Book Hooked Blog

Book Review: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

2012-01-30T15:10:00.001-05:00

Oh man. I love a good story about an outbreak of some kind of killer illness. The Andromeda Strain? Read it and seen every Sci-Fi original movie based on it. So when I saw a YA outbreak novel available on Netgalley I had to read it. The Way We Fall is about how a teen girl, Kaelyn, deals with the outbreak of a deadly virus on the small island where she lives with her family.

Writing:
Average. As I'd expect from an outbreak-themed novel, the plot takes precedence over the writing. There's nothing much to comment on, good or bad, in terms of the writing itself because the main focus of the novel isn't characterization or setting, but plot alone.

Entertainment Value:
Off the charts. I loved it! I certainly couldn't put it down - the plot was intriguing and compelling. I read it in just a few hours and was thoroughly entertained. The characters are interesting, but it's really the outbreak part of the story that appealed to me. I loved hearing how it started, how the government responded to the initial reports from the island, the eventual quarantine, and the fight for survival as resources run low. Even if they weren't 100% believable, I still found the characters likable and was rooting for their survival.

Overall:
I recommend it to all YA readers and to those who are interested in outbreak-style novels. I'd also recommend it to those who have been enjoying the current wave of dystopian fiction and are interested in a different sort of post-apocalyptic world.

In My Mailbox (30)

2012-01-28T22:24:00.000-05:00

With the gift card I got from my in-laws:
When Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God - And Joy
Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grownup
Faking Faith
MetaMaus

For Review:
Delicacy by David Foekinos (TLC Review)
Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa (from William Morrow)
The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch (TLC Review)
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson (TLC Review)
Dust To Dust by Benjamin Busch (Harper Collins)

Another Vlog About Books

2012-01-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

I got a new webcam for my birthday and wanted to try it out! I'll be linking to the other Nestie's vlogs as they post them and if any of my blog followers want to play alone, leave a link and I'll post yours too!

Here's the list of questions:

1) Show us or tell us about the most valuable book in your collection - either for monetary or sentimental value.

2) What are your literary pet peeves?

3) What is your favorite non-book literary possession?

4) Show us/tell us about where you usually read.

5) Give up a literary confession - something you do that would drive other readers nuts.

6) What book/genre is your guilty pleasure?

7) Describe your biggest fangirl moment relating to books.

8) What book have you reread the most times?

9) How many books do you own?

10) Show us/tell us about how your books are organized.

11) Do you lend books to friends? If so, how do you make sure you get them back?

Book Review: Faith by Jennifer Haigh

2012-01-24T09:45:00.003-05:00

Faith is the story of Father Art as told by his half-sister Sheila. Father Art has been accused of molesting a child in his church, and Sheila returns to her hometown to defend him. However, she learns that her family is hiding some secrets, long buried, that may impact her own interpretation of the events and her brother's innocence or guilt.

Writing
Beautiful. This was literary fiction at its best for me - beautiful writing that is accessible and engrossing at the same time. This isn't one that you'll struggle to get through, but it's also not one that sacrifices characterization or depth for the sake of plot. You spend the majority of the story not knowing if Father Art is guilty or innocent, but that isn't the major focus of the book. You get inside the characters heads through Sheila, although at the beginning she admits that she is reconstructing events the way she imagines they occurred in some cases. I liked not having an omniscient narrator and only knowing what Sheila knows and filling in the blanks as she fills them in. I cared deeply about each character and was fascinated to see the ways they dealt with the issue guilt and belief in the face of this enormous test of faith.

Entertainment Value
Completely engrossing. I couldn't put it down. It's not an easy read, but it's also not so difficult that you feel like it's dragging. I read it over the course of two days because I couldn't put it down. The issue of whether or not Father Art is guilty is intriguing, but I was more interested in the development of the characters and how each character's own faith was highlighted and tested throughout the book.

Overall
This was my first five star book of the year. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it because I was starting to worry that I was in a slump. I've had trouble concentrating on the books I've read so far this year, but this was the exception. I was into the story and the characters through the entire book and couldn't get enough. I highly recommend this to all readers, even if you aren't typically interested in literary fiction. This is a good one to start with if you don't usually read in the genre because it does have an intriguing plot. I also loved that the author addressed the issue of religious faith from multiple points of view without expressing her own biases. I doubt it would ever happen because of the language used in the book (several uses of the "f word") but I'd love to see this book sold in Christian bookstores.

Thank you to Trish at TLC for including me on the tour. Click here to see a list of other reviews from the tour.

Book Review: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

2012-01-23T18:41:00.001-05:00

This book was given to me on my birthday last year, so I think it's appropriate that I review it on my birthday this year. For the record, it came from my now brother in law, then just Sugar Bear's boyfriend. He had heard about how much I love drama and thought this was a fairly good soap opera type book. And of course it is a very classic story that spans generations and is full of the dramz. Maggie Cleary and her forbiden love, Father Ralph are the focus of the story, which is set in Australia surrounding World War II.

Writing
I honestly didn't really find it to be exceptional. I've read many reviews on Goodreads saying otherwise, but I wasn't terribly impressed. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters and at parts the plot dragged. I did find the descriptions of Australia and New Zealand to be stunning.

Entertainment Value
Decent. I wasn't blown away by the drama in it the way I expected to be. But I think part of that is that I'm reading it at a time when so much more is available to us in the way of family drama. When the book was released in 1977, I think the idea of a priest having an affair and illegitimate child would have been a lot more shocking than it is now. Which is kind of sad. But in a time when sex scandals involving priests are much more horrific, I kind of felt like "ok, and...?" That said, the book still held my interest. It's a long book and I didn't consider giving up on it at any points.

Overall
I'd give it a try if you're a fan of romance novels, family dramas, or Australian historical fiction. As I mentioned in the writing review, there are some beautiful descriptions of the Austalian landscape. It's a decent read, but after a steady diet of shows like The OC and One Tree Hill (yes I watched both) I didn't find it as shocking as I think it would have been for readers in the 70's.

In My Mailbox (29)

2012-01-21T22:21:00.001-05:00

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my new goals include walking every single day - and so far I've yet to miss a day, even when it's rained. I'm also working on giving myself non-food rewards. I'm almost at 50 miles since the beginning of the year AND I worked some overtime this morning, so I decided to go ahead and give myself a reward and went to McKays with a stack of books to trade. I got:

Library Confidential: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas In The Public Library

The Mighty Queens of Freeville

Eye Contact

Those That Wake

Belong to Me

Vernon God Little

This Is A Book (I don't know anything about it but Buddy was reading a copy at Christmas and I want to be able to talk to him about it, so I grabbed a copy)

Women Who Love Books Too Much (as if that title is even possible!)

Some Girls: My Life In A Harem

Assisted Loving: Tales of Double Dating With My Dad

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading

Amy And Isabelle

It was also a good week for review books:

What Happened To Hannah by Mary Kay McComas

Spin by Catherine McKenzie

Both of these came for upcoming TLC tours

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

All There Is: Love Stories From Storycorps

Library Video

2012-01-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

No book reviews today, just this awesome video from Buzzfeed with tv and movie clips of libraries. How many do you recognize?

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

2012-01-19T12:25:00.002-05:00

Ransom Riggs, the author of Miss Peregrine's Home was inspired to write the book when he found some creepy old pictures of children in what appeared to be supernatural poses - such as the cover shot. He wound up finding several collections of these photos and used them to illustrate his YA novel. The premise is interesting: a school for kids with supernatural abilities discovered by a young boy whose grandfather attended the school. And the pictures themselves are wonderfully creepy. As far as the book itself, well...

Writing
Basic YA fiction-style and generic quality. Not great, not awful. No complaints but also no raves.

Entertainment Value
This part is tricky. I loved the first half of the book. I was deliciously creeped out by the tragedy that occurs in the main character (Jacob)'s family at the beginning of the book. I was intrigued by the school and what would happen when Jacob found it. I was really into it. And then things started to go downhill. The last half of the book was a struggle to get through. Once Jacob finds the school and meets the students, the book totally shifts gears. I felt like I was reading two different books by the end. The second half was slow and drawn out with a surprise cliff hanger ending. Not only did I not enjoy the second half, I was super annoyed by the "surprise" sequel. There's no indication on the cover or the GR page or anywhere else that this is a series book, but at the end we are left with a major cliffhanger ending. When you look up the author on GR you can find out he has a sequel planned. Because of how slow the second half of the book is, it really comes across to me as a case of the author drawing out what could have been a stand alone book into a series to sell more books. I was not impressed.

Overall
I didn't hate the book. If you really wanted to read it, I don't think you should avoid it just because I didn't like it. I didn't dislike it so much that I'd specifically recommend against reading it. But my recommendation if you're on the fence is that you check out the pictures and save your time reading something else. I won't be picking up the sequel.

Book Review: The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories

2012-01-18T19:47:00.002-05:00

This is seriously the cutest cover ever, right? I mean, look how precious! Also, please note the name on the cover - Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When I got the email asking me to review this, I was beyond thrilled. I hadn't heard of the HITRECORD project, but I looked into it once I knew I'd be reviewing the book and it's really cool. I'll let JGL himself tell you about it:

These stories are so tiny that it's hard to do my usual writing/entertainment value review for them. They are only a sentence or two long at most, and half of the book is illustrations. The book is precious - the stories are by turns funny, cute, inspiring, and touching. And the illustrations are amazing. I only wish they were bigger or sold in the project's store so I could buy some as art. They DO have some cute t-shirts and tote bags, so be sure to check that out. If nothing else, do yourself a favor and find a copy of the book (the first in a three part series). It's adorable!

Book Review: The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

The Ruins of Us is a beautiful story of marriage and family set in Saudi Arabia. Rosalie is an American expatriate who grew up in Saudi Arabia and fell in the love with the country. Her family moved back to Texas, but Rosalie met and married Abdullah in college and moved back to Saudi Arabia. When the book begins, Rosalie and Abdullah have been married and living in Saudi Arabia for 25 years. When Rosalie learns that Abdullah has taken a second wife, she must decide whether she loves Saudi Arabia enough to stay or if she will leave Abdullah. The turmoil between Rosalie and Abdullah blinds them to the increasing religious fervor of their son Faisal. The story is told in alternating voices: Rosalie's, Abdullah's, Faisal's, and Dave Coleman's (a family friend).

Writing

The writing in this book is, in my opinion, exceptional. I love when authors can recreate vivid moments and experiences that unite the reader with the characters. For example, I have never lived in Saudi Arabia and have never found out that my husband has another wife (hopefully I can go my whole life without that one). But a passage Parssinen writes about how it's easier to feel resolve to do something difficult at night and how those resolves break down in the light of morning completely resonated with me. I've had that exact same feeling.

Entertainment Value

This is definitely a character-driven novel. There are a few plot-oriented things that happen, but the majority of the book takes place in the character's minds. This may not appeal to all readers or to those who are expecting drama and shocking twists. However, I fully enjoyed the experience of each character's point of view, his or her personality, and how they interpret the events surrounding the story. This isn't a fast read, but it's a beautiful read and something I think will appeal to lovers of literary fiction.

Overall

I recommend it to those who appreciate beautiful writing, love character-driving novels, or are lovers of contemporary literary fiction. I also recommend it to those with a special interest in the Middle East, the treatment of women in Muslim cultures, or the issues surrounding violent Islamic extremists.

Thank you to Trish at TLC for letting me be a part of this tour and check out this page for the list of other reviewers.

Book Review: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

2012-01-16T18:27:00.003-05:00

As a college student, Mike Yankoski hadn't had much of a chance to put his faith in God to the test. Compared to many others in the world, he had lived a life of relative ease. So when the opportunity arose - a semester off of college - he teamed up with another college student, Sam, to put their faith into action. They wanted to find out what it was like to be homeless in America. They planned a six month period of time, during which they would experience homelessness in six different US cities. They took only thrift store puchased sleeping bags, one change of clothes, and their guitars. To travel from city to city they panhandled and they lived only off of the money they earned pan handling and from shelters and food kitchens.

Writing
I'd describe this as well-written light non-fiction. Because it's really a memoir, there isn't a lot of fact presentation or research that needs to accompany it. It's written in an accessible way that I think makes the book appealing to a variety of people, including teens and possibly even middle graders. At times simplistic, I think the writing really accomplished what the author wanted: to make his story available to a wide variety of readers.

Entertainment Value
I was pulled in from the first chapter. The story of what Yankoski goes through as a homeless person is moving and intriguing on its own, but what really made me love it was the spiritual insight. A major criticism of modern Christianity is that Christians do not do enough to help those in need. Yankoski's experiences show both sides of this: some Christians are generous and some reject the men based on their appearance. And this need for acceptance and generosity from the Christian community aren't the only spiritual insights gleaned from the book. Many passages challenged me on a personal level in various aspects of my life, including my attitude towards the poor.

Overall
I highly recommend giving this one a try. It is a work of Christian non-fiction, so be aware that it's going to be coming from that point of view, but I think this one could also appeal to non-believers. Yankoski doesn't preach and the book doesn't require that readers agree with Yankoski's religious beliefs, although they do play a large role in the book. It's also a very accessible book and will appeal to a wide range of reading styles, abilities, and ages.

In My Mailbox (29)

2012-01-15T19:47:00.002-05:00

Hello Reader Friends! I really wanted to make this vloggy, but my web cam broke this week so you'll have to content yourself with pictures. I'll appease you with one of Chief helping me blog. And by helping I mean snuggling all over me and totally distracting me.

Could you say no to snuggled with this precious boy? Ok, on to the books!

I hadn't pre-ordered a copy of this or really even planned to get it, but I saw a signed copy on sale at the grocery store. The Nesties have all been raving about it and on an impulse I bought it. I've read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, but none of Green's other books, so I'm excited to try this one out.

These two came for review through TLC

Faith by Jennifer Haigh

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein

And Home Front by Kristen Hannah from Emily at Wunderkind PR

I also got a good-sized delivery of Barnes and Noble purchases this week:

Cook Yourself Thin

Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

Killing the Black Dog by Les Murray

Voluntary Madness

This is Once Upon a Magic Christmas by my precious friend Natalie Cone. Natalie came to visit me yesterday and brought me this beautiful book that she wrote for her niece and nephew for Christmas. I can't wait to read it. And of course I made her sign my copy. This way when she's a famous author, I'll have a signed copy of her first published work!

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Cinder is a cyborg living in New Shanghai in the days following World War IV. There's a plague sweeping the world and an alien race known as the Lunars who are threatening the peace forged after the war. Cinder, however, is just a humble mechanic working to support her step-mother and two step-sisters. She's not involved in the larger political turmoil - or so she thinks. A chance encounter with the heir to the empire, Prince Kai, sets Cinder on a path that she never expected.

Writing
Meh. I hate to say so, but I was unimpressed with the writing. The author seemed to fall into the trap of telling the reader instead of showing the reader. I felt like all of the parallels to the Cinderella story that Cinder is based on were just so explicitly pointed out that it took away from the story. An example from the beginning of the book is a character who points out an old car by saying it looks like a pumpkin. Hmmmm...wonder what Cinder will be driving to ball later? The foreshadowing is SO obvious and over the top that there aren't any surprises. I'm usually fairly oblivious, but I guessed the surprise twist within the first couple of chapters.

Entertainment Value
Again, this one got a big time meh. I've passed it on to Bestie to see what she thinks, but I was also unimpressed with the entertainment value. Like I mentioned above the foreshadowing was so heavy that it was distracting from the story. It also took about 300 pages for the book to feel like it really got started. The last 100 or so pages held my attention but it felt like such work getting there. WAY too much setting up the background and foreshadowing the future - I kept expecting things to pick up but it seemed like a large portion of the book involved Cinder travelling back and forth from the palace and having things very explicitly explained to her in a way that left no room for the reader to wonder what would happen next. I feel like I've had a hard time concentrating in general lately, so it's possible that this played a roll in my distraction as I was reading the book, but the pacing was definitely off, regardless of my ability to concentrate. It'll be interesting to see what Bestie thinks of it.

