Monday, June 29, 2015

The Sisters Brothers


The Sisters Brothers
Patrick deWitt
4 / 5


Published 2011

First Sentence
"I was sitting outside the Commodore's mansion, waiting for my brother Charlie to come out with news of the job."
Publisher's Description:
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living–and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters–losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Dear Reader,

I just got back from my book club meeting; the group is what finally forced me to get around to reading this book that I’ve been intrigued by for several years. But I wanted to wait to see what others had to say about it before I got my own thoughts down on paper. And whew, now I have so many thoughts! I don’t know where to begin.

We started off the discussion commenting on how “flat” the narrative was - not in a bad way, just in the sense that everything that happened seemed so emotionless. One person mentioned that Jane Smiley hated the book for that reason. Another compared it to the writing style of Cormac McCarthy; having read only The Road from him so far, I can still see where she was coming from. We also discussed the “picaresque” genre, a term I’d never encountered before today. The feel of the book really appealed to me, although I think it is one of those types which a reader either loves or hates. I myself enjoyed the dry humor, the quirky banter, the odd wit, and the deadpan way everything was executed. 

We also discussed how alchemy and chemicals played a very large part in this book - clearly most evident in “the formula”, but also in the various other incarnations, including the use of some sort of novocaine, the drinking of copious amounts of alcohol, and the introduction of toothpaste. I commented on how it was a very interesting time when the nation was transitioning away from snake oil doctors and into embracing more scientific medical practices, so the book was fascinating from that aspect. I also loved how it was centered around the era of the Gold Rush, so it featured outlaws and hired guns and shootouts and general lawlessness - all of which culminated in their arrival in San Francisco, which was the epitome of the town with no rules and no discipline. 

There was so much said in book club (I am still absorbing it!) and there is just so much to so about this book, but I think ultimately what I took away from the discussion was the way the brothers had grown. I got the impression that they kind of ended up exactly where they started, with nothing having changed. But everyone dissuaded me from this notion by pointing out that Charlie & Eli really do become different people throughout the course of their odyssey. It is subtle but you do get to see a big shift. So the dry, somewhat surreal novel really does have something to say. I had initially just enjoyed it for its adventure, but there is certainly more to the book than meets the eye. (Which also jibes with the amazing book cover design, too!)

Yours, 
Arianna

P.S. When I finished the book, I noticed that John C. Reilly was thanked in the book’s Acknowledgments section, and I was curious as to whether it was the actor. Turns out it was, and Reilly has optioned the movie into a film - I could so see him playing Eli Sisters! Apparently DeWitt and Reilly worked together on a different movie, which is how they met. It leads me to wonder whether DeWitt wrote the character of Eli with the actor in mind. In any case, no word on the production of that movie yet, but I am eager to see it happen!


The Sisters Brothers

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Saturday, June 27, 2015

None of the Above


None of the Above
I.W. Gregorio
4/5


Published 2015

First Sentence
"Dawn is my favorite time of day."

Publisher's Description:

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Dear Reader,

This was a really hard book to rate. I wasn't really thrilled with the plot but the subject matter was a nice smack in the face (I almost wish I got smacked a bit more). Intersex, it sounds like some space term, something futuristic. We learn so early on that females have xx chromosomes and males have xy, what we aren't told (growing up) is that this isn't so cut and dry... variations do exist. I think that knowledge is something that the public should be taught early on, just the same way kids are now being taught that families/homes come in all different shapes, sizes and gender. Right off the bat this book had me, once the main character finds out and her mind automatically goes to the negative term of "hermaphrodite". I loved how the awareness was wrapped around her feelings, the truth of how people would feel upon hearing the news reflects her own reaction.

