This is Where I Leave You (review by Arianna)

This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper 4.5 / 5	Published 2009 First Sentence "'Dad's dead,' Wendy says offhandedly, like it's happened before, like it happens every day."
Publisher's Description: The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant. This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not.
Dear Reader, I don't know how much more I could add to Amber's comprehensive review of this book, especially without giving things away!  She is right - I would definitely classify it as a dark comedy, and a very enjoyable one at that.  The Foxman family is a crazy mess, but underneath all of their issues they clearly love each other.  They have each others' backs and they are there when someone needs a shoulder to cry on (well...usually).  I loved the oddball family and all of its messed up issues.  I am really looking forward to the upcoming movie, especially after Amber & I (along with our friend Claire) got to see a panel at BookCon which featured Jonathan Tropper, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, and Shawn Levy (the director).  The cast looks really well selected!  Even though I felt like Judd (played by Jason Bateman) was younger in the book...but, from the preview clips they showed the audience, it doesn't appear to be a game-changer: Bateman was masterful in the role. I don't know what else really to write about this book that hasn't already been said.  Especially because it is essentially a character study of an entire family, and there isn't much plot aside from the main storyline, wherein Judd must attend his father's funeral shortly after having found his wife in bed with his boss.  A nuts but not unimaginable scenario, one which Tropper handles with grace and aplomb - he writes a very true-to-life story.  The players are so real, and the situations so tangible.  Readers can identify with the family tension and can easily put themselves into the same situation, mentally.  However, don't try asking yourself what you'd do in the same situation - because the characters will constantly surprise you! The ending of the book seemed perfect, though.  The decision Judd makes is exactly the right one, I believe. Yours, Arianna

Aquarium

Aquarium David Vann 5/5	Published 2015 First Sentence "It was a fish so ugly it didn't seem to be a fish at all."
Publisher's Description: Twelve-year-old Caitlin lives alone with her mother—a docker at the local container port—in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while she waits to be picked up after school, Caitlin visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, Caitlin accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored of the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequence.
Dear Reader, I was not expecting this one to be a favorite of mine for the year. I haven't heard of David Vann before but the cover leads me to believe he is someone to know with multiple blurbs of praise. I'll have to go back and check out some of his other work. Aquarium is beautiful and tragic, a combination that always interests me. Even though that might sound like an overused phrase, this book is very unique and I really would have trouble comparing it with anything else. The most unique part about it was the beautiful images of fish, each given at the perfect point in the story with the perfect description. You know how sometimes the pictures used in books match up only "slightly" to the text? This one is a perfect match, Vann selected these pictures and must have sat down and analyzed what he thought a 12 year old girl would say about them. The Aquarium is the backdrop for a story that goes relatively deep into family strife, vulnerability and trust. The daughter has this warm relationship with her mother, very trusting (mainly because she is the only family she has). When her life opens up to the possibility of more, things become strained. The one word that came to mind throughout this book was empathy... and fairness. Caitlin's mother wants her to empathize with her so badly that she pushes her daughter away, in the meantime... she can't seem to do the same for her father. There is a vicious cycle of wants/needs and you just want to shout at everyone to "wake the F up" and smell what the other is cooking. Vann says it best with this one quote, "One life can never know another's." As poetic and beautifully written as this book was, I had a hard time in certain parts of the book (which will be left unspoken), especially when I have dealt with similar situations growing up. I was able to sympathize with Caitlin so much that I ended up hating everyone else. I'm sure most readers will agree that the likability of everyone isn't the point. Don't let that sidetrack you from the real message here... one that you'll discover when you read it. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Pretty Ugly

Pretty Ugly Kirker Butler 3.5 / 5	Published March 31, 2015 First Sentence "Miranda Ford never expected a simple trip to the drugstore to change the course of her entire life.""
Publisher's Description: From a producer of Family Guy, a satirical look at a dysfunctional family complete with a stage mom, 9 year-old pageant queen, philandering husband, his girlfriend, and the crazy grandmother Miranda Miller’s mission in life is to make sure her nine-year-old daughter, Bailey, continues to be one of the most successful child pageant contestants in the southern United States. Lately, that mission’s been difficult. Bailey has been secretly binge eating to gain weight so Miranda will let her retire; and the reality show Miranda been trying to set up for Bailey (and herself) just went to their biggest rival, Starr Kennedy and her tyrannical stage mother, Theresa. But Miranda’s got an ace up her sleeve. She’s seven months pregnant with her fourth child, a girl, thank God, and Miranda is going to make damn sure that this one will be a pageant champion, too. Unbeknownst to her, Miranda’s husband Ray, a nurse with a hobby of popping random pills, has knocked up Courtney, the less than brilliant seventeen-year-old orphan granddaughter of one of his hospice patients. With a wife, a mistress, two jobs, three kids (and two more on the way), a mountain of debt, and no real friends, Ray is desperately hoping his life puts itself back in order. Meanwhile, the Millers’ two boys are being “homeschooled” by Miranda’s mother, Joan (pronounced Jo-Ann), a well-intentioned widow who spends most of her time playing solitaire and planning a murder with Jesus. Yes, that Jesus. They’re just your typical dysfunctional American family.
Dear Reader, If you are a fan of black comedy a la Little Miss Sunshine, this book is for you. With quite a bit fewer brooding characters, mind you. Almost everyone in this book - no matter how smart! - is shallow and acts rather stupidly, when you finally pause to take stock. But it is all very amusing to watch everything play out! I can't say you'll grow to love this dysfunctional "family" of pageant-obsessed Miranda, drugged out nurse Ray, ditzy teen Courtney, or direct-line-to-Jesus Joan (not to mention their poor kids!). But you will certainly want to keep reading - I finished this super quickly, and couldn't put it down until the train wreck resolved itself! In only the way "resolved" could mean, when the author is a producer of Family Guy. I have to say, some of my favorite content of this book came from the back cover, which included quotes from Seth MacFarlane (obvi), Jennifer Garner, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Poehler. Hey, if I was joining a club of sorts having shared this book with the likes of them, I was all in! And I am glad I did. It was a fun ride. You won't regret picking this up for a hilarious summer beach read. Yours, Arianna P.S. I received a gorgeous hardcover copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Fourth of July Creek