Overall
I don't think it's worth the time. For a YA novel it's fairly long (the review copy I read was around 400 pages) and just not interesting enough to justify the time investment. I won't be reading future books in the series - by the time I started to care at all about the characters the book ended in a major cliff hanger. I hate feeling like an author has dragged the story out to make a series (sell more books) and that was the impression I got from this one.

Book Review: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

September is a little girl from Omaha, Nebraska, who finds herself spirited away by the Green Wind to Fairyland. There she finds adventure - retrieving a sword for the Marquess, who is threatening to make everyone in Fairyland miserable - and friendship - in the form of a boy named Saturday and a wyvern who may just be descended from a library.

Writing
The book is meant to imitate the charm of Victorian children's literature in style. I found that it reminded me of books like At the Back of the North Wind and The Light Princess. Others have drawn comparisons to Alice in Wonderland. There are some beautiful passages and some very memorable lines, such as:

"It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else."

That one may need to be painted into something to hang on my library wall...

Entertainment Value

For some reason, despite the beautiful writing, the plot of this one really didn't do much for me. I don't know why - everyone I know who has read it raves about it. One good reading friend even compared it to the Narnia books. And I totally trust the opinion of those readers, so I can't really explain why this one just didn't resonate with me the way children's fantasy usually does. I think it had to do with how meandering the plot was and how unimportant the main task September is given winds up being in the whole scheme of things. This charm for me was completely in the writing and not in the plot. I just didn't connect with it.

Overall

I recommend it for lover's of children's literature based on the writing style, which I loved, and the story, which I didn't love, but was loved by many trusted Reader Friends. I also recommend it to those who love Victorian-era writing: this is a great recreation of that style.

Out with the old, in with the, well, old: a personal post

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last February I listed out six priorities for the year that I think I'll probably end up sticking with for the new year as well. Even though I'm not making any new resolutions, I am continuing to evaluate my priorities. So here's how I did on each in 2011 and what I hope each will look like in 2012 - this may be very long:

1) My relationship with God. 2011 was a hard year for me spiritually. In the very beginning of 2011 we left our church, the church we had been members of for three years and a church I had attended as a child. We didn't leave under good circumstances, something that was not a reflection of the church as a whole, but of a few people within the church. I really struggled (and still struggle) with forgiving those people and moving on. We stopped attending church for a while, but got back in the habit mid-year and wound up joining a new church. We love our new church and our small group - several of the couples even live in our neighborhood.

In 2012 we'll keep working on getting to know these people. Luke has started playing bass in the worship band and I start my first nursery rotation on Sunday. We're also doing a Bible study together as a couple and, hopefully tonight, I'll be starting another Bible study with my good friend Laurel.

2) My marriage. After posting this is in February Luke and I really made an effort to start spending more time together. We started doing more things as a family with the dogs and really bonded over those activities - therapy dog training for Chief and agility courses for Dexter. We planned to attend a FamilyLife Marriage Conference in the fall, but wound up distracted with holiday plans and Sugar Bear's wedding and didn't make it.

In 2012 we're really hoping to get away just the two of us for a short vacation. We don't have any other specific plans, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Any ideas?

3) My family. In 2011 we spent a lot of time (and money) on our sweet boys. Sly is still alive and in amazing health for being 16 years old. He's an easy pet - food, water, and snuggles and he's happy. The little boys took up a lot more of our time (and did I mention money?). We put in a fence in the spring to give them space to run around and had both of them neutered and their stomachs tacked to prevent bloat. Dexter started his agility courses and Chief got his Canine Good Citizen certification and started doing some therapy work with foster kids.

In 2012, we will hopefully complete Chief's Therapy Dog International and Therapy Dog Incorporated ceritifications and continue to work with kids. Chief also joins me on my walks every morning and is an amazing companion. Dexter is still doing agility and Luke is considering having him compete if he continues to do well.

4) My health. In 2011 I tried several times to get motivated to exercise and just didn't do it. Nothing seemed to work, even knowing that Sugar Bear's wedding was coming up and I would be standing in front of everyone next to her skinny little self. Seeing the pictures from the wedding was a huge wake up call. I was also very, very sick in December. I lost about ten pounds just from being sick and saw a huge difference in the way I look.

In 2012 I'm hoping to finally find the motivation to get in shape. Instead of setting a weight loss goal or motivating myself to be thinner, I'm thinking of my mental health and the benefits of exercise and treating daily walks like a stress and depression prevention prescription. I'll walk 40 minutes to an hour a day, no excuses. So far, thinking of it this way has made a huge difference. In the past ten days I've walked every single day, a total of 25 miles. I've also got a group of friends holding me accountable to check in every day on my walks. Their encouragement is making a huge difference.

5) My hobbies. In 2011 I was able to spend a fair amount of time on my hobbies. I did more painting and art projects and fewer furniture projects than I had planned. I read fewer books than I read in 2010 but I read more pages total. I also saved over $1000 by reviewing books and buying from our used bookstores. Oh and we did a lot of work on the bookcases in the library, getting the arranged by color an adding on to them.

In 2012, I'd like to continue with my art projects but also add in some more furniture refinishes. I'd also like to add bookcases and a desk to my bedroom. As far as reading is concerned, I've set my goal at 125 books for the year and, as always, to out-read my total page number.

6) My house. In 2011 I worked hard on getting my house in order and keeping it that way. I had my ups and downs, but I'm pleased to say that right now my house looks good. I can have company over and not be ashamed or be hiding things in closets and rushing around to clean at the last minute. Things look good. We also made some major home improvements in 2011 - a new air conditioning system, the addition of a piano, and the fence.

In 2012 I hope to keep up the cleanliness of my house and continue to organize things in practical ways. My kitchen cabinets and pantry could use a major organization rehaul, as could Luke's office and the guest room/my craft closet.

Whew! If you've made it this far, congratulations! If you're just wondering when I'll get back to reviews, look here tomorrow!

Book Review: Lit! A Christian Guide To Reading by Tony Reinke

2012-01-10T10:06:00.001-05:00

I was thrilled to see this title by Tony Reinke, addressing a topic that I think is sorely under-addressed in Christian circles. There are lots of Christian books available on reading the Bible - how to read it, why to read it, etc, but not many books on why it's important for Christians to be well-versed and knowledgable in secular literature. This book addresses both the whys and hows regarding the reading of secular literature. There are also sections on why it's important (and creative ways) for Christian parents to encourage fiction reading in their children as well as a chapter on why it's important for pastor's to model reading habits for their congregations.

Writing
Very good non-fiction. I was interested and compelled to continue reading and the author covered all of his topics with depth and clarity. No complaints here.

Entertainment Value
I love that this book is addressing the reading of secular fiction in a way that I haven't seen in other books. However, the book as a whole is really geared towards those who don't currently read much. Reinke has wonderful ideas that are really well expressed on how to make reading a part of your daily life. For me, however, a lot of this information doesn't apply. Obviously reading is already a part of my daily life. I appreciate and agree with all of Reinke's suggestions, but it wasn't new information. If you're already a big time reader, which I would guess most of you are if you're reading this blog, this one isn't going to blow your mind with new information. However, if you're not not a reader or if you don't find yourself making time to read the things you'd like to read or if you need a new take on why it's our responsibility as Christians to read good books, this is a great choice.

Overall
Highly recommend it to those who don't read as much as they'd like or aren't sure why reading secular fiction, especially the classics, is important. I also would recommend it to Christian readers who want to inspire others to read. It's inspired me to think about ways that I can work towards promoting reading within my church.

Book Review: An Accidental Mother by Katherine Anne Kindred

2012-01-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

This beautiful memoir details an aspect of blended families that I hadn't ever considered before - what happens to a step-parent following the break up of the blended family. Kate Kindred had given up on relationships after a failed marriage when she unexpectedly met and fell in love with Jim. Jim had custody of a young son, Michael, from his own previous marriage. Kate hadn't planned on children, but fell in love with Michael as well and the family spent six years living together, with Kate raising Michael like her own child. When Jim and Kate's relationship ended, however, Jim denied Kate all contact with Michael. Even though Kate had raised Michael, she had no legal recourse and no options for enforcing any visitation.

Writing
The writing is exactly what I look for in a memoir - nothing too heavy or detail-y, like you'd expect from a biography, but with a large focus on the author's emotions surrounding this portion of her life. Kindred did an amazing job of conveying those emotions in a way that is both a beautiful portrait of the choices she made to be a mother of a child that was not hers biologically and heartbreaking in their depiction of her loss.

Entertainment Value
I'm not sure how many times I can say heartbreaking in a review, but there you have it. The book is short and hard to put down. I read it over the course of an hour or two one night. Easy to get through, but touching and have I mentioned heartbreaking yet? Because it is. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child you had raised from a very young age and have absolutely no options regarding even the basic visitation of that child. As I mentioned earlier, I had never given any thought to this possibility, but I can only imagine how many parents face this kind of thing.

I highly recommend picking this one up - especially if you're in any kind of blended family situation, but also if you like the memoir genre or if you're any other kind of non-traditional parent. This is a beautiful story of motherhood and that love and connection that transcends biological parenthood.

In My Mailbox (27)

2012-01-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Book Review: Mental_Floss The Book

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you're familiar with Mental_Floss, then you know already how awesome it is that such a thing as Mental_Floss The Book exists. If somehow you have missed out, it's a magazine for geeks that focuses on all kinds of trivia. This book is made up completely of random trivia lists that have appeared in Mental_Floss. Some examples? This list is from the Goodreads Publisher description and should give you an idea:

Five Presidential Fashion Flubs
Seven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity
Five Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric System
Four Toys That Have Gone to War for America
Seven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever
Five Things Your Body Can Do After You Die
Four Foods People Actually Die For
Seven Things Walmart Has Banned
Ten “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” Words
Four Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at Night
Five Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots
Four Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing History
Five Doomsdays We’ve Already Survived

It's hard to do my typical Writing/EntertainmentValue review on this kind of book. If you're not interested by now then I'm afraid there's no hope. Trust me when I say that you need to check this out. I cannot recommend it enough to basically anyone with the ability to read. It's a great bathroom book, a great book for when you're sick, a great book to carry around and read a little at a time in doctors' offices, etc, etc ad nauseum. Buy this book! I'm not even kidding.

New Bookcases, Or I Think I Have A Problem

2012-01-06T09:36:00.000-05:00

For Christmas this year, Luke did really well on gift-giving. He gave me a gorgeous charm bracelet with a book charm and a Great Dane charm, AND he gave me new bookcases. Here's a picture of the new bookcases and a few others of our library. I'll get to my problem in a minute:

These are the new shelves. Actually they're the old shelves, but with an addition. Where the blue books are, I used to only have a half set. Luke bought the rest of the pieces to finish out that set so not that entire wall is books.

This is the picture from the doorway

And from the bookshelves looking at the couch - the piano is on the left. Sorry it's so dim!

These are the shelves on either side of the sofa. They are vintage printables that honestly I'd really like to replace with something more authentic-looking and old book covers that I bought at the antiquarian book fair.

One more picture of the whole thing, plus kitty.

Ok, so you probably noticed in the pictures above that I have a lot of books. You can even see on either side of my smaller bookcase by the fireplace that books are stacked on the floor. But here is the problem: those aren't all of my books.

Bookcase #1 in Luke's office

Bookcase #2 in Luke's office

My bedroom floor

My closet

And Reader Friends, this isn't all of it! There are currently piles on my dresser, on my nightstand, and on the kitchen table. There is also a shelf of cookbooks in the dining room. I am out of control. The worst thing is that I have absolutely no plans to stop. I see people say things like "I'm not buying a single book next year, I'm going to read what I have" and it just blows my mind. I'm going to read what I have too, but I'm also going to keep buying, especially used books. Speaking of, I think there's a box from Barnes and Noble on it's way that I ought to be looking for...

Book Review: The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman

2012-01-05T18:54:00.004-05:00

I know I start a lot of reviews this way, but check out how cute the cover on this book is! Just in case you can't tell, it's a Swiss Army Knife with caricatures of the major Western Lit authors in it - get it? Get it? Ok, anyway, this book is exactly like it sounds - a summary of the authors and works that make up the Western Literary cannon. It starts with the Greeks and goes through modern literature. The difference between this book and most text books is that it's hilarious. In addition to being, as the title says, irreverently funny, the author also provides us with three scales to measure each work: importance, accessibility, and fun. It reminded me a little bit of my own review process.

Writing:
The author is certainly funny and has done her research well. Mixed in with the important information about the authors' works we also get a view of their lives, their contemporaries, and the world events surrounding their writing. I really appreciated that I received a well-rounded view of the work in its proper context.

Entertainment Value:
Again, the book is funny. I can't say that I think it will be entertaining for everyone, but I think that it's a good read for a variety of people. It's not a version of Cliff's Notes, so don't run out to buy it thinking you're going to use it in place of reading the actual work. However, it's a great book for those of us who love literature to use in deciding which works to focus on. I want to push myself to read more classics and this book is a great guide to help me decide which to start with and which can wait a while or maybe need to be taken off the good old TBR all together.

Overall:
I recommend it to those who are already in love with reading and want an idea of how to focus their time. I also recommend it to those who may not be in love with reading, but want to be conversant in the general area of Western Lit. I highly recommend it to those who are like me and can't resist a good book about books.

Thank you to Lisa at TLC Tours for including me on this one and click here to see a list of the rest of the tour stops!

Book Review: A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres

2012-01-04T16:47:00.001-05:00

I think everyone can agree that Jim Jones and "drinking the kool aid" are a pretty ingrained part of pop culture and legendary news. I wasn't born when the mass killings and suicides at Jonestown took place, but I felt like I had a basic grasp of what had happened based on those pop culture references. However, many of those ideas weren't based in fact, as I learned through reading this book. It reminded me a lot of Columbine by Dave Cullen, but I actually found Scheeres' reporting to be better. Regardless, this was an exciting book and dispelled a lot of inaccuracies that I had taken for granted - and it was fascinating on top of all that.

Writing

Excellent reporting. In a book about Jim Jones and Jonestown, it would be really easy for any author to editorialize, particulary regarding Jones himself. The term "raving lunatic" is actually completely, literally factual. Despite that, the author really refrains from inserting her own opinions, which made the book much more enjoyable for me. She does a great job of showing why people trusted Jones, how he was able to manipulate him, and what made him tick.

Entertainment Value

Again, the excellent reporting made for a very readable book. That reporting combined with the shocking nature of the story made the book hard to put down. I read it in just a few sittings, despite the serious subject matter because once I started I couldn't stop.

Overall

I highly recommend picking this one up, especially for those of you who are interested in cults, psychology, or historical events shown in a new light. Also, as I mentioned earlier, if you read and enjoyed Columbine I think you would enjoy this one (and vice versa). Enthusiastic endorsement from me (it even made it to my favorite non-fiction of 2011 list).

Book Review: Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Between Shades of Grey is a fictional story that is based on the real life of the author's family history. It follows Lina, a young Lithuanian girl, and her family as they are taken from their home in the night by the invading Russian army and forced to travel to a labor camp in Siberia. It's a unique look at the happenings in Lithuania and Russia during World War II, an aspect that is often overlooked.

Writing
Beautiful. Sepetys really captures the horrible things that Lina's family must endure in a way that is also hopeful and inspiring. The writing is a bit simplistic, but in this case I really appreciated it. Sepetys doesn't try to sound literary, but let's the story shine in it's simplicity. The writing style also means that it can appeal to a wider audience in terms of age. I would recommend it for anyone from middle school through adulthood.

Entertainment Value
The plot moves quickly and the characters were completely relatable. I cared deeply about the family and what happened to them. Again, I think the story is suitable for a wide audience - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a middle school student, but I also think adults would enjoy it. The subject matter is heavy, but Sepetys conveys it in a way that I think mature middle grade readers can handle.

