Thursday's Review: Not By Sight by Kathy Herman

A Copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a review

Publication Date:  May 1, 2013

Publisher: David C. Cook

Price:  $14.99 Paperback

          $ 8.99 E-Book

Genre: Christian/Mystery/Young Adult

Rating:  4 out  of 5 stars

I need to start by saying that true "Christian" literature is not my cup of tea.  It is just a personal idiosyncrasy, but they are usually too preachy for me.  Therefore I hardly ever seek them out.  What drew me to this book, though, was the setting.  I grew up in the Midwest US and spent most of my summers in the Ozark Mountains.  When I saw that this book was set in the Ozarks, it peaked my interest and I will readily admit that I did not look any further.  So, I want to say upfront, this book is definitely Christian Lit and it never pretends to be anything else.  Accordingly, although I would have enjoyed the book much better myself without the strictly religious references, that is my fault and not that of the book or the author.  

The main protagonists in this story, Abby and Jay, are best friends and high school students.  Abby has lived with the tragedy of her father and youngest sister's disappearance 5 years before the book is set.  Jay has his own set of skeletons that he would like to keep buried.  When Abby sees a girl in town that she feels HAS to be her missing sister, she enlists Jay in helping her to find out who she is and whether she could, in fact, be Riley Jo.  The story that the author weaves around the sighting of the young girl and the subsequent search for her identity was well presented and kept my interest throughout the book.  I really did become engrossed in the story, and found the mystery part of the book hard to put down.  I found myself saying "just a few more pages.....and a few more.....and a few more...."   In addition, the characters in the book were well developed and easy to identify with.  Although I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out, I really found myself rooting for all of the characters and hoping that everything turned out just the way that they wanted it to.  

I admit, though, that I was most drawn to the setting of this book.  As I said above, I spent most of my summers as I was growing up in the Ozark Mountains.  In fact, my grandparents had a house on Beaver Lake in Arkansas, and my cousin still lives in the house today.  I am very familiar with the area.....the lake, Benton County (my cousin works for the sheriff's department), Fayetteville, Rogers, Eureka Springs, etc.  I loved reading about this area in a book and felt that the author's representation of the inhabitants,the town folks and the "mountain" families, the sheriff's department, the tourists, and those that cater to them, was spot on.  

Ultimately this was a book about faith.  Faith in God, faith in the people around you, faith in the law and those that administer it, and faith in the world in general.  As such, the book presented just the right balance of things that worked out and those that didn't.   In fact, it would have been easy for the author to give this story an unbelievable, sugar sweet, Happily Ever After ending.  To her credit, she did not do that.  The ending had just the right amount of positive elements without having everything turn out perfect.  Kudos to her for that!

In short, this story was well written, with engaging, positive characters who were good role models.  If you are a fan of Christian Literature in all of its forms, I would highly recommend this book.   Alternately, if you have middle schoolers and even young high schoolers and you would like to present them with a book that has a positive message and good role models, I would also recommend this book.  It is the first in a trilogy, and while I am not sure whether I will read the others or not, I am keeping an open mind about it.  To the author - the fact that I read a book so far out of my regular wheelhouse and enjoyed it so much is a testament to your writing skill and ability to tell a story.  

Tuesday's Review: The Dream You Make by Christine Nofli

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for my review.  

Publication Date:  June 13, 2013

Publisher:  Christine Nolfi

Price:  $3.99 (available in e-book only)

Genre: Romance

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.  

Although the Romance genre is not my usual choice, I enjoy breaking from my traditional fare and reading a romance every once in a while.  I  find the usual "happily ever after" endings and lighter bent to this type of book a nice break.  When I decide to read a romance, however, I am always on the lookout for something that is a bit different.  Maybe it has a mystery attached with it, or an unusual plot line, or, as is the case with The Dream You Make by Christine Nolfi , a deeper story behind the romance.   In this case, the main character's life is complicated by a custody battle.  

Annie's life has not always been easy.  Her mother died when she was quite young, and growing up, her father seemed to be more focused on the life and problems of her older sister.   After her father dies and her sister is brutally murdered, she finds herself both trying to keep the greenhouse business that her father built alive and to be a mother to Dillon, the 5-year-old son that her sister left behind.  Needing extra cash and benefits for Dillon's care, Annie takes a job at a local marketing firm.  Into her life waltzes Micheal Rowe, owner and CEO of said firm, and well, you can probably guess where it goes from there. 

As far as the romance side of this story goes, Christine Nolfi is a top notch author.  She has filled this book with just the right amount of chemistry between the main characters.  There is just the right amount of push and pull, attraction and barriers,  to keep even the most ardent romance readers happy.  In addition, there are the requisite secrets that indicate the characters inability to just trust each other and the ultimate chipping away at each others defenses that make the modern romance story what it is.  There are also a host of helpful, and unhelpful, supporting characters that are interesting, not juts because they have an affect on the romance of the main characters, but also in their own right.  There were several of them who were interesting enough that I would have gladly read a whole book about them.  In short, as a romance, this story delivers it all in spades.  

