TRUE GRIT vs. TRUE GRIT

So - this weekend my husband and I decided to go see the new True Grit movie.  He had never seen the original, which I loved, so we dutifully requested if from Netflix and spent Saturday afternoon with a huge bowl of popcorn watching it on our big screen.   It was still just as good as I remembered with John Wayne and the irascible Marshall Rooster Cogburn, Kim Darby as the precocious Maddie Ross and Glen Campbell as Leboef. We watched and were enthralled by all that they went through in order to get Ned Pepper (Robert Duvall) and Tom Chaney.  The best part of the whole movie was still the scene where John Wayne grabs the reins of his horse in his teeth and rides straight into Ned Peppers gang with his guns blazing.

On to the new movie.  I have to admit, I was worried about seeing the new one, since I loved the old one so much.  I was afraid it would be a cheap imitation.  Then I kept hearing from people that it was a good movie in its own right, even to those who were fans of the old one.  So on a rainy Sunday afternoon we spent 2+ hours in the warm dry theater watching the Coen brothers version.  All I could say at the end was, "The Coen brothers do it again."  The 2010 version is a great movie in its own right, and does not try to be the John Wayne classic.  The casting was superb, with Jeff Bridges playing a fantastic Rooster Cogburn.  I was so glad that he made the character his own and did not try to play John Wayne playing Rooster Cogburn.  I actually thought that Matt Damon played a  more believable Texas Ranger LeBoef than Glenn Campbell, but thought that Kim Darby had a bit more spunk as Maddie Ross in the original.

Besides the casting, there were several other changes to the story between the two movies.  Some I liked better in the older version, some were better, and more believable, in the newer one.  And of course, the newer film took full advantage in the advances in film technology, etc.  Since both movies are based on the book of the same name, I am now excited to read the novel and decide which movie comes closer to the book, or if the book is actually in the middle of the two.

As for the movies.  I say enjoy them both.  Although they are similar, they are two differnt movies over all, and both are worth the time invested in watching them.

IF I STAY by GAYLE FOREMAN

I did not know how popular this book was when I read it, but I can see why it is. In my opinion, this is the definitive book on the choices we all have to make in life, or death as the case may be. The story of Mia, a teenage girl whose family is in a horrible car accident in rural Oregon, is very compelling. It is both a beautiful and heart wrenching story at the same time. The characters are compelling written. It was very easy for me to become enmeshed in the story of their lives. The thoughts and decisions that Mia had to make were thoughtfully covered and I found her dilemma a fresh approach to the question of what happens to someone while they are trying to decide whether to stay or go. 


This is a much shorter review than is usual for me, but the above says it all. 
A 4.5 star read!  I am looking forward to reading the sequel "Where She Went."

CANDY CANE MURDER (a compilation of stories) by JOANNE FLUKE, LAURA LEVINE, AND LESLIE MEIER

 am no stranger to the cozy mystery. Some of my favorite series are in this genre, but I had never read anything by any of the authors listed in the compilation. In addition, I usually don't read "holiday" theme books. This compilation was good, though. I liked all three stories, to varying degrees. 

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke 

This was my first Joanne Fluke story, who I have heard compared to Diane Mott Davidson. One of my favorite cozy mystery writer. I totally agree with this comparison. There are may similarities between the two series. In addition to the type of mystery, the fact that both main characters cook for a living and solve crimes as a hobby. Both sets of books include recipes that you can make yourself. Both main characters are have a romantic relationship with a local law enforcement character. As such, this story was both a comfortable read and familiar at the same time. I gave it 3 stars. 

The Dangers of Candy Canes by Laura Levine. 

This story was also the typical cozy mystery, but more in the Stephanie Plum vain. Unfortunately, I did not like this story as much. The main character was a little too brash. While I don't mind characters with caustic personalities, I felt that this characters personality was too over the top. I did enjoy the surprise as to who was the murderer, and the main characters dealing with the troubled teen, but not enough to redeem the story. I gave this one 2 stars. 

