|
|
 The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Meet Matt Prior. He’s about to lose his job, his wife, his house, maybe his mind. Unless . . .
In the winning and utterly original novels Citizen Vince and The Zero, Jess Walter (“a ridiculously talented writer”—New York Times) painted an America all his own: a land of real, flawed, and deeply human characters coping with the anxieties of their times. Now, in his warmest, funniest, and best novel yet, Walter offers a story as real as our own lives: a tale of overstretched accounts, misbegotten schemes, and domestic dreams deferred.
My Review:
Don’t you love it when you find yourself really enjoying a book that you know you normally would not like?
THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS is that book for me. There are so many things about the book that should make up the recipe for being a book on Lydia’s did-not-enjoy list. Instead I found myself enjoying the story immensely (although, admittedly, I did have some pretty nasty dreams because it was a little too real and bleak).
Jess Walter does a fantastic job of mixing comedy (straight up laugh out loud lines as well as a self-deprecating main character) with real life topics such as the economy and financial crisis. The first chapter had me laughing out loud to the point where I was wiping away tears by the end of it.
So what all did this book have that would make me not want to pick it up?
- Poetry
- Financial misery
- An extraordinary amount of swear words
- Drug use
Those four things normally add up to me tossing the book away in disgust and moving on. Instead I found myself wrapped up in the story and feeling the narrators pain. It was all so.. real.
Very solid book, very entertaining and I’m loving that it took me way out of my comfort zone and reminded me to keep an open mind about things. You never know when something might surprise you.
View all my reviews
About the Author
Jess Walter is the author of five novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe among many others.
His books:
–THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS, 2009.
–THE ZERO, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award, the 2007 PEN Center Literary Award and the 2007 LA Times Book Prize and winner of the 2007 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award.
–CITIZEN VINCE, winner of the 2005 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel and a finalist for the ITW Thriller of the Year award.
–LAND OF THE BLIND (2003)
–OVER TUMBLED GRAVES, a 2001 New York Times notable book
–EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW (rereleased as RUBY RIDGE), a finalist for the PEN USA literary nonfiction award in 1996.
Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington.
To learn more please visit Jess Walter’s website.
For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
   
 The Twin’s Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day… a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy’s own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy’s mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn’t sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?
My Review:
I love it when books change right in the middle of the story.
The first half of this book had me thinking the following:
- Interesting, but is there any point to this?
- This is a pleasant story, kind of simple, but pleasant.
- Okay I see maybe where she is going, a sort of coming-of-age story.
And then.. the book took a violent turn.
THE TWIN’S DAUGHTER reminds me of a YA version of Anna Quindlen’s EVERY LAST ONE. Although the stories are different the style and the shock value is the same. Set up your story with background and then hit your reader with something horrifying.
That said, the last half of the book was everything that the first half wasn’t. It was gripping, had me turning pages quickly and every time I thought I came to a conclusion it tore that conclusion away from me.
Before picking this story up I recommend you think about this question:
“Does every daughter really know her mother?”
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 The Bells: A Novel by Richard Harvell
Pre-Order from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Dazzling, enchanting and epic, The Bells is the confession of a thief, kidnapper and unlikely lover — a boy with the voice of an angel whose exquisite sense of hearing becomes both his life’s tragic curse and its greatest blessing.
Moses Froben was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps, the bastard son of a deaf-mute woman banished to the church tower to ring each day the Loudest and Most Beautiful Bells in the land. His life is simple but he is content, until the day his father recognizes Moses’s singular sense of hearing and its power to expose his sins. Cast into the world with only his ears to protect and guide him, Moses finds refuge in the choir of the great Abbey of St. Gall and becomes its star singer, only to endure the horrifying act of castration meant to preserve his angelic voice and turn him into a musico.
My Review:
I wanted to start my review of this book off with quotes from its magnificent contents – but unfortunately I was reading an advanced copy of it so this is not an option.
As a music student there are times I pick up a book with a musical theme and, more often than not, I end up disappointed. This can be for a few reasons: the authors naivety when it comes to the skill and discipline, the lack of research placed in musical history (relying instead on a few famous names and works).
Richard Harvell did not disappoint me.
THE BELLS is the story of a young boy, the son of a deaf-mute woman who lives, for all intents and purposes, in the belfry of a church. She “hears” the vibrations of the bells; sounds that would deafen anyone else that came close to them. But Moses, her son, is far from deafened. Instead hearing these bells in her womb has given him an extraordinary ability – but one that leads to a life of pain and uncertainty.
Richard Harvell approaches the custom of castrating young boys to preserve their soprano voices with a heavy, knowledgeable hand. This is not light-hearted historical fiction. This is fiction that reminded me of Follett’s “Pillars of the Earth”. It’s detailed, horrifying and so amazingly fascinating I had a difficult time putting the book down.
