Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

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Summary from GoodReads

Work from the prolific American author best known as the author of Ramona, a novel about the ill-treatment of Indians in Southern California.

My Review:

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a point to reviewing older novels. I mean – there’s obviously a point to reading them, and Ramona presents a good case for that. But after reading a book like this it’s hard to imagine that others haven’t read it, or something like it… until I remember that until this past semester, I’d never even heard of Ramona.

For those of you who, like me, had never thought to pick this book up let me just say that it will frustrate, awe, and inspire you. The story is one that speaks of epic, sweeping love and loss, but it’s buried in pages upon pages of description which, back in the day before the internet, television, and radio, would have passed for entertainment but today just feels as if it’s one more thing to push through in order to get to the meat of the story.

Thankfully, I read this book for a classroom setting – so three days were set aside for us to get to the meat and actually talk about the themes and ideas in Ramona.

Here’s what I came away from this talks with:

Even in a story, such as Ramona, when the author is seeking to shed light on the issues of the time (specifically the tensions between whites, Mexicans, and Native Americans), in order for Ramona to be related to she is given “white” characteristics – i.e. blue eyes from her Scottish Father.

Sweeping stereotypes are made not only about the whites (and honestly, as far as stereotypes go, they were pretty harsh but necessary ones) but also about Mexicans. Even the Native Americans in this book did not escape judgement from Helen Hunt Jackson.

Jackson has no problem spending 70 pages talking about the little things – making a bed on a porch, tension-filled relationship between Ramona and her adoptive family, and so on.. but she spends less than a paragraph on a vital turning part of the story. In fact, the action and result of this turning part happened so quickly I thought I’d imagined it happening and had to go back to re-read it.

I understand from our discussions the importance of a book like Ramona and I believe that it’s important that it continues to be read and talked about – but more than anything, I wonder how that will be possible with the changing of our culture. We talk in 140 character tweets – so how can we expect young adults today to be patient enough to read pages upon pages of description? It saddens me to think that this story is one of many that will end up lost as a result – so if you decide to read just one “classic” American story this year, think about choosing this one.

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As The Crow Flies (And Reads!)

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

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Summary from GoodReads

The magic continues in “New York Times”-bestselling author Lackey’s enchanting new story from the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. A beauty must battle some beasts before she rescues her prince.

My Review:

There are times a girl just needs to have some mindless fun. When those times hit me I head straight for this series.

Beginning with The Fairy Godmother and working all the way through various fairy tales these books by Mercedes Lackey never fail to make me laugh, coo a little bit in romantic bliss, and feel as if I’ve done something that is decadently delicious when I close the cover. These aren’t serious literature and that’s a good thing. I’ve read the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Romantic Fairy Tales by Teick, Fouque, and Brentano. So when I picked up Beauty and the Werewolf, I delighted in the fact that I was about to dive into complete silliness and fun.

And I wasn’t disappointed. While Beauty wasn’t my favorite of the series (One Good Knight holds that honor), I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. Honestly, I think I’d enjoy any book in this series as long as it contains my beloved unicorns, which had me snorting with laughter yet again.

This is a great series to give, or to read, or both! Perfect for the people in your life that you want to introduce to fantasy, and perfect for those days when you need just a little pick-me-up.

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Not So Angry Feminist

A Backwards Story

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

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Summary from GoodReads

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My Review:

So I’m hoping that the trend of dystopian young adult books is working its way out (there are sure a lot of mermaid books cropping up, aren’t there?) because I have a confession to make.

I love this genre of book.

Seriously – I love everything from older classics (1984 anyone?) to new stuff like The Hunger Games and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium. But here’s my issue with these books – the insufferable love triangle.

Granted, in Delirium something horrible happens to Lena and that pattern does not crop up throughout Pandemonium … but even in death some things make themselves apparent. Is it too much to just ask that a heroine be focused on the bigger picture?

I enjoyed Delirium for what it was – and I enjoyed Pandemonium for what it was as well. I enjoyed the Then and Now flashes through time, two separate stories being told which provide the bigger picture of who Lena was and is becoming. I just wish the focus was less about boys and more about changing the world so that boys COULD be an option. Just because they are there doesn’t mean they take precedence over everything else, you know?