What was equally, or maybe even more, intriguing to me was Annie and Dillon's story.  Dillon's character, and his predicament, really tugged on my heartstrings, as did Annie's quest to provide for him and keep him with her.  Alternately, I also felt sorry for the couple who were trying to adopt Dillon.  Their lives weren't easy either, and I could truly feel their pain and confusion as well as Annie's and Dillon's.  While the romance part of the story made me smile, and eventually feel happy and satisfied, this part of the story made me cry.  It also really brought home to me that there is no "right" answer in custody battles.  I In the end, I was thankful to Christine by giving me a glimpse, even if it was a little one, into the lives of those that are fighting to keep the ones that they love. 

In the end, though, what I felt was that Christine really got it right.  The two parts of the story combined to give it the right amount of good emotions, while still giving me something to think about.  That is not necessarily the case in all romance books, and I really love it when it occurs.  I am looking forward to reading more of Christine's books as I get the chance and would like to thank The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book for introducing me to Christine and her work.  Great job with this one, Christine!

Thursday's Review: The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my review

Publication Date:  May 28, 2013

Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company

Price:  $26.00 Hardback

           $11.00 Ebook

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


The First Rule of Swimming is the debut novel by author Courtney Angela Brkic. The title quote of the book comes from Luka, the patriarch of a Croatian family from the island of Rosmarina, "the first rule of swimming....is to stay afloat" is what he tells each successive generation as he teaches them to survive in the waters around the island. This is a very fitting metaphor for the book as a whole as Luka's family has been trying to do just that...stay afloat despite all of the turmoil and changes happening in Croatia and in their family. 

The book centers on Luka's two granddaughters. The oldest of the two, Magdalena, loves everything about Rosmarina and is content to live her life their in much the same way that her family has for generations. She is the old, traditional Croatia. Jadranka, on the other hand, is a free spirit who has never quite fit in on Rosmarina or the old ways.  Through the interactions of the two sisters, both with each other, and with other members of their family, a picture of the family begins to emerge.  It is through this picture that we learn about the choices each member has made, and just how much they have all done to survive.  

The story of Magdalena, Jadranka, and their family was an enjoyable read.  Unfortunately, I thought the story was a bit uneven.  The parts of the story that took place in Croatia, especially those that were set on the island of Rosmarina, were mesmerizing.  This is where the author definitely warmed to her subject.  Her descriptions of the island and it's inhabitants were very poetic and lyrical.  The parts of the story that took place in the US, though also enjoyable,  did not seem to me to be of the same caliber.  Here the story was more in line with the average fare of many contemporary novels.  In addition, although the ending fit the book well, there were no huge revelations or spectacular outcomes.  

The same can be said of the characters.  By far the most interesting characters were those that lived in Croatia.   By far Magdalena was the character that I was able to connect with the most.  Luka was another one and I especially liked what the author did with his character later in the book.  Here the descriptions of feelings and life were the most vivid and interesting.  Of the US characters, Marin was my favorite as he seemed to get the most detail and therefore was the most interesting.  I would have liked to see the author do a bit more with Jadranka and some of the other characters, though.  

All in all, I thought this was a good effort for a debut novel.  It was an enjoyable read with interesting characters and a story that was at times mesmerizing, but on the whole interesting.  I would definitely like to read more by this author, especially if she is writing about life in Croatia, or in Croatian settlements in the US.  A job well done for a first book and I would give it 3.5 stars.  

Thursday's Review: Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat

The book was provided by the author in exchange for a review. 

Publication Date: June 2, 2012
Publisher:  Self Published
Price: $4.38 eBook from Amazon only
           No longer available in paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

After reading numerous mystery/thrillers, lately I have been on an Historical Fiction bent.  I have been in love with HF since I was in my teams and first read the books of James Michener, Kathleen Woodiweiss, and Jean Plaidy.  There is just something about reading a book that takes you back in time and allows you to feel, hear, smell, etc., what life was like for the people in that time period. I love immersing myself in other cultures and time in this way.  Liza Perrat's debut novel, Spirit of Lost Angels certainly fits this bill.

As soon as I began reading the book, I instantly fell in love with the heroine, Victoire Charpentier.  In a time when women were largely illiterate and considered as possessions, Victoire is an exception.  Not only is she able to read and write, courtesy of her mother, but she also possesses a strong personality.  I really enjoy books where the author uses women with strong personalities in order to illustrate how exceptional this occurrence was in medieval times.  In fact, this book was filled with strong female characters.  In addition to Victoire, there was her mother, the village midwife and healer, who insisted that her daughter learn to read and write in a time where that was not an acceptable skill for women.  Another great female character in the book was Jean de Valois.  Jean is, in fact a historical character, and while actual knowledge of how she thought and felt is hard to come by, in this case the author did a wonderful job of giving her a personality that fit her persona.