It's something that would be really hard to imagine, finding out you are considered both sexes, and that you can't reproduce. This is one of the things that had me slightly disappointed... there wasn't much in the book about her lack of reproductive organs. I know how extreme those emotions would be for me but maybe it would be so overshadowed by the other (learning your intersex) that it was rightfully placed on the sidelines. I really liked how the Author had the characters knowledge slowly develop (along with the reader). She portrayed that pain very well and it would be hard not to sympathize with the main character. However, I do wish that the plot itself was a little more solid, it was another wishy washy background piece that I didn't feel connected to at all. I wanted Kristin to overcome it all but I didn't really understand the reward in the end.

Ultimately I would recommend this one to anyone unfamiliar with intersex, any and all teens, adult parents of teens and pretty much anyone who wants to open their mind some more. I think this is a nice blend of informational with a splash of teen angst, and even though the plot didn't grab me, it wasn't enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth. If anything I'm coming away from this book with more knowledge and a better understanding, one that I think everyone needs to be enlightened by. I foresee this book becoming challenged and banned in schools but I can honestly say this is as tame as a baby kitten, the sex scenes are very light and it would be the perfect book to open up the eyes of the youth to something that happens in nature. I think the important message is that this is something that naturally happens in the world, you can't deny that, I just don't see an argument to be had here. I think this is why I'm surprised this is a topic that hasn't been dealt with much, but now I take a bow to the Author... pave the way to enlightenment, I'll stand behind you.

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

None of the Above

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

At the Shores


At the Shores
Thomas Rogers
4 / 5


Published 1980

First Sentences
"For as far back in his consciousness as he could go there had always been three women in his life: his mother, his sister, and his girl. The difference was that Mother and Sister were always the same women, whereas the role of girl had been filled by what seemed like a cast of thousands."
Publisher's Description:
At the Shores is a classic novel of love in America. Set in the Indiana dunes and Chicago, it tells the story of Jerry Engels, an appealing, handsome, middle-class boy, who even in elementary school finds himself forever in love: "He loved the girls in his class, the girls on the block, the maid at home, his sister's friends, some of his mother's friends. . . . He even loved girls he just happened to see out the window of the car." In high school--the renowned University of Chicago Laboratory High School--he strives to make the grades his academically superb sister made and his parents expect, but as the world becomes erotically charged for him, he finds it hard to study. Unlike other boys, who live according to the "approved doctrine that there are other things in the world besides girls--politics, cars, sports, finding out about things and fixing things, and making money"--Jerry cares only about girls. For him, "girls are a kind of blessing. When he saw a girl like Betty Lomax walking through Belfield Hall with a fresh flower tucked into her hair, he felt like kissing her out of gratitude for having bought that flower and put it in her hair." Then, at the end of his junior year, he falls deeply, passionately in love with Rosalind Ingleside, the most beautiful, respected, and wealthy girl in school, and for almost all of one summer Jerry's dream of loving and being loved is fulfilled.

"If I had a class in American Adolescence, I'd teach At the Shores in tandem with The Catcher in the Rye and Growing Up Absurd. This meticulously perceived and modest novel about growing up in America anything but absurd is probably closer to more lives than we might suspect. It does wonders for one's sense of reality." 
- Philip Roth

Dear Reader,
I cannot for the life of me recall why I picked this book up. It was published 35 years ago, and is not widely known. But I was reading something, somewhere that mentioned it and I wanted to check it out. I had to go through my work library consortium to find a copy over at Bard College; it is not available anywhere in my local public library system and wasn’t at my own library. So clearly, I had to do a bit of work to get my hands on a copy! And yet I wish I could recall why I was so eager to do so. I know part of what happened was I thought to myself, “Hmm, this book looks good, and has some good reviews. I am going to put the request into the system because it should take a little while for it to make its way to me.” And that is exactly how things worked out. I received the book after I had forgotten I’d put the order in for it. I took it home, and began reading it, but the book is disappointingly difficult to get into because of the dense typeset and unbroken swaths of text. I honestly think that is part of what took me so long (a month!) to get through this otherwise good book: the author shunned the notion of chapters, which okay, I can work with (let’s not talk about how long the amazing Gravity’s Rainbow is taking me, for instance!). However, the author didn’t even use a line break to separate sections, which I think it just unreasonable. I would go vast chunks of the book without ever encountering a break, and then I’d find several within a few pages of each other. It felt as if there was no rhyme or reason to the choice to use or not use them, either. All of this to say: Rogers really could have used a good editor, which I think could have brought such a gem of a book to a much wider audience, too. It is unfortunate!