Candy Canes of Christmas Past by Leslie Meier 

I actually liked this story the best of the three. I liked the "city girl turned country girl" main character. I liked her family situation, a young mother, but mostly I liked the historical aspect to this story. In this one, the protagonist had to dig back into future generations to solve the mystery. It was fun to hear a bit about the area an

THE SHACK by WILLIAM P. YOUNG

Strangely enough, this was one of the first book I ever listed on my To Read shelf on Goodreads. Yet it took me two years to get around to reading it. Partly that is because I have too many books, partly it is because I was afraid to read this book. A guy who goes to a shack and has a conversation with God? A book like that has to be preachy, right? Eventually this book was picked for me by another reader as part of a challenge, and I just have to say "Thanks Wendy T for finally getting me to read this book". I found that I really enjoyed the book. Yes, there is a lot of Christian philosophy in this book, but underneath that is a beautiful story of a man trying to deal with the tragedies in his life. 

The book centers around Mack, a father of 5 living in Oregon. One day he decided to take his three younger children on a weekend camping trip to a favorite spot of theirs. While there, his youngest daughter is kidnapped and all signs indicate that she was murdered. The first part of the book deals with telling this story, which is compelling written and riveting, even though you know what is going to happen. 

The second part of the book is 4 years later when Mack is compelled to revisit the spot of his daughter's death. He ends up spending the weekend back at "the shack" having a conversation with God. To my surprise, I found this part of the book easier to read than I expected. One of my favorite things about this book was the wonderful personalities the author gave to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. These personifications were my favorite part of the book. I found myself drawn to their human characteristics. This device made me really fly through a part of the book that I was sure was going to be hard to read. 

Another device that the author used was to write the book as if he, the author, was actually recounting a story that a friend had told him and that all of this was based on true events. Unfortunately, this device did not hold up for me. At no time did I feel that this was a true story. It did not make the story any less compelling, though. 

Now we come to the end. This was my only disappointment. I felt everything was just too neatly wrapped up at the end. It was just a little too "perfect" of an end for me. 

All in all, though, a compelling read that is well worth the time and effort. 

A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC by SHEL SILVERSTEIN

I just reread this book for a challenge, and am remembering how much I like children's poetry. I have always liked poetry in general, but children's poetry is especially fun as it is so whimsical and free. This book certainly fits this bill. As I was reading the book I found out that it is on the banned book list. I must admit, that surprised me, so I looked up why and here is what I found: 

It has been banned because of "suggestive illustrations." One library also claimed that the book "glorified Satan, suicide and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient." 

As to the "suggestive illustrations", have these people ever actually read the book? In my copy, the illustrations are detailed enough to be suggestive. In fact, they are not even true to the human form. As for the other complaints, all I can say is some people have no imagination, and some parents are too lazy to parent. Oh well. 

I really liked this book. The poems remind me of a simpler time, when I had no worries and felt that I had the whole wor

GARDEN SPELLS by SARAH ADDISON ALLEN

This is the second book that I have read by Sarah Addison Allen, the first one being The Girl Who Chased the Moon.  As in that book, this one takes place in a small town in Georgia and at it's heart is an unusual family that has a lot to do with the history of the town and it's folklore. But where the the first one was more YA to me, this one is definitely a chick lit read.  And as such, it is a good read.  I sometimes have trouble with Chick Lit because their is either too much romance and sex, or too much fluff, but usually not enough story.  This book was not like that.  Yes, there were romantic attachments, yes there was sex, and yes it was an easy read, but there was also a good story about what it means to be family.

As I gather that most of her books do, the main characters in this book have a "magical" quirk.  In this case, the main character, Claire, has inherited the Waverly family garden.  The garden is special because food made from the plants grown in the garden can alter people's behavior and mood.  And an apple from the tree will tell you what your most important moment in life will be.  But Claire isn't the only Waverly that has "special" talents.  In fact, my favorite character was her Aunt Evanelle, who "just knew she had to give [people] things.  She would show up at all times of the day or night with some totally random item for people.  In addition, she had a very sassy personality.  For example, she loved to walk the track at the local college and watch the "bums" of the college guys who were running on the track.  My Second favorite character was actually the apple tree mentioned above, which turned out to have a personality all its own.  One wonders how things would be if they let the apple tree decide.

THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE by AIMEE BENDER

The book's central character, Rose, realizes at the age of nine that she can "taste" the feelings of the people that make the food she eats. When I was explaining that to a friend, she mentioned that it was somewhat like Like Water for Chocolate, that it had the same premise.  I readily agreed, but as I read, I realized that the two books are nothing alike.  Where Like Water for Chocolatehad a definite mystical flavor, this book has a far more "practical" (for want of a better word) approach.  The author uses the trait as a device to illustrate the central character's struggle with growing up, growing aware of the limitations of people in general, and her family in particular.  With it she was able to talk about the loss of innocence and a child's  difficulty in dealing with the fact that those around them, including parents, aren't perfect, without sounding trite or preachy.  I found it interesting that the only person in Rose's life who was close to perfect, was a character who NEVER made Rose anything to eat, so we never got to see their inner feelings and thus their shortcomings.

Rose wasn't the only character in the book that intrigued me, either.  Although the character of the mother was complex, I found Rose's brother and father much more interesting and the mother much more of a standard character.  In addition, Grandma in Washington and Sherrine were great characters who helped tell us about life.

All in all, I definitely liked the way the author used her quirky characters to weave a great story about growing up and learning to deal with what life throws at you. In fact, I told myself that I was going to be more stingy and discerning with my 5 star rating this year, but this book just fits the bill. It was a draws me in, intrigues me, can't wait to see where it goes, WOW! book. Thanks to my friend Scoozer for bringing it to my attention. [

SAMURAI WILLIAM: THE ENGLISHMAN WHO OPENED JAPAN by GILES MILTON

Being a lover of historical fiction, one of my favorite books was Shogun byJames Clavell. Then I few years ago I was in San Antonio, TX and the lady sitting by the pool next to me was reading a book that looked interesting. She said it was a book about the real life person that Shogun was based on, and I was immediately intrigued. Unfortunately, I forgot about it for quite a while, and by the time I tried to find it, had forgotten the name. After much searching and putting together what I could remember about the book, I decided that this was the book. I ordered it from the library with great anticipation. Unfortunately, the book was not quite what I had hoped. 

On the plus side, this is a non-fiction history book, but it reads like a novel.Giles Milton has a wonderful writing style, and I found the book quite fascinating in general. On the negative side, the book wasn't really about William Adams as much as it was about the opening of Japan to European trade. After mentioning Adams at the beginning of the book, the author proceeded to spend the first third of the book detailing how the Portuguese were able to set up trade with Japan before the English arrived. The next third of the book dealt with failed attempts by the English to get a toe hold in Japan. The last third of the book actually dealt with early English trade with Japan, mostly dealing with how inept it was. Although Adams was a huge friend of the Japanese emperor and appeared to be instrumental in securing trading rights for both Portugal and England in Japan, as far as this book goes he was more of a minor character. In fact, I learned more about Edwards Cooks, the first English factor in Japan than I ever learned about William Adams. There were frequent references to how Adams took a Japanese family, how he became "Japanized", and how he interceded for both countries, but they were just that. References. There was really no detail on his life, his family's life, or his dealings with either the Europeans or the Japanese. 

Don't get me wrong. If you want to learn about the chronology of early European trade with Japan, this is the book for you. That story is told in detail, and told well. The author has a wonderful writing voice, and the story kept me interested from beginning to end. I was just looking for something more like a biography of William Adams, which this book was not.