But don’t let me ranting and raving urge you away from this book, because of all the dystopian books out there, this is one of the better series. I knew Lauren Oliver was a force to be reckoned with when I read her debut novel Before I Fall, and with each book she puts out she gets stronger and stronger. I wish I could write like this woman, but since I can’t I’ll sit back and enjoy the ride.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Julia’s Blog

Candace’s Book Blog

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

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Summary from GoodReads

The acclaimed, award-winning author of the national bestseller The Financial Lives of the Poets returns with his funniest, most romantic, and most purely enjoyable novel yet: the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the Italian coast in 1962 . . . and is rekindled in Hollywood fifty years later.

My Review:

There are not that many books out there by contemporary male authors that inspire the same feeling of nostalgia and peace I get when I finish a book by Jess Walter. He’s two for two now – first with The Financial Lives of the Poets and now with Beautiful Ruins.

Beautiful Ruins may be a lovely title name for this book, but even more so it describes the absolute gorgeous nature of the story held inside the gorgeous cover. It has all the right ingredients: dying starlette, Italy, tortured Italian young man, humorous side characters with their own touch of agony, movies, musicians, mistakes – some made right and some not, war, grief, love, death, life… the list goes on.

The story skips between four different perspectives. The perspective of Pasquale, a young/old Italian man who dreamed of building a tennis court where a tennis court does not belong and of promoting a hotel with only an “adequate view”; Claire, a young woman who is searching for something to fulfill her dreams and whose connection to Michael Deane is one that will push her in that direction; Alvin, with his stories of war and his nobility and humor; and finally Dee Moray and Pat – each with tortured stories of their own, each on a quest to find peace and happiness.

I did not have to worry about trying to find the energy to pick this book up once I started to read it – I had to try to find the willpower to put it down in order to do the mundane things of life – you know, eat, sleep, drink. I devoured each story as it was fed to me – pictures of the cliffs of Italy filled my mind, images of Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. I heard the psst hey of each sprinkler hit and cried when Pasquale does something that made me believe in humanity again.

This book is a masterpiece – and I’ve been on a reading streak these past few weeks of really good books. This is one of them. Jess Walter is an author to keep an eye on – he’s only getting better.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

As The Crow Flies (And Reads!)

The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood

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Summary from GoodReads

The Bellwether Revivals opens and closes with bodies. The story of whose bodies and how they come to be spread about an elegant house on the river near Cambridge is told by Oscar, a young, bright working class man who has fallen in love with an upper-class Cambridge student, Iris, and thereby become entangled with a group of close friends, led by Iris’s charismatic, brilliant, possibly dangerous brother. For Eden Bellwether believes he can heal — and perhaps more — through the power of music.

In this masterful debut, we too are seduced by this gilded group of young people, entranced by Eden’s powerful personality and his obvious talent as a musician, and caught off guard by the strangeness of Iris and Eden’s parents. And we find ourselves utterly unsure as to whether Eden Bellweather is a saviour or a villain, and whether Oscar will be able to solve this mystery in time to save himself, if not everyone else.

My Review:

Every once in a while I’ll start to read a book and within just a few minutes, I’ll get goosebumps. That happened to me with The Bellwether Revivals – and honestly, I was surprised by it.

First of all – this book is described as a “masterpiece,”; a word that immediately sets me on edge because I feel as if I’m being set up to be disappointed. Secondly – the book centers around music – yet another thing that is bound to disappoint me since very few authors actually take the time to write intelligently about music and throw words around like Chopin and Beethoven like they are the end all/be all of classical music.

But once I began to read I was completely enchanted by the story being told. The beginning is perfect, and I don’t want to spoil it by writing about it in detail – but as far as tension and masterful writing goes? It’s a 5 out of 5. It sets a gothic tone, is gritty, powerful and made me want to find a corner where I could be sucked into the story and not leave until it was finished. That feeling warred with one that was wanting me to slow down and savor it, like every last bite of a really delicious piece of pie. I didn’t want the story to end, yet I craved the ending and every bite along the way.

