Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout 3 / 5	Published 2007 First Sentence "For many years, Henry Kitteridge was a pharmacist in the next town over, driving every morning on snowy roads, or rainy roads, or summertime roads, when the wild raspberries shot their new growth in brambles along the last section of town before he turned off to where the wider road led to the pharmacy."
Publisher's Description: At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.  As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life–sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition--its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.
Dear Reader,  Yeesh. This book should have been called “Everybody Cheats, Sometime” (with a nod to R.E.M., of course). I couldn’t get past how every single character in the book seemed to either be cheating on their spouse or wanting to. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m the biggest cynic I know, so I don’t think it’s necessarily unrealistic! I just would get my hopes up with each story that it would finally be one with a solid couple for once, and then: nope! Foiled each time. This didn’t influence my rating very much, but it was definitely the thing that stuck out the most! I have had this book on my Audible account forever; I wish I recall why I had added it, specifically. I did finally pick it up though because of the many comparisons to Kitchens of the Great Midwest, and I understand the connections people made: both books tell the story of one woman through the eyes of many others.  I did love the weaving of the stories of the people who reside in a small town in Maine, each interacting in some way with Olive Kitteridge. It was certainly a New England book. And there were some memorable characters and situations. Olive wasn’t my favorite, by a long shot - she was cranky and ornery 99% of the time. But she was definitely a strong character! And it makes sense why the book ultimately revolves around her - the ending sentence really does tie it all up nicely.  This book had the feel of a collection of stories, with the neat added bonus that they often subtly referred to one another. Despite some of the difficult subjects it tackled, t felt cozy and the perfect thing for a snowy day in front of the fireplace. Yours, Arianna

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Paperback:

Kindle:

The Night Circus

The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern 4 / 5	Published 2011 First Sentence "The circus arrives without warning."
Publisher's Description: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per-formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Dear Reader, I was so incredibly (and surprisingly!) enchanted by this book. I have to laugh at myself, because I would never have actually picked the book up - I wasn't originally interested in the content, and too many of my friends (and trusted book sources) gave it terrible reviews! But I ended up reading it anyway because I made a silly mistake. I decided that I wanted a little more structure to my reading, and so I decided to tackle a list that looked manageable: the Book Riot Readers’ Top 50 Novels on Goodreads! Now...I should have looked more closely. I didn’t realize that some of the books on the list only had ONE or TWO votes!! Whoops! I guess I should have known better when a lot of more excellent books than those on the list didn’t make the cut, but I think I was so encouraged by my being very close to finishing the book list - I felt like it was such an attainable goal! As it is, I only have 6 left on that list to finish, so I still may work towards it. Besides, I am so glad that I did pick this one up. I was so thoroughly charmed by it! I understand why there are entire wikis devoted to the novel, and a huge fanbase out there.  Morgenstern truly draws you into the world of Le Cirque des Reves: you can see and smell and taste and feel everything that she describes, and you feel as if you are a visitor, yourself! I wanted to be there alongside the characters, experiencing the same magic. While I wasn’t as drawn in by the personalities or even the plotline, I did love the circus itself - perhaps as a character unto itself. Which was the entire reason the book won me over. As it did for many others, the main love story feel kind of flat for me, but no matter.  The competition that the entire plot hinged upon? Not really all that interesting or intriguing to me. So I am not certain what it was that kept me coming back. Or what made me love the book so. Perhaps I was simply, literally enchanted by it! I think my favorite people were the Reveurs, those who like me were drawn by the siren call of the circus. The black, white, and red magic of it all.  Like I said, though, don’t read it for the story. There really isn’t much of one! I think the period was written really well, and I think I loved all of the scenes which were described in such rich detail: dinner parties, individual circus tents, tearooms, workshops. Victorian England and turn-of-the-century New England. Swirls of color and whiffs of scent are what my mind truly recall of the book. Perhaps with a strong story, this would have been a 5-star book for me. As it was, I am still glad I mistakenly “coerced myself” into reading it! Best, Arianna P.S. I almost forgot to mention that it was read by Jim Dale, who also read a favorite audiobook of mine, The Boy with the Cuckoo Clock Heart. Perhaps that was originally what kept me reading! I adore his reading voice.