LILY OF THE NILE by STEPHANIE DRAY

So - Historical fiction and historical figures are my forte. In fact, I am one of the mods of a group called History of Royals, so when Stephanie Drayapproached me with an offer to read a ARC of this book I jumped at the chance. Although I have not read a lot about the Ptolomies so far, I find them and Egypt fascinating. I have always been fascinated by their gods, rituals, etc. This particular book focuses on Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene. It begins with Cleopatra's death, and follows Selene to Rome, where she was raised by Augustus Caesar's sister, Octavia. The story then follows her all the way until her betrothal and elevation to Queen of Mauritania in Africa. 

I was fascinated with this story from the first page, especially since I wasn't really aware that Cleopatra had a daughter, or what happened to her after the death of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. I mean, I knew that she had children, but had never really spent much time finding out about them. It turns out that Cleopatra Selene played a pretty big role in Egyptian - Roman relations, just like her mother. I was fascinated by the way that the author made Selene come to life. In some ways she acted just like any girl in a similar situation, if there are any similar situations these days. The book never slowed for me. My only wish is that I had not tried to read it during the holidays, so that I could have sat down and devoured it from start to finish. Even my husband got into the story when I would read parts out loud to him. Although he did not finish the book, or at least not yet, he really enjoyed the part that he read, and he is not a historical fiction aficionado. 

Another thing that really impressed me with this book was the way that the author approached the writing of the book. At the front of a book she has written a "dear reader" letter, clearly stating that, although she did extensive research on the subject of the book, it is a work of fiction and that, as such, she felt able to move things around a bit to fit her story. She also has stated that the book is told from the point of view of Cleopatra Selene and therefore contains a bias toward the Egyptian point of view. I commend her for stating this up front. I, for one, do not mind biases and such things in a fictional story. It usually inspires me to search out more on the subject and characters, which this book certainly did. 

In addition, I saw some of my favorite historical fiction and history writers listed by the author as her inspiration, and as having an influence on her writing. This I took to be another good sign, and I was not disappointed. 

At the end of the book the author states that there is a sequel to this book in the works, which follows Selene through her life in Africa. All I can say it - I can't wait for the sequel to come out. I am really anticipating the end of the story of this wonderful person. 

I would rate this book at 4.5 or 4.75 stars. A solid A book.

A WRINKLE IN TIME by MADELEINE L'ENGLE

There are several reasons why I chose to read this book at this point in my life. First, I had always heard that it was a good book. Second, I had never read it. Third, it was on the monthly shelf for my Pick-a-Shelf group here on Goodreads. Fourth, my sister recommended it as a good read. I have to caveat here, also, and say that I am one adult who really does enjoy young adult fiction. That said, I ended up feeling that this book was a little to young for me. I enjoyed it, but I think that I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read it when I was the appropriate age. 

I found it interesting that this book was originally published in 1962, way before the current craze of books that deal with time travel, magic, and paranormal abilities. In fact, I could see pieces of several currently popular books in this one. It was not hard to see some of the current authors being influenced by this wonderful classic. For, although it did not transport me the way that some of the newer books have, I think it is just a matter of timing. Not only timing as to my age, but also timing as to which book I read first. 

With the above said, I am giving this book a 3 star rating for me, but I would actually give it a 4 to 5 star rating as a book for older elementary school students, and definitely put it on my "highly recommended" list for this age group. I hope it will, and think it should, continue to be a classic for that age group.

A FAINT COLD FEAR by KARIN SLAUGHTER

I am so far behind in my reviews. I think that I have missed about 5 books. 

This is the third book in a series that I started reading with a bunch of friends in one of my Goodreads book clubs. I liked the first two, thought they were pretty good thrillers, but I have to say, the ending of this one totally blew me away. I think that is why I liked it the best of all of them so far. I really did not see the ending coming, and it left me with a lot of questions. Not sure if they will ever get answered, but I am really anticipating what might happen in the next one. 

As she has in the first two books of this series, the author was able to keep me guessing as to who the villain was. Interestingly, I had picked the villain at one point, but then decided that character was a red herring. Another plus to her writing is that, even if I would have stuck with that character, the motive for the villain's behavior was something that I never would have guessed. Another plus for this type of book. 