The story presented here was also top-notch.  Through the eyes of Victoire, her family, and the many acquaintances that she makes through out her life, I felt that I was able to really get a good feeling for life in France during the time of the French Revolution.  Her joys and pains were my joys and pains. Her confusion and depression were so well written,  that I was immersed in the agony right along with her.  In addition, the author's descriptions of life in France were wonderful.  I really felt like I was in the small village of Lucie, the dungeons of a French prison, and the streets of Paris.  Most of the books that I have read regarding this time period were from the perspective of the aristocracy or royalty and I really enjoyed being able to look at things from the perspective of the average French citizen.  In this respect, I cannot believe there is a book that does a better job.

On finishing the book I was excited to find that it was the first in a trilogy of books about the women of the Charpentier family.  In fact, I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series, which is about the French Resistance during WWII.  I am giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars and it is going on my highly recommended list.


   

Tuesday's Review: Bristol House by Beverly Swerling

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for my review. 

Publication Date: April 4, 2013

Publisher: Viking Press

Price: $27.95 Hardback

          $11.99 eBook

Genre: Thriller/Romance/Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

The publisher's blurb for Beverly Swerling's new novel, Bristol House talked about the blending of historical fiction with a supernatural thriller in a "dual period narrative".  For that reason alone, I would have read it.  Then it mentioned  that the historical part was set in Tudor England, a period of history that I am particularly fond of.  At that point I was hooked.  

Annie Kendall is a historical researcher who accepts a job to travel to London to verify the existence of a Jewish community in London during the reign of Henry VIII, a time when Jews were still forbidden to live in England.  In particular, her wealthy patron is looking for information regarding a specific inhabitant of the community, know as the Jew of Holborn.  It seems like perfect job to get her career back on track, but is it really? 

Rather than one story, there were really four separate stories  being told simultaneously in this book.  Each one was interesting in it's own right, but the author also did a marvelous job of seamlessly weaving them together into one cohesive main story.  Although I enjoyed the modern day story of Annie and Geoff Harris, it was the stories of the Jew of Holborn, Dom Justin, and Maggie Harris, Geoff's mother, that I enjoyed the most.  It was definitely the historical bent of these stories that drew me to them.  I found myself wanting to further research the possibility of a forbidden Jewish colony in Tudor England, and to further investigate the existence of the Kindertransports that Maggie was a product of.  I am always excited when a historical story presents new material that I can further research.  In contrast, the story of Annie and Geoff was a more contemporary romance sort of story, and, while well done, took second place in my mind. 

The use of the historical characters to actually tell their own stories and present the historical perspective of the book was a brilliant move on the author's part.  Giving the historical characters their own voice allowed me  to connect with them in a more intimate way.  This connection lent more realism to these stories, in my opinion.  I really enjoyed hearing about the Tudor times from Dom Justin and The Jew of Holborn, much more than having someone else talk about them, and wish that more of Maggie's story was included in the book.  Dom Justin, in particular, was an interesting character, although as a ghost, he was neither scary nor "haunting" as the publisher's blurb stated.  In fact, this is the only place in the book that fell short in my opinion.  I understood and enjoyed the author's use of the ghost as a story telling device, but I did not feel that the supernatural part of the story would have worked on it's own.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Since it was the first book that I have read by this author, I researched her other work and was excited to see that she has written a series of books about New York that begins in the Pilgrim times and follows it's development through the years.  I will definitely be adding ths series of books to my reading list.  I hope she does as good of a job with them as she has with Bristol House.  I would recoommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery story with a historical backdrop.  I am giving it 4 stars.  

Thursday's Review: What Matters Most by Bette Lee Crosby

Copy of book was provided by the author in exchange for review

Published: March 31, 2013
Publisher: Bent Line Publishing
Price: $14.00 Paperback
               $ 3.99 e-Book
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

There is just something about a Bette Lee Crosby book that allows the story to just slide off the pages. I think that I have read almost everything that Bette has written, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. What Matters Most is another enjoyable and charming read from this master of southern literature. 

Louise and Carl have an established life in New Jersey. He has worked at the local bank for his whole working career, she has successfully raised two children and is active in the local scene. That is until Carl's Uncle Charlie leaves them a house in Florida. Suddenly their life is in upheaval.

Like all of Bette's books, this story was easy to get into and flowed quickly for me. She has a wonderful voice which makes me feel like she is sitting in front of me telling me the story, rather than being miles away while I am reading her book. In addition, Bette's characters are always full of personality and pizazz. There were several characters in this book that really fit that bill, and although I had a bit of a hard time identifying with the main characters of Louise and Carl, there were several supporting characters who I identified with right off the bat. It's not that Louise and Carl were not great characters, they were. It was just that, in the beginning, they were not very likable. In fact, I remember thinking several times that they had to be the most self centered, clueless people in the world....but that was the point. As usual, Bette painted this picture in a true to life way that everyone can enjoy. 