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Paperback:

Kindle:

The Good House

The Good House Ann Leary 3 / 5	Published 2013 First Sentence "I can walk through a house once and know more about its occupants than a psychiatrist could after a year of sessions."
Publisher's Description: A riveting novel in which an engaging and wildly irreverent woman is in complete denial — about herself, her drinking, and her love for a man she's known all her life. The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston's North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She's also a raging alcoholic. Hildy's family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place — "if they invite you over for dinner, and it's not a major holiday," she advises "run for your life" — and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key to her drinking problem. As if battling her demons wasn't enough to keep her busy, Hildy soon finds herself embroiled in the underbelly of her New England town, a craggy little place that harbors secrets. There's a scandal, some mysticism, babies, old houses, drinking, and desire — and a love story between two craggy sixty-somethings that's as real and sexy as you get.  An exceptional novel that is at turns hilarious and sobering, The Good House asks the question: What will it take to keep Hildy Good from drinking? For good.
Dear Reader, Okay -- is it REALLY that illegal to sleep with a former patient? One you only saw professionally like once before you become involved and thus didn’t treat anymore? Totally unethical, yes. Ugh because they were also both married. Risky to his professional career, yes. But - illegal? I don’t buy it as being such a big thing as they are making it out to be! (Okay, I have learned after doing some research that there are states (anywhere from 15-23 of them) which do have laws criminalizing sexual therapist-patient relationships, and I do get that - there is a vulnerability there which can certainly be taken advantage of - but again, if a person removes themselves from the doctor-patient relationship for that reason, is it then illegal? - of course, we know that the characters in this book could have done no such thing officially, since they were both married…) Anyway! What an odd thing for me to focus on, but I just kept not being able to get past that while reading. Apparently, I should have - it is in fact the reason the author even wrote the book: originally, it was the story of the illicit relationship, but evolved into being the story of a recovering alcoholic, and the reader then sees affair story through her eyes. In other news, I could not STAND Hildy. She and her daughters clearly hated each other 99% of the time. Why were they even in each other’s lives? And she was so self-righteous even when she was clearly in the wrong. And so entitled! Believing she deserved a real estate listing just because she’d known the seller for so long. Granted, okay, I did believed she deserved it too, because she was the only local agent, but...it was just annoying. How she almost threatened Peter over it! I really disliked her right then. Part of it must have been the narrator’s voice. She always sounded so freaking SMUG, about everything! I don’t think she read the book right. Plus, if she wasn’t smug, she sounded like she was just about to laugh with everything she said. I like that SOMEtimes. Not with every single sentence of the book! And let’s not get me started on how awful I thought her Frank voice was…! However, I can’t say I disliked this book, particularly because it was not about the character of the narrator so much as it was her story of recovery - and I understand that the author wrote her very much the way she did so that she could show the true nature of denial and pride that many alcoholics hide behind. So I did appreciate that aspect of the book, and why Hildy had such a grating personality. (I guess I just  couldn’t see why everyone in town seemed to like her, too, though! Maybe it was just her longevity in Wendover...) Oddly, this was the second novel I have read this year where the protagonist has to sort through the broken memories of an alcoholic blackout in order to remember whether a crime had been committed! One of the things I loved best about this book was the strong connection to witchcraft - in a not-fantastical way. As in, Hildy had ancestors who had been tried as witches in the Salem trials, and she felt as if she still had a bit of that nature in her own blood. She was able to “read people’s minds” (a parlor trick she was quite good at) and she called her pet dogs her “familiars,” which I found cute. There was a bit of that old New England feel about the whole town, which I felt connected to - I especially appreciated that it was a story which took place in the North Shore of Boston. It felt cozy and comfortable and familiar to me.  I’d recommend this to a book club, as I think readers will have much they want to discuss. I think it is the perfect book for a group, with all of its layers and subplots. While not a favorite, an enjoyable and well-written read. Yours, Arianna P.S. Until typing out that first sentence above, I hadn't recalled its portentousness!

