst book I have read this year. Possibly because I expected so much more. Naslund has good ideas but the book is a mess. She can't decide what she wants it to be and ends up just frustrating the reader.

Notes in the Margin

2010-10-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

New galleys are slowly starting to trickle in.

I received a new children's title called MUSEUM OF THIEVES by Lian Tanner and a beautiful-looking galley called THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL by Michael David Lukas and MUST YOU GO? : MY LIFE WITH HAROLD PINTER by Antonia Fraser.

A few that should be arriving soon:

THE DISTANT HOURS by Kate Morton (Love her previous book THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN)

and

THE RED GARDEN by Alice Hoffman

I should be done with ADAM AND EVE by Naslund soon so be watching for a review. I was really excited to see that ROOM by Donoghue is doing so well. It may very well be my favorite book this year. I have been fighting a cold for two weeks and my little one is also sick so my reading has slowed a bit. But Fall is finally here and, as it is my favorite season, it always invigorates me.

I have to find some time to sew Noodlebug's Halloween costume. He is going as the Cat in the Hat and his father and I are going as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Hopefully....

FictFact

2010-10-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

I follow several mystery series but it can sometimes be hard to keep track of when new books in the series are coming out. Do you have that problem too?

I just heard about this new site you can subscribe to that will help you track your favorite series. It's called FictFact and it's free! I can look up with Agatha Raisin series by MC Beaton and sign up to follow this series. I will then be alerted when new titles become available. Genius!!!
I'm going to go look up all my favorite series right now!!!

THE TOWER, THE ZOO AND THE TORTOISE by Julia Stuart

2010-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Beefeater Balthazar, his family and their 180-year-old tortoise live in the Tower of London. Balthazar and his wife are still reeling from the loss of their young son three years ago. As they struggle to maintain their lives and marriage, they are surrounded by a lively and amusing cast of characters. When Balthazar is given the responsibility of maintaining the Tower's new menagerie of animals, his life will never be the same.

Full of interesting trivia about the Tower and its history, this is an utterly charming story about the inhabitants of the Tower and the challenges of their daily lives. Everyone seems to have a secret. I found myself laughing out loud many times while also tearing up at some of the more endearing and heartwrending parts. The bizarre cast of characters doesn't stop at the animals and the ancient tortoise. There is a lovesick vicar who writes erotic fiction, a philandering Ravenmaster, a Head Yeoman plagued by ghosts and many others. I didn't want it to end. I can definitely envision this as a film. Or, better yet, a BBC show. All of the characters are interesting and speak to our own desires and secrets.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. Absolutely charming. Fans of the GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY will like this one. A perfect blend of history and touching fiction.

Should you wish to purchase this title, this book link will take you to IndieBound.

I'm an IndieBound affiliate and receive a small commission on any sales:

THE TOWER, THE ZOO AND THE TORTOISE

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