Overall
I highly recommend reading it. I think it gives insight into a part of history that is often overlooked (the Siberian labor camps of World War II) in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. I think it would go along well with the books that are typically read about the Holocaust, such as The Diary of Anne Frank and The Hiding Place.

What I Read in December

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie, Reader Friends, December was a hard month for me and Luke. I was very sick for about three weeks. I read some during that time, but almost all light reading that didn't require much thought. I got way behind on ARC reading and on reviews, but hopefully I'll get caught back up soon. Nothing much happened in the way of my goals because I spent so much time sick. But I did read some good books:

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown

The Mental Floss Book of Lists

All The Flowers in Shanghai

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady

Southern Ladies and Gentlemen

The Southern Girl's Guide to Surviving the Newlywed Years

The Heroine's Bookshelf

Get Out of That Pit

Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading

Please Stop Laughing At Me

Total this month: 11

Total this year: 119

Pages read this year: 40,194

Money saved through buying used, reviewing, and using the library: $1197.11

I've got a bunch of stats to post from the year as a whole, but I'm saving them for another day because I left them at work, and don't want to go through the trouble of tallying my books up again!

In My Mailbox (26)

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

I had a ton of books this time, so the video got a little long. Also, don't you love how YouTube seems to find the absolute most unflattering moment of the video for the screen capture? Leave a comment letting me know what you got this week! Happy New Year!

Best Non-Fiction of 2011

2011-12-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

My last book list to close out the year - my favorite non-fiction of 2011:

Mental Floss The Book (book of lists, obvs)

An Accidental Mother by Katherine Anne Kindred (memoir)

John Adams by David McCullough (biography)

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (memoir)

Southern Ladies and Gentlemen by Florence King (Southern humor)

One Nation Under Dog by Michael Schaffer (social science)

Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholos D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (social science)

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat by Hal Herzog (social science)

The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore (book about books)

Bossypants by Tina Fey (humor)

Is Everyone Hannging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Best YA of 2011

2011-12-30T10:32:00.000-05:00

My favorite Young Adult books from 2011, in no particular order:

Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Side note: I totally didn't think I would enjoy these based on the covers. Contemporary YA that isn't dealing with an "issue" isn't my thing. But both of these books were among my favorites this year - they are adorable.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe (technically this is a 2012 release, but I read an ARC this year and loved it)

Best Adult Fiction of 2011

2011-12-29T10:26:00.001-05:00

I am hopelessly behind on reviews, so instead of writing them I am, obviously, working on my best of lists for this year. Here's what I loved most in adult fiction, chronologically:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (Historical Fiction)

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear (King Killer Chronicles) by Patrick Rothfuss (fantasy)

Storm of Swords (Book Three in the Song of Ice and Fire Series) by George R.R. Martin (fantasy)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Historical Fiction)

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (Contemporary Fiction/Magical Realism)

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (Literary Fiction)

Feed by Mira Grant (Zombie Fantasy)

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Literary Fiction)

Book Review: All The Flowers In Shanghai by Duncan Jepson

2011-12-27T10:50:00.001-05:00

All The Flowers in Shanghai is set during the 1930's in China on the brink of the Cultural Revolution. The main character is Xiao Feng, a young woman forced by her parents into a marriage with the oldest son of the wealthy and highly esteemed Sang family. Feng's one role in marriage is to provide the Sang's with a male heir and she is treated cruely by her new family. In her anger and bitterness, she finds a way to get revenge on the family but it comes with a terrible price.

Writing

About on par with what I expect from a historical fiction novel. It was well-researched, although the historical setting takes a back seat to the story. The writing kept me interested without being overly descriptive and wordy. I was briefly bothered by Feng's use of American slang (four letter words mostly) that really didn't seem to fit well in the setting, but it wasn't something that ruined the book for me.

Entertainment Value

I enjoyed the book, but I didn't like the ending. That doesn't mean that the ending was bad or didn't fit with the story, but it wasn't what I wanted from the characters. I rushed through probably the last fifty pages because I had lost interest in the story once the final plot point fell into place. I also wished that the Cultural Revolution had played more of a role in the overall story.

Overall

I recommend it to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in Asia. If you read and liked Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I think you would certainly enjoy this one as well. Just don't go into it expecting a detailed history of the Cultural Revolution - I think it actually reads better if you are already familiar to some extent with Mao and his policies and the sweep of the Cultural Revolution. I think this would be a good book to read along with Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.

Thank you to TLC for sending me a copy to review. Click here to see the list of all the others who are reviewing this one.

Vloggy Post

2011-12-26T21:04:00.001-05:00

Happy Vlogging!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T21:04:00.001-05:00

I know it probably seems like I've forgotten you, Reader Friends, but I'm still alive and kicking, although I have been very sick for about two weeks now. I think I'm starting to come around though and I'll be back on here regularly in no time. For now I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Here's hoping that your holidays are full of comfort and joy!

Book Review: The Heroine's Bookshelf

2011-12-06T21:10:00.001-05:00

What do Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Shirley, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Scout Finch have in common? All of them are amazing literary heroines written by equally amazing female authors. The Heroine's Bookshelf profiles each of these characters and their authors, along with several others, in a series of essays celebrating the qualities that make them heroines such as happiness, fight, faith, etc.

Writing
It's not a deep, academic dissection of character, but the essays are still insightful and well thought out. They're also accessible to every reader, not just the literature scholar. And the fact that they are so easy to read may encourage more timid readers to pick up a classic that may have intimidated them before.

Entertainment Value
Again, I think the key here is how accessible the essays are. They're the perfect length for reading one at a time, but they're so interesting that it's also easy to sit down and devour the whole book (which I did). I think it helped that I had read most of the books that were discussed (I haven't read Gone With the Wind or the Colette books), but I was also really motivated to reread some of them and to pick up the ones I haven't experienced before.

Overall
I recommend it for anyone who loves books or is interested in the lives of women authors. I also think this would make a really great book for graduates or teens who are into literature and looking to learn a little bit more about what it takes to be a heroine.

Thank you to TLC for sending me a copy to review.
You can see the full schedule with the other reviewing blogs by clicking here.
You can also click here to get an idea of what the book contains at the author's website

Book Review: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

2011-12-05T19:20:00.001-05:00

You may remember that Jackson Pearce is one of the authors we were privileged to get to meet/hear speak at Decatur Book Festival this year.

*She's the one on the end in the pink, signing Crystal's copy of Sweetly*

I read her first book, Sisters Red, two years ago after hearing my friend Ashley rave about her and fell in love with it. Sweetly is the second book in the series, although they aren't books that have to be read in order. I mean, Sweetly makes more sense if you've read Sisters Red, but it doesn't feature the same characters or ruin anything from the first book. It does still feature the fenris (werewolfish creatures) and those who hunt them, but this one includes someone who may or may not be a witch. Just like Sisters Red is an interpretation of Red Riding Hood, Sweetly is a modern take on Hansel and Gretel, starring siblings Ansel and Gretchen (who are adorable). The sibling aspect reminded me somewhat of Mira Grant's Feed. I LOVE reading books where siblings are extraoardinarily close. If you've read Sisters Red, you'll also recognize Samuel Reynolds, Gretchen's love interest.

Writing

This book accomplished exactly what I want a YA book to do - suck me into the story so completely that I don't notice anything else. The writing isn't obtrusive in any positive or negative way. The main focus is on the story itself and I appreciate that in YA fiction especially. What I usually want when I read YA is an escape into a fascinating story and that is absolutely what I got with this one.

Entertainment Value

I read it in one sitting, if that tells you anything. I almost never stay up unreasonably late reading, but this one kept me up well past my normal bed time. It doesn't stick to the Hansel and Gretel story as closely as Sisters Red stuck to the Red Riding Hood story, but it really didn't make a difference for me. I enjoyed it just as much and actually noticed it more when it all came together at the end. I really liked each of the characters and how the story unfolded. Even the moral ambiguity of some characters appealed to me.

Overall:

Highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy YA or modern fairy tale retellings. If you're enjoying Grimm or Happily Ever After or any of the modern fairy tale movies that are currently out, this is also a good choice for you.

Book Review: The Betsy-Tacy Treasury

2011-12-02T15:01:00.001-05:00

I would hope that every little girl met Betsy, Tacy, and Tib as a child, but, sadly, I don't think that's the case. I was fortunate enough to read these several times throughout my childhood, so I was thrilled when my friend Trish from TLC offered this new collection of the first four books in the series for review. If you aren't familiar, these books were written in the 1940's and 50's by Maud Hart Lovelace and are based on her own turn of the century childhood. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are three little girls who meet when they are five years old and grow up together. These books follow the girls and their adventures at ages 5, 8, 10, and 12.

Writing
So cute! I honestly just love Maud Hart Lovelace and these books are so well written. I enjoyed them just as much as an adult as I did when I read them as a child. A lot of the writing is, obviously, dated, and the turn of the century setting is very different than the way children live now, but the books honestly transcend that. I don't think it's hard to identify with and care about these little girls regardless of the time differences. They remind me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie books that way. It's also a really fun way to teach kids about how things were when their grandparents were young.

Entertainment Value
It doesn't matter how old I get, I will always be entertained by the exploits of Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. I honestly just can't recommend the books more highly. If you have little girls or if you were ever a little girl, these are must-reads. They are seriously adorable. I also really liked the new formatting of this treasury. It has all the classic Lois Lenski illustrations as well as introductions from authors like Judy Bloom and Meg Cabot. And at the end there is a section with historical information about Maud Hart Lovelace and the time and setting. I'm actually adding the rest of the books in the series (also collected in treasuries like this one) for Christmas this year - no higher recommendation than that!

Some links you may want to check out:
The Betsy-Tacy Society
The Betsy-Tacy Convention (I have never had the slightest inclination to go to Minnesota, but I'd totally go for this)
Other bloggers reviewing this book

What I Read In November

2011-12-01T20:50:00.001-05:00

I got a lot read in the first part of the month, but these last few weeks have been somewhat slow. In the past week I've done a 3 mile charity walk, celebrated Thanksgiving, married off my little sister, and single-handedly orchestrated a graduation ceremony with over 300 people in attendance. I'm burned out and was too tired to read much on some nights (I'm never so tired that I can't read anything).

In November I read:

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres
An Accidental Mother by Katherine Anne Kindred
Want to Go Private by Sara Darer Littman
Conversations and Cosmopolitans by Robert and Jane Rave
Betsy-Tacy; Betsy-Tacy and Tib; and Besty, Tacy, and Tib Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace
Meg by Steve Alten
Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigg

Total this month: 11
Total this year: 108
Pages read this year: 37,707
Money saved through buying used, reviewing, and using the library: $1101.09

That means that I met my goal of 100. I feel like it's reasonable to think I could push the goal to 125 at this point, but I don't think I will. I want to relax this last month and not feel pressured in any way. I am going to try to spend the month reading 2011 releases (other than those I've already committed to for tours) and getting as many of those complete as possible.

Not much to sum up that wasn't already covered in the Thanksgiving post, but feel free to look back and see!

What did you read this month?

Book Review: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

2011-11-30T17:27:00.001-05:00

I picked up The History of Love earlier this year at a book sale and it probably would have languished on my shelf (or in my closet or stacked on the floor or wherever else books land in my house), but part the Nesties' Fall Book Challenge was to trade recommendations with a friend. By some stroke of luck, I was paired with Jacki (who blogs at Lovely Little Shelf) and who just so happens to be my reading twin. She recommended this one and I, of course, fell in love. It's not really a book that lends itself well to summary, as it's a story within a story within a story, but it's a beautiful meditation on love of all kinds.

Writing
Holy. Moly. Yes. This isn't an easy read, but it's a beautiful read. I had some moments where I wasn't quite sure where I was in the story (it all came together at the end) but I still couldn't put it down because the words were just so beautiful. I can't rave enough about the quality of the writing.

Entertainment Value
I was worried when I started this one. I'd heard that there wasn't just a whole lot in the way of plot (which is kind of a literary fiction stereotype to being with) and I knew the main character, Leo Gursky, was old. When I started reading and realized he was old and lonely, I almost stopped right then. There are a few things that I just can't handle in books: dead mamas, little boys who just want their distant daddies to love them, and lonely old people. I actively try to avoid books with those themes and I was kind of stressed when I realized that a major theme of this book was going to be Leo's loneliness. If it weren't for Jacki, I probably would have thrown in the towel, and I'm so glad I didn't.

The novel is also most definitely character-driven. It's about motivations and family and what love means - it's not a juicy gossip novel and there's not really any action. So you can't go into it expecting lots of drama or, honestly, much of anything plot-wise. But that doesn't mean it's not interesting. All of the characters are fleshed out and their motivations are understandable and sympathetic. It's just a beautiful story (stories) and very moving.

Overall:
Highly recommend it, especially for lovers of character-driven novels or literary ficton, aspiring writers, or those who enjoy reading about complex emotions. If you're looking for a quick read or a fast pace, this isn't the one for you, but the beautiful writing more than makes up for the lack of plot.

A Few Pictures from the Holiday

2011-11-29T21:02:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd get some reviews done over the weekend, but I was completely wrong. Getting Sugar Bear married kept me completely occupied - and when I wasn't helping with that I was devoting myself to Baby George.

Thursday morning Chief and I got up super early and went on a three mile walk to benefit the Kidney Foundation with a coworker and her sister. I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time moving for a day or two after.

Saturday morning Sugar Bear and Elisabeth and I went for manicures and then we all went to the rehearsal dinner.

And then bright and early Sunday morning we headed to the wedding. Luke was an usher and I was Matron of Honor, so we actually only have a few pictures - and about half of those I swiped from other people's Facebook pages.

Sweet Georgie and his Grandaddy

My brother, his wife, and Baby George

And of course the beautiful bride. We didn't get any pictures of Sarah, but I did find this picture of her bridal portrait - it'll have to do for now!

Book Review: Conversations and Cosmopolitans by Robert and Jane Rave

2011-11-28T19:48:00.001-05:00

This book is a memoir of sorts coauthored by a mother and son. Robert Rave came out to his parents in a letter at the age of 21 and his announcement prompted his mother to embark on her own discovery of who she really was outside of her life as a mother and wife. This book follows some of the conversations, emails, and life events they shared as they both became honest with each other and themselves about who they were.

Writing

The writing was somewhat less than impressive for me. There were portions that rang true and genuine, especially from Jane, but a lot of Robert's writing was awkward, particularly his dialogue. It seemed stiff and unnatural. I also felt like several sections didn't really serve any purpose in the book. It was kind of like hearing a coworker tell you a series of unrelated, mundane stories along the lines of "then I pulled the milk carton out of the fridge and - you'll never guess - the milk had gone bad!" And you nod along and pretend to be amused but really you're just wondering why they think this is significant enough to tell. In the book's case there were plenty of moments that fit perfectly and were truly significant but also a fair amount that were kind of dull and meaningless.

Entertainment Value

I suppose the dull parts could fit in this section as well. I was just bored with too many portions to say it was truly entertaining. There were some very funny stories, but overall it just didn't resonate with me in any particularly attention grabbing way. I was ready for it to be over. I also hate to say this, since Robert Rave is obviously a real person, but man he drove me nuts with the doormat behavior. Several times in the book I wanted his mama to grab him by the shoulder and shake him and tell him to stop letting people take advantage of him. It's probably because I have a thing for mamas in general, but I did truly love Jane. She was adorable and obviously a loving and devoted mother.

Overall: Meh. I think there are better books to spend your time on - it gets a "do not recommend". But, as always, I am grateful to the author and TLC Tours for giving me the opportunity to read it and I suggest that you take a look at the recommendations of other bloggers on the tour. You can click here to find the list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is going to be an incredibly busy holiday weekend for me and my family. This morning, Chief and I are starting things off early by participating in the Turkey Trot, which is a fun run to benefit the Kideny Foundation. We're actually just doing the three mile walk, but even that is a huge stretch for me. Then we'll head over to my parents' house for lunch with these people:

And playing with this little guy:

That's right, Reader Friends. George has arrived. And he has footie pajamas. Aunt Julie is in love.