As this book is part of a series, there is another criteria that it has to fill for me to keep reading. Do the recurring characters become more interesting as time goes on, do I care about them more with each book, or do the get stagnate. I am happy to say, that the characters in this series are definitely not getting stagnate! In fact, at the end of the first book, I liked the central characters, but thought the story was a lot better than the character development. I can now see why. The author was saving the character development for future books to keep us interested. At this point in the series, there are a few things going on with the central characters that really have me anticipating the next installment in the series, which I will be reading in January. In fact, the character that I liked the least of all in the first book is fast becoming my favorite character. The author has done an excellent job of making the characters multi-faceted and interesting. 

All in all a good thrill ride, and I can't wait for the next one, which I will be reading in January. 

Gold and Green - Sugarland's Christmas Album

I am so excited.  For many reasons, actually.  It is December, which means it is Christmastime.  My favorite time of the year.  I love everything about this time of year, especially the music.  And as much as I like contemporary country music, when it comes to Christmas music I am a traditionalist.  My favorites are the traditional carols sung by a large choir.  That's why I was not expecting much from Sugarland's Christmas Album. It is half traditional and half new contemporary stuff.  Add to that to the fact that there recently released album The Incredible Machine was a definite dud, I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to this album, released in 2009 (somehow I missed it last year).  From the first song, "City of Silver Dreams" to the final notes of "Silent Night" sung by Jennifer Nettles in Spanish, I fell in love with this album.  In fact, there are a number of songs, "Comin Home", "Little Wooden Guitar", and the title cut. "Gold and Green" that I would listen to all year round.  As for the traditionals, I love the blending of Kristian Bush's "Holly Jolly Christmas" with Jennifer Nettles' "Winter Wonderland" and Jennifer's rendition of "I'm Gettin Nuttin for Christmas" is the only version of this song that I have ever liked.  This album contains all of the usual Sugarland melodies and harmonies.  Showcasing Ms. Nettls' voice and even showing off Kristian Bush's voice perfectly.  I only wish it was longer than 10 songs.  Why couldn't they stick to this type of music for their regular album??  Come on guys, don't mess with success.

Definitely a 10!

KIndred by Octavia E. Butler

One of the things that I like so much about Goodreads in addition to the fact that it has exposed me to books from all over, is that it has also exposed me to people from around the world, both authors and others. These people, then, have turned me on or pointed me toward other books and authors that I, either never would have known about otherwise, or never would have considered. This book falls into the latter category. I am not familiar with the author, and as such, this book was not on my radar. Then I met Cam through one of my Goodreads reading groups. In fact, she was one of the first friends that I made on Goodreads, and she has steered me towards some really good reads. When our group picked Time Travel as the shelf we were going to read from for the month of November 2010, Cam recommended this book as one of her favorites, so I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad that I did. 

Dana is an African American (or as she says "black") woman living in Los Angeles in 1976. At the beginning of the book, Dana and her husband, Kevin, are moving into a new house when Dana suddenly feel dizzy and nauseous. When her vision clears, she is in front of a river watching a child who is drowning. She saves him, only to be set upon, first by his mother, and then by his father. They seem to see Dana as a threat, although she doesn't know why. What Dana doesn't know at this point, is that she has been transported back in time to the Antebellum South to save the life of a white plantation owner's son. 

The book continues through several more "occurrences" where Dana is transported back to the south at different times during the man's life, whenever he is in trouble. As I read, I found myself thinking what an incredibly creative way for the author to write a historical fiction book about slavery in the Antebellum South. That is what this book is mainly. It is a book about slavery, told from the point of view of a "modern" black woman who is immersed in the everyday workings of a Southern plantation without any of the history or beliefs that allow one to survive in that situation. The contrasts between her attitudes and beliefs, those of the black slaves on the plantation, and those of the white slave owners are wonderfully done. This mechanism allows the author to illuminate for us this time of American history, warts and all, without sounding preachy or overdone. As Cam said in her review, I both loved this book and loathed it in turns, but I loved it more than I loathed it. Butler did such a wonderful job of crafting her characters that I really came to care about, not only the slaves, but the white slave owner and his family as well. 