Fourth of July Creek Smith Henderson 4/5	Published 2014 First Sentence "The cop flicked his cigarette to the dirt-and-gravel road in front of the house, and touched back his hat over his hairline as the social worker drove up in a dusty Toyota Corolla."
Publisher's Description: In this shattering and iconic American novel, PEN prize-winning writer, Smith Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion and anarchy, brilliantly depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions. After trying to help Benjamin Pearl, an undernourished, nearly feral eleven-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, social worker Pete Snow comes face to face with the boy's profoundly disturbed father, Jeremiah. With courage and caution, Pete slowly earns a measure of trust from this paranoid survivalist itching for a final conflict that will signal the coming End Times. But as Pete's own family spins out of control, Pearl's activities spark the full-blown interest of the F.B.I., putting Pete at the center of a massive manhunt from which no one will emerge unscathed.
Dear Reader, Want to know what a small town Social Workers life is like? This book will give you all the inside info! Corruption, alcoholism, welfare, mental instability, starvation, runaways, homelessness, drug abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse, and any other kind of abuse you could think of... this book has it. I don't mean to say that this book is trying to shock the reader, because everything inside is written very naturally, almost like you see glimpses of horribleness but with understanding behind it. The main character, Pete, isn't the type of Social Worker you would normally think of. He isn't that super sweet, perfectly normal, entirely helpful, the one who thinks there is a cure for every malady out there - even the emotional ones. He is hard, true and knows how to connect with these people. He relates to them, because you see, his life is pretty messed up as well. His wife and daughter have moved away and soon after his daughter ends up running away, completely disappearing. This happens while he has a giant stack of cases that need to be taken care of, some of them harder than others. It's a little like a train wreck, watching Pete try and sort out his own life while playing nice with the other families who are under his care. You feel terrible that he has so many people to look after that he can't even focus on his own life. One of the families has an abusive mother who is having trouble with her teenage son acting out. Another family consists of a wacked out father (total conspiracy theorist) who lives out in the woods with his son and doesn't trust anyone. You know these people exist, that all this is TRUE... somewhere... but I still found myself in disbelief quite a few times. I guess it might be because I don't want things like that to happen, I don't want people to treat others that way. The hard reality of life I suppose. I can't write this review and not mention the emotional pull I felt because of the subject matter. I have had to work very closely with DCF myself when my own family had troubles. I ended up cursing the worker because he'd constantly miss pick up times, give me the wrong information about meet ups, etc... After reading this, I guess I can understand the stress they have to go through and the amount of cases that come across their desks. It's a wonder they can keep anything straight.  I also can't write this review without mentioning how great the writing is. It pulls you in, I have to admit that I found myself plopped down in a town I would never image visiting. However, I need to caution those who pick up this book, there's quite a few ugly things happening and I don't know too many people who could read through it unscathed. I know this book gave me a few scars that I'll take with me, I know It'll make me think twice next time I see a family struggling. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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This is Where I Leave You