Because really, I did like this book. I found myself avoiding reading it because I often faced a long, unbroken chunk and not much time to devote to it, so I would pick something else up in the meantime. However, when I did get a chance to really delve into it, I was easily drawn into Jerry Engels’ world. The very white, very privileged world of a boy growing up in postwar Chicago, which oddly enough is kind of right up my alley (not the privileged part, but the young boy coming of age in the 1950s part). I don’t know why I have such a soft spot for those stories, but I do! In any case, the book revolves around the adolescence of girl-crazy Jerry, who finds himself drawn to females even from a very young age. There were some charming anecdotes from his earlier years, but the book sticks mainly to the story of his seventeenth year, when he falls in love for the first time and also loses his virginity. Since this is the true crux of the story I won’t go too far into it - suffice it to say that one reviewer (I wish I could recall where I saw this) pretty aptly called the book something like “the horny life & times of Jerry Engels.” So yeah, there is a lot of talk of sex, but what do you expect from a teenaged boy? If you can get past that part, the book definitely does move on. Taken as a whole (and not getting too distracted or annoyed by Jerry’s incessant thinking about sex for a good few score of pages), I can see why some have compared Jerry Engels to Holden Caulfield. Both boys learn some hard truths about life and grow to see things from a more mature viewpoint. (I don’t think that is a spoiler for this book.) I liked the open-ended way Rogers left things with Jerry, as well. 

The water theme in the book intrigues me enough that I want to write briefly on that, as well. I thought it was interesting how the book’s title refers to the families’ summer homes on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as how Jerry is kind of on the brink of something big and life-changing. Additionally, water plays a huge role in the book, both in moving the story along and, ultimately, ending it. Water being such a symbol of cleansing and renewing makes me think that this allusion wasn’t a mistake. I’ll have to think more on this. 

And lastly, I wanted to speak a bit on the different types of women Jerry interacts with in his life, since women are of tantamount importance to him. He has a very permissive sister, a sympathetic but largely absent (in the book, not in his life) mother, an uncertain girlfriend, a bossy female friend who is like a sister, another female friend he doesn’t know as well who is portrayed as somewhat slutty, and then there is the actual prostitute...they all seem somewhat typecast (and by the way, was that a lesbian couple thrown in there casually at the end of the book?), but all so interestingly typecast. It makes me wonder about what their characters were supposed to represent - maybe it’s some sort of Freudian Madonna-Whore Complex thing? Ach, this is all too much for me to contemplate thoroughly right now…it is time for me to go to bed. So goodnight, Dear Reader!

Yours,
Arianna


At the Shores

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Invisible Man


Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
4.5 / 5


Published 1952

First Sentence
"I am an invisible man."
Publisher's Description:
First published in 1952 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece,Invisible Man is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison's nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be.

As he journeys from the Deep South to the streets and basements of Harlem, from a horrifying "battle royal" where black men are reduced to fighting animals, to a Communist rally where they are elevated to the status of trophies, Ralph Ellison's nameless protagonist ushers readers into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh and even hilarious relief. Suspenseful and sardonic, narrated in a voice that takes in the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, Invisible Man is one of the most audacious and dazzling novels of our century.

Dear Reader,

Wow, this book was incredibly difficult to read - some scenes just made me feel so awful. I picked it up to celebrate Black History Month back in February but only just recently finished it, for a number of reasons. Mostly there were a bunch of other books read at the same time, but also this book often felt like a lot of “hurry up and wait” - there were long stretches where I couldn't put it down, but those alternated with long stretches of much drier material. Overall, though, what a great book. It is easy to understand why this was the 1953 National Book Award winner for fiction - Ellison was the first black winner of the prize, and he certainly deserved it for this seminal work. 