I would say this book is a MUST READ, especially if you liked The Time Traveler's Wife. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Audrey Niffenegger got her idea for that book from this one. Once again, Cam, thanks for the recommendation, and keep 'em coming!

On Folly Beach by Karen White

I had never read a book by Karen White before, but if they are all like this one, I will be reading more. One of the things that I really like about my on-line book clubs is that I end up meeting people who can introduce me to wonderful new authors. 

Folly Beach, South Carolina is a small island whose main population is summer tourists. In the 1940s, though, in the thick of WWII, it was a place for many soldiers to gather. This book tells two stories of Folly Beach, one current and one from the 1940s. 

Cat, Maggie, and Lulu are permanent residents of Folly Beach in 1941. Cat is the beautiful one, Maggie the practical one, and Lulu is the one who does not miss a thing. As WWII progresses, it has a large impact on their lives and their relationships with each other. 

Sixty-six years later, in 2009 Emmy moves to Folly Beach to get a change of scene after her young husband is killed in Afghanistan. A lover of books, she purchases the book store that used to belong to Maggie in the 1940s, and discovers a Folly Beach mystery that has been hidden for years. 

This book contains the blending of the two stories, the story of Cat, Maggie, and Lulu, and the story of Emmy and her new beginning. Karen White did a wonderful job of blending the two stories. In addition, both stories are wonderful in themselves, not only filled with wonderful characters, but with hope, longing, and love. I especially liked that the stories had wonderful, true to life ending. This book was definitely a hit. 

The Incredible Machine by Sugarland

OK - so, Sugarland is just about my favorite group right now, so I have been anxiously awaiting the debut of their new album, THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE.  Well, it is out, I have listened, and I am majorly disappointed.    I know that groups need to grow artistically,  and that no one's sound stays the same, but this album contains some drastic changes.  Gone are the beautiful melodies, catchy lyrics, etc. that were on their first and third albums.  In fact, out of 11 songs, there are only two songs, maybe three, that I even like off of this album.  Most of the songs on the album have no lyrics.  There is just one or two lines repeated over and over, or you have Jennifer Nettles just singing nonsensical syllables.  Add that to the addition of more voice time for Kristian Bush, and what you get is flat, monotone, boring, and just plain bad.  If it wasn't for "Find the Beat Again" which is actually quite good, "Every Girl Like Me", and "Stuck Like Glue" which is cute in a Bob Marley kind of way, there would be nothing on this album worth keeping.  I wanted to like "Tonight", but Jennifer Nettle sounds like she is singing with her jaw wired shut, and here again, the lyrics are so repetitive they are almost non-existent.  The Jury is still out on "Little Miss" since it has a bit too much of Kristian's voice and again, repetitive lyrics.  As for the rest --  I will just pass on them.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

A large number of my friends recently read this book and they all raved about it.  I was really excited to get my hands on a copy to read (thanks Wendy), especially since I was 267th on the list at the library and they only have 10 copies.  The beginning of the book showed promise, a good thriller premise, but once Annie was with her captor, I found the story kind of dragged for me.   Not sure why, but I really had a hard time getting through the first half of this book.  It must be because the author goes into such detail about the horrible things that happen to Annie while she was held prisoner.  I found myself wondering how so many of my "book twins" could have loved this book so much and I didn't.  Don't get me wrong, I liked the book and the story, especially the way that the protagonist told her story through her discussions with her psychiatrist after she returns.  But Annie was so abrasive, she was hard to like, and her captor was a seriously twisted individual.  And it didn't quite make sense to me why he picked Annie to abduct.

Then I got to the second half of the book.  Oh My God.  The book really took off.  As Annie begins to talk more about things that happened to her after she escaped and returned home, I couldn't get enough.  I began to see what all the raving was about and realized that I was probably going to score this book pretty high.  