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Paperback

Kindle

Jackaby (Review by AmberBug)

Jackaby William Ritter 4 / 5	Published September 16, 2014 First Sentence "It was late January, and New England wore a fresh coat of snow as I stepped along the gangplank to the shore."
Publisher's Description: “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.” Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny. Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
Dear Reader, Two words for this book... Delightful & Charming! I would definitely agree that this was a cross between "Dr. Who" and "Sherlock Holmes", which will probably make it a joy to read for any fans of either. One of the main characters, Jackaby, reminds me of the last Dr. Who actor (Matt Smith), he has this tendency to say inappropriate or insensitive things to others without knowing it. Jackaby is awkward and very literal, making many of his interactions quite comical. The humor is perfectly adorable and will likely make anyone giggle or laugh a few times (if not throughout the entire book). As amazing as Jackaby is, it's his side-kick Abigail Rook that I related to the most. She is the non-traditional tomboy growing up in those times where any girl not prim and proper was scoffed at. She leaves home to follow her dreams of adventure, which wind up throwing her into Jackaby's lap, where adventure is abound. I have to admit, I'm not that smitten with detective mystery novels, especially ones in a series... but Jackaby has me gushing to everyone, "You have to check this out!". When a book does that, job well done. It's such a fun read, I know so many people whose taste will fit this book perfectly. Just so you don't get the wrong idea, this book isn't going to blow you away with profound life altering outlooks. This book is just plain but excellent entertainment and who doesn't love that every now and then? It's almost like when you go to that fancy restaurant for the creme brulee but end up craving cotton candy instead. THAT is this book. Can we talk about the cover now? Pretty great, right?! The font is amazing, I fell in love with it at Book Expo America when we came across it, and to my surprise the font is used throughout the book for the chapter titles. This was a great pick from the Expo and I'm so happy Arianna read it as well, I know this is something that she would like... so now I don't have to gush and gush until she picks it up... she already did! I loved the Author's bio too, he talks about how he came up with the concept for the story while his newborn was at home waking and crying during the night. He obviously had his hands full but still found the time to think up a dream world where fascinating things happen. Maybe his half awake mind helped create this creative idea, the most magical come from dreams, right? This book is a great diversion from all the seriousness I've been reading lately and I can't wait for the next title in the series. If it wasn't for the characters likable traits, I might skip the next one... but I think I'm hooked.  Happy Reading, AmberBug

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Left: Hardcover & Right: E-Book:  

Jackaby (review by Arianna)

Jackaby William Ritter 4 / 5	Published September 16, 2014 First Sentence "It was late January, and New England wore a fresh coat of snow as I stepped along the gangplank to the shore."
Publisher's Description: “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.” Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny. Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
Dear Reader, This book was a super YA novel, perhaps one of the best I've read in a long time. I think that my being enamored of it has to do quite a bit with how the author doesn't for a minute talk down to his readers; he treats them like adults, equals, using wonderful descriptions and (sometimes surprisingly) delightful word choices which really raised my enjoyment of the whole story. And, it was so wonderfully unique! Despite that it could have become a copy of many of the other supernatural teen books out there, it was nothing of the sort: it takes place in the Victorian era, with a lovely, independent young girl (Abigail Rook) as the narrator (and I can't get over how well Mr. Ritter wrote an adolescent female's voice!). And the creatures and characters encountered in the book are unlike any I've seen before. I wasn't even able to solve the mystery before the end, which is something I pride myself in doing more often than not! But this book just did a great job of leading the reader on a wonderful, exciting adventure, full of mystery and plot twists and just great scenes and characters (human or otherwise). It might have helped that I had a bit of a crush on the eponymous character, who is adorably quirky, sure of himself, and perfectly disheveled. Not to mention brilliant and almost always right. Another thing I loved about this book, in fact, is that Abigail did not fall immediately head-over-heels in love with her employer. Rather, he was her (albeit often absent-minded) mentor. What little "romance" there was in the book was limited enough that this book would appeal equally, I believe, to readers who both enjoy a love story and those who avoid them. This book is fun, quite enjoyable, and not condescending in the least. (Not to mention, it was refreshing to see a stand-alone book which didn't immediately anticipate a follow-up or trilogy! As much as it definitely has the potential for further adventure.) I'd recommend it to anyone, really. Keep in mind, there is a bit of the supernatural, but it's done well. Even if you don't like sci-fi or fantasy, you could easily enjoy this period adventure. Yours, Arianna

