Books Blog : reviews, fiction

Recent Chick Lit Reads

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:33:00 GMT

In the past few weeks since my last blog post, I have been on a chick-lit rampage. I have been speed-reading through recent releases like I don't have a hundred other things to do. Laundry piled up, kitchen didn't get cleaned, and packing for my move didn't happen. These three books are part of the reason that I have been slacking.

Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn takes place in Brooklyn's prosperous Park Slope neighborhood. The lives of four women intersect as they deal with husbands, children, and playground politics. Not earth-shattering reading, but worth a chance if you have the time.

Mercury in Retrograde by Paula Froelich has a cover strikingly similar to Prospect Park West. Froelich's novel takes place across the bridge in Manhattan where three women who are down on their luck join forces to get their lives back in order. The ending is pretty predictable, but it is an enjoyable read.

Going across the pond to England, Sophie Kinsella's latest book, Twenties Girl, introduces us to Sadie, a wild flapper from the 1920s and her great-niece, Lara, living in present-day London. Sadie has passed away alone in a retirement home, but her spirit remains on Earth pushing Lara to find who stole Sadie's prized possession. True to Kinsella form, this book is laugh out loud funny and highly recommended.

Happy Reading!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:04:00 GMT

When I went home a little while back, I saw a copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in my little sister's room. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I went home and started reading the battered copy on my bookshelf. I don't know how many times I have read this book (almost as many as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird), but I always come away feeling like I have just read it for the first time.

Betty Smith published A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1943 and it was an immediate success. The story focuses around Francie Nolan, a young girl growing up in the early twentieth century with a fun-loving, but alcoholic father, realistic mother, and younger brother. Struggling against poverty and isolation from her peers, Francie finds solace in the library where she plans to read every book in the collection. The story continues over the next five years of Francie's life. Her struggle to gain her mother's love, her desire to better her own life, and finding love are all issues that Francie encounters growing up in Brooklyn.

I don't want to give away too much of the story for those of you that haven't read it because A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a book that I believe everyone should read at least once. Francie and her family have struggles that many people can relate to, and you can't help but wish to be the friend Francie so desperately needed. If you are wandering around the library one day searching for something to read, remember to grab a copy of this book.

Commencement

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:47:00 GMT

It is sometimes hard to believe that I graduated from USI over five years ago. That may seem like no time at all for some people, but sometimes I still feel like I am 21 again. Sometimes I forget that I am a "grown-up" with a "grown-up" job and bills, house payments, etc. Many of my favorite memories involved my roommates and friends from college walking to class, throwing a frisbee outside the apartments, and staying up late to talk about the future.

When I read the premise behind Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan, I knew I had to read it. After waiting a few weeks because of all the holds (I wish librarians got priority sometime!), I stayed up late in the night reading this book. I connected with the characters created by Sullivan because I could see a bit of myself, and my friends, in each of the four main characters.

Set in the late 1990s at Smith College, Celia, Sally, Bree, and April are put together as hall-mates. On first glance, the four seem to have nothing in common and have no desire to befriend one another. As they go through the early days of college, however, they learn to rely on one another and form a bond that lasts through their college years. The differences come to head in their early twenties as the four split off to separate lives.

At Sally's wedding a few years later, an argument occurs that leaves a rift between the four best friends. Gradually, they all begin to realize that life isn't as easy without each other and when one of the four goes missing, they come together to search for their missing link.

One of the best things about this book was that most of us can relate to an argument between friends. I just happened to get this book when one of my closest friends and I seemed to be constantly at odds. After reading Commencement, I realized that life without her wouldn't be the same and emailed her an apology. Growing up and getting older isn't simple, but it is easier to manage with great friends.