This is Where I Leave You Jonathan Tropper 4/5	Published 2009 First Sentence "'Dad's dead,' Wendy says offhandedly, like it's happened before, like it happens every day."
Publisher's Description: The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks the first time that the entire Foxman family—including Judd’s mother, brothers, and sister—have been together in years. Conspicuously absent: Judd’s wife, Jen, whose fourteen-month affair with Judd’s radio-shock-jock boss has recently become painfully public. Simultaneously mourning the death of his father and the demise of his marriage, Judd joins the rest of the Foxmans as they reluctantly submit to their patriarch’s dying request: to spend the seven days following the funeral together. In the same house. Like a family. As the week quickly spins out of control, longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed, and old passions reawakened. For Judd, it’s a weeklong attempt to make sense of the mess his life has become while trying in vain not to get sucked into the regressive battles of his madly dysfunctional family. All of which would be hard enough without the bomb Jen dropped the day Judd’s father died: She’s pregnant. This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's most accomplished work to date, a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not.
Dear Reader, I don't know how many of you have heard of Jonathan Tropper, but I hadn't until just recently. The Shelf Notes team will be attending Book Expo America this year and will be staying to attend BookCon (formerly known as Power Reader day). The reason I bring this up is because I wouldn't have picked up this book if it weren't for a panel (featuring the Author) for a kickoff event to BookCon (This is open to the public, so click here for tickets). The event is not only having Jonathan Tropper there to discuss the book but since the book will be made into a movie for the Fall this year, we'll also get to hear from the Director and some of the celebrities from the film (Tina Fey & Jason Bateman!!!) So yes, we bought up those tickets and I downloaded the ebook of This is Where I Leave You right away! Now that I've got that out there, I think I'll start talking about the book. This is Where I Leave You is tummy ache funny, but from the darker side of that closet you hold all those secrets. No, not SCARY... more like troubling family confessions, messed up relationships, you know... the usual. Tropper does follow a formula that is tried and true, so this book is not cutting edge but it does give you a very solid dysfunctional dark comedy (and who doesn't love one of those?!) Cue Jason Bateman (yes, while reading this book I was flipping to IMDB and imagining the characters as the cast slated for the movie) a.k.a. Judd Foxman, the main character who has just recently observed his wife sleeping with his boss. Or how about Tina Fey (a.k.a. Wendy Foxman) who has three children and is married to a man who is married to his job. But wait, we also have Corey Stoll (a.k.a. Paul Foxman) the older brother who could have had a different life if it wasn't for a freak accident that happened when he was a teen. And the last sibling, Adam Driver (a.k.a. Phillip Foxman), the uncontrollable train wreck and also the baby of the family. All these siblings are told they have to sit "Shiva" even though their father wasn't really religious or practicing. For those that don't know, Shiva is when the family sits and receives family for 7 days (like a very, very long wake). From here, you can only assume that family secrets will be revealed and shenanigans will ensue, which is exactly what happens. Anything I say about the book will be giving things away so I'll leave you with this... It's well worth the read and if you need a laugh, this book will surely scratch that itch. Happy Reading, AmberBug P.S. - Stay tuned for a post in June with a wrap up of the BookCon Kickoff event.

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Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell 3.5/5	Published 2012 First Sentence "He'd stopped trying to bring her back."
Publisher's Description: Two misfits. One extraordinary love. Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor. Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park. Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
Dear Reader, You've heard of this book, unless you live underground and HATE books. This book has been one of the most talked about in social media and I can see the appeal. Rowell writes a very cute story about an unlikely couple who slowly grow to like/love each other. We have Park, the token Asian kid who wears black eyeliner, listens to music, reads comics and broods on the bus. I'll also add that he comes from a somewhat normal loving family. He has enough of an "IN" with the popular kids to be left alone (if not included sometimes). Then we have Eleanor, the eclectic dresser, slightly plump with messy red hair who comes from a very poor and dysfunctional family. She is the ultimate target for any bully and we automatically see that happen when she moves to this new school and rides the bus for the first time. Eleanor and Park meet, yes... on that bus. He sort of offers her the seat next to him, in a angry kind of way. After spending time together on the bus... BAM, that's the start of a beautiful teenage romance. I found Eleanor had more depth to her character, possibly because of her strength and what she has to endure from her dysfunctional family. Park has it a little bit easier but Rowell did a nice job creating two characters with enough hardship to be able to speak to the kids/teens reading this book. The first half of Eleanor & Park had me hooked (I would have given the book 5 stars if it stayed at that level) but then it started getting a little annoying and drab. I was hoping the gushing and teenage fighting would just stop, and maybe it's my age but I read just about enough teen angst to last me for a long time. It might have been the fact that I listened to it on audible and hearing the whining teenage voices got quite old. I don't mean to be harsh in that aspect because I believe it might just be me. But for that little gripe, this book has some fantastic moments. Rowell throws you back in time, she makes you feel that stomach flip all over again, like the first time you held a hand with someone you liked. THAT was excellent but along with the good comes the bad and if anyone remembers young love, the bad can be so ridiculous! I adore that Rowell captured the bad so accurately but I wasn't that thrilled with having to go along for the bumpy ride. Who wants to relieve those ridiculous hormone driven fights from those younger years? Nope, no thanks. But could Rowell have delivered a full story without it? Probably not. I think I ended up with an understanding that those parts I didn't really like were necessary and I shouldn't judge them too harshly. This book is a huge hit and CLEARLY the good parts of it have reached out their tentacles and latched on to many. From what I hear, the Author's earlier book, Fangirl, might be more to my liking. I'm not much for romance but I do love some childhood geeky nostalgia, and Fangirl sounds chock full of it.   Happy Reading, AmberBug

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