As I said, overall this book was thoroughly enjoyable. The story itself was told with Bette's customary charm and wit and the characters were incredibly real. My only regret is that I only have one more of Bette's books left to read. I can only hope that she writes and publishes more soon, so I don't have to wait too long.

Tuesday's Review: Parallax View by Allan Leverone

This book was provided by the author in return for my review. 

Released: March 26, 2013
Publisher: Rock Bottom Books
Price:  $ 13.95
                 $  3.99 Kindle Edition
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Tracy Tanner is a CIA operative who is tasked with what she feels could be the easiest operation she has ever been assigned to. All she has to do is deliver a letter from the head of one superpower to the head of another. What could be so hard about that, right?

Put yourself into late 1980's, back when the US and USSR were the "Superpowers" and the balance of the world depended to a large extent on their relationship with each other. I remember this time period quite well -- the interplay between President Reagan and Premier Gorbachev, the famous "Tear Down the Wall" speech, and the subsequent dismantling of the USSR. InParallax View, thriller writer extraordinaire Allan Leverone has crafted an action packed and explosive back story to these events that definitely kept me riveted. The story that Mr. Leverone presents in this book is not only riveting, but entirely plausible, which only made it more exciting in my mind. From the first chapter to the last, I was never quite sure what was going to happen next, but I certainly knew that I couldn't wait to find out. 

The setting of this book and the story were not the only things that drew me in, either. As he has in prior books, Mr. Leverone has thrown into the mix a cast of interesting characters that I quickly came to love or hate as the story dictated. CIA operative Tracy Tanner is the type of heroine I love to see in books. She is a strong female with many skills that has no trouble "keeping up with the boys". On top of that, she can really kick ass. On the other hand, Air Traffic Controller Shane Rowley is a surprise. Ordinary to the extreme on the surface, there is much more to him than you at first expect. As the book progressed he quickly became my favorite character, and in my mind, the hero of the story. By the time the book ended, I was wishing he was real....I really would like to have met him. 

And then there is the author. Allan Leverone has quickly established himself as a thriller author extraordinaire, partly through his ability to write noteworthy books across several genres. Whether you are reading one of his psychological thrillers, mysteries, horror thrillers, or politically based thrillers, his work is always top notch with lots of twists, explosive action (and I do mean explosive), riveting story lines and masterfully crafted characters. His current novel, Parallax View, definitely fits this profile and is another successful chapter in his career. 

I have been thinking lately that I missed reading the Tom Clancy political thrillers that I used to love so much. This book would hold it's own with any of them and definitely sated my appetite. Many thanks to Mr. Leverone and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book for making this book available to me. 

Tuesday's review: Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley

This book was provided by the publisher in return for my review

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Price: $25.99 Hardback
              $11.00 eBook
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Religious Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The current cultural spotlight on polygamous cults has peaked my interest in the subject, and it was for this reason that I decided to accept the invitation of Little, Brown and Company to read an ARC of Amity & Sorrow: A Novel ,Peggy Riley's debut novel, and review it. I started the book with trepidation as several of my friends thought that it was just okay. At first I thought I would agree, but the more I got into the story, the more that I realized that this book was going to be one that spoke to me on a certain level. 

The success of cults in our culture is a subject that has fascinated me for quite a while. For this reason I am drawn to books where the cult phenomena takes center stage. I admit, my purpose in reading these stories is to try to shed some light on why cults are so successful. 

Amaranth is the first wife of Zachariah, the patriarch of a polygamous cult. The central story in this book revolves around what happens to her when she decides to flee the cult and take her two daughters, Amity & Sorrow, with her. The three of them end up in Oklahoma, stuck on a farm in the middle of nowhere with the man who owns the farm, his father, and his adopted son. The compelling story of what transpires between the girls, their mother, and the inhabitants of the farm, and how it transforms the lives of everyone involved, is only half of the story, though. The other half of the story is about their life in the cult, which is told through the memories of the three characters that escaped the cult. It is this part of the story where the author attempts to answer the basic question about the psychology of a cult that is my prime fascination. These two sides of Amity & Sorrow's story and the way that the author was able to successfully entwine them was what drew me into this book. 

I also liked the way that the author used the characters of Amaranth, Sorrow, Amity, Bradley, his father, and Dust to represent the various layers of the story. Through the individual stories of these characters we see the contrast between the world of the true believer, the world of the non believer, and the world of those still trying to make up their minds. 