In speaking to a friend recently she was shocked that this custom existed. It made me realize that, to many who do not have a musical background, this is a custom that is frequently overlooked when reading and writing historical stories. But can you blame us? This is not something that would be an easy or enlightening topic. Up until the early 19th century the castrati performed due to women not being allowed to sing. While the church took the official disapproving stance on this the opera theaters worshiped these men as angels.
This is a book – a story that sits on me heavily. It is not something I can easily set aside while moving on to the next book on the list. This is a book I need to talk to others about and encourage them to check out once it is made available. If you love historical fiction I recommend you do so as well.
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 Constellation Chronicles: The Lost Civilization of Aries by Vincent Lowry
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
A blinding fireball rips across the night sky and slams into a field in the remote town of Rigel, New Mexico. Glenn Sawyer, a broke and disillusioned 18-year-old, witnesses and investigates the crash, finding a surreal craft and an even stranger monkey-like creature named Paako, who secretly follows him home and stirs up trouble. As Glenn captures Paako and attempts to return her to the crash site, he discovers unexpected company, and learns that his remarkable journey — filled with adventure, evil, and a cast of captivating characters — has only just begun.
My Review:
You know, when I first saw this title I was curious. I checked with my library and unfortunately they didn’t have a copy. That was about a year ago.
So recently I was going through my TBR list and realized I still wanted to read this – the reviews were solid, the premise interesting. I’ve always been a sci-fi/fantasy geek but real sci-fi is getting harder and harder to find. So I splurged and I purchased the e-book and just last night decided to start reading the story.
Almost immediately my concerns about it being a small-name title by an author I’d never heard of vanished. I was sucked into a story about 18 year old Glenn, a boy with girl problems of his own (although very seriously downplayed which was refreshing) and a family with issues of its own.
Then the book took an interesting twist with the arrival of a UFO and what is, quite possibly, the cutest little alien life-form I’ve ever read about. Sweet, adorable Paako.
Seriously, Paako and her popcorn-eating ways had me eating out of the palm of her hand. The rest of the story was interesting too and I can see my nephew LOVING this book as he approaches the teenage years. Spaceships, alien lifeforms, a prophecy, wars, exploring planets in our solar system (with some really fascinating, educational tidbits thrown in for good measure). This was a teenage boys dream-come-true type of story.
From what I understand there’s eleven more books that are due to come out and all I can think is.. okay I waited this long to pick this one up, please don’t make me wait another few years! Vincent Lowry has gained a new fan in me.
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.
There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them.
Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind.
Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay.
But it’s not
My Review:
Is this supposed to be a Young Adult title? Because I cannot imagine handing it to any teenager that I know.
Did you see the movie Avatar? Well.. that’s a starting point for what this book is like. Add in massive amounts of profanity, an attempted rape, dismembered corpses and cannibalism and you’ll start to get a bit more of the picture.
Jack lives in two worlds. He lives in ours and he lives in a place called Marbury. Marbury is… not pleasant.
I’ll be honest with you, this book made me sick at times. The premise was fascinating enough to keep me reading but really, this is a messed up book. It may just be because it has more of a horror element to it and I’m not a big fan of horror but, from the cover and description, I was thinking it would be a more sci-fi sort of book.
I’ve had some pretty nasty, graphic dreams too while reading this story. I don’t want to say it’s a bad book, because it isn’t. It’s really well done for what it is and I think older teenage boys would really dig the story.
Ugh. It’s making me want to take a shower though. Read at your own risk!
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human … until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
My Review:
I wish I could say that this book blew me out of the water. I’ve heard so much positive hype about the story and, honestly, I love the cover so much I almost purchased my copy instead of waiting for the library copy – I’m glad I didn’t now.
I rolled my eyes a few times during the story and I struggled because, in spite of being easy to read, it felt like there was no actual real plot. I mean… was the plot supposed to be just a love story between Grace and Sam? Or was the plot supposed to be curing werewolves as a whole? I felt like I was just meandering through this really sappy love story (the whole composing song lyrics/poetry thing made me really feel my age, except I didn’t really go for that sort of thing in a guy as a teenager).
There were a few things I enjoyed – I don’t want to make this seem all negative because I know I am in the minority here when it comes to liking this book. I enjoyed the switching back and forth between Grace and Sam. I liked the take on werewolves and the temperatures having a direct affect. I appreciated the role of parents in the book (even though, while active generally speaking, they really sucked. Seriously – never checking in on your daughter when you get home?)
Overall my feeling is .. meh. It was okay. I’ll read Linger because I have it checked out and I’m hoping there’s more of a story there but otherwise I feel like I did after reading Twilight. That girls will go swoony over poetic Sam and envy Grace and I’ll just be left wanting a plot that is a little more than teenage angst with some fantasy thrown in.
 Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.
My Review:
I give up. I just don’t get it. I read this book start to finish and I still don’t know what the plot is supposed to be (aside from being .. basically.. a repeat of Shiver maybe?)
So LINGER was much more confusing to me because of the multiple points of view. I liked it in Shiver – I thought it was one of the best parts of the book but the switch mid-chapters and looking at the story from four points of view was a bit much for me … especially when it seemed to be all tragic teenager emotions.
And.. instead of just one singer we now have two with the addition of Cole.
So I don’t get it. I wanted to like these books because I’ve heard such fantastic things about them but instead I feel like I’ve just gone on a long, meandering walk and ended up right back where I started out having seen a bit of pretty scenery along the way.
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Sixty years after REBECCA was first published, Daphne du Maurier’s unsurpassed masterpiece continues to enthrall readers with romance and suspense, as the second Mrs. de Winter narrates the haunting events surrounding her marriage to Maxim de Winter and her growing obsession with his first wife, the beautiful, now dead Rebecca. Includes excerpts from the author’s personal notes and essays, exclusive to this edition.
My Review:
This has been an interesting month for me – between reading Wilkie Collins’ masterpiece, THE WOMAN IN WHITE and now REBECCA.
Daphne du Maurier takes us inside the life of the second Mrs. de Winter; like Collins’ main protaganist, Marian, the second Mrs. de Winter is a plain woman although she lacks the backbone shown by Marian. From there on out the similarities end.
I don’t recall ever being told the name of Mrs. de Winter but I think that was the point of the story. I found myself caught up in the dark, gothic-feeling descriptions of Manderley and its grounds and could even hear the sound of the sea in portions of the book.
Being unfamiliar with the story I had hoped that I would be shocked or taken by surprise at the ending, but unfortunately, it was one I guessed. Still I enjoyed the unfolding of the twists and turns and the storytelling very much.
The characters in this book were exquisitely written; Mr. de Winter a brooding, dark and handsome man and the second Mrs. de Winter an innocent, pure and naive creature. They make this story – but not alone.
Although we never actually get to meet Rebecca it’s fascinating to see her character develop through the words of Mrs. Danvers, Beatrice and through Mrs. de Winter’s own imagination.
As I read this book I couldn’t help but think … what would it be like to step into the shoes, the home, the life of a beautiful, vivacious woman? Would I survive it?
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
 Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Buy on Amazon
Short Summary:
The Land family enjoy and idyllic existence until the oldest son, Davy, is arrested for a double manslaughter. But when Davy breaks out of jail and flees into the bleak Dakota Badlands, his father Jeremiah must gather his younger children and pursue the outlaw into the wilderness. Their epic journey leads them all to a place from which there is no return: a place that will test them almost beyond endurance and stretch the ties that bind them to their absolute limit…
My Review:
If anyone were to ask me what “faith” means; what it looks like, feels like and reads like, one of the first things I would do is recommend this book.
11 year old Reuben Land was saved from a 12 minute death by what can only be described as Gods Hand. He goes on to narrate a story that is so heart-breakingly beautiful that I had to pause several times to catch my breath before diving back in.
There is a section toward the beginning of this book where Rube talks about miracles; about how we are so quick to label every day delights under the label of “miracle” when a miracle is something that should make us sit up and be disturbed, because a miracle disrupts the normal, every day things we are accustomed to.
So what is Rube’s purpose as a narrator? It’s to be an 11 year old brother bearing witness to one of the most miraculous things that could happen. It’s to take us by the hand and lead us through a journey that’s filled with tragedy, loyalty, love and the immeasurable faith of a father who loves his Father.
There are characters in this book that I adored – Swede, the 8 year old sister with a knack for poetry that sent shivers down my arms. Roxanne, the miracle sent to Rube and his family in a time of desperate need. And Rube’s father, a man who turns to God for the answers to every problem, be it big or small.
I’m so jaded when it comes to Christian literature; most of what I’ve been exposed to in the last several months has been filled with cliches and happily ever after endings. This book is a portrait of what life in faith is like; filled with all of the doubts and human responses and the ultimate redeeming sacrifice a father has for his child in what can only be described as a miracle.
View all my reviews >>
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
To Enter the Giveaway please read the bold text at the end of this post.
 Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
Spring 1938. After nearly two years in prison for the crime of stealing his own grain, Ukrainian immigrant Teodor Mykolayenko is a free man. While he was gone, his wife, Maria; their five children; and his sister, Anna, struggled to survive on the harsh northern Canadian prairie, but now Teodor—a man who has overcome drought, starvation, and Stalin’s purges—is determined to make a better life for them. As he tirelessly clears the untamed land, Teodor begins to heal himself and his children. But the family’s hopes and newfound happiness are short-lived. Anna’s rogue husband, the arrogant and scheming Stefan, unexpectedly returns, stirring up rancor and discord that will end in violence and tragedy.