Then I got to the last few chapters and the end.  OMG. This book met my number one criteria for a thriller, I DID NOT see this ending coming.  WOW.   The ending definitely solidified a 5-star rating for me.  

Chevy Stevens sure know how to tell a story!  Her characters were wonderful.  Annie is wonderfully flawed, as you would be if you had been held captive by a psychopath for a year.  Her relationships with her family, friends, and the RCMP officer working her case were spot on.  In retrospect, I even love her detailed description of Annie's captivity as it gives you the proper perspective for events that happen later in the book.

This is the debut by this author, but I sure hope that she continues to write.  I will certainly be looking forward to her next effort.

The girl with the dragon tattoo by Steig Larssen

I received this book in hardback the Christmas that it first came out in the US.  Like many of the books I own, it immediately became a shelf orphan, being repeatedly passed over for books that I had checked out from the library.  I mean, they have a definite due date, where the one's I own can be read anytime, right?  Of course the problem with this is that you miss reading some really good books sometimes.  That was definitely the case with this book.  As time passed, more and more people told me how good this book was.  This, of course, scared me.  Would it really live up to the hype.  Well, it does, and I wish that I had read it a lot earlier.  In fact, I read it while I was staying at my sister's house, and I wished that I had the second book so that I could start it immediately.

The one caveat that many of my friends told me was that the first 200 or so pages go through a lot of financial details, as the main character, Mikael Bloomkvist, is a financial reporter.  They were correct, in that there is a lot of financial discussion in the first part, but I found that this did not bother me.  In fact, I have a finance background myself, so I actually found this part of the book interesting.  <

Another comment made was that the Swedish names and words took some time to get used to, but I did not find this to be true.  I think it is because I did not worry about whether I was pronouncing names and places correctly.

What everyone, including me, seems to agree on, is that the characters in the book are many faceted and interesting and that the story line is gripping, included some good twists and turns, and keeps you guessing about the outcome all the way until the end.  I know that Lisbeth and Mikael will appear in the other two books, but I also hope to see some of the other characters, such as the Vangers, <br/>Erika Berger (the editor of Millenium), and Dragan Armansky.  They were all great characters, which I would love to hear more about.

The only downside, and it is really, really small, is the way that Lisbeth reacts to seeing Bloomkvist with Erika Berger at the end of the book.  I think it was childish and not necessary, but I also realize that there are two more books in the series, so we shall see.

Quotes from American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld:

 "...and being a reader was what had made me most myself; it had given me the gifts of curiosity and sympathy, an awareness of the world as and odd and vibrant and contradictory place, and it had made me unafraid of its oddness and vibrancy and contradictions. "

"...what i wanted most fervently, was for her to understand that hard work paid off; that decency begat decency, that humility was not a raincoat you occasionally pulled on when you thought conditions called for it, but rather a constant way of existing in the world, knowing that good and bad luck touched everyone and none of us was fully responsible for our fortunes or tragedies. "

"Viewing a legacy as a few grand acts seems reductive.  Isn't your legacy not the one or two exceptional gestures of your life but the way you conducted yourself every day, year after year?"

Molly Marx.

The Late Lamented Molly Marx  by Sally Koslow

I finally finished this one.  It took me a month to get through this book, which is really unusual for me.  Although I liked the very beginning and the very end (the last two chapters) I was disappointed in the rest of the book for several reasons.  Initially, I loved Molly's sarcastic, but funny view of things.  The way she saw herself, her children, and her funeral in the beginning of the book was very entertaining.  From there, though, the book went downhill.  While many of the characters in the book were interesting in their own right, a plethora of interesting characters does not a story make.  There were a couple things about the story line that I did not like.  First was the lack of a plot.  The book was more of a chatty gossip fest, filled with little details about the people in Molly's life and their lives, but there was no storyline, no overall plot.  A friend of mine mentioned that it started out as a character study for a MFA thesis. In that respect, it was good. As a full fledged story, it fell short.