The Bellwether Revivals is the story of a strange pairing of siblings – academic, rich kids who attend King’s College. Into their life comes a man who is employed at, what is essentially, a nursing home. He lacks the education of the set of people the siblings are involved with, yet reads and furthers his own mind outside of the classroom in a way that the rich set only dreams of.

Added to the fantastic richness of the characters is science – specifically psychology. I cannot describe how perfect the pace was for this book, how thrilling and unnerving certain scenes were, and how amazing and fascinating some of the diagnoses were that kept the story flowing.

Benjamin Wood didn’t go deeply into musical theory, but he researched enough to pull names into the story that are known well to the academic classical music world, and he wrote with enough detail that the vagueness of what was happening seemed plausible enough.

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fans of gothic stories, both new and old.

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Literary Treats

Kevin from Canada

Emerald City Dreamer by Luna Lindsey

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Summary from GoodReads

Jina and Sandy survived the unthinkable. Now they’ve set up a secret Order in Seattle to fight the impossible — fairytale creatures born of human nightmares and nourished on dreams. Their tools: iron, lore, science, glamour, and support groups. As beginners, without access to the ancient societies of faerie hunters, they must rediscover how to protect themselves. And in order to fight the feinds of the world, Sandy must take control her inner ghosts.

As a dreamer in a rock band, Jina unknowingly feeds the fae and attracts unseen enemies at every turn. Now, they’re finally on the tail of at least one dark monster bent on evil. She is a dreamer, so she must follow her heart — but which way does it lead?

Jett is an elf who only wants to protect her hodge-podge clan of faeries from the encroaching world of science and religion — which have systematically slaughtered her kind and the beliefs that gave birth to her people. True dreamers are rare beings, and when she finds them, she does everything she can to protect them and claim them as her own.

Ezra is a teenager who never feels comfortable in his own skin. Most people like him well enough, but when he looks in the mirror, he sees a demon. He has been taken in by the Garbage Eaters, who expect obedience and purity. Before long, he suffers a crisis of faith that may lead him into real danger.

When prey hunts, who will lead the chase, and who will run?

My Review:

It’s an amazing thing to be a book lover these days. Not only because of the massive amount of books available for purchase, loan, and lending, but also because of the ease of access the internet and reading devices have provided. It works that way for authors as well. Now instead of suffering through the endless rejections, authors have the ability to self-publish through mega-corporation engines, like Amazon, and be heard in ways that were not possible a decade ago.

This has good and bad sides to it. Several months ago, when I went back to school, I made the decision to no longer accept self-published works simply because my time was valuable and I needed to choose my reading wisely. I had been burned, no only by bad writing (which I can deal with) but also by plot-less story-lines and inane drivel which covered anything from political rants to wild and steamy fantasies which made me feel uncomfortable.

But every once in a while a book appears on the radar which has that glimmer of hope.

I will admit, first off, that I know Luna Lindsey. She is dear to close friends of mine, but she and I do not know each other that well. She knew I review books and requested that I read and review her book, Emerald City Dreamer, and I will admit to agreeing with a bit of trepidation. I’m not one to pull punches when I review books, but she’s accepted that about me and, with that said, I finished Emerald City Dreamer tonight and have feedback that should please and challenge her.

Lindsey’s book takes place in a fantastic city and one that’s ripe for an urban-paranormal book. Seattle is quirky, artistic, and if there’s any place that could be filled with the Fae it definitely is top of the list. The first thing that came to mind upon finishing this story, however, is that Lindsey may have bitten off more than she can chew with her first novel in this series. I was overwhelmed by the number of characters and events taking place. As I tried to absorb everything what I consistently was thinking was how, if she’d split it into two novels, things would have been both simple and more complex.