When discussing this book with friend, the most common negative comment that I came across was the author's unconventional writing style. I do admit, the writing style was different, and for the first few chapters I found it a bit distracting. After I got into the story, though, it ceased being something to overcome and became an integral part of the story as a whole. In fact, as the story continued, I felt that the author's writing style, like the behavior of some of the main characters, became less strange and more -- normal, for want of a better word. 

All in all, I found this book, its characters, and what it had to say about the psychology of a cult interesting. It showed me various sides of a question that fascinates me, and took me on a journey that I was glad to take. I thank Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review it.

Celebrating the Short Story: General Thoughts

I don't have a short story or book of short stories to review today, but I am working on several of them.  I find that I am really enjoying focusing on one aspect of reading and celebrating it.  The particular challenge that this feature of my blog was inspired by, to read a short story for every week of the year, was introduced by Laurie Upson, one of the moderators of the GR101 group that I belong to on Goodreads.  I started reading short stories for the challenge and found I was enjoying them so much, that I decided to celebrate the short story for the rest of 2013.

Now that I am almost 6 months into my love affair with the short story, it occurred to me that almost every story that I had read so far was in the mystery genre.  Either a paranormal mystery, mystery/thriller, or cozy mystery.  While the mystery genre is definitely one of my favorite genres, I began to feel that just reading and discussing mystery stories and novellas was not doing justice to the whole genre of  "short stories".  With that in mind, I did some research at my local library to see what types of books I could get to help me branch out.  The following books are ones that I have on tap to read and discuss in future weeks.









Women of Mystery - Stories from today's top women mystery authors
The Short Stories of Jack London: The Authorized One Volume Edition - What it says it is
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - Scifi-fantasy and horror from one of the best
The Doll: The Lost Stories by Daphne du Maurier - One of my favorite authors and a definite "find"
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith - Shooting in the dark on this one, but it looks intriguing
Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer - I have always wanted to read this author, so what better way to start than with short stories.  Besides, who can pass up that title.

Tuesday's Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Book furnished by Publisher in return for review

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children
Price:  $17.99 Hardback
                $ 9.99 Ebook
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whenever a book becomes hugely popular, there are bound to be a lot of copy cat books that occur. With the huge success of The Hunger Games, the market has been inundated with dystopian books targeted to the Young Adult market. In that respect, The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is no different from the rest. It is definitely a book based on the very successful formula used in the Hunger Games trilogy. There are, however, some differences. These differences, coupled with the author's obvious talent for writing, make this one copy cat that is well worth the read. 

The Seven Stages War has left the Earth devastated. It is in this environment the the new United Commonwealth finds itself trying to survive. To meet this goal, the UC needs to discover the best and the brightest that its various colonies have to offer. Their talents and skills, along with a coveted education at The University, are needed to rebuild the Earth. To aid this process, the government of the UC has devised The Testing. 

Like the Hunger Games and others, the story in The Testing relies on Young Adult protagonists who are thrown into a do or die situation which they must navigate by using their skills and intellect. Another similarity to most of the books of this type, their is romantic interest between some of the characters. The most important similarities to the Hunger Games, though, is the author's ability to craft characters that the reader can identify with. People that you want to win and survive. In addition, the author's ability to tell the story in an engrossing, intriguing way that draws the reader in is another similarity. 

To me, though, the similarities that this book had to the others, especially the Hunger Games, were less important than what it had that its differences. Although survival is a big part of this story, it is not the only attribute that is important. For example, I really liked the way that The Testing was structured. I found the author's use of testing environment that looked at the participant's academics, decision making abilities, problem solving skills, and team work skills, set this story apart. The fact that the characters needed more to accomplish their goals than just survival skills was more to my liking. In addition, I really liked the way that the author included the understanding of several scientific abilities in the main characters arsenal, and the fact that they were able to discuss these abilities amongst themselves. There were some other differences that I particularly liked as well, but most of them were things that would spoil the story if I listed them. All of these differences, though, went a long way toward allowing me to feel that this story had its own identity. 

Even though I knew where this book was heading, could guess most of the twists, and was not surprised by any of the situations, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. In fact, I found it as enjoyable as the Hunger Games and think that the fact that the stories are so similar one of the things that I particularly enjoyed. Reading this story felt like visiting an old friend, but yet there was plenty to discover at the same time. I give it 4 stars. 

Passing it on: 25 ways to tell you are addicted to books.

I just saw this on another website and I had to pass it on.  For all of us who are addicted to books, this is priceless.  I certainly see myself in several of these steps.  I think, though, that my favorite part is at the top where it says. "The first step is to admit it.  The second step is to keep right on reading."
Here is the link:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/signs-youre-addicted-to-books-reading

Hope you all enjoy and get as many laughs as I did.  Thanks to BUZZFEED for this one.  You made my day.