Addition by Toni Jordan

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:47:00 GMT

In Toni Jordan's Addition, we meet Grace Vandenburg, who likes to count. No, Grace loves to count. She's loved to count ever since she was a little girl. On her nightstand she keeps the Cuisenaire rods from her childhood and a framed picture of her hero, Nikola Tesla, for whom she has much affection. Grace knows how many paces it takes her to get from her apartment to her favorite cafe, or to the grocery. Her apartment is perfectly ordered. She has daily routines that start at 5:55 a.m., when it's time to get out of bed. Every day she has hot cocoa and orange cake at the cafe and every night she has chicken and vegetables for supper. On Sunday, her mother calls at 8:00 p.m. and her sister Jill calls at 8:20 p.m. So when she meets Seamus O'Reilly, where does he fit into her routines? Seamus makes Grace very happy and she wants to make him happy. On his suggestion, she enters therapy for her obsessive counting and begins taking prescribed medication. With therapy and medication come a new set of problems for Grace and Seamus. Can Grace give up counting and still be her true self? Will she still be the woman Seamus so loved and wanted to help?

I'm already looking forward to reading whatever Toni Jordan decides to write next. She has done something fairly unique with Addition. It is a romance in a way, but in another way it's a real look at identity and what it means to be well. The story is told in the first person, from Grace's perspective, with much wit. So, the book's tone changes when Grace enters therapy, taking you deeper into her experience. Grace is the star of the story, but the supporting cast of characters are fun too. Seamus is both loving and intuitive to Grace's needs, or at least he tries to be. Her niece Hilly (a.k.a. Larry), though a child, is the one who often knows Grace best. The germaphobics in Grace's therapy group are an interesting bunch. Nikola Tesla was as much a part of the story as any of the other characters; Grace liked to compare situations in her life to situations in her dear Nikola's life.

In the acknowledgements, the author gives credit to two books for information on Nikola Tesla. If you're interested, both are available from the EVPL: Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney & Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla by Marc J. Seifer.

I'll confess it was the bright, pretty cover that first attracted me to Addition, but had it not caught my eye, I would have really missed out.

click here for Toni Jordan's website

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

Guatemama@evpl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:21:00 GMT

It's every parent's worst nightmare.... you wake up early one morning to find that the child that you tucked into bed the night before is gone -- not playing in another room or downstairs watching TV, but truly, hopelessly, nowhere to be found. Missing! The terror, the panic, the overwhelming emotions of just such a scene plays out in two very different homes just a few yards from each other in the book, The Weight of Silence.

Both seven years old, Calli and Petra are best friends. Calli does not speak. She is selectively mute after witnessing a traumatic event with her mother at the hands of her alcoholic father. Petra is the adored only child of loving parents who "knows" what her best friend is thinking and, therefore, often becomes her voice. Then in the pre-dawn hours of that fateful day, both little girls disappear.

Calli's parents, Antonia and Griff; Petra's parents, Martin and Fielda; Calli's big brother, Ben; deputy sheriff Louis, and the girls themselves all have a voice in this compelling narration. As the story unfolds each of their experiences and perspectives are told through alternating chapters of the book. In the eyes of the law and of each other, everyone is a suspect, and yet, there are no definitive clues. Did the girls wander off to play in the woods of their own free will? Were they snatched away by some horrible serial killer? Was it the dad? Or was it the big brother? Will there be answers or will they find them too late?

It is not often that I am able, or so inclined, to finish a book in one sitting, but this is a book that I just could not put down. I could feel the panic and desperation of these families as they searched for their little girls and like them I had to know what happened... good or bad. And even days after finishing the book, the story still haunts me and will likely remain in my memory for some time to come.

Hester Browne

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:03:00 GMT

If you haven't read anything by Hester Browne, then you need to go to the nearest library and check one of her books out! Browne has written a hilarious series that begins with The Little Lady Agency. The story begins with Melissa Romney-Jones, a Londoner who has once again been fired from her job. In order to find more permanent employment, Melissa looks up her old etiquette teacher who serves as a companion for older men. A few dates into the job, however, Melissa finds out her job wasn't exactly what she thought! Determined to help those men who are quite helpless, Melissa starts her own business- The Little Lady Agency- to help men figure out their wardrobes, how to act on dates, etc. All is going along swimmingly until Melissa meets American Jonathan Riley. As Melissa struggles to get her company going, she also struggles to keep her attraction to Jonathan under control. Melissa's story continues in Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince. Now that she is off the singles market, Melissa tries to figure out how to balance her business of helping bachelors while keeping a boyfriend.