The biggest disappointment, though, was that the book misrepresented itself.  It was purported to be a who-dun-it with a bit of a supernatural twist, in that Molly could follow her former friends and relatives.  Yes, she could hear what people thought, but the book spent so little time on this feat, that it was mostly just a device.  Even worse, most of the things that she heard, while interesting from a character study view, had little or nothing to do with the purported plot of who killed Molly.

*****************SPOILERS BELOW***************

The worst part was that the end of the story was left dangling.  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think all endings should be spelled out. But the ending of this book did not even answer the question that was supposed to be the central question of the plot. The whole book built on the premise that "someone" had killed Molly, only to pull out an accidental death at the end.  To make it even worse, the actual person responsible was never revealed, although you might be able to infer the "who" from references Molly made.  Both items together made the ending a let down.   Especially since I just finished Shanghai Girls, which left a lot of unanswered questions at the end, but answered the essential questions.

That said - the last two chapters really sucked me back in.  I liked the chapter where Molly catches up on what happened to a lot of the characters that we met throughout the book.  The last chapter, where Annabel's daughter is christened, actually made me cry. Here again, what was interesting was the wrapping up of the characters studies, which had nothing to do with the purported plot line.  If the whole book would have been like that, and not the who-dun-it that wasn't, I might have liked it more.

More Books

SHANGHAI GIRLS by Lisa See


I fell in love with Lisa See's writing a few years ago when I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. As such, I was really looking forward to reading Shanghai Girlswhen it came out. Initially though, people began saying that it did not compare. So it was with trepidation that I began reading this book, afraid that I would be disappointed. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. All I can say is that Lisa See has another hit on her hands with this wonderful story of two sisters who emigrate from Shanghai to America around the time of the cultural revolution in China. From the beginning of the book in Shanghai, through their journey out of China, to their stay on Angel Island, and finally their life in Southern California, I was captivated by Pearl and her sister May. Two sisters could not be more different, but more attached than the two women in this book. 

As usual, See has imbued this story with a wonderful cast of characters who surround the sisters and help tell the story of the bewilderment of the Chinese population after the 1937 invasion by Japan, the assimilation of the Chinese into American society in the 1940s and 50s, and finally, the mistrust, prejudice, and panic in the US towards Chinese Americans after the rise to power in China of Mao Tse Tung. See is such a gifted storyteller, that you feel like you know the characters personally and the pages just fly by. 

My only complaint was that the end of the story left so many loose ends. In a way it was fitting, but at the same time there were many questions left unanswered. I was, therefore, very excited to hear that Lisa See is planning to continue the story of Pearl, May, and Joy in another book.


IMMORAL  by Brian Freeman



One thing I always look forward to in a book, is not being able to anticipate the ending.  Because of that, I have become a real fan of the thriller genre with it fast pace and high amount of plot twists.  In fact, I was beginning to think that no amount twists could be to many, but I have to say, in this book Brian Freeman accomplished it.  There were so many plot twists in this story, that I actually had trouble keeping up with them all.  Not really, but almost.  That is the only thing that I could possibly say bad about this book, though.  All in all, it was a fantastic story.  Every time I felt that we HAD to have gotten to the final twist in the story, the author would throw in another one and keep the story going for a while longer.  The result is a thrill ride from start to finish.  And far from detracting from the story line, each plot twist seemed to enhance the story.

In addition to a great story, this book was also filled with a lot of great characters.  I found Jonathan Stride's character to be just the right mix of male characteristics, and his relationship with Maggie was really fun to see.  In addition, Serena and Cordy were a good match for each other.  Obviously Jonathan continues through the series, but I certainly hope that Serena, Maggie, and Cordy also continue to be players in the future stories.  Along with the major characters, the characters that the murder plot revolved around were varied and interesting.

All in all, I am glad for three things:

I am glad that I have such good GR friends to recommend books.  Thanks for this one goes to both Wendy C and Marilyn

I am glad that I was looking for a book that took place in Minnesota for a monthly challenge.  See, there is a definite benefit to reading for challenges.

Mostly, I am glad that I read this book.