Thursday's Reveiw: Life in the Land of IS.....the amazing story of Lani Deauville, the world's longest living quadriplegic by Bette Lee Crosby

Book provided by author in exchange for review

Publisher: Bent Line Publishing

Price: $16.99 Paperback

               $6.99    eBook

Genre: Biographies and Memoirs

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Like every Bette Lee Crosby book that I have read (and I have read all of them except two), Life in the Land of IS...the amazing story of Lani Deauville, the world's longest living quadriplegicwas an enjoyable read. You may ask how a book about the life of a quadriplegic can be termed enjoyable. Well, there are two main reasons why I see this book as an enjoyable read. 

The first is it's subject, Lani Verner Deauville. Lani became a quadriplegic in the 1950s, in a time when people with severe disabilities largely retired from life. It was the time before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Political Correctness, or Equality and Equal Rights. Lani Deauville was different though. A diving accident left her in critical condition, her doctors holding out little hope for her. Not only did she survive, though, she went on to live an extremely full life and eventually become listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and the longest living quadriplegic. 

When I first decided to read this book, knowing that it was about the life of a quadriplegic, I expected a book filled with angst, fighting against the odds, frustration and guilt. Instead what I found was Lani, a woman that is as upbeat and positive as a person can get. Yes there were many instances where she described herself fighting against not only the odds, but the societal paradigms that relegated most of the disabled to the back burner of life. What there wasn't though, was a lot of angst, frustration, or recriminations. In fact, I think that Lani actually had a more positive view of life and its possibilities AFTER her accident than she did before. Her spirit and enthusiasm certainly shine through in this book, making her story one that I enjoyed reading and will not soon forget. 

Along with Lani's incredible enthusiasm for life, wit, and energy,Bette Lee Crosby's incredible ability to put the story together was the other factor that made this book so enjoyable. There is just something about Bette's wonderful way of telling a story that allows me to devour anything that she writes. I swear, I think that she could write about anything and make it an enjoyable read. While many writers stick to one genre, Bette is able to write successfully across many genres, and has. In this case, she has managed to put forward Lani's story is such a way that I felt I was sitting with Lani listening to her reminiscences in person. Another plus was the way that the book interspersed experiences after the accident with her life before the accident including many stories from when she was a child. I think it is the inclusion of these stories that allow us to see what a truly amazing person Lani is and how she was programmed to overcome obstacles way before her accident. 

As I said, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a great read. It is ultimately the story of someone who has been handed a challenge, risen to the occasion, beaten the odds, yet manages to stay as normal as you or me. A big thank you to The Sisterhood of the Traveling book and Bette Lee Crosby for making this book available to me in exchange for my review.

Tuesday's Review: The Liars' Gospel by Naomi Alderman

Book provided by publisher in exchange for review

Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company
Price: $25.99  US, $28.99 CAN for Hardback
           $11.04 US for eBook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Naomi Alderman's new novel, The Liars' Gospel is definitely not a book for everyone. The book is set in the first century and centered around the life of a Jewish prophet, Yehoshuah (Jesus to us). Although it is ostensibly a retelling of the story of Jesus, I found Alderman's detailing of the political climate in Jerusalem during the rise and fall of Jesus much more interesting. The story is told from four viewpoints. That of Marym,Yehoshuah's mother, His friend and follower Ieudah of Queriot, the Roman High Priest of Jerusalem, Caiaphas, and the rebel Bar-Avo. As you read, it is easy to see that Marym is Mary, Ieudah is Judas Iscariot, and Bar-Avo is Barrabas. 

I thought that Alderman's decision to tell this tale from 4 vary different viewpoints was a brilliant idea. Each character had a different relationship with Jesus and none of them alone could have told the tale completely by themselves. The switching of voice throughout the book allows the author to cover, not only the different times periods of Jesus' life, but also the different facets of his life. Of the four tellings (or gospels, per the title) I feel the best one was the telling by Judas. It is here that we first get to see what political forces are at work in Israel between the occupying Romans and the Jews. This political background was the most interesting part of the book to my thinking. Since I am not very well versed in the history of Israel, the Jewish faith, or the Roman empire during the time of Tiberius, I found this part of the book illuminating. The idea that the political forces at work during this time period could play such a major role in allowing Jesus to gather a following, and therefore, to become both who he was and who he wasn't, was what I liked best about the book. 

One reason that I see this book as more than just the retelling of Jesus story, is that the second two "gospels" those of Caiaphas and Barrabas do not seem to have much to do with Jesus at all. Although Caiaphas was the High Priest of Jerusalem during this time, he never really came in contact with Jesus in a large way. His focus was more in the arena of the political strife between the occupiers and the native populations, and his efforts to reconcile the two. In the case of Barrabas, he went on to continue to lead the rebellion of the Jews against the Romans long after Jesus was dead. In fact, his story began with the death of Jesus and continued on with the focus on the political. For me this was the second best section of the book. 