Saturday is the day before Sugar Bear's wedding. We're trying to fit in some family pictures, finalizing wedding preparations, the rehearsal dinner (we rehearsed today), and a lingerie shower with her college friends (thrown by yours truly). And Sunday is the big day! Needless to say, I will not be around so much over the next few days. I'm going to try to have a few reviews scheduled to post over the next few days, but honestly I'm not sure it'll happen. I've got student presentations to attend tonight AND the dog needs a bath before tomorrow AND I've committed to making dessert for Thanksgiving AND I need to do all the decorations and food preparation for the shower...

So if I don't make it back to post any reviews before Monday, have a wonderful holiday weekend! Hopefully I'll have pictures galore (featuring George of course) and Sugar Bear's wedding. If you're lucky I'll even have some of George AT Sugar Bear's wedding.

Book Blogging Drama: Disclosure and Plagiarism

2011-11-23T14:23:00.001-05:00

Plagiarism has kind of been the theme of my week. I caught a student plagiarizing at least 98% of her final paper this week at school. Then, yesterday, I was checking my blog stats and noticed a large number of hits from one particular site, which I, of course, visited. I found an article that used original content from this blog, along with pictures (taken by me with my camera in my house) but didn't mention my blog or my name. To be fair, a link to a tutorial posted on my blog was included in the article, but my pictures weren't credited. I wasn't asked if my material could be used and the author of the article was compensated for an article that contained my uncited original material. I wasn't pleased and emailed the author (nicely) to ask that the article be updated with appropriate credit. She agreed (not as nicely), but whatevs, situation resolved successfully.

But today, as I was reading about last week's brawl over Friday Reads and blogger disclosure and all that (by the way a great summary can be found on Florinda's blog The Three R's here), it got me thinking about what reasonable expectation bloggers should have regarding compensation and credit from other sources. It seems that one side of the argument is that bloggers are putting a lot of work into creating reviews and memes and site content to entertain and attract readers and that compensation is a logical expectation for that amount of work and that the disclosure of compensation is nice, but not a deal breaker for readers. The other side of the argument is that it is dishonest to present book blogging as a hobby when you are in reality being paid by an author or publisher for your writing.

So I want to go ahead and address both of these issues head on in a post that I can reference back to if needed. I may go ahead and make part of this part of an FAQ page in the future.

1) All content created here is original and I (most of the time) put time and thought into what to write about and how I write. I don't expect to ever be financially compensated (and wouldn't ever ask to be), but I do expect to be appropriately credited for my work. If you'd like to use something from my blog, I'd be happy to let you, but please ask first. Don't just take original pictures, ideas, or writing and pass it off as your own or use it to augment your own blog (to be clear, not all of this happened yesterday, but I want to take this opportunity to get rid of any confusion). Appropriate credit, to me, means that you make it clear in your post or article or however you choose to use it that whatever content you use originated here. A link to my blog at the bottom of your post doesn't convey that. Use of my blog name or my name and a link to the original content source does.

2) While I do put a good deal of time (and occasionally small amounts of money) into this blog, I do not expect to be compensated for what is, essentially, a hobby. I get the argument that bloggers put in a lot of time (often enough to be at least a part time job), but for me this is about my enjoyment and what I hope is my readers' enjoyment, and not a money-making venture. So, heads up, no income coming from any of this. I do gratefully acknowledge that I am given books by authors, publishers, and publicists and will continue to acknowledge those gifts in the future.

Book Review: The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood

2011-11-21T20:30:00.001-05:00

First of all, how apt is it that this YA fantasy about plants is written by a woman named Maryrose Wood? Perfect. It's about a young girl who has grown up in relative seclusion with a botanist father who is called on to perform various doctor duties using his encyclopedic knowledge of plants. Jessamine, the daughter, is learning the tricks of the trade from her father, but there is one part of his garden that is locked and she is forbidden to enter. A boy shows up on their doorstep (his name is Weed which is really just terribly unfortunate) and she falls for him. Weed can communicate with plants and with his help they uncover a mystery.

Writing

The first half was fairly typical YA fantasy. It was entertaining and easy to read and didn't jump out at me as especially awesome or especially poor. The second half was off the charts crazy. Weed can indeed communicate with plants, but I expected more of an ESP-type thing or an intuition of feeling. Instead, the plants basically grow legs and turn into what I imagined as Disney characters. The dialogue between Weed and the plants is, frankly, ridiculous. It goes from being a pretty serious story with moderately interesting characters to an animated movie.

Entertainment Value

This one was offered by Harper Collins as a free preview before the second book's release. I was able to read it at work (shhhhh) and it was more entertaining than work. I actually was really into the first half and then the plants started talking and things got crazy. The plant prince tried to seduce Jessamine (or at least I think that's what was happening) so of course Weed had to save her. Like I said, it beat actual work, but I'm glad I didn't spend real time reading it.

It's quick and easy and as long as it's free and you like quick, easy, YA, go ahead and give it a try. I wouldn't recommend spending any real money on it, although I am somewhat curious to know what will happen to Weed and Jessamine next...it's possible that I will read the sequel.

Book Review: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunities for Women Worldwide

2011-11-17T18:25:00.000-05:00

This book should be required reading for all high schools, church groups, community organizations, basically everyone. It's an incredibly touching account from journalists Nicholos Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn of the oppression women are experiencing around the world in the forms of sex slavery, female genital mutilation, the use of rape as a weapon of war, the murder of women as a form of population control or political gain, and the proliferation of AIDS. They have travelled around the world and liberated women from these situations. The real beauty of the book is that the authors not only present the humanitarian issues facing women in the developing world, but they also present solutions on international, national, corporate, and personal levels.

Writing
Excellent reporting, professional journalism, and detailed research. Absolutely no complaints.

Entertainment Value
The personal stories from women around the world are touching as are the authors' descriptions of the situations and threats women are facing in the developing world. The solutions to these problems are inspiring and motivating. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Like I said in my introduction, this book should be required reading for high school/college students.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was the balanced viewpoint of the authors. There is a chapter on religion that I was nervous to read. And the authors do criticize the role that some religions (fundamental Christianity and Islam) play in the oppression of women, particularly in developing countries. However, the authors present solutions that don't reject Muslim or Christian beliefs, but integrate them into a healthy view of women. They also advocate not for a-religious aid but for a nonpartisan, inter-religion effort that puts the welfare of women before either a liberal or conservative religious or political agenda. Also, the authors recognize the impact of Christian missions worldwide, which means so much to me as the daughter of Christian missionaries. I feel like the secular media frequently ignores the positive contributions of Christian (Protestant and Catholic) missions, but these authors acknowledge their positive impact.

Please give the book a try - it may very well change your life. Also, check out a new website I found yesterday while I was browsing the internet. The site (http://www.slaveryfootprint.org/) contains an application that allows you to answer questions about the products you consume and then gives you an estimate of the number of slaves who work for you worldwide (according to my consumption habits, I have 27 slaves working for me). It also pinpoints where slaves who produce the products you consume may be located and provides information about what products may be produced by slaves.

Book Review: Hell's Belles by Seale Ballenger

2011-11-16T16:53:00.001-05:00

I've had this one on my TBR for quite a while now, so I was pretty excited to find it at McKays for $0.75. It's a book of short essays and facts about famous Southern women - actresses, authors, singers, politicians, socialites, and criminals. Each essay is only a page or two long and has a brief biography of the woman and how she influenced the South. It also has some fun quotes and fact lists, things like that.

Writing
I hate to say it, because I want everything Southern to be awesome, but the writing in this was pretty poor. Lots of typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing that really took away from the fun of the book. The writing was a huge distraction from a fun topic.

Entertainment Value
It's not that hard for me to put aside so-so or even poor writing in the case of good entertainment. But the writing in this one was so bad that it kept me from enjoying the book. All I could think of was how much editing it needed and what changes I would make to make it better.

It's a really cute idea but the book needs some serious editing and rewriting in sections. It's an older book, so I doubt that'll happen. Do not recommend.

In My Mailbox (25 pt 2)

2011-11-15T08:15:00.001-05:00

Not only did I get some great books for review last week, I also made a trip to McKays and used some store credit to pick up these books:

Bad Girls of the Bible (this one was actually in the free bin)

Vision in White by Nora Roberts (I've never read Nora Robers but my Nestie friends rave about this series)

Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon

A Common Life: The Wedding Story by Jan Karon (also from the free bin!)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (another gift from my friend Rev)

The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia by Laura miller

Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres (I'm currently reading her newest book about Jim Jones and it is fascinating)

The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank

Literary Feuds by Anthony Arthur

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

I also picked up these books at Barnes and Noble using a gift card I found when I cleaned out the garage and an awesome coupon I got off of Facebook thanks to a Nestie (see why I love them?)

Forever (finished up my set - the first two are signed thanks to Nesties) and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Envy by Anna Godbersen (just need The Luxe to finish up my set)

Book Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

2011-11-14T20:05:00.001-05:00

Samantha Kingston is not a very nice person. She's one of the most popular people in her highschool and she would fit in great with any group of mean girls. After leaving a Friday night party, she is killed in a car crash - but instead of dying, she wakes up again on Friday morning. She spends the next week reliving the last day of her life, making changes, and realizing what things and people are really important.

Writing
Fantastic. I read this book for the first time right after it came out. It is one of the books that got me into reading more YA. The plot is original, the characters are believable (even if that means not always likable), and writing itself is beautiful. In terms of writing it's one of the best YA books I've read.

Entertainment
Well-written and also entertaining. It's got some of the typical aspects of YA fiction - the "issues" - like bullying, teen drinking, etc - but I felt like the focus of the book was on the development of Samantha's character and on the writing itself, which was refreshing.

I've recommended this one several times since I read it, and I'm pleased to do so again here. It's a must read if you're a fan of the genre, and it's a good book to start with if you haven't read it before.

Thanks to Planned Television Arts for sending me a copy to review!

In My Mailbox (25 pt 1)

2011-11-13T21:32:00.001-05:00

Lots of new books this week, so I'm going to go ahead and divide this into two books. Especially since I have some other updates for this post too. First of all, thank you so much to all of you who voted for me in the Book Riot competition - I didn't win, but I did much better than I expected and I'm thrilled that so many of you were kind enough to vote for me.

This week has been very busy. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on the blog, but Sugar Bear is getting married two weeks from today. We've been running around to dress fittings (hers and mine - I'm maid of honor, natch), picking up gifts, making hair appointments, accessorizing, and we had her first shower on Saturday.

Sugar Bear, my mom, and the two sweet ladies who threw the shower.

Chief has finished his Canine Good Citizen training and is preparing for his Therapy Dog International testing, but the CGC is all that is required for therapy here, so he made his debut as a therapy dog this week. We took him to a support group for foster families and the kids got to play with him and snuggle on him. I was super nervous, but he was perfectly behaved - the kids loved him and he loved being the center of attention. We couldn't take pictures of him with the kids, of course, but here's a few of him snuggling his mommy when we got home:

How sweet are those big brown eyes?

His tail seriously never stops wagging. We're snuggle buddies.

Ok now on to the books. This is a couple week's worth of review copies and a few gifts from friends.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, courtesy of Planned Television Arts

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, from my good internet friend Rev

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury (the first four books in the Betsy-Tacy series) by Maud Hart Lovelace, courtesy of TLC Book Tours

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire, from the publisher, William Morrow

The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore, courtesy of TLC Book Tours

Christmas Belles of Georgia by Rose McCauley, from the author

A Study In Sherlock by various authors, won from Random House Reader's Circle

Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder, courtesy of Harper Perennial

You're (Not) the One by Alexandra Potter, received from Plume

Conversations and Cosmoplitans by Robert Rave and Jane Rave, courtesy of TLC Book Tours

Want To Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman, picked it up myself for a book challenge

The Doll by Daphne du Maurier, received from TLC Book Tours

Tuck Your Skirt In Your Pantie and Run by Lucy Adams, won from Laurel at Curl Up And Read

The Demi-Monde: Winter by Rod Rees from Quercus

I've got quite a few others to show you, but I'll post those tomorrow! What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Votes please?

2011-11-11T15:55:00.001-05:00

"Please vote for my mommy!"

Bad news, Reader Friends. I am currently NOT WINNING Book Riot's Book Nerd Out contest. I dont' want to spame you guys with pleas for votes, but uh, I also really want to win. So I promise this is my last post (especially since voting closes Sunday night and I have a crazy busy weekend doing wedding prep for Sugar Bear) but if you have a chance please go to the following link and click the Facebook "like" button above the title.

http://bookriot.com/2011/11/07/book-nerd-out-finalist-book-hooked-blog/

Book Review: Mozart's Last Aria

2011-11-09T20:09:00.001-05:00

First of all, gorgeous cover, right? I am obsessed with this cover - I'd probably read a lot more historical fiction if all the covers looked this good. The story itself is pretty intriguing as well. Mozart's sister, Nannerl, herself an acclaimed musician, investigates her suspicions of Mozart's untimely death and discovers disturbing connections to a conspiracy involving Austrian royalty, secret police, and the freemasons.

Writing
Excellent writing. I think the author did a great job of achieving his objectives in this story. It is perfect historical fiction - nothing too flowery or any obvious attempts at being literary fiction, but also not too light and fluffy. It's also very well researched. Rees includes an appendix with a listing of the music that is mentioned throughout the book as well as an explanation of K numbers and how to find the music. I found this especially interesting and used it to listen to the music I was reading about as I read. Rees does an excellent job of conveying a sense of Mozart's music through his writing. I also enjoyed his editorial notes at the end on which parts of the book are historically accurate and which were embellished. Overall, I was very impressed.

Entertainment Value
It's a mystery involving Masons - so what's not to love? Secret societies fascinate me and Rees does a great job of delivering suspense. I also loved the inclusion of classical music throughout the book, although I don't think being a classical music fan is a requirement for enjoying this one. It may even motivate you to give it a try. I also enjoyed reading about Nannerl and learning some of the history of the time period. It's a great mystery and kept me up late at night finding out who killed Mozart and why. I highly recommend this one.

This one was graciously sent to me by TLC Book Tours and you can find a list of the rest of the tour participants here.

Book Review: Living Dead Girl

2011-11-08T17:10:00.001-05:00

"Alice" used to have another name. But that was before Ray took her from her family and her home and made her his daughter. The problem is that Alice is growing up and Ray wants a little girl - so he has entrusted Alice with the job of finding his next "Alice". This is a ripped from the headlines story of abduction and sexual abuse. It's graphic and disturbing and paints a vivid portrait of a little girl who has been lost to the world.

Writing
Honestly the subject matter was so horrific, I didn't notice much about the writing. It's a short book and easy to read, but I really didn't pay much attention to writing style at all. I don't think that's what the author was going for - this is definitely plot-driven and the selling factor is the nature of the story as opposed to the writing itself.

Entertainment Value
I was "entertained" by the book in that it kept my attention and I read it quickly and couldn't put it down. I had to know what would happen to Alice. But I'm honestly still debating whether I think the book was just sensationalism of a horrible crime. I felt voyeuristic while reading it. I didn't get the same sense of importance in applying to the lives of teens from it as I do from Ellen Hopkins' books or from Speak. Beyond tittilation, I'm not sure what the takeaway from it is, if that makes sense. There isn't a moral or lesson the author is trying to convey and it's not an issue that I think teens are commonly dealing with (date rape, substance abuse, etc, I can see - but stranger abduction and sexual abuse for years - that's more of an SVU episode than something teens encounter in their daily lives).

I liked the book, but I don't feel like I liked it differently than I like Law and Order or Criminal Minds. It's a good book, but not necessarily an important book in the sense that I feel like Speak is important. But maybe you read it and feel differently? I've seen a lot of good reviews on Good Reads (and this isn't a bad review) - but I'd be interested to hear why you think it's important/good literature as opposed to just another Jodi Picoult-esque ripped from the headlines thriller.