For example: Jina. Jina was the center point of Emerald City Dreamer, but I never connected to her – and I think that’s because the character of Jina was lukewarm. She was defined by labels, but never really exhibited those labels in a passionate way – unlike Ezra who was, by far, my favorite character and one of the most conflicted characters I’ve read in urban-paranormal stories. Jina, however, lacked conviction and she never really came into her own voice. I got the impression that she was being held back by the same labels that should have freed her. Jina is bisexual, yet the sex scenes (well, what passed for a sex scene) in Emerald City Dreamer lacked the steaminess that I’ve grown used to seeing in these types of stories. She is poly, yet very little focus is given to her emotions with regard to one of her partners. Instead, I got the feeling that Jina was just a bit of a playgirl and unable to commit to anyone, which was strange considering how quickly she “falls in love.” These contradictions made it difficult for me to focus on the story, because without a strong character, the story struggles.

The added stories of Ezra’s past and Jett’s past also seemed haphazardly thrown into the story. Each of these stories deserves something more than just mere mentions and assumptions that the reader is able to grasp everything that is happening. Instead of being enthralled by their stories, I felt put off by them – instead wanting to focus on the here and now.

I think it’s a common thing when writing to be worried about tension in a story – after all, we’ve been taught that every story needs tension. But tension is not built in setting a scene and describing every item of clothing for characters who barely exist in the overall story – it’s set in dialogue, movement forward, relationships between people. I felt very little tension between Jett and Jina – yet they proclaim their love for each other without a second thought.

The best advice I have for Luna as she works on her second book in this story is to examine the relationships between characters, and to look deep into the characters of Sandy, Jett, and Jina and figure out just how strong each of their voices should be. The strongest voice in this book was Ezra’s and, I think with some examination, Sandy, Jett, and Jina could have just as strong a voice – just don’t be afraid to show it to us. Forget the labels – write the actions.

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Amazon Reviewers

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

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Summary from GoodReads:

It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.

Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.

My Review:

My first experience with Tiffany Stained Glass was about seven years ago. My sister and I were going to garage sales around the Atlanta area and happened across an unopened box. Inside of the box was a beautiful, dome-shaped hanging lampshade… and the name on the box said it was Tiffany style.

Now, granted, it was not one of Clara’s famous designs, but it made me curious. You see, up until this point my experience with the Tiffany name was solely through a famous movie and the idea of a beautiful blue box with a white ribbon. Then we happened across this lamp.

Last summer I visited New York for the first time. I saw the tasteful, elegant facade of the famous Tiffany store, but still – the image of that lamp springs to my mind anytime I see the Tiffany name now. So it was only natural that I would be drawn to this book.

I will be honest, however. I did no research, and until I read this book I had no idea that the Tiffany behind the lamps was the son of “Tiffany & Co.” What I also had no idea of was the hard work of the unmarried women, and just how little recognition they received at the time.

Vreeland’s descriptions of Clara’s work, among others, was gorgeous. I could see the designs in my minds eye, I could imagine the images being described and felt them coming to life. My biggest complaint about this book is the lack of connection I felt to Clara.

I don’t know if that lack of connection came from the writing, or the fact that so much information is packed into this book. I feel as if I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, having to make a choice between falling for the story or falling for the details. I was lured by the lushness of the detail, so I think that it was inevitable that I was unable to connect to Clara.

In spite of that, I will recommend this book – because I have no doubt that others will find Clara and her story mesmerizing, and because this story is one that needed to be told. I will not feel silly for including in the picture of Audrey Hepburn and blue boxes, the gorgeous styling of Tiffany Stained Glass. It has a rich history and deserves to be remembered.

About the Author

• Information regarding Susan Vreeland:
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The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman

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Summary from GoodReads

The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned thirteen. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished – only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear. Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing – one right on top of the roof – hold the answer to restoring his family. And when he dares to step into one, he’s launched on a time-twisting journey- from a small Midwestern town to a futuristic hospital run by digitally augmented healers, from the death of an ancient prophet to a forest at the end of time. Inevitably, Tucker’s actions alter the past and future, changing his world forever.

My Review:

For a book that took forever to get actually moving, I was actually surprised at how disappointed I was in The Obsidian Blade. Here’s what my journey through this story looked like.

Confusion: First – a completely strange, utterly alien world was introduced. Fine, that I can deal with. But then it was shoved into a closet and I was thrown into a reality that, honestly, sent me back to the internet to find out what was going on with this books genre classification. It seemed like a typical, young adult, non-science-fiction book. But nope.. after what seemed like forever, I was thrown back into the science fiction realm.