All in all, I found Alderman to present a thought provoking work that captivated me. Both her excellent prose and her development of the characters in the books were definite pluses. Not only was she adept at fleshing out the four characters telling the stories, but her attention to the supporting cast of characters was also well done. In addition, her ability to tell the story of Jesus from and alternate perspective and make it both believable, and more importantly, not disrespectful or preachy, was appreciated. As much as I enjoyed the book, at no time did the writing make me question my faith, or give me the idea that Ms. Alderman was trying to change my beliefs. Only that she was looking at the same story with different eyes. 

As I said, this book is not for everyone, but if you are looking for something that is a little different, looks at something from a totally different direction, and has the ability to bring to light questions and new information, than this is the book for you. I am giving it 4 stars, and in fact, enjoyed it much more than I thought I might. 

This book was provided to me by Little, Brown and Company through Netgalley in exchange for my review. I would like to thank them for the chance to read a book that I would probably not ever looked at on my own. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thursday's Review: A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

 This book was furnished by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Publisher: PanMacmillan Australia

Price: $17.99 Hardcover, $9.99 eBook

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

 A Corner of White is the newest book by best selling authorJaclyn Moriarty. I was drawn in by the publisher's review of the book that I read online. It talked of a book that is "rousing, funny, genre-busting" where the characters exchange messages across worlds -- through an accidental gap" and hinted at "even greater mysteries...unfolding on both sides of the gap". That was enough to entice me into reading the book, and I have to say, I'm glad that I gave it the time. 

The two main characters in this book, Madeleine and Elliot, live in two separate worlds. Madeleine lives in Cambridge, UK, in our world. Elliot, however, lives in Bonfire, The Farms, in the Kingdom of Cello. Both characters are wrestling with family issues, and issues regarding their place in their worlds when they start communicating through a gap that exists between worlds. Sounds like a typical young adult fantasy book, right? Here is where the genre-busting part comes in, though. This book is as much a coming-of-age book as it is a fantasy book. 

There was so much about this book that really drew me in as I read it. Not being familiar with Moriarty's work in general, I had no preconceived idea about what a character in her book is typically like. What I found, though, is that her characters were all kinds of things. They were quirky, like Jimmy the deputy who can solve missing person cases with an uncanny success rate, or Holly, Madeleine's mom who is hooked on a quiz show, but cannot answer a single question correctly. Some of the characters made me laugh, like Jack and his fascination with Byron the poet, some tugged at my heart-strings, like Elliot's cousin Corrie-Lynn. In fact, there were a number of top notch characters in this story. 

Moriarty's choice to include two separate worlds as the backdrop for her story was the stroke of a master. At times things between Cello and Cambridge seemed so similar, and yet they were completely different in most ways. Yes one world, Cambridge, is rooted in reality and the other, Cello, in fantasy, but there is more to it than that. Both worlds contained things that seemed as normal as apple pie, and things that were distinctly different from most people's experience. Both contained things that seemed grounded in reality, but also things that were unexplainable, mystical, or even magical. One thing I really liked was the way that Elliot's friends, although they were living in the "fantasy" world had mostly "real world" characteristics, while Madeleine's friends, living in the "real" world of Cambridge had characteristics that one would normally expect to find in a "fantasy" world. 

Also included in the book were a number of plot devices that really helped to round out the story. My favorite was Moriarty's use of the correspondence between Elliot and Madeleine to illustrate the differences between worlds and highlight important factors. Another was Madeleine's fascination with Isaac Newton. 

If there was anything that might be a bit off about the book, it would be the beginning. I know a number of people that found it either slow or confusing. In fact, in most of the reveiws that I read where the reader did not finish the book, their complaints about the story would have been answered if they had kept reading until the end. Although the slow start did not affect me personally, the fact that it kept some readers from finishing a book that, judging from their comments, they would have liked, is a negative. 

I liked the way that Moriarty developed the story slowly allowing me to get familiar with the characters, the Kingdom of Cello, and Madeleine's world in a way that built a growing appreciation of them all. I also liked the way that she did not reveal everything at once. It was like pulling apart a set of nested boxes, and finally getting to the present in the middle. And what was the present in this case? I would have to say it was the ending which was surprising....both in it's revelation and it's appropriateness. It definitely left me wanting more. 

All in all this was a deliciously strange book whose best qualities were the voice of the narrative, the complexity of the characters, and the crafting of the end. It is a top notch set up for the trilogy which is certain to get a number of readers on board and highly anticipating the next installment. I give the book 4.5 stars and am definitely putting it on my "Recommend" list.