Show me you love me

2011-11-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

Remember a few posts ago when I entered Book Riot's Book Nerd Out competition with my Hunger Games obsession? I am a finalist! The winner is being chosen by Facebook votes - and of course I need all of you to vote for me. The prize is a $100 book store gift card that I am DYING to claim. Here's how to vote:

1) Go to http://bookriot.com/2011/11/07/book-nerd-out-finalist-book-hooked-blog/
2) Click the Facebook "like" button above the post title.
3) Facebook it, tweet it, tumblr it, email it, etc, etc, etc.

The deadline is Sunday, so make sure you vote before then! Just in case, I'll probably post a reminder or two between now and then...

Book Review: The Girl With Three Legs by Soraya Mire

2011-11-03T17:25:00.002-04:00

The Girl With Three Legs is a heartbreaking memoir by Soraya Mire of her experience with female genital mutilation (FGM) as a thirteen year old girl in Somalia. Mire not only shares her experiences as a child in Somalia but also the physical and emotional scars left by the mutilation. Eventually Mire was forced into marriage with an abusive husband. In spite of these devastating circumstances, Mire found the courage to move to America, start a new life, and eventually film a documentary about the travesty of FGM, which is a rite of passage in all too many cultures.

Writing
I struggled with the writing in the book. I had a hard time following the authors story - she seemed to jump around frequently in time and place and included details that I didn't feel related to the story at all. However, I hesitate to critique this as poor writing because I am so unfamiliar with African literature and African storytelling. I was also confused by a good deal of the dialogue between Somalians at various points in the book - the author uses slang and diction that I simply didn't understand. I felt like it was a barrier to me in really committing to the story. I'd like to read more African, and specifically Somali, literature to see if it gave me a better understanding of the book as a whole.

Entertainment Value
You hate to talk about entertainment value in a book about FGM, right? I mean I don't want to say "yeah, the gruesome details of torture that women are enduring on a daily basis around the world really made my evening past quickly." So while my confusion with the writing and the subject matter kept it from being a book I'd call entertaining, I do think it's a book that is important. If you aren't familiar with FGM, you should be. It's a major women's issue and as our world shrinks, the problem is spreading. At the end of the book, Mire addresses the growing problem of FGM in the United States. I definitely recommend reading it. Also, I am a huge fan of Eve Ensler and she has contributed a great introduction for the book.

What I Read in October

2011-11-02T19:49:00.001-04:00

October was a great reading month for me! My online book club's Fall Book Challenge started and I've been really motivated to finish this time. The challenge goes from October through December, and I managed to finish all but three tasks during October.

I read:

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
The Sweet Potato Queen's Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit
Lost Memory of Skin
Don't Sing At The Table
Triangles
The Poison Diaries
The Girl With Three Legs
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Children of Paranoia
Sweetly
Faith and Culture
Lola and the Boy Next Door
The Sky Is Everywhere
The History of Love
Godless: How An Evangelical Pastor Became One of America's Leading Atheists

Total books read this month: 15
Total books read this year: 95
Total pages read this year: 33,485
Money saved this year through buying used, using the library, and reading review copies: $994.61

As far as our life outside of reading goes, we had a good month. Puppies and kitty are all happy and healthy, we're both happy and healthy, and we even managed to work in a trip to the beach. I also got to see Crystal and Leah, so it was an all around great month for me. Sugar Bear finally set her wedding date in October - for next month! So we're in a flurry of wedding preparations right now. How was your October?

Book Review: Feed by Mira Grant

2011-11-02T19:13:00.002-04:00

A book about a post-zombie-apocalypse world where the heros are bloggers? Yes, please. After the zombie apocalypse, bloggers became the most reliable source of news. Our main characters, Georgia and Shaun, are siblings who run a popular news site that earns them exclusive coverage of a popular presidential candidate's campaign trail. The only problem is that a terrorist is using zombies to sabatoge the controversial candidate's success.

Writing
I loved the writing. Mira Grant completely committed to creating a unique post-apocalyptic world and provides an incredibly detailed description of the future. She has obviously done her research into politics and technology and used that to create a future where bloggers provide the most reliable news coverage using advanced technology. The political world is also fascinating and believable. Grant includes current controversial topics with imagined issues in a world populated by zombies (what happens to the death penalty when the dead come back to life?). We discussed this one on my book club board and some complained about the details and the politics presented in the book. I completely disagreed. I loved how Grant used what we have technologically now and added to it for a world that would need increased security and broadcasting capabilities. Some people expected the typical zombie book: lots of action, gore, etc. And this provides those, but it also contains a lot more plotting and world-building that isn't zombie-centric.

Entertainment Value
If you like zombies and detailed world building, I think you'll like this one. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the characters and really appreciated Georgia and Shaun's close sibling relationship (and I loved that a love triangle was not included). I highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to reading Deadline (the second book in the series) soon.

Book Nerd Out

2011-11-01T17:06:00.000-04:00

This post is my entry in the Book Nerd Out giveaway hosted by Book Riot: Reviews, Recommendations, and Commentary about books and reading (but, you know, fun).

I'm a huge fan of the new Book Riot site, and I'm so glad I saw this contest before the deadline because, Reader Friends, you know this contest and I were MFEO. I will happily nerd out over just about any book (and let's just say it's a good thing CS Lewis is dead because otherwise I'd be full-fledged, hiding in the bushes, creeping on him), but I think the books I've really geeked out the most over were the Hunger Games series. And my geekery wouldn't have been complete without Bestie, who has been my nerd companion through the entire series. Here are just a few of the ways we've geeked out over the Hunger Games since it was released:

1) I debating saving this for last since it's the most awesome, but I can't resist going ahead and posting it first: The Hunger Games we staged in my backyard. Yes, that's right. When Mockingjay was soon to be released we got to talking about how I had this awesome recipe for fake blood...and then we realized that we (Luke and I at least) had a whole bunch of weapons (Luke is a martial artist and my family is Southern, what can I say?)...and then we realized that our Great Dane puppy would make an excellent muttation. And what started as a joke turned into this:

You can see the full posts here, here, and here.

A few other HG events hosted on the blog included: Hunger Games haiku, a Hunger Games playlist, and our cast picks, pre-official announcement.

2. You'd think that the release of Mockingjay would have been the end of my geeking out, but I still plan to fully embrace the series. Last Christmas I made Christmas tree ornaments for the library Christmas tree using my Hunger Games paraphenalia:

3. Bestie and I drove from Chattanooga to D.C. for National Book Festival last year and spent basically the entire day sitting in the sun to get our books signed:

4. And it's still not over. This year for Halloween I was a pretty awesome Effie Trinket. And I'm not through yet - I hope to tweak my costume and make it even better for the release of the movie in March.

And there you have it. I'm a proud book nerd (as if you weren't already aware). May the odds be ever in your (and in this case MY) favor!

Effie Trinket and Nancy Drew

2011-10-31T12:03:00.001-04:00

Bestie and I dressed up for Halloween today. She's Nancy Drew and I'm Effie Trinket. I didn't get a chance to find the green reaping dress, so I had to do with what I've got, but hopefully I'll have something better by March.

Update: I couldn't leave out this awesome picture of Luke (a G-man) and Dexter (Mexican wrestling horse)

Hopefully later I'll have one more with Chiefer in it - he's feeling left out.

Television and Reading

2011-10-26T13:46:00.001-04:00

I've been thinking about television and reading and how I feel about the two a lot recently. I walk Chief when I get home from work and now that it's getting dark earlier I'm realizing how many houses in my neighborhood have the television on when I walk at night. Almost every house has that flashing blue glow coming from their windows.

When people ask me how I read so much, my first response is always that I don't watch much tv. I also have to admit that I have an issue with TV as the focal point in people's houses. In Luke's and my first house, you walked directly from the front door into the living room. It drove me crazy that we had a big screen tv and that our furniture faced the tv. I feel like it screamed "this is what we value." So in our new home, we decided that the TV would go in the basement. When you walk into our home, the first thing you see is our living room, where we display books and where, I hope, the furniture is inviting for conversation as opposed to mindless vegging. It's not so much something that I note in other people's houses as it is something that I hate in my own home.

I realize that it's somewhat hypocritical of me to enjoy books that are, in some cases, the written equivalent of Jersey Shore, while frowning on mindless TV consumption. But I still do. It's not that I never watch TV, or that when I watch I only watch educational programs (I love the Real Housewives), I just don't like it to be the focal point of my home - the thing that my furniture centers around, the thing you notice first when you walk inside. I like that our house now says we like music (the piano) and books (the library) and eating together/conversing (the furniture layout) not that we like to sit and look at the glowing blue box.

What do you guys think? Am I a judgmental overthinker? Or do you feel the same way? Is it something that has ever occurred to you?

Book Review: You Are My Only

2011-10-25T12:01:00.001-04:00

You are my only is a story told in alternating voices, Sophie's and Emmy's. Sophie is a teenage girl who knows nothing other than being on the run with her mother. She isn't allowed to leave whatever home they currently live in and is subject to her mother's obsessions, especially with the "No Good" that they must constantly be on the alert for. Emmy is a mother who takes a few steps away from her baby only to find her daughter missing, with nothing left but a yellow sock.

Writing
Not a fan. Almost every other review talks about how "poetic" the writing is, but for me it just felt like the author was trying really really hard to sound "poetic". Instead every single character comes across as if they are either mentally handicapped or psychologically unstable. And I do understand that some of the characters are supposed to be crazy. And I also understand the Sophie has no way of being "normal" having been brought up in isolation. But Emmy, Joey (the boy Sophie meets), and Joey's family all speak so "poetically" that they sound crazy (or stupid) as well. Overall the entire thing read to me like the author was trying so hard to make her narration sound poetic and unique that she missed out on any believability.

Entertainment Value
My issues with the writing really overcame my ability to enjoy the book as a whole. It was an awkward read with awkward wording that, for me, constantly inserted the author into the story. Instead of focusing on how awesome and interesting the story was, I was thinking about how hard the author was trying to sound literary. It didn't work for me at all.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it. It had a great premise, but I really did not care for the writing, I didn't like the characters because their voices were so inauthentic, and the ending tried too hard to be literary.

Book Review: Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

2011-10-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

This book is really hard to explain. It's dystopia, kind of, and scary, kind of, and a thriller, kind of, and espionage, kind of. It's set in our world, but with a secret war being fought (if you're familiar with the game Assasin, it's kind of like that). There are two main rules: You can't kill anyone under eighteen and you can't kill civilians. The main character, Joseph, is an assasin for what he is convinced is the "good" side. He doesn't know why he's fighting or who he's fighting against, all he knows are the names he's given as targets. The actions of each side are disguised from civilians as accidents or random violent crimes. Joseph has been trained to kill and he's good at what he does, but everything changes when he meets Maria.

Writing
I really enjoyed the style and thought the author accomplished exactly what he wanted. The action starts on the first page and never lets up. I was tense throughout the entire book, which is exactly what I want in a thriller. My only complaint was that the "moral" of the story was a little heavy-handed in parts (War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.) Other than that, I was into the characters and loved the continuous action.

Entertainment value
Again, it's a perfect thriller. It's a very unique idea - not the straight up dystopia but also not the typical espionage/spy/assasin book either. I'm usually not into the whole war/Tom Clancy/spy games genre, but the dystopian twist in this one made it much more appealing to me. It's a quick read, and completely engrossing. I'm probably going to end up forcing it on Luke.

Update:
I forgot to post this in my original post, but I want to make sure it's included. I was privileged to get to read this one as part of a Crazy Book Tour. You can find a list of other blogs that will be reviewing it as well as information about the book here. Also, check out the video trailer here.

Book Review: Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks

2011-10-21T13:40:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure if it's just me or if it's a publishing trend, but I seem to have read several books this year dealing with pedophilia/sex offenders. This one was less focused on pedophilia and more focused on what happens to those who are labeled as sex offenders. It tells the story of Kid, who is in his young twenties and is arrested for soliciting sex with a minor. He actually reminds me of many of my students - emotionally, socially, and intellectually immature.

He goes to prison and we meet him immediately after his release. Because he is on probation, he cannot move away from his home in the Florida Keys, but he can also not live within a certain radius of any place where children gather. His record keeps him from getting jobs, apartments, etc and he winds up living with a group of homeless sex offenders in a tent city. There he meets a man named The Professor who is doing research on sex offenders in the tent city - but who is hiding secrets of his own.

Writing

This falls in the "literary fiction" genre and it fits in well. It's not exceptional for the genre, nothing leapt out at me as really amazing, but it was better writing than you're going to find in the typical popular novel. I don't have much to say good or bad about it.

Entertainment Value

I was more interested in the idea of the book and the thoughts inspired by the book than the book itself. For example, I do think that the way we label sex offenders is flawed, although I'm not sure what exactly I would change. It's important to protect families and children, obviously, but, as in Kid's case, it seems that in some ways the sex offender registries keep those who could be rehabilitated from having a chance at living normal lives. So that premise interested me, but the way the book addresses it was much less interesting than I had hoped. It focused more on the story with the Professor and the secrets surrounding his life. When those secrets are finally revealed they are much less interesting than what the reader is led to imagine. The entire Professor plot point, which was a majority of the novel, really took away from the issues the story could have addressed for a much more interesting and thought-provoking story.

At the end of the day, I just don't recommend it. I had to force myself to finish - and had I not been halfway through by the time I realized it wasn't going to get better, I probably would have given up.

Book Review: Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

2011-10-19T13:57:00.000-04:00

I've read and enjoyed most of Ellen Hopkins' YA books, so I was pretty excited to see that she planned to release an adult book, also written in verse. I was able to score an ARC through Atria's Galley Alley program, and the book was released yesterday, so you can also find a copy in stores now. Like the title implies, it's a book about love triangles in adult relationships, specifically committed adult relationships. It follows three women - two married and one single - whose lives intersect in various ways and form triangles with the men in their lives.

Writing
Hopkins pushes boundaries in her YA works and I think it's fair to say that she does so in her first adult book as well. It's well done, similar in style to the verse novels she writes for teens. As I've said before in reviewing her writing, the poetry can be, at times, gimmicky, but she makes her points well and I love that she is bringing poetry to readers who probably typically stick to prose.

Entertainment Value
Again, I think it's similar to what Hopkins writes for teens, but with an adult audience in mind. The issues she brings up are so appropriate for where I think our society as a whole is - the indulgence, the focus on making yourself happy regardless of what that means for others, the attempts to fill a life void. The characters were not always likable. In fact, I found myself really hating one of them, and at times really disliking the other two. The character I hated was the most obvious example of someone who is living for her own desires and disregarding everything but her own happiness. I appreciated that Hopkins showed a realistic portrayal of what happens when someone decides to cast aside everything and everyone in search of making herself happy - and how it can backfire.

The issue of adultery is addressed well. I have a hard time reading books where adultery is portrayed lightly and shown as a solution to loveless marriage - where a character has a justified affair because she doesn't "really" love her husband and then rides off into the sunset with the man she cheated with. That's not ok for me. But Hopkins doesn't take that route. While she refrains from moralizing or preaching at the reader, she honestly shows the inside workings of why a person would cheat and the ripple effect that cheating can have on people who may not seem to be directly affected. This certainly isn't a book that shows a happily ever after escape from loneliness or problems in marriage. I think it shows the sad reality for many people who have an emptiness that they are looking to fill, and the damage that can be done to families when a parent decides to put their own happiness over the family. OH and it totally reminded me of the Casting Crowns song "Slow Fade" if you are familiar.

One note to readers is that it's also a pretty graphic book. Like I mentioned before, Hopkins is known for her edgy teen fiction and her adult fiction takes that a step farther. I had some o.O moments as I was reading. If sex scenes turn you off, you may find yourself skipping some pages.