I read up quite a bit on this book and its author while reading, because I was interested in the story behind it all. Ralph Waldo Ellison was named after - you guessed it - Emerson, and I have to wonder if his namesake influenced his leanings towards becoming an author. Certainly his friendship with author Richard Wright also influenced his writing career. I was interested to learn that Invisible Man was inspired by both men’s disillusionment with the Communist Party’s (in this book, this part is played by the Brotherhood) dedication to the black cause (or more specifically, lack thereof) following the end of WWII.

I will not soon forget quite a few vivid scenes from this book - namely, the scholarship boxing match, the incidents with the college trustee Norton both on the farm and in the Golden Day, the nameless protagonist’s experience at the paint factory (and his hospitalization thereafter), and, of course, his experiences with the Brotherhood which take up the second half of the book. I couldn't believe all he had gone through! It is understandable that he decides, ultimately, to go underground and become the eponymous “invisible man” (as he believed he was one already). I appreciated the namelessness of the protagonist, which made him an “anyman” with whom readers could identify, each in their own way. 

I think in particular the story of Tod Clifton resonated with me, for its timeliness: Clifton, a young and unarmed black man, is gunned down by a policeman near Bryant Park in the middle of the day. I couldn't get over how eerily familiar all that sounded at this moment, what with the Ferguson and Madison incidents (to name just two of too many) in all too recent memory. It felt like someone had read this book and then taken notes, it sounded so uncannily similar to all that has been happening in our nation recently. It so upsets me that 62 years later, this story hasn't changed, despite all the advances we think we've made in the name of equality. 

This book is a book composed of dark humor and intense satire. The hero’s absurd situations reminded me quite a bit of the feel of a Russian novel like The Trial (which I have been reading concurrently), which makes sense as the protagonist was supposedly modeled - as evidenced by his lack of a name - on the lead character from Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground. For a much better exposition on the book than I can ever perform, this review speaks so wonderfully about the main theme of the book being that the narrator is simply used as a pawn - unseen by, invisible to, those who are using him for their own ends. (Amusing aside, though, the review’s author complains about Harper Lee never writing another book!)

Okay, I've babbled enough, and I really can’t say more than just: Read this book. Everyone. Please. 

Yours,
Arianna


Invisible Man

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Cinder


Cinder
(The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Marissa Meyer
4/5


Published 2012

First Sentence
"The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle."
Publisher's Description:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Dear Reader,

Everything about this book screamed "Amber, pick me! Pick me!", but I waited. I was reluctant to pick up something that seemed so perfect and be crushed by horrible it was. I let this one stew in the world for a little bit, glancing out the corner of my eye as others gave it great reviews. Finally, the last book will be published next year and enough praise has been sung, so I felt comfortable taking that leap. Now, mind you... at this point I was less excited, I thought to myself that even though it had so much "ME" in it... it wouldn't hold that goblet for me. It didn't, but at that point I was okay with that. What had me enthralled from the start was the premise (and THAT cover), a fairy-tale retelling but twisted with cyborgs, aliens with a futuristic apocalyptic world. Who wouldn't want to read that?

Okay, so I was a smidge let down but I knew it was coming (just like I could predict the ending). However, all this isn't too surprising and perhaps I need to cut down my book snobbery but the writing had quite a few problems from time to time and I didn't like that the author stuck to the Cinderella tale a little too closely towards the middle. I wanted more of a change, which I got but only during the beginning and the end. Those parts became my favorite and at least the ending was done well (I did click over to buy the next book right away). Without all the nitpicking though, this is solid and I see why it caught on so well. I can't wait to see where the story goes, how the characters intertwine and how epic this all becomes. I'm sold... bring on Red Riding Hood (Cress).

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

We Are Not Ourselves


We Are Not Ourselves
Matthew Thomas
3.5 / 5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"His father was watching the line in the water."
Publisher's Description:
Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed.