My Review:
The story begins with the description of a black-and-white photograph. A man, a woman and five children. The date on the photograph is 1933, the place Willow Creek, Alberta.
There are times when I pick up an old photograph of my grandparents or my parents and I spend time thinking about the history behind the faces. What were their desires? What heartbreak did they experience? What hopes and dreams did they have and were those fulfilled or abandoned? Why?
Shandi Mitchell addresses these questions by taking her readers through a period of time in which life was very hard. She introduces us to a family of immigrants, their origin Ukraine. They struggle with learning language and dealing with foreign laws, laws which prevent them from even being able to provide their children with food.
UNDER THIS UNBROKEN SKY studies the relationship between a brother and a sister and their families. It paints a heart-breaking picture in graphic, real strokes. My heart broke and broke again as I felt each families struggle, felt myself grow angry at the injustice of the actions of both the law and the members of the families. I could feel the tension building with each pounding on the door I read about and every howl of the coyotes in the night air.
Recently I read a book that dealt with the struggle of the immigration process in a more recent time period. That book followed the path of a young Chinese girl and her experience in the sweat shops in New York. UNDER THIS UNBROKEN SKY gave me a more historical perspective and reminded me that although we may say we have come a long way – even in recent times there are people living in the hardships described in this story.
This book tore at my heart and should be a “must read” for anyone interested in historical literature.
View all my reviews
About the Author
Shandi Mitchell is an author and filmmaker. She graduated from Dalhousie University with a degree in English and Theatre. Her award-winning short films have been featured at festivals across North America. In 2008, she was awarded the Canada Council’s Victor Martin-Lynch Staunton Endowment in Media Arts.
Her debut novel Under This Unbroken Sky was simultaneously published by Penguin Canada, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (UK) and Harper Collins (US) in August 2009. It has sold in nine countries, including translation rights for Chinese, Hebrew, Dutch and Italian. Under This Unbroken Sky won the 2010 Commonwealth regional Prize for First Book(Canada/Caribbean), the Thomas Head Raddall Fiction Award, and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award.
Raised on the prairies, Shandi now makes her home on the east coast of Canada, very close to the water, where she lives with her husband, Alan, and their dog, Annie.
To learn more please visit Shandi Mitchell’s Website.
For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Thanks to the publisher I have one copy of this book to give away.
To enter this giveaway simply respond to this review with a response to the following question:
“Are you the child, grandchild or great-grandchild of immigrants? If so .. tell us a little about them.”
(Contest open to USA and Canada only – Ends September 10, 2010)
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Warning: This is a review site and from time-to-time (although I try to avoid it)
there may be some spoiler information in my reviews.
 Faithful Place by Tana French
Buy from The Book Depository
Short Summary:
The course of Frank Mackey’s life was set by one defining moment when he was nineteen. The moment his girlfriend, Rosie Daly, failed to turn up for their rendezvous in Faithful Place, failed to run away with him to London as they had planned. Frank never heard from her again. Twenty years on, Frank is still in Dublin, working as an undercover cop. He’s cut all ties with his dysfunctional family. Until his sister calls to say that Rosie’s suitcase has been found. Frank embarks on a journey into his past that demands he reevaluate everything he believes to be true.
My Review:
I used to be a big fan of the big name suspense/mystery writers. I’d anxiously wait for the next Patterson or Stuart Woods book and then gobble it up as soon as I walked in the door with it.
But I’ve fallen out a love a bit with the genre and, were it not for Tana French, could quite possibly be happy without reading it much at all.
Then I discovered IN THE WOODS about a year ago – and it angered me as much as captured me – the strange ending, the weird twists and turns. I picked up THE LIKENESS and all anger I’d still felt just melted away and, once again, I was sucked into a story that was absolutely amazing.
FAITHFUL PLACE was no different. We visit Frank Mackey from IN THE WOODS fame and discover more about him, his divorce, his daughter and his hugely dysfunctional family.
This book put the mystery second place though, I think. It was the first time I was actually able to figure out “who done it” and I kept expecting another twist. Instead what I got was some really gritty, very real looks at the hardships caused by class difference and family background.
For the first time in a Tana French novel I put the book down and felt a spark of hope for the main character which was strange because, out of the three, this one was probably the darkest.
Tana’s writing is improving, her storytelling ability is gripping and I will anxiously be awaiting her next book with the same enthusiasm I’ve had in the past for authors who just can’t compare anymore.
View all my reviews
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
|
|
Loading ...
