The Angel of Losses

The Angel of Losses Stephanie Feldman 3 / 5	To Be Published: July 29, 2014 First Sentence "When Grandpa came to live with us, he brought the White Magician with him."
Publisher's Description: The Tiger's Wife meets A History of Love in this inventive, lushly imagined debut novel that explores the intersections of family secrets, Jewish myths, the legacy of war and history, and the bonds between sisters When Eli Burke dies, he leaves behind a mysterious notebook full of stories about a magical figure named The White Rebbe, a miracle worker in league with the enigmatic Angel of Losses, protector of things gone astray, and guardian of the lost letter of the alphabet, which completes the secret name of God. When his granddaughter, Marjorie, discovers Eli's notebook, everything she thought she knew about her grandfather--and her family--comes undone. To find the truth about Eli's origins and unlock the secrets he kept, she embarks on an odyssey that takes her deep into the past, from 18th century Europe to Nazi-occupied Lithuania, and back to the present, to New York City and her estranged sister Holly, whom she must save from the consequences of Eli's past. Interweaving history, theology, and both real and imagined Jewish folktales, The Angel of Losses is a family story of what lasts, and of what we can-and cannot-escape..
Dear Reader, This book...what DID I think of this book?  I have a hard time coming to any conclusions, because it is all still pretty muddied in my mind.  I loved a lot of the imagery Feldman employs; her writing is beautiful.  And the parts of the book about Marjorie, those that took place in the present day?  Those were really enjoyable to read.  However...I think I might have missed something with the White Rebbe stories.  They never really felt wholly fleshed out or complete, and I think that must have a lot to do with my feeling entirely lost when it comes to the Jewish faith.  I know very little about Jewish mysticism and the religion's stories and legends, and I felt like I must have been feeling so confused because of my unfamiliarity.  I can't otherwise explain why I didn't love those parts of the book as much as I thought I would.  Again, the writing in the four stories about the White Rebbe (I still am not 100% certain what a "rebbe" is...) was wonderfully done, and the stories danced along on magical writing just like my most beloved fairy tales.  However...there was just something that didn't quite fall into place for me.  I'm not sure I understood what it was that Marjorie was searching for, really, or how the White Rebbe and/or the White Magician (were they the same person?) related to her studies.  I wasn't sure how all of this related to her brother-in-law Nathan, either.  Or how and why they both thought they could save their loved ones.  It felt, essentially, like there was a lot left unexplained for me, and perhaps that might have to do with the magical realism of the book itself?  In which case, that is fine - I am just not much for that genre, and so I can entirely blame myself.  However, I have to emphasize how much I really did like Feldman's writing, particularly those parts which examined Marjorie's family life close up.  I would probably try another one of this author's books, provided it was a bit less heavy on the magic.  (Which is so funny, because I love sci-fi & fantasy books!  I just don't love magic being blended so closely into the real world, I suppose.) On a slightly different note: I have to say, I really adore the cover of this book.  I want to frame that image, it's so beautifully done! Yours, Arianna

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Lucky Us (Review by AmberBug)