Book Review: Don't Sing At The Table by Adriana Trigiani

2011-10-13T12:32:00.000-04:00

This is my first book by Trigiani, even though I think I own almost every single one of her novels. After reading this one, I'm going to need to make reading them a priority. This is more of a biography/memoir of her two Italian grandmothers and the legacy they left her through their lives and the advice they passed down to her. I really enjoyed the differences (and some similarities) between the advice given to Trigiani by her Italian Catholic grandmothers as opposed to what I learned growing up from my Southern Belle grandmothers.

Writing
It was typical memoir writing - the point of the book wasn't that the writing was especially lyrical or literary, just that the author conveyed the lives and inspirations of her family, which she accomplished well. I do have to admit that as much as I enjoyed the book, I had a few nit-picky grammar moments, mostly related to subjects and verbs not agreeing. Not something that turned me off from the book, but just something that jumped out at my inner English major.

Entertainment Value
I think this would probably make a good bedtime read. It's perfect for picking up and reading chapter by chapter. It's not a story that is unputdownable, but it's perfect for picking up and reading bit by bit as you have free moments. It's full of great stories about her grandmothers and the issues they dealt with as immigrants and widows, as well as full of fun tidbits of advice they shared. I definitely recommend picking it up and giving it a try.

Check out the rest of the blogs on the TLC tour for this book.

PSA for my reader friends

2011-10-12T20:51:00.001-04:00

I didn't have time to post any reviews today because I was sucked into a book this morning and was reading every second I could sneak it in. In honor of the October 25th release of Nightshade, book two in The Poison Diaries series, the first book is available free online for a limited time. Check it out here. It's an incredibly fast read that I'll be reviewing in full later, but for now, I'll just say that both Bestie and I read the whole thing in our down times today and are A) baffled and B) anxious to see what's going to happen next.

I think it's actually a pretty smart marketing move for Harper Collins. It's a book I wouldn't have picked up off the shelf in a store, but now that they've pulled me in with a free read of the first book, I'll be preordering the second to make sure I find out what happens next.

Book Review: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

2011-10-11T17:23:00.001-04:00

Impulse, like all of Ellen Hopkins' books, is a story in verse. This story focuses on three teenagers who have all been hospitalized for suicide attempts. Each one has secrets to hide and they form a bond as they deal with some extremely difficult issues. Serendipitously, I discovered that Hopkins' latest YA book, Perfect, is a sequel to this one. I'm anxious to get it and see what happens next for the teens.

Writing
I have a hard time analyzing Hopkins' writing. On the one hand, she's doing something that not many other authors or poets are doing - YA or otherwise. Stories in verse are unique and she does them well. On the other hand, it's not great poetry. It's gimmicky and cliche at times and not something I think you'd hear a lot of literary praise for. But I don't think Hopkins is going for critical praise as much as she is going for appeal to the audience, which is young adult. So I have to applaud her for taking poetry to a group that doesn't get much exposure to poetry and for doing it in an appealing way. So, while she's not going to be winning any literary awards, I think her writing is extremely successful for her purpose and intent.

Entertainment Value
Definitely entertaining, if not always believable. If you are a teen in a book by Ellen Hopkins, you are facing some seriously obstacles. It's almost like being an animal in literary fiction - you aren't just going to suffer, you are going to suffer in every imaginable way. That's not necessarily a criticism either - Hopkins' whole "thing" is appealing to teens who are struggling and creating characters they can identify with. And these characters go through the teen experience to an intense degree: rape, homosexuality, religion, sex with teachers, molestation, sibling rivalry, etc, etc, etc. And that's just in this one book. Very soap opera, but on a teen level. Lots of drama, but with heart, if that makes sense.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading Perfect.

In My Mailbox (24)

2011-10-09T20:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another week's In My Mailbox, hosted by The Story Siren. I got a couple of new books this week AND I've got some non-book-related sewing projects to show you that I'm just a little bit proud of.

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche from Ballantine, which is a Random House imprint.

Burned by Thomas Enger from Atria as part of their Galley Alley promotion.

Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane from Crazy Book Tours

Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia by Blake Butler from Harper Perennial (I'm already reading this one)

And here are some photos of me modeling my latest sewing project: I used a Pintrest picture for inspiration and kind of did my own thing in sewing some infinity scarves. For work I wear almost exclusively black, white, and grey because it all matches and I can get up and grab something out of the closet and go. So maybe having some scarves in prints and other colors will help a little on the style side of things. I've used a sweater (the burgundy) and a tank top (the pattern) so far - but I'm such a hoarder, I have a ton of other clothes that don't fit anymore that I plan to make into scarves - or maybe I'll find some other inspiration.

Book Review: Dear Bully

2011-10-07T12:55:00.003-04:00

Dear Bully was published as a response from YA authors to the recent attention that bullying has been receiving in the press. It contains stories, essays, and letters from authors who were bullied, saw others bullied, or were bullies themselves - and it encourages teens that things will get better.

I was lucky enough not to experience extreme bullying as a child or teen. I homeschooled through elementary school, and my homeschool community was awesome. Being different wasn't something that led to bullying - in my world being different was cool. That was why most of our parents were homeschooling - so that we could have the freedom to be individuals, to spend time on the things that we were interested in, to devote ourselves to developing individuality.

I went to a private Christian school for middle school and high school, and it was a pretty big culture shock. Being different was not a good thing at my school. Being a small school, there wasn't really a cool crowd, there was just part of the group and not part of the group. Please don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say I was bullied, especially not to the extreme that so many teens are facing. People didn't laugh at me (much), make fun of me, phsyically or emotionally torment me - I was just ignored. And for the most part I was pretty happy being ignored. Sure I got tired of being told that I was quiet (yep I sure am) or that I blush easily (again, yes, I have noticed that myself more than once and don't need it continually pointed out). And by the time I graduated I was ready to come to blows over the phrase "come out of your shell" (it's not a SHELL it's a PERSONALITY and it's not changing - I will never be a run around, squealing, life of the party person), but I wasn't harassed or called names. And while I can remember lots of crying because I felt like no one liked me or that something was wrong with me because I was different, it was nothing compared to the stories of what these authors endured and saw happening at their schools.

While my experiences do not even approach actual bullying, I do want to express my heartfelt agreement with those who tell teens that it will get so much better. Going to college was life-changing for me. Suddenly I was in a place where I met people who wanted to get to know me not just in spite of my being different but because I was different. And even as the homeschooled-weirdo-book lover that I was, my college world was big enough that I wasn't the only one who was different.

My one disagreement with some of the authors in the book was in the idea that the childhood bullies will remain ignorant hicks who will have outlived the best days of their lives by graduation. And you will be successful and able to rub it in their faces. This just isn't true. Sometimes the popular evil girl from high school grows up to be a popular super successful evil co-worker. And you might not grow up to be famous. I don't think success and overcoming bullying means you get to rub your awesomeness in your bully's face. I think it means not caring. It means learning to love who you are and not minding if your high school bully goes on to become President or runs the Junior League and still has a million friends. If you can learn to be happy in your own skin and not feel the need to change, then you overcame the bully - regardless of who has more money, influence, friends, etc. Overcoming is no longer being controlled or impacted by the ignorance and general evil of bullies.

In my case, overcoming means I stopped caring about my nerdiness and started enjoying it. It means I made friends who either liked the same things I like or just like me and don't care if I listen to country music and obsess over Dr. Who and don't talk a lot in large groups. It means being ok with not having a hundred million friends and having a few very close friends. It means I don't care if I don't have weekend plans because I like staying home and reading books. And here's the best part: when I stopped caring, my life became so much easier. The cute boy that I liked and didn't think would ever notice me because he was so popular? He noticed that I had fun doing my own thing and that I wasn't afraid to look uncool. And now I spend my free time snuggling on the couch and watching Battlestar Gallactica with a man who thinks I'm awesome, hanging out with people who accept me for who I am, and enjoying whatever I darn well feel like enjoying. THAT is my success.

If you are a teen, if you work with teens if you know teens, if you wish you could relive your teen years - this book is a must-read.

Book Review: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

2011-10-05T20:21:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite book genres is books about books. I can spend hours reading lists of books, literary analyses of books, and books about people who love books. This one is actually fiction, but it fits perfectly into the category of books about books. It tells the story of two Chinese city boys who are sent to a remote village for "re-education" during Mao's Cultural Revolution. There, they discover a hidden stash of Chinese translations of Western books, and the beautiful daughter of the region's only tailor.

Writing
Excellent, especially the descriptions. I could picture myself in the village with the boys and I could feel their joy when they discovered the secret stash of books - and their desperation to get them at any cost. It is literary in tone, but not in an inaccessible way. And because it is short, it's not as intimidating to those who don't typically read literary fiction or works in translation (it was originally published in French). This is a great introduction to literary fiction if you're afraid to jump in with a longer book, but I'd also recommend it for those who typically read and enjoy literary fiction - I can't imagine that you won't be impressed with the writing quality.

Entertainment Value
Obviously, this is not an action-packed, on the edge of your seat to find out what will happen next novel. It's certainly not plot-driven. I'm not even sure I'd say it's character-driven. It's beautiful writing-driven (that's a new thing I just made up - someone put it in a textbook and give me credit). With the exception of the Seamstress, I wouldn't say the characters really evolve, and it's not a book where a lot of things happen. It's about the moving power of words, the importance of stories, and the life-changing properties of imagination and knowledge juxtaposed against a setting where creativity and knowledge are not only discouraged but cruely punished. For me, that was entertaining. But I have read reviews where the book is described as slow, and I can see that, for those used to fast pacing and intense plotting, this would seem less interesting. I highly recommend that you read it knowing that it is a book that is about ideas, not a book that is about a plot (although the plot perfectly enhances the ideas the author is trying to convey).

One note from this book: has anyone else noticed that things do not bode well for animals in literary fiction? It didn't mess up the book for me, but there is a scene in this book where an animal dies a pretty awful death. And it made me start thinking about animals in literary fiction and how they always seem to die or suffer in really terrible ways. If you are an animal and you are in literary fiction, your outlook is grim. Would it really be that un-literary to have a happy animal that does NOT die/suffer torture? Can you think of any books that prove my theory wrong?

What I Read In September

2011-10-04T13:05:00.001-04:00

Hello, Reader Friends! I'm pretty excited about what I read in September - I read quite a few really good books. Not all of the reviews are posted yet, but I'll link to the ones that are, as usual.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (already owned)
The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson (review)
You Are My Only by Beth Kephart (review through NetGalley)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (bought through All 4 Alabama - maybe the first time I've ever paid over retail)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (bought used)
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins (gift)
Feed by Mira Grant (gift)
Dear Bully by various YA authors (review)
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe (review through NetGalley)
Hell's Belles by Seale Ballenger (bought used)

I also started by did not finish Forbidden by Ted Dekker. Since I didn't finish it, I don't count it in my statistics

Total books read in September: 10
Total books read this year: 80
Total pages read: 28,727
Total saved by reading what I already own, buying used book, using the library, and reading review copies (I get this number by adding up what I have spent on the books I read and subtracting that number from the retail cost of those books): $781.43

As far as my personal life goes, there are no major changes or any big news to report. I already wrote about Decatur Book Festival, which was my big September event. I had planned on attending National Book Festival, but ended up deciding not to go because of migraines. The migraines are the main reason I have done nothing of any real interest this month. I had a bad reaction to a medication and have had almost daily migraines as a result. I'm off the medication now and will hopefully have fewer migraines as the medicine leaves my system. So basically I spent a bunch of time sleeping and laying in the dark. The great news is that I'm already having fewer migraines AND the weather here is finally bearable! I'm looking forward to October and finally getting to wear my boots!

Weekend at Tybee Island

2011-10-02T21:04:00.000-04:00

My cousin Katie got married this weekend on Tybee Island, where we've spent all our summers growing up. My uncle, not her daddy, but a different uncle, owns a resort on the island and it's always been a special place for our family. So of course Katie's wedding made a great reason for a mini-vacation. We usually vacation with my family every summer and didn't get to this year, so it was a great get-away. I spent my weekend reading on the beach:

The weather was amazing - in the 70's and breezy. So nice that I sat on the beach reading for several hours and get a crazy half body sunburn without realizing I was burning.

It's a six hour drive from Chattanooga to Tybee and we were sleepy. Also very squished in the backseat of my parents' little car.

All the siblings, minus David and Elisabeth.

Sarah and Aaron during lunch at Marlin Monroe's on the beach.

Sweet Mama and Daddy at Marlin Monroe's.

At the chapel - fun fact: the chapel that Katie got married at was the one that was made for the filming of that Miley Cyrus movie that was made from a Nicholas Sparks book.

Here you can see my lovely crazy spotty sunburn.

I love my family! We had a great time and got to see a lot of family that we don't get to see very often. The only thing that would have made it better would be if David and Elisabeth and Baby George had been there too. I didn't get as much reading done as I had hoped, but those hours on the beach were amazing. The perfect start the Fall Book Challenge that my reading group is working on!

My Take On Banned Books Week

2011-09-28T13:03:00.001-04:00

Not a fan of the way it's promoted by the ALA. I oppose censorship and the way that a majority of book challenges go down - one parent or set of parents wanting to dictate what everyone's kids can read. Unfortunately, I think the ALA is guilty of propagandizing these events to make them seem dramatic, but in reality just keep people misinformed. One of my biggest pet peeves is reading through blogs during this week and seeing blatant misinformation that I really can't blame the blogger for perpetuating. The worst was last year when I read a blog where the author wrote that before Banned Books Week she wasn't aware that it was illegal to publish certain books in America. That's just blatantly false, with the exception of things like child pornography. The issue is the removal of books from schools and libraries because of the objections of a few individuals - I think ALA would be doing a better service to educate readers on what being "banned" actually means for a book.

Anyway, I don't intend to soapbox about it, but you can read my post from last year (and the comments where virtually everyone tells me I'm wrong) here. I'm totally ok with disagreement by the way - I get why this is a big deal and that most people consider what I"m saying to be semantics. I just happen to think that semantics are a big deal.

Also, you can read what Annoyed Librarian has to say about it in her blog on Library Journal here.

And finally, even if you think I'm totally wrong and AL is totally wrong and we're both just silly nit-pickers, please take a minute to look at Amnesty International's Banned Books Week page. I would love to see the ALA highlight some situations like these as an example for American readers of what real banning and censorship look like (prison, detainment, and even death threats) in addition to the challenges that some authors face in our own country.

Comments

2011-09-27T17:15:00.000-04:00

A quick note on comments - I am still having problems leaving comments on Blogger blogs, including my own. Occasionally I can, but most times I can't. So if you are commenting on my blog, please know that I am reading and appreciating all of them and trying to comment back every day. Also, I do visit any bloggers who leave me comments, but if you are using the Blogger platform I may not be able to comment back. Hopefully Blogger will resolve this soon.

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-09-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

I've seen a few lingering reviews of Divergent popping up every now and then, so I don't think I'm the actual last blogger to read this one, but I know I'm close. I bid on (and won) my copy from All 4 Alabama, which was hosted by my friend Crystal, but it took a while for it to arrive due to the same address mix up that has plagued me ever since we moved last year. Anyway, it finally came and I'm so glad I made it a priority because it was awesome. I am not usually a fan of books that are promoted as "the next Hunger Games" or "the next Twilight" or whatever, so I was suspicious about this one. I still don't like all of the comparisons (just because two books are dystopian does not mean they automatically need to be compared), but the book is phenomenal in a completely different way that is all it's own.

Writing
One of the things about book blogging is that I've become much more critical of my pleasure reading. I'm more aware of things like quality of writing, since I know I'm going to be writing about it and that I'll need to justify the reasoning behind my review. In this one, for the most part, I was so into the story that I didn't notice the writing one way or the other. But I did get a Tweet from a more literary-minded blogger as I read that led me to look at the book beyond just how awesomely amazing the story was. And I think it held up pretty well. There were parts (the romance aspect) that I felt were less believable and possibly were in the book mainly as a plot device aimed at what is expected of most YA fiction (boys and girls falling in love and kissing). I think Roth did an excellent job at keeping those plot devices to a minimum though, and that she told her story well.