When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream.

Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house, but as years pass it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future.

Through the Learys, novelist Matthew Thomas charts the story of the American Century, particularly the promise of domestic bliss and economic prosperity that captured hearts and minds after WWII. The result is a riveting and affecting work of art; one that reminds us that life is more than a tally of victories and defeats, that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away. 

Epic in scope, heroic in character, masterful in prose, We Are Not Ourselves heralds the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction.

Dear Reader,

This book was...good but not excellent, not life-changing or world-revealing or anything. Just a good, solid family history. Some tough but important parts about Alzheimer's. It was interesting how the story began from Eileen’s POV way early, but perhaps the author needed to explain why she became a nurse, how her life turned out as it did, and why she had such aspirations for her son. The theme of the book seemed very generational. It was very much story-based rather than point-based. This was the story of Eileen and her legacy, and that was pretty much it. No lessons to be learned (except maybe to love what you have while you still have it) and no real takeaway, although it is also a story I know I will remember for quite a while. 

This book recalled to me something more along the lines of an Irving or Franzen novel, with its sweeping storylines that didn’t focus too tightly on any one time of anyone’s life for too long. I enjoy those books, but I never know what I am taking away from them. It feels often to me more like I am a voyeur in someone else’s life than I am learning from the experience of standing in their shoes for a while. I think I prefer the latter sorts of books, for the most part. But the author wrote his characters' inner thoughts and motivations beautifully and so effortlessly, which I think won my heart in the long run.

Mare Winningham narrated the audiobook, surprisingly! That was a nice bonus, and I think her voice fit Eileen’s story and personality really well. Excellent casting.

Overall, I think I would recommend this book, but I doubt I could vocalize why. I think it was a worthwhile way to spend my reading time, is all I can say. 

Yours,
Arianna

P.S. I also really do love the cover art...the way it throws suburbia and "the American Dream" on its side, literally - much like the book! (I originally thought it was a Ferris wheel, and now can't stop seeing that, though...)


We Are Not Ourselves

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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club


The Girls at the Kingfisher Club
Genevieve Valentine
4 / 5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"By 1927 there were twelve girls who danced all night and never gave names, but by then the men had given up asking and called them all Princess."
Publisher's Description:
From award-winning author Genevieve Valentine, a "gorgeous and bewitching" (Scott Westerfeld) reimagining of the fairytale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses as flappers during the Roaring Twenties in Manhattan.

Jo, the firstborn, "The General" to her eleven sisters, is the only thing the Hamilton girls have in place of a mother. She is the one who taught them how to dance, the one who gives the signal each night, as they slip out of the confines of their father's townhouse to await the cabs that will take them to the speakeasy. Together they elude their distant and controlling father, until the day he decides to marry them all off. 

The girls, meanwhile, continue to dance, from Salon Renaud to the Swan and, finally, the Kingfisher, the club they come to call home. They dance until one night when they are caught in a raid, separated, and Jo is thrust face-to-face with someone from her past: a bootlegger named Tom whom she hasn't seen in almost ten years. Suddenly Jo must weigh in the balance not only the demands of her father and eleven sisters, but those she must make of herself. 

With The Girls at the Kingfisher Club, award-winning writer Genevieve Valentine takes her superb storytelling gifts to new heights, joining the leagues of such Jazz Age depicters as Amor Towles and Paula McClain, and penning a dazzling tale about love, sisterhood, and freedom.

Dear Reader, 

I couldn’t put this book down once I started to get into it! If you are in the mood for plunging headfirst into 1920s in New York City, during the thick of Prohibition, this is the book for you. If you are a fan of retold fairy tales, this is the book for you. If you are simply a fan of sisterhood and the bonds of family, this is the book for you.