I huge thanks to PanMacMillan Australia and Netgalley for making this book available to me in exchange for my review

Celebrating the Short Story: Anthologies

Up until now, I have largely been discussing short stories of the stand alone variety, some large enough to be termed novellas, others just small morsels designed to keep the reader hooked while waiting for the author's next big effort to be published.  There is, however, a whole section of books containing short stories.  These books are most often referred to as anthologies.  There are two major types of short story anthologies that I have come across in my reading.  The first is the collection of stories, all by the same author.  Some current examples of this type of work is Side Jobs, in which author Jim Butcher has collected all of the Dresden File stories that he has been publishing on his website between the release of the major Dresden File books.  This book is an excellent read and just the thing for any Dresden Files collector like me.
The other type of anthology is comprised of a collection of stories by different authors, but all related either by genre or subject.  My most recent foray into this type of anthology is comprised of books like First Thrills an anthology of mystery/thriller stories compiled by Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series, Women of Mystery, a collection of stories by some of the most popular female mystery writers of today, and A Study in Sherlock, and collection of stories that are inspired by the Holmes canon.  Here is my current review of this book:

Publisher: Random House
Price: $36.00 for the Hardback, $11.99 for the eBook
Genre: Mystery  and short story anthology
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What more could a true Sherlock fan want than a book full of "Sherlock" stories by some of the best writers on the current scene. A Study in Sherlock: Stories inspired by the Holmes canon is just such a book. It is edited by Laurie R. King of the Mary Russell series fame. Ms. King seems the perfect person to such a book, since she is the author of the Mary Russell books, a series that features Sherlock Holmes as one of the main characters. What she has put together in this book is a number of stories, mostly written in the same style that Arthur Conan Doyle used when writing the original Sherlock Holmes serial. One thing that really drew me to this book was the writers that Ms. King was able to get to join in the effort. I was excited to see stories by such authors as Lee Child, Neil Gaiman, S.J. Rozan,Laura Lippman, and Jacqueline Winspear. I do have to say, some of the stories were better than others, and some of them followed the Holmes canon much more closely than others, but all of them were enjoyable. Even the ones that did not really follow Doyle's writing style were quite good and worth the read. For example, The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story. 

If you are a Holmes purist, this book would probably not be up to your standards, as several of the stories veer from the canon completely. If, like me, though, you just get a kick out of the way  that Sherlock solves mysteries I would say to give this one a chance.

Tuesday's Review: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

A copy of this book was furnished by the publisher in return for my review

Publisher: Little, Brown
List Price: $27.99 for Hardback Edition
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I think about what to say regarding  Life After Life by Kate Atkinson,  the word "Wow" keeps popping into my head.  To begin with, my only reference for Kate Atkinson before I read this book was my desire to read her Jackson Brodie books.  I saw that this book was a standalone book, but with my limited knowledge of the author, I made the assumption that it was a mystery story.  Therefore I was totally surprised once I started reading it.

The story centers on the life, or many lives, or Ursula Todd. Ursula is the middle child in a typical family living in the British countryside during the first half of the 20th century.   Since I was expecting a totally different type of story, the first couple of chapters of the book caught me off guard.  It didn't take me very long, though, to get caught up in the story that was unfolding.  The more that I read, the more I became hooked.  I don't think that I have ever come across a story with a premise quite as intriguing and original as this one.  I loved the way that the author used the many lives of Ursula, to illustrate her premise.   The fact that none of her lives were exactly the same and the author’s use of “echoes from the past” to illustrate her point was brilliant in my opinion. I know that on the surface this is a story about Reincarnation, but even more than that, it is a story about the choices we make as we live our lives, and how they affect, not only us, but everyone and everything around us.

Atkinson's writing style was the perfect vehicle for this story. Everything from the structure of her writing, to the way she builds Ursula’s story in successive waves , to the choice of wording that she uses, all blend together to make the story fly off the pages.  She made excellent use of historical reference, beautiful prose, and a dry wit to pull the reader into the story and make them fall in love with her premise.  The characters in the book were amazingly well done, too.  Although they were all typical in some ways, they each had their own little quirks and unusual personality traits, which I loved.  In addition, the way that they interacted and blended throughout Ursula’s many lives lead to many questions about life that I found incredibly intriguing.

If the book had any downfalls at all for me, it was the amount of time that Atkinson spent on the dark parts of Ursula's life.  At times I found myself wishing that I was not so immersed in this part, but in the end, I realized that becoming immersed in this part of her life was as necessary for me as the reader as it was for her.  These were the parts of Ursula's life that had the most impact and that drew both her and I to the ultimate conclusion.

At first upon finishing the book, I rated it 4 stars, but the more time went on and the events in the book kept popping into my mind, spurring questions and making me look at life in a different way, the more I realized the book actually deserved 5 stars.  In fact, I have had some of the best discussions that I have participated in for a long time in reference to this book.  In addition, it is one of the first books in quite a while that I would anticipate reading more than once.

Although I am still excited to read her Jackson Brodie books, I am even more excited to read her first novel, [book:Behind the Scenes at the Museum|28940], which sounds like another book on the caliber of this one. This one is definitely highly recommended.