Entertainment Value
Off the charts awesome. It's one that I honestly couldn't put down - I read it in less than 24 hours. While the literary part of me felt like maybe some of the romantic elements were a plot device, the girl in my loved the kissing. And I've written about the romance twice now, but please do not misunderstand and think that is waht this book is about. The issues surrounding familial love and the idea of growing up and choosing your own path is expressed beautifully. I loved how Roth was able to bring in something that all teenagers, and I think adults as well, can identify with (growing up and away from your family of origin) and magnified it (choosing a faction at the age of 16), but managed to keep it relatable. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: The Little Friend

2011-09-26T20:20:00.000-04:00

Remember when I reviewed Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter? And I wrote about how it got so many undeserved comparisons to great Southern authors like Flannery O'Connor and Harper Lee? This book deserves those comparisons. It's the perfect mixture of the two and an excellent Southern Gothic. It is set in the 1970's in the rural South and our main character is twelve year old Harriet, who has decided to solve the murder that defines her family. When Harriet was an infant, her brother Robin was murdered in the yard as he played and Harriet is determined to exact revenge.

Writing

Brilliant. I loved Tartt's descriptions of the South. I'm not usually a huge fan of overly descriptive writing, but I felt like Tartt did a great job of setting a scene that you could feel like you were a part of without boring you to death with wordiness. I also LOVED every single one of the characters, even the detestable ones. In contrast to what I thought was a one-dimensional view of the South in Crooked Letter, The Little Friend has great depictions of both the raw and gritty side of rural Southern life and the endearing aspects.

And don't even get me started on the characters. All of them are amazingly real and incredibly detailed. Harriet, of course, was the star - she reminded me very much of Scout, except without the influence of Atticus. She's endearing and frustrating and honestly frightening in her determination to kill the man she thinks murdered her brother. And even the "bad" characters are believable and sympathetic in their own ways.

Entertainment Value

Excellent. I was sucked in and enjoyed every minute of the read. I actually found it online through my school's library, so I was able to read during my down times at work - and found myself really resenting having to do actual work instead of reading. Looking through other reviews, the main complaint I see is that the story does not end neatly. If it were a murder-mystery then I would agree that the lack of a tidy ending detracts from the story. But this isn't a murder mystery, it's a Southern Gothic, and the point of the book is not to find out the "who-dunnit". So if you're looking for a thriller or a tidy little mystery, this is not the one for you. It's literary and detailed and beautifully written and tells a beautiful story - just not a neat story all wrapped up tidily at the end. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In My Mailbox (23)

2011-09-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

Hello, Reader Friends and welcome to this week's In My Mailbox, which is hosted by The Story Siren. This has been a good book week for me. I got some things that I bought in the All 4 Alabama Auction:

Divergent, by Veronica Roth - with temporary tattoos!

And a signed copy of Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Then Luke and I went to McKays where I traded in a bunch of books for store credit and got:

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide

The Reader's Bathroom Reader - a bunch of lists and book trivia and stuff

Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (and then I realized I already have a copy - oops)

A Return to Modesly by Wendy Shalit (read it already and loved it) and Should We Burn Babar by Herbert Kuhl

Dust Tracks On A Road: An Autobiography by Zora Neale Hurston and

Cherry by Mary Karr

We also went by Books-A-Million which is going out of business. It was the last day of their sale so everything was 20% off of the alredy discounted prices.

I'm So Happy For You by Lucinda Rosenfeld

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

And these came for review this week:

Don't Sing At the Table by Adriana Trigiani (I'll be doing a TLC review next month)

Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia by Blake Butler from Harper Collins

Dear Bully by various YA authors from PTA

Faith and Fiction Round Table: Forbidden

2011-09-23T22:54:00.001-04:00

Oh goodness. Ted Dekker, what can I say? I really really wanted to love this book. Ted Dekker had two strikes against him (the book The House that he wrote with Frank Peretti and the movie Three) but I was willing to give him one last shot because of the FaFRT and because my friend Booney has read and enjoyed him. Plus the idea of Christian dystopia intrigued me. And I wanted this one to be so good that I spent over a month trying to read it, but the truth is I only made it about halfway through. I tried to finish for our discussion, but just couldn't make myself. Since I didn't manage to finish, I don't want to discuss/review the book in particular, but address one of Christian fiction's chief failings in my mind: the rip off of secular culture.

This was yet another example of how an author of Christian fiction has taken what secular fiction is doing and tried to Christian-ify it. Dystopia is super popular right now, so Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee paired up to write this dystopian novel. Ok, I can get on board with that, but the problem for me was (as it has been with other books) that not only is it just another dystopia, it's not even an original or well-done dystopia. If you read YA at all, you probably recognized the plot line: a future world where all emotion has been erased (Delirium?). Except guess what? Our MC has found the cure - drinking the blood of someone who lived before emotion was destroyed. So he does, goes through a horrible transformation and then his female best friend decides that she might as well try it too. And guess what? They immediately fall in love.

This was where I really gave up caring because it was so far beyond belief to me. That two characters who have never experienced emotions other than fear and who are being pursued by the government who is trying to kill them and has killed their families also just happen to have the time to not only process all the new emotions but fall in love. And almost have sex, because we don't want to NOT appeal to secular culture, but we can't go through with it either because then the Baptist bookstores might not sell it either. It's that playing to both markets that really got me with this one. Not because I'm opposed to Christians writing fiction and selling it in the secular market and not because I'm opposed to Christians writing fiction and selling it to BOTH markets - I think cross-market advertising opportunities for Christian fiction are amazing. But write something that rings true. Don't try so blatantly to appeal to both that the writing suffers - and for me that is where this book fell apart.

I am desperate to see some Christian authors who successfully market to both audiences - or really just write well despite what market they appeal to. Not that there aren't Christians doing that, but I'd love to see more examples of authors who are Christians who are writing about life and who aren't writing for a specific market - and way too much of what Christians are doing right now is overtly aimed at one market or the other. Just write and do it well - unfortunately this isn't an example of that.

Check out what the other members had to say:

One Persons Journey through a world of Books

Roving Reads

Semicolon

The 3 R's Blog // Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

TinasBookReviews

Victorious Café

Word Lily

Library Sale!

2011-09-21T13:42:00.000-04:00

Twice a year the public library has a book sale - and they just so happen to have it in the same building I work in. Very convenient. So I try to only go once or twice, but it's so tempting just to slip out the back door for a minute and check things out. This year I spent $48 and got these books:

The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors

The Queen of the Big Time

The History of Love

Barabbas

Sand In My Bra

Among the Mad (part of the Maise Dobbs series)

Great House

Literary Landscapes (photos of places in literature - I haven't given it a good look yet, but Watership Downs is featured which is why I had to have it)

Gertrude and Claudius

To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife

The Diary of An American Au Pair (not a huge fan of chick lit, but I was a nanny and I'm a sucker for nanny stories)

The Law of Similars

Myths, Legends, and Folktales in America

The House Gun

The Roald Dahl Omnibus

Wedding Season

The Kiss (this is the crazy autobiography of the woman who started an affair with her father at the age of 20 - I couldn't resist buying it but I'm not seeing very good reviews on Goodreads)
Secret Lives of Great Authors (bought mainly because the cover is awesome)

The Senator's Wife

A Room of One's Own

Push

Sarah's Key

I also picked up a picture book on the making of the original Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera and Best American Short Stories for 1968, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. I collect the series and have had a hard time finding copies before 1980 in good condition, so I was excited to come across these.

Pretty good for $48 right?

Book Review: Starting From Happy by Patricia Marx

2011-09-19T19:27:00.000-04:00

This is the story of Imogene and Wally, told in chaplettes (very short chapters) and interspersed with illustrations. It's intended to be a cute, quirky, humorous look at relationships through the coupling of Imogene and Wally, who meet while waiting in line for apple pie at a party. Wally is convinced they are meant to be together but Imogene isn't so sure.

Writing
Not my style. I figured I'd enjoy this one because the idea of chaplettes sounded cute and I like illustrations. I assumed it would be a quick, funny read. I was right about the quick part at least. I wouldn't have been able to commit any more time to this book than the hour or two I spent reading it. It's not that the writing was bad, it was just weird. In my opinion it was trying way too hard to be different and quirky. The author's insertion of herself into the story was weird. I didn't like Wally or Imogene. The story didn't reveal anything to me about modern relationships. It's something different than the usual, but not necessarily in a good way.

Entertainment Value
Again, didn't do it for me. I didn't like any of the characters and I thought overall that it was boring. It's supposed to be humorous, but I just didn't get any of the humor. Other than the unique format, the book was really just day to day life of average people. Nothing really happens to them. I didn't pick up on any commentary on life or relationships in the story and it wasn't interesting enough to keep my attention for the plot itself.

Do not recommend.

Book Review: Lost Daughters by Reinder van Til

2011-09-16T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's not going to win any prizes for the cover and the author's name sounds like reindeer. Let's just get that out of the way. Look past them if you can because this is actually a fascinating book. It is written by a man whose daughter accused him of sexual abuse that she repressed as a child and only remembered as an adult. Because Mr. van Til knows he didn't abuse his daugther, he has devoted years of his life to meticulously researching recovered memory therapy, scientific studies of memory, and case studies of other families that have been destroyed by false memories recovered by their adult children.

Writing

Incredibly impressive, especially given that van Tilen is not a scientist or doctor by profession. I do feel like that should be said up front, but please don't take that to mean that he doesn't know what he's talking about. It is obvious from his extensive research and impeccably cited sources that the man has done his homework. He presents the information in an accessible but professional manner and has done a truly excellent job at presenting numerous scientific studies as well as case studies to back up his claims.

Entertainment Value

This is, primarily, an academic work. It does contain several stories narrated by families who have been devastated by the recovery of false memories, but the majority of the work focuses on the movements that lead to false memories (militant feminism and extremely fundamentalist Christian sects), the cultural influences on false memories (the Satanism craze of the early 90's, police interrogation styles, etc), and the scientific proof that memories can and have been implanted in children and adults. It covers a lot of material and, at times, reads like a psychology text or a research compilation. It's not light reading, but if you are interested in the topic or you are interested in psychology, it is fascinating.

I highly recommend it for those who are interested in the subject and who aren't bored by academic and scientific research. I also recommend it for those who aren't easily upset by the topic of sexual abuse because, by the nature of its topic, the book does contain case studies where people are accused of various forms of sexual abuse.

Decatur Book Festival Wrap Up: The Goods

2011-09-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

While it is true that the main draw for me at DBF this year was seeing my Nestie Besties, it didn't hurt that some amazing authors were there signing books. I've been having terrible migraines, so I wasn't able to go all out this year, but I did pick up some wonderful books and got to listen to several great talks.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Shachner (a gift for Georgie)

Shine by Lauren Myracle (I actually missed her talk because of a migraine but I picked up a signed copy at The Little Shop of Stories)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Libba Bray's story in Zombies vs. Unicorns (see how the zombie at the top is saying "Brains!" om-nom-nom)

Libba Bray's story in Geektastic

And a signed copy of Beauty Queens

Also got this amazing stationery from my Nestie Bestie Crystal. I think I may have mentioned on here before that I am not only a lover of rainbows, puppies, and unicorns, but that I also have a special love for Lisa Frank's rainbows, puppies, and unicorns. So Crystal picked up this amazing stationery set that comes with stickers that I'll be using on everything from now on.

Also, Jacki made us these amazing cookes (pictured here on Tameka's laptop - I stole them from her Facebook because I ate mine before I could get pictures) It's Harry Potter! She MADE them. I'm so impressed. And, to add to what is, frankly, my complete and total admiration, Jacki is gorgeous (it's ok if you want to get a restraining order or something, I understand). But seriously. The woman is beautiful. And she makes Harry Potter cookies.

Ron - how precious?

And Hermione.

Book Review: Rattled and Pacifi(her) by Hogan Hilling

2011-09-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

If you follow my Twitter feed you are already familiar with these books and what I'm going to have to say about them. I hate to do it guys, I really do. Giving bad reviews, especially in a case where I requested the book, isn't fun. That said, there is nothing nice to say about these two books, other than that the covers are cute.

Here's the thing, Reader Friends. I wanted to like these books so bad. The covers are cute and I thought it would be realy great to read a book from a man's point of view about what my husband may think and feel when I get pregnant (nope, still not happening yet, but for future reference). I thought the idea was fantastic, the chapter titles seemed really thoughtful and appropriate ("I May Struggle To Bond With Our Unborn Baby" and "I'd Like You To Acknowledge Me As An Equal Partner"). So I started these books with high hopes. I really tried to ignore the crazy in them. I looked them up to make sure they weren't written in the 1950's. I checked out the publisher to make sure I wasn't reading something published by an incredibly conservative Christian press. But nope, released in 2011 by a secular press. So there is really no excuse I can think of (PS: I am absolutely accepting of conservative Christian groups, including "fudies", and I totally accept those beliefs on submission in marriage, etc, even if it's not my own personal belief - so I would have had more tolerance for this book had it come from an ideological standpoint as opposed to a scientific standpoint.)

Anyway, here's where the author totally lost me: "During pregnancy, a woman suffers from PMS, and her mood swings increase" (Pacifi(her), pg. 56). Nope. No that actually is not the case at all. Women do not suffer from PMS during pregnancy. Those are kind of mutually exclusive situations. So I was totally thrown off by the fact that the author just tosses that out there and then expects me to think he knows anything about pregnancy. Also, how was that not caught by an editor? Have ANY women read this book before publication?

But we aren't just dealing with scientific, factual inaccuracy in these books. Take the opening of Pacif(her) for example: "When a wife asks her husband to conceive a baby, almost every husband is willing to become a dad and help his wife fulfill her lifelong dream: to be a mom." I'll just let that sink in for a minute. Go back and reread if you need to. I sure did. Most couples I know both wanted to be parents - not just the wife begging her husband for a baby. And every woman's lifelong dream? No. I didn't even think about marriage until college and it wasn't until I was a nanny that I knew I wanted kids at all. So that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

From that point on, both books pretty much cover the same themes: women rarely have jobs, they spend lots of money and have no concept of budgeting, they are slaves to their hormones, and did I mention all they want is to be wives and mothers? Because no woman is actually fulfilled by a profession and really, very few women work outside of the home anyway right? Men, on the other hand, can't show their feelings because their dads might call them sissies, only reluctantly become fathers at their wife's request, and are the primary "breadwinners" of the family - even if they don't work.

Again, were this an ideological standpoint, particularly if it were faith based and coming from a religious press, I would give it a lot more leeway. But coming from a secular press and intended as modern-day advice, the books are just ludicrous. And it's not just the "women are from mars" thing that the author has going on - there are several other moments in the book that just didn't make sense to me and, honestly, made me laugh (the suggestion that expecting dads take their single male friends to the hospital to tour the labor and delivery ward was one). I can't in good faith recommend anyone read these books. They are incredibly out of touch culturally and scientifically. Your time is much better spent on the classics: Taking Charge of Your Fertility and What To Expect Before You're Expecting. And if any of you know of any good books about pregnancy from a father's point of view, I'm still looking for one!

Decatur Book Festival Wrap Up: The People

2011-09-12T20:02:00.000-04:00

I know, you'd think I would have gotten around to this before, but I had a busy week last week. It was graduation week at my school, and since I run graduation it was a very busy week for me. Anyway, the highlight of the trip for me was meeting people I consider some of my best friends. I had some health issues the week before and I probably would have skipped the trip altogether if I were only taking into account the books. But how could I NOT meet these lovely ladies?

Jennie, Jacki, and Tameka - we've "known" each other for several years but only online - it was so great to meet them in person!

The Nesties. Tameka, Jacki, Crystal, and Ashley on the back row and me, Jennie, and Heather on the front row.

Heather isn't in this picture - she was busy SWIPING all the copies of Lola and the Boy Next Door while we ate. I forgive her, I really do.