It’s hard to tell exactly what the central theme of this book is, outside of: dancing. This book is in motion almost as much as the girls’ feet are each night, as they sneak out from a house locked down by a severely strict father and race to the speakeasies to dance the Charleston, the waltz, the quickstep, the Baltimore. I was charmed with this book. It took a while to keep all the sisters straight (twelve new characters to juggle is a lot for any reader!) but it was worth it, and there is a great chapter to which I kept referring where the author outlines each girl’s personality. The reader begins to feel surprisingly close to this dozen, each so unique. 

I loved that each chapter was identified by a song title from the 1920s; they were all quite fitting. It helped keep up the impression the book gives you of being immersed in the Jazz Age. (It might be interesting to check out a playlist with those songs on it - especially while reading the book!) Looking back now, the whole book recalls to me a whirl of beads, dancing shoes, and feathered headbands. I loved the detail and the setting and even the odd situation into which the author put her characters. I like to imagine that she was thinking of The Twelve Dancing Princesses story and wondering how it might take place in a more modern setting. (I never liked the original Grimm story much; it didn’t feel like there was a point to it. This take on it is so refreshing!) 

For those of us who love historical fiction, this one reminds me quite a bit of The Other Typist, for obvious reasons. It’s certainly a lovely little diversion of a book, perfect for a weekend read.

Yours,
Arianna

P.S. Check out a great review from Dear Author!
P.P.S. I just love the author’s name, don’t you? And it seems so fitting for this story.


The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Lock In (Review by AmberBug)


Lock In
John Scalzi
4 / 5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"My first day on the job coincided with the first day of the Haden Walkout, and I'm not going to lie, that was some awkward timing."
Publisher's Description:
A novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern SF

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.

One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people “locked in”...including the President's wife and daughter.

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can “ride” these people and use their bodies as if they were their own.

This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....

Dear Reader,

I really needed this type of book, it filled a hole that has been annoying me lately. I've been so focused on all this literary fiction that I've neglected a few of my favorite beachy kind of books (sci-fi and horror). This book was perfect for that. To top it off, I picked this in audio format and one of my geek loves of all time, Wil Wheaton is the narrator. Thank you narrator gods for deciding he should be the one for this role. Have you seen his new show? The Wil Wheaton project? If not AND you like him, you must watch it. Pure geekdom at it's finest. 

Enough Wheaton gushing... the book. Ahem.

Lock In had so much going for it. The author created a tragic future that could have been terribly overdone... but it wasn't. You've heard it before, a flu knocks out a huge majority of the population. Here's the catch... it doesn't kill them, it "locks" them inside their body. Since this epidemic has touched almost everyone (including the president), a cure is sought for right away. The solution comes in the form of cyborg like bodies and wi-fi minds, really great stuff. That is where it all gets interesting. I think talking too much about where the book goes would give away the fun but I will say that many different readers could find things to like here. Not only is this chock full of sci-fi fun but the entire book is wrapped around a crime with the main characters being police detectives. I have to admit that I'm not as much of a fan of the crime genre but because the crime revolves around science and technology... it was fun. I also think this would be a GREAT book to pitch to readers who shy away from science fiction. 

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

P.S. - Check out what Arianna thought.


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Fold


The Fold
Peter Clines
4/5


Published June 2015

First Sentence
"'I just don't think it's that good,' said Denise."

Publisher's Description:

STEP INTO THE FOLD. 
IT’S PERFECTLY SAFE.

The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence.

That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step.

The invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely safe.

Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn't quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret.

As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys…everything.

A cunningly inventive mystery featuring a hero worthy of Sherlock Holmes and a terrifying final twist you’ll never see coming, The Fold is that rarest of things: a genuinely page-turning science-fiction thriller. Step inside its pages and learn why author Peter Clines has already won legions of loyal fans.

Dear Reader,

I feel like I just left an amusement park, this book was SO much fun. It was chock full of everything I love... science fiction, adventure with a twist of horror. Going into the book, I was under the impression that this was strictly Sci-Fi and would be a fun little romp through teleportation and what not. Not the case. This jumped over that into a story that became complex enough to keep the attention of the intelligent reader but brought the comedy and horror for those of us who crave a nice merge between the two. Clines does this seamlessly, the action doesn't really get going until the middle of the book and you won't see too much horror until the end, but I promise you... it's worth it.