In June 2009, Browne published a new stand-alone book. After waiting for weeks on the hold list (even librarians have to wait for the good books), I eagerly started reading The Finishing Touches this weekend. Browne has done it again! Not only does the book have laugh-out-loud moments, but there is also a bit of seriousness thrown in as well. Twenty-seven years ago a baby was left outside the Phillimore Academy for Young Ladies with a note and a small bee pendant. Betsy grows up in the shadows of the Academy walls anticipating the day she will become one of the Phillimore girls. Imagine her shock when her adoptive parents decide she is "not that type of girl" and send her off to university. Twelve years later Betsy returns after the death of her adoptive mother in hopes of bringing the Academy into the modern age and finding her real parents.

If you're looking for a new author that will make you laugh and feel a little weepy, check out any of the Hester Browne books.

"The Quiet Girl" by Peter Hoeg

MediaPhile@evpl — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:53:00 GMT

If you read literary fiction, you might want to pick up "The Quiet Girl."

Danish author Peter Hoeg's first novel, "Smilla's Sense of Snow," is one of my all-time favorites. All his novels since then have sounded rather weird, and this one also fits that bill. Reading it is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without having any idea of what the final picture will look like.

That said, this novel is worth the effort. It does for sound what "Smilla" did for snow -- in fact, one reviewer joked that it should be called "Kaspar's Sense of Sound." But it also, like "Smila," takes us into mystical new realms of being and thinking.

The main character is Kaspar Krone. Kaspar is a world-renowned circus clown and accomplished violinist who has a gambling adiction and unwise spending habits that have left him deeply in debt and about to be arrested. He also has an uncanny hearing ability (developed during an episode of blindness as a child) that has led to a secondary career doing music therapy with children. He is hired by an order of nuns to track down the "quiet girl," one of a number of children who have special powers. All sorts of daredevil action results, and the end leaves us begging for a sequel.

"Marie Claire" Magazine wrote, "(read it) because the kooky conceit frames a smart-but accessible look at the Big Questions, and the cinematic story will no doubt be made into a movie -- we hope starring Johnny Depp." Well, number one, if there is a movie and it stars Depp, count me in. Number two, translating this into a movie will be an accomplishment second only to that of putting Jonathan Safron Foer's "Everthing Is Illuminated" on film. And, three, I hope a movie version unravels the plot without decimating it.

Like "Smilla," the atmosphere and ambience of this Copenhagen-set novel stick with you after you put it down. If you're brave, give it a try.

"The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" by Lorraine Lopez

HRevvdon@evpl — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:45:00 GMT

I just finished reading "The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters" by Lorraine Lopez. The Gabaldon family consists of four sisters, a brother, and a widowed father. The sisters and brother are all named after movie stars - Bette Davis Gabaldon; Sopia Loren Gabaldon; Cary Grant Gabaldon; etc. The story follows the the four sisters primarily, a different sister is speaking in each chapter in a particular time period. The sisters are exploring throuh their life experiences the mysterious "gifts" that an old woman has given them upon her death. Interspersed are "reports" that somewhat detail the old woman's life. It is interesting and a quick read. I found I was more interested in the old woman's life and I wish there had been more about her.

I read the reader's guide in the back of the book, apparently I should have gotten more out of the book than I did! One thing I did get out of it was the use of interesting love/hate relationships of siblings to help tell the story.

"Silks"

Meditatinglibrarian@evpl — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:10:00 GMT

Dick Francis is an author I came to by way of listening to someone else talk about what she likes about his books. Dick Francis books are set against a background of the English horse-racing world, and character, especially such values as loyalty and courage, are as central to the books as the action, violence, romance, and mystery plot-line. I just finished reading his/their newest title, Silks, which I enjoyed very much. Dick Francis used to write his books with major research assistance from his wife Mary - the two of them together were "Dick Francis". Mary died in 2000, and no more books came out until 2006, when Under Orders was published. Felix Francis, Richard and Mary's son, is now his father's research assistant and co-author. From my perspective, that partnership seems to be working, and it's good to have Dick Francis back [tho the older titles written with Mary are still a bit better]. He's now 87 years-old, so I don't expect we'll have him for much longer.

"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

myzticrhythmz@evpl — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:09:00 GMT

Okay; I admit it. I have never liked vampires. From a very young age, I have been really very scared of them.