Disbelief: Not only were historical events not sacred (World Trade Center) but religious stories were pulled into the mix and treated with a heavy hand. It’s one thing to express disbelief in the stories that are the foundation of a religion, but using them as a catalyst to make the story seem more interesting? Not cool – especially since it completely felt as if the stories were being used for mere shock value.

I was disappointed in this series, and definitely will not be investigating the rest of the trilogy. The science fiction elements seemed to be implemented merely as an excuse to use past events in a novel, and, as a result, were not very fleshed out in and of themselves. There was virtually no world building, no explanation other than a few vague paragraphs about the diskos, and no resolution of any sort. I understand it’s the first book of a trilogy, but you have to throw your reader a bone, you know? Make the book worth reading now, rather than having to wait.

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Emily’s Reading Room

Charlotte’s Library

Irises by Francisco X. Stork

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Summary from GoodReads:

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. — if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.

THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate’s boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.

ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it’s Mama’s life that might divide them for good — the question of *if* she lives, and what’s worth living for.

My Review:

Here’s what I love about Francisco X. Stork: He writes inspirational stories without feeling the need to preach.

I saw it in Marcelo in the Real World, then again in The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, and now… he completely turns away from the male-focused stories and focuses instead on two girls, sisters, ages 16 and 18, and manages to write with such an honest and clear voice I found my heartstrings being tugged at again and again.

While I didn’t love this story as much as I loved Marcelo and Summer, I still found it had honest merit, and I could relate to it. I grew up in a fairly restricted environment, and my sympathies were definitely inclined toward the sisters.. but I also found myself disbelieving some things as well – such as the scenes with the new, young pastor. It just seemed a bit far-fetched and strange to me, and that’s what kept me from overly gushing at this book – but still it had a quiet sort of beauty that made me glad to have read it, and once again I was proven right in my love for Mr. Stork.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Justin’s Book Blog

My Friend Amy

Freeheads by Kerry Nietz

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Summary from GoodReads:

aving escaped the storms of Betelgeuse and the schemes of Jannah’s inhabitants, Sandfly and HardCandy make their way back to Earth. They have a message to deliver. A society to free. And A~A3 is with them. Their mission is simple, and just. What could possibly go wrong?

Unexpectedly, DarkTrench drops into normal space. He is malfunctioning, wounded, and the only people who can fix him are still hundreds of light years away. Sand and Hard scramble for a solution while catastrophe hurtles blindly toward them.

They reach Earth to find a different world, an unexpected domain. One they can no longer connect with.

They are stranded, hopelessly separated beneath a wasteland of death and a planet of rules. Debuggers amidst a cloistered community.

Ultimately, Sandfly is alone, and Earth’s freedom relies on him and his newfound faith. But does his mission even matter anymore?

He’s a misfit, and a throwback. A symbol for all that’s evil.
Perhaps he’s the last freehead?

My Review:

This book sealed the deal for me – I’m officially a Kerry Nietz fangirl. When I was first introduced to A Star Curiously Singing for the 2010 INSPY awards I was .. concerned. I’d never been a big science fiction (hard core sci-fi that is) fan, but I gave it a chance and was thoroughly hooked by this original, fantastic story.

Then came The Superlative Stream, and once again I was dragged into HardCandy, DarkTrench, and Sandfly’s world. And once again, I had to face disappointment and the book came to an end. So when I got a chance to read Freeheads I was giddy. However, school made huge demands on me.

So I put it aside and I read it over spring break – no, actually.. I devoured it over spring break. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reading Freeheads and loved every single moment of it. There was so much character development that happened over the span of the previous books and everything just came together well in this finale. Plus… I love returning home moments, and I think, considering how he wrote this book, Kerry Nietz might just share that love.

This is a great trilogy, and it’s so hard to just review one book without talking about the other two. I’ve talked them up to my friends and highly recommend you give them a shot. Just remember – it’s speculative fiction, and what else is more fun than reading a “what if”?

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The Bookish Mama

Laurie Here