I love the main character, Mike, as unbelievable as he is. I'm not sure if someone like him actually exists out there but it was a very clever (or cop-out) device the author used to resolve many of the mysteries. Let me explain, this guy... he has more than a photographic memory, he has the IQ of Einstein and a unique ability to remember EVERYTHING he's ever learned, experienced and seen. I know somewhere in the book Clines mentioned a name for this *ability?* but I didn't note or bookmark it (bad Amber). I'd be interested to go back and look into it and see if he modeled it after a true case or just made it up from existing cases all rolled into one. No matter what, I think everyone will agree it gives the character something unique and will keep the reader curious enough to want to learn more (plus a little jealous, I know I was). Not only does 'Mike' have this crazy ability but he also has a great sense of humor, which is much needed in such a heavy scientific setting. I always find the inclusion of some comedic relief greatly appreciated in these types of books.

I'd also say that "The Fold" is VERY accessible and would appeal to pretty much about anyone willing to give it a shot. It might be the perfect book to introduce a reader into the sci-fi genre. Peter Clines has done an excellent job keeping the setting within our time period by sprinkling tons of pop culture references throughout. I love when an author does that and it reminds me of books like "Ready Player One", "The Martian" and a few others recently published that could be compared (even though they fall into different genres). I appreciated all the geeky shout outs, Clines knows his readers and definitely gives them a little "somethin', somethin'".

I'm super tempted to write more about what the book is about but I feel that the pace of the book stops me from doing so. You really don't get the reveal of how "The Fold" works or what it is until a good chunk of the way in. I was happy I didn't know, and I want my readers to have that same experience. However, I do want to caution those of you who don't like scary/messy bits - because this book has some of those. Not a ton... but maybe enough to shy away the easily scared. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this to anyone, Clines is now on my radar as an entertaining author who can be trusted to deliver an adventurous romp into the unknown.

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

The Fold

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Boston Girl


The Boston Girl
Anita Diamant
3.5 / 5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"Ava, sweetheart, if you ask me to talk about how I got to be the woman I am today, what do you think I'm going to say?"
Publisher's Description:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Tent and Day After Night, comes an unforgettable coming-of-age novel about family ties and values, friendship and feminism told through the eyes of young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century.

Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine - a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love.

Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her "How did you get to be the woman you are today." She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.

Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Anita Diamant's previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman’s complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world.

Dear Reader,

I have had this book on my shelf for a few months, and actually partly picked it up so I would stop getting the Pushstars song stuck in my head every time I saw it. Plus, my sister (whose taste is uncannily similar to my own) really enjoyed it, and knowing Diamant from The Red Tent, I looked forward to seeing her writing in a more modern setting.

I was a little disappointed though, because I think I expected more North End Boston (the one-time home of me and my sisters, at various times) and the book certainly didn't focus too much on that place, although it got its mentions. The book takes place all over Boston, which I suppose is the reason it’s not called “The North End Girl”, and the author does the entire city justice - you can see her love for its history. 

I loved the conceptual notion of the main character, Addie: she was a strong, smart, independent first-generation American woman, who figured life out on her own terms. However, as much as I liked her and probably would have wanted to be her friend had I met her in real life, I felt as if there was something missing that didn't allow me to care about her as much as I would have liked. Granted, I couldn't put this book down; I sped through it in two days. But I was unable to entirely connect. Luckily, the story carries the reader along, and there is enough personality in the book from all of Addie’s family and friends that you still do grow to care to know what happens. While the point of the book is only really about the love Addie has for those she holds dear, I found myself tearing up a bit at the end. So that says something.