So when the Twilight books came out, I was reluctant to take them on. Sure, Harry Potter had his Dementors, but you could be pretty sure Harry would come out okay. With vampires, though, you never know.

But folks kept requesting the books, and other adults were telling me how good they were. So, as if drawn by the proverbial apple on the cover, I bit.

This is a well-written book for teens that has some appeal for adults as well. Bella is the quintessential misfit, the new girl at school. When she sees Edward, she is instantly enthralled by him, as are most of the other girls. That Edward and his family have a somewhat "unconventional" lifestyle doesn't seem to bother Bella. How the vampires cope in the human world, as well as with other supernatural beings, kept me reading on, and also sets the stage for other books in the Twilight series.

I'm glad, ultimately, that I read Twilight. The author has a very lyrical style, and seems to deal with the supernatural in ways that people can relate to - it's not gory or sensational. And, setting aside my cynical-adult hat for a moment, I have to say that the misfit teen/grand, eternal passion theme had a familiar, wistful resonance for me, as well.

So good, you may want to Cry Wolf again

E-Ville Librarian@evpl — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:17:00 GMT

Here is a post from Seeker@evpl, whose posts can be found on the EVPL Research blog:

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

"Becoming a werewolf brought nothing but problems to Anna every since she'd survived the vicious attack that turned her. Now, she couldn't decide if meeting Charles, a strong and charismatic werewolf who insists she is his mate, was a step up in her life or just another problem. Charles, on the other hand, is sure that Anna is not only the best thing that's happened to him, but also a gift to his pack. He's the first to realize that she's an Omega wolf, with the ability to calm and encourage others around her. As second-in-command and enforcer of his father's pack, he's a wolf that can use a lot of calming (and loving).

Anna's introduction to the pack and her growing bond with Charles kept me riveted to the story. Patricia Briggs has the gift of making the werewolf lifestyle and paranormal romances totally believable with advantages and disadvantages appearing naturally. I literally could not stop reading as reports of a rogue werewolf lure Charles and Anna out into the wilds of Montana and into a physical and magical fight for their lives and the future of their pack. I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Patricia Briggs in the past. Her paranormal romances have a lot of adventure and characters that I can care about.

p.s. While this title can be read by itself as a stand-alone adventure romance, to find out how Anna and Charles first met, read the story "Alpha and Omega" in the collection On The Prowl. All 4 stories in this collection are good reading but very different. ( seeker@evpl)"

Patricia Briggs Website

The brief but fascinating journey of a full-time hero: "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

myzticrhythmz@evpl — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:18:00 GMT

At first glance, Arnold Spirit Jr. has nothing going for him. Born with a number of physical maladies, he's the son of alcoholic parents living in poverty on Washington's Spokane Indian Reservation. He's beaten up on a regular basis. Arnold has two saving graces, though: his friendship with Rowdy, the local bully who takes a shine to him; and his gifts as an artist and student.

One day, in a fit of frustration, Arnold picks up his thirty-year-old textbook (which his mother had also used) and indiscriminately hurls it across his classroom, breaking the teacher's nose. The teacher, Mr. P, sees something more in the action (and the student) than meets the eye. While Arnold is at home serving his suspension, Mr. P visits with a suggestion: Leave the reservation school, he says, and go to school in the rich white people's school twenty-two miles away. "You have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope."

So Arnold does. Suddenly he finds himself split between two very different worlds: home on "the rez," with its rampant poverty and alcoholism, where people resent him for trying to better himself; and his new school and its wealthier community, where he is the only Indian (aside from the school's mascot).

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a teen book, and the misfit theme is nothing new in teen literature. But here's what makes it different, according New York Times reviewer Bruce Barcott: "Working in the voice of a 14-year-old forces Alexie to strip everything down to action and emotion, so that reading becomes more like listening to your smart, funny best friend recount his day while waiting after school for a ride home." Combined with "Arnold's" drawings (done by Seattle artist Ellen Forney), which illustrate the teen's anger, frustration, and humor, what might otherwise be a difficult or depressing story becomes a one of insight, possibilities, humor, and hope.

This is a terrific read for teens and adults alike.