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands (Review by AmberBug)

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands Chris Bohjalian 4/5	Published 2014 First Sentence "I built an igloo against the cold out of black plastic trash bags filled with wet leaves."
Publisher's Description: A heartbreaking, wildly inventive, and moving novel narrated by a teenage runaway, from the bestselling author of Midwives and The Sandcastle Girls. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is the story of Emily Shepard, a homeless girl living in an igloo made of garbage bags in Burlington. Nearly a year ago, a power plant in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont had a meltdown, and both of Emily's parents were killed. Devastatingly, her father was in charge of the plant, and the meltdown may have been his fault—was he drunk when it happened? Thousands of people are forced to leave their homes in the Kingdom; rivers and forests are destroyed; and Emily feels certain that as the daughter of the most hated man in America, she is in danger. So instead of following the social workers and her classmates after the meltdown, Emily takes off on her own for Burlington, where she survives by stealing, sleeping on the floor of a drug dealer's house, inventing a new identity for herself, and befriending a young homeless kid named Cameron. But Emily can't outrun her past, can't escape her grief, can't hide forever-and so she comes up with the only plan that she can.
Dear Reader, I think Arianna gave us an excellent review of this book. I'll try and fill in the gaps but I think that might be hard to do. This was an audiobook for me and I was very captivated by the book in that format. This might not be the case for everyone but I know for myself, I end up having a different experience based on the format of the book I'm reading. I know I've gone on a tangent about this before, so I'll spare you my rant. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is a heartbreaking tale about a girl stuck in the middle of a real life nightmare. I say nightmare because what happens to her is so unimaginable, but at the same time... entirely possible. Her (Emily's) parents work at the local power plant up in Vermont, which isn't that crazy except for when tragedy strikes the town and the power plant has a meltdown. Emily knows in her heart that her parents are dead and that the cause of the meltdown might lay in their hands. During the evacuation of her school, she ends up overhearing kids and adults talking about her parents and giving her strange looks. The reader is forced to follow Emily through all this but at the same time wanting to cover her ears and walk her away from the mess of emotions. Understandably, people are upset and will be talking about what might have caused the accident in the first place, it's only human nature to point fingers, right? In this book, we get to see the wrongness of it all through the eyes of an innocent girl. It's truly heartbreaking. What happens next in the book is somewhat predictable, after Emily hears the inner thoughts of her neighbors and friends, knowing that they blame her family for what has happened, she bolts. I don't think anyone in her position would have done differently. Just when you thought things couldn't get any sadder, they do. We follow Emily on her sad trip between finding her next meal, getting a good nights rest and learning who to trust. The entire time you feel hopeful for her, like she gets this power from within herself to keep going. Along the way, she meets this other homeless kid, much younger, and decides to help him out. These two become a team (with her acting as the parent/older sister) and they try and get by together. The journey they go through is just REALLY hard and sad, this is not a book for the "happy" only reading club. Nope. Read this when you have the right frame of mind, but know that the fuzzy parts make you feel really good and it's worth it. Happy Reading, AmberBug

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Left: Hardcover - Right: E-Book