I found the chapter titles interesting: each was a significant sentence pulled from the following pages which embodied the spirit of what was being said. I am not quite sure how I felt about that style. Knowing how things were set up, though, I often found myself flipping back to see what sentence had been pulled from the preceding pages, and taking a moment to ponder the significance. I don’t recall if that is a Diamant idiosyncrasy or if it was just used for this book, but I do think it made me sit for a moment after every chapter to consider the important phrases. I think I liked that. 

Overall, the book was a lovely little portrait of a young Jewish girl finding her way in early 1900s Boston. I thought it was a charming story about family and independence. Certainly a great summer read for the beach or a long trip.

Yours,
Arianna


The Boston Girl

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Monday, June 8, 2015

Author Interviews: Maggie Thrash & Pat Schmatz


Author Interviews
Maggie Thrash & Pat Schmatz


Good morning, everyone!

We just wanted to bring your attention to two interviews we did in partnership with Candlewick Press & Armchair BEA during our time in New York City. Both of the authors, Maggie Thrash and Pat Schmatz, were incredibly gracious and so wonderful to chat with. We hope you enjoy reading about them and their upcoming releases, which we encourage you to check out!

Best,
Amber & Arianna

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes


Smoke Gets in Your Eyes:
And Other Lessons
from the Crematory

Caitlin Doughty
5/5


Published 2014

First Sentence
"A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves."
Publisher's Description:

A young mortician goes behind the scenes, unafraid of the gruesome (and fascinating) details of her curious profession.

Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Doughty learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Doughty soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

Honest and heartfelt, self-deprecating and ironic, Doughty's engaging style makes this otherwise taboo topic both approachable and engrossing. Now a licensed mortician with an alternative funeral practice, Doughty argues that our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead)

Dear Reader,

I want to become best friends with Caitlin. She is so freakin awesome. Yeah, I know I don't KNOW her, but after listening to this book... I feel like I do. My attraction to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes surrounds my morbid fascination with death, customs and culture. Caitlin Doughty brought all of those things and even more. She gave the readers/listeners a part of herself, so that when you finished the book you'd feel that connection. She not only tells crazy stories about her time working in the crematorium but how different cultures treat death, the origins or certain deathly rituals, her own opinions on after death customs. Everything about this book was entirely engaging, begging to be heard. It brought up my own questions, ones I've thought about and others pestering me to delve into the mystery of death.

Right from the beginning, Caitlin tells it like it is. People are afraid of death and it gets swept under the rug. We don't want to face it head on. However, because of this, society creates customs that if looked at from an alien race would look unsavory and crooked. Have you ever wondered where the custom of burial came from? How about the preservation of the body? Going further, the usage of formaldehyde and super glue to create a "natural" look on a corpse? Caitlin will open your eyes and show you how crazy and desperate these customs truly are. The act of burial using formaldehyde isn't very old, it became popular during the civil war. So why is this looked upon as the "right" way and given substantial weight within religious traditions? Tradition is passed down from generation to generation and Caitlin explains that we are in a current cycle that hopefully can change.The question is... why should it change? First of all, the chemicals used to embalm a human being are very toxic, to the embalmer and to the earth the bodies are laid to rest in. Secondly, death has become a business, we are confronted with salesmen right after tragedy and heartbreak, broken down to give the "best" to the late departed, during the "worst" time emotionally possible.

Before reading this book, I had given lots of thought to how I want to be laid to rest, after quite a bit of research I found a few places willing to do a "natural" burial. This slow moving trend is available in places like upstate NY or Vermont (not surprising here since people will probably think of this as hippie talk). One of the organizations has a gigantic plot of land that they will offer natural burials that can be marked with a favorite plant or tree. The thought is that the site would be a nice memorial but not like a graveyard, more of a nice park with flowers and trees. I started dreaming of my funeral (if I'd even call it that) in a place like this with my body covered with a natural shroud, the ceremony consisting of beautiful memories and ending with a planting of a willow tree. I would then be visited from time to time and maybe even years later, someone would sit beneath my willow branches and read my favorite book. Now if THAT isn't a pleasing thought about death, I don't know what is!

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory

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