Lunch at an amazing pizza place that I can't remember the name of

And of course Bestie was there, which made it even more awesome. Honestly, Reader Friends, I'm having a hard time talking about these friends and not getting all weepy and emotional. These girls, plus some others I've become close to who weren't able to make it (Angel...Jessica...Leah) have had a huge impact on my life since I've been married. I credit a lot of my learning to be happy with who I am and comfortable with myself and overcoming the whole painfully shy (now I'm just painfully awkward) to them. Being accepted and liked by such amazing people has really allowed me to believe that I have something to offer - I certainly wouldn't be blogging without them. AND, I really think that they influenced my ability to do things like run off to Decatur for a weekend and meet a bunch of people I only know through the internet and not be paralyzed with shyness. So, yes, tears, I love my friends and if you refer to them as internet people or tell me they aren't "real" friends, I will probably have to fight you. And please remember, you don't want to go there - this is what happened to the last person who called them "internet friends".

Book Review: The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

2011-09-11T18:49:00.000-04:00

This book was a struggle for me. Not in terms of reading but in terms of actually finishing. I was already last posting and then I accidently left the book on the porch unsupervised while the puppies were outside. It only took about two seconds and the entire thing was destroyed.

Me, trying to pry the cover out of Chief's mouth.

Pieces of book throughout the backyard

Proud of their work, aren't they? Of course, the part of the book I had already read was the only part still intact. The last 150 or so pages are still blowing around my backyard. Luckily, the book was available on Nook, so I was able to get back on track and get it finished.

The Lantern is told in two parts. The first is that of a modern woman, Eve, has a whirlwind romance with an older man and finds herself quickly living wiht him in South France, restoring an abandoned house called Les Genevriers The second part takes us back in time to a girl named Benedicte who was haunted by Les Genevries years ago. It's dark and gothic and has the whole "is the house haunted or no?" vibe going on. It's also very reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Dom, who Eve falls in love with, has been married before and has dark moods and refuses to speak of his first wife, who also may or may not be haunting Eve.

Writing

I went through phases with the writing in this one. I wanted to like it, but it was so heavy-handed. Instead of coming across as evocative of setting, it came across as an author trying really really hard to be literary and set a very specific tone. It's true that I want that tone and setting to come across in a gothic novel, but I don't want to think "Oh the author is setting a tone right here." It was too overt and instead of making me feel like I was in Provence, I felt like the author was trying to make me feel like I was in Provence.

I also never really liked or cared about some of the main characters - specifically Eve and Benedicte. Eve was so very needy and spineless - her refusal to leave Dom baffled me. It worked in Rebecca because of the time period and setting, but it didn't work for me in a modern day setting where the main character was willingly isolated and had opportunities to get help and refused because she was embarassed. I also thought that given what we knew of Benedicte in the beginning of the story, she should not have been as dense as she turned out to be. I can't say more without giving away a plot twist, but I didn't feel like she was very consistent, particularly in regards to her intelligence. I did like Dom a lot. I thought his character was the most nuanced and believable - I wish we got to see more of him in the book.

My final critique of the writing is that the ending was anticlimactic. In and of itself, it was a good ending, but I think it could have been written better. It was a ton of tense build up and then the big reveal just kind of fell flat for me in the way it was presented.

Entertainment Value

Ok this is where the other phase of my reading experience came in. I liked the book. Blogging has made me more critical of writing and technique, but I still love a good story and this was a good story. I was appropriately intrigued, scared, and curious about the secrets of Les Genevriers. I had problems with the ending, with the description and setting, and with some of the characters, but I was into the story. It took me a while to get there, but once I realy got into it I had a hard time putting it down. I think the author did a great job of keeping suspence about whether or not the house was truly haunted. And there were several edge of my seat moments (just not at the climax, unfortunately).

I think the idea for the story was great, I think the plot was well done, I think the setting was obviously well researched...I just think there were some writing issues that kept me from fully committing myself to it. I've found that the longer I blog, the more I find myself letting writing issues keep me from immersing myself in a story and this happened several times throughout the book.

Overall, I think it's a pretty good book, if you're going for story and not style. I think readers who aren't into the whole gothic thing and who are turned off by lots of description will probably not find themselves able to get to the meat of the story because of the slowness of the beginning. However, if you ARE into gothic writing this is a decent read. It was worth the money I spent buying it on my Nook and I'm glad I finished it.

One more note: It is very possible that my lack of interest in the setting is a result of being unfamiliar with the setting. I've never been to France and so the long drawn out descriptions of being in France and the nostalgia that I think the author was going for just didn't translate well to me. On the other hand, I recently read The Little Friend, which is set in the small town South and also has lots of description, and I fully appreciated it because I could so identify with it. I think a good author can make you feel like you've been to a place you've never been before, but I also think it's easier as a reader to appreciate somewhere you do feel that sense of nostalgia for than a place you've never been.

What I Read in August

2011-09-06T21:11:00.000-04:00

Honestly, Reader Friends, August defies explanation for me. I couldn't really tell you anything in particular that happened this month or what kept me from reading more - it was just a blah month all around. This is pretty cute though. Every few months Sly will pick a new spot that becomes his spot - he will spend 20 hours a day in that spot and we can't convince him to move until he's through with it. This is his new spot:

Looks just like the bookcase right? Except every day we started to come home to find this:

It took us a day or two to of putting the books on the shelf every time we came home to figure out that Sly has started pulling books off the shelf so that he can crawl into the spot behind the other books to sleep while I'm at work. How cute is that? I'm telling myself it's because he wants to be close to his mommy while she's gone.

Anyway here's what I read in August:

Lost Daughters: Recovered Memory Therapy and the People It Hurts
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat
Rattled
Pacifi(her)
You Don't Sweat Much For A Fat Girl
Starting From Happy
The Good Daughters
The Little Friend

In news of my family, the month of August was pretty slow for us. My major brag is that Chief finally passed his Canine Good Citizen test. We bribed him and practiced and didn't let him sit on mommy's lap at all that night and he did it! Next step is his Therapy Dog International certification, although the CGC certification is enough to get him started in therapy.

Decatur Book Festival Highlight: Who I'm Going With

2011-08-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm pretty excited about Decatur Book Festival this weekend. I've already shown you all my books, so today I want to tell you about how I'm actually twice as excited about the people I'm going with. Hard to believe, but true. I'm having the chance to meet some of the girls from my internet book club (NBC Shoutout!) who I never actually thought I'd get the chance to meet along with some of my other "internet" best friends, who have become real life best friends. And of course I'm bringing along Luke and Bestie. Luke and Bestie don't have blogs though, so you'll have to be satisfied with links to the blogs of the girls I can't wait to meet (and Crystal and Heather who I've already met!)

You guys have heard me gush about Crystal on here before - she only lives a few hours from me and we first met up in real life about a year and half ago. And she is awesome - she recently raised a TON of mony for tornado victims in AL with All 4 Alabama, which was a huge success. And I count her among my personal best friends ever. Her blog is Life, Love, and Literature.

I also got to meet Heather, of See Heather Right, about a year ago. She is also amazing and she went with me and Crystal and two other Nesties to DBF last year. I haven't had a chance to see her in many months and I cannot wait to hang out with her again.

Also, remember how I'm always gushing about Jacki at Lovely Little Shelf? She's coming! I'm so excited that we're finally going to get to meet in real life - her blog is one of my all time favorites. I actually tried like six times to nominate her for a Book Bloggers Appreciation Week award and could never get the nomination form to work. Sorry Jacki - but I really did try and more than once!

Another favorite blogger is Jennie at Life Is Short, Read Fast. Jennie just redid her home library with her books organized by color and it looks amazing - obviously great minds think alike (Jacki's are also organized by color in case you were wondering - we're all cool like that). Also Jennie and Jacki both are from the midwest and I can't wait to hear them say "pop" instead of "coke". And force feed them real grits (I mean what? No, I'd never...)

Tameka (Imperfection Is The New Pink) is another awesome blogger I'll get to meet for the first time and a Nestie friend from way back. We haven't met yet, but guys Tameka just makes me happy. I feel like she radiates happiness - when I was thinking of how to describe her on here it's the first word that came to mind. Also, she sent me Zombies vs. Unicorns AND Anna and the French Kiss - what's not to love?

And, the cherry on the pie of my DBF experience is that Ashley from That's Life is coming. All the way from Canada. What? I know. I'm not sure what Canadians say for coke, but I totally intend to find out. Ashley is another NBC friend I've "known" online for several years and she's one of the sweetest, most real people I know.

So there you have it. Who I'm going to DBF with - in my post-DBF summaries I'll be linking up to them again and of course posting tons of pictures (if I'm not having too much fun to take them).

Book Review: The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

2011-08-30T10:19:00.000-04:00

I'm normally pretty into the whole family secrets type book, so this is one that I immediately marked on my TBR list on Goodreads. It's about two girls who are born on the same day at the same hospital in the 1960's. The girls have very little in common, but their lives are connected as they grow up and into adulthood through various family ties and one big family secret. Unfortunately, this one really didn't work for me.

Writing

Nothing spectacular. No issues with sentence structure, grammr, typos, etc, but the plot itself just wasn't that interesting. Throughout the book I had an idea of where the build up to the big secret was headed, but I kept telling myself no. The ending I saw coming was way too cliche, too improbable, too predictable, etc. And yet, that was the ending the author chose. So I felt like the build up through the entire book to the revelation of this secret was not all that successful.

Entertainment Value

Also disappointing. The secret that is used to draw us into the book is a little bit deceptive - the book is very much character driven as opposed to plot driven. This can work very well, especially in women's literature, but only if the reader cares about the characters. Unfortunately, I didn't really care about anyone in this book. So reading lots of small stories about the two main characters growing up and coming of age really wasn't all that interesting because I didn't especially like either of them. In a weird, oxymoronical way it made for a slow fast read. Fast read because it wasn't challenging intellectually so I read it in just a few hours. Slow because while I was reading I was bored. Those few hours felt like days.

Overall, disappointing. I hate to say so because it was sent to me by Trish from TLC and I LOVE Trish and TLC Tours, but this one just wasn't for me. If you're looking for a good family secret/ women's lit novel, I recommend The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (for a more gothic take) and The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (for a lighter take).

However, many other reviewers on the tour enjoyed this one, so I recommend checking out their reviews as well if you're considering reading the book to get a balanced take on it.

Decatur Book Festival Highlight: What I'm bringing

2011-08-29T18:11:00.000-04:00

I've been putting together my collection of books that I'll be taking with me to DBF this year and I've come up with quite a stack. Two trips to McKays and quite a bit of online shopping, plus rounding up what I already owned and here's what I've come up with:

All of Joshilyn Jackson's books: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Gods in Alabama, Backseat Saints, and Between Georgia. I actually have two copies of Gods in Alabama, so maybe I'll get them both signed and give one away here! Maybe. Or I might just hoard them all.

Seriously Funny, a collection of poems edited by Barbara Hambry and David Kirby. Neither of them will be at the festival this year, but I'm fairly certain some of the poets in the anthology will be - maybe I should double check that...

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Geektastic (stories by Libba Bray) and The Bermudez Triangle (because there are rumors that Maureen Johnson will be there, so I'm coming prepared)

Swamplandia by Karen Russell and Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh

Zombies Vs. Unicorns, stories by Libba Bray and Maureen Johnson

Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff and Coming Up For Air by Patti Callahan Henry

Everything by Mary Kay Andrews I could get my hands on: Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, Blue Christmas, Savannah Blues (two copies, I have to decide which I like more)

And here it is all together. I'm still waiting for at least one more in the mail - Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

In My Mailbox (22)

2011-08-28T23:19:00.000-04:00

It's late and I'm reading a good book so tonight is going to have to be a quick post and run. Here's what I've received/bought over the past two or three weeks:

For Review:

40 Love by Madeleine Wickham from LibraryThing's early reviewer program

Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant from the author

Death In The City of Light by David King, from Random House

An Accidental Mother by Katherine Kindred, from Unbridled Books

A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres, from Simon & Schuster

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, from MacMillan

Bought at McKays

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Hater by David Moody

Shopping In Space: Essays On America's Blank Generation in Fiction

I've actually bought quite a few others recently as well, but I'll be posting those tomorrow in my "I can't wait for DBF" post.

Book Review: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

2011-08-24T19:41:00.001-04:00

Reader Friends, I have good news. As of today, Luke and I are the proud owners of a new and working air conditioner. We even have a fancy digital thermostat now. True, we will be eating ramen noodles and Cheerios for the next six months, but the important thing is that our indoor temperatures will not be approaching ninety by 9 AM (yes, that really happened today). So now that I am A) not suffering from heat stroke just from walking up the stairs and B) not dreading the misery of another night on the fold out basement couch with the dogs, I feel like blogging again.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is an amazing meditation on grief, written after a particularly devastating year in Didion's life. While her daughter was in the hospital in a coma after suffering from a sudden onset of flu, which became a full body infection that threatened her life, Didion's husband had a heart attack and died suddenly and unexpectedly in their home. Didion's daughter recovered, only to have a massive hematoma months later. Again, she almost died and spent months recovering. The Year of Magical Thinking is a re-examination of this year by Didion, with thoughts and feelings on grief and mourning.

Writing

Beautiful. So, so beautiful. I've read some reviews that mention the repetition of certain words and phrases throughout the book as a negative, but I thought they really pulled it all together - and fit the theme of grief so well. There are phrases and thoughts and senses that repeat themselves endlessly as people grieve and I think Didion captures this with her use of repetition in the book. It also addressed a topic that, as Didion mentions in the book, isn't frequently written about. There are lots of "how to" type books dealing with grief, but books that anthologize grief or just chronicle what it means to lose are few and far between. The examples Didion gives - the poetry of W.H. Auden, A Grief Observed, etc - are all excellent selections and I would add her own book to that list of literary meditations on death.

Entertainment Value

I'm not really sure how to describe the entertainment value of a meditation on death. It's kind of like saying a Holocaust documentary was really entertaining. It's moving and touching, but it's not a pleasure read. It's not a thriller or a comedy or something light and easy to skim through. I had to listen to it piece by piece. I almost stopped at the beginning - of course I couldn't help but wonder how I would react to losing Luke and the thought is overwhelming. I stuck with it though, just limited my time listening to it. It took a while longer, but it helped me enjoy it a lot more than I think I would have otherwise.

A lot of the reviews I've read on GoodReads really bothered me. I felt like reviewers who described Didion as "cold" and "detached" didn't understand the purpose of the book. The book is a literary examination of grief and, as such, it totally succeeds. I cried, but I can see why other people didn't.It's not meant to be a tear-jerker. If you want to read a book with moving romantic speeches and last moment declarations of love, go read a Nicholas Sparks novel. If you want to read ten steps to dealing with grief, this is also not the book for you. If you want to read a personal examination grief and mourning from a literary point of view, this one is ideal.

Other reviewers complain that Didion name-drops or that she writes about living a luxurious lifestyle. Guess what children? Rich people and famous people experience loss too. It's not just the middle and lower classes who lose husbands and children. So don't get all high and mighty about how she has a plane to fly her daughter cross country after she comes out of a coma. Yes, she is rich. Yes, famous people speak at her husband's funeral. She is Joan Didion and she was married to John Dunne. She's allowed to experience and chronicle her grief the way it happened and I'm willing to bet that she would trade all the money and all the famous friends in the world to have her husband back. Her life circumstances don't dictate her ability to chronicle grief - and I think accusing her of name-dropping or trying to show off her lifestyle is just plain tacky.

Narration

I don't think they could have picked a better narrator than Barbara Caruso. I loved her voice and the way she read the book fit perfectly with the purpose of the book. It was appropriately intimate and thoughtful and I could picture the narrator as Didion herself speaking to me. I highly recommend the audio version of this one, but I also won't be giving up my print copy. It's good enough that I want it displayed on my shelf and kept around for a reread.