Lucky Us Amy Bloom 3.5/5	Published July 29, 2014 First Sentence "My father's wife died."
Publisher's Description: "My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us." So begins this remarkable novel by Amy Bloom, whose critically acclaimed Away was called "a literary triumph" by The New York Times. Brilliantly written, deeply moving, fantastically funny, Lucky Us introduces us to Eva and Iris. Disappointed by their families, Iris, the hopeful star, and Eva, the sidekick, journey across 1940s America in search of fame and fortune. Iris's ambitions take them from small-town Ohio to an unexpected and sensuous Hollywood, across the America of Reinvention in a stolen station wagon, to the jazz clubs and golden mansions of Long Island. With their friends in high and low places, Iris and Eva stumble and shine through a landscape of big dreams, scandals, betrayals, and war. Filled with gorgeous writing, memorable characters, and surprising events, Lucky Us is a thrilling and resonant novel about success and failure, good luck and bad, the creation of a family, and the pleasures and inevitable perils of family life. From Brooklyn's beauty parlors to London's West End, a group of unforgettable people love, lie, cheat, and survive in this story of our fragile, absurd, heroic species.
Dear Reader, Before you read my review, check out the insightful one Arianna posted a few weeks back. I don't have as many great ideas brewing in my head for this review, not sure why since I really liked the book. I do want to mention that I ADORE the cover, it speaks to the characters of the book so well and it looks kinda quirky and fun while the underlying message isn't that at all. Lucky Us is a story that weaves between the lives of two half sisters. Iris comes from a wealthier mother who rears her up to have absolute self confidence and over grandiose ideas on where her life should lead. Eva was the daughter left behind with her destitute mother, she gets "returned" to her father who is now shacking up with the mother of Iris. Neither girl loves their family and the pair share a strange bond, mostly strung together by Iris who takes the girl in as her confident for her big life plans. Eva doesn't seem to mind being the drag along and willingly follows Iris into disaster after disaster. Thinking back on this book, I keep playing the "Oh, the places you will go" phrase, over and over in my mind. I think I loved the bouncing Iris so much because she brought us into these areas of the world I would never have experienced myself. I love reading from the perspective of someone SO different from the way I am. Even though she is abundantly indulgent and full of herself, she still has this warm heart that doesn't forget the little people in her life. The relationship between the two of them is unusual but also slightly comforting in a dysfunctional way. Eva gets to see Hollywood and attend fancy shindigs due to her sisters fame. I have to say, I have a sweet spot for old fashioned Hollywood, there is something romantic and tragic there that keeps me wanting more. We also get thrown out of that world and into NYC, not the glamour of the bright lights but the gritty and honest streets of Brooklyn. As the environment changes, so do the characters and events. Gone is the glitz and glam and to replace it, we have hardship and struggle which is such a stark contrast to the Hollywood chapters. I love that Amy Bloom brings us from here to there with a flick of her wrist (or what I imagine her writing process would look like). I have a feeling this book is going to be welcomed with wide arms, maybe even a little jazz hand action?! Amy Bloom has this way of captivating the reader and I think she has accomplished this yet again, I'm pretty sure all her fans will be gobbling this up without disappointment. I like Amy Bloom, I think she is a solid writer with great stories to tell but I don't see a huge difference between her and many of the other literary writers I read every year and like. I guess I'm not a "Bloom" fan girl, but will that stop me from reading her books? No way! Don't get me wrong, I respect her writing and books very much and I KNOW she is totally worth the read. Be prepared for another successful developed story that has "I want to meet them" characters. You really can't go wrong with Amy Bloom, I can pretty much promise you won't "hate" it but I'm hoping you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Left: Hardcover - Right: E-Book

Ireland

Ireland Frank Delaney 4 / 5	Published 2004 First Sentence "Wonderfully, it was the boy who saw him first."
Publisher's Description: In the winter of 1951, a storyteller arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. The last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, the Seanchai enthralls his assembled audience for three evenings running with narratives of foolish kings and fabled saints, of enduring accomplishments and selfless acts -- until he is banished from the household for blasphemy and moves on. But these three incomparable nights have changed young Ronan forever, setting him on the course he will follow for years to come -- as he pursues the elusive, itinerant storyteller . . . and the magical tales that are no less than the glorious saga of his tenacious, troubled, and extraordinary isle.
Dear Reader, I actually tried to read this book once before, right after I finished Mildred Pierce. For some reason (maybe it was the change in pacing from one book to the next?), I could not stick with it & my mind kept wandering! I was wary of trying again, but I have had it on my iPod waiting to be listened to forever, so I figured I should give it another go. I'm glad I did, too! It was a fascinating book. That might be heavily influenced by - as anyone who knows me well can attest - my infatuation with all things Irish. I love the Irish! I don't even know if I have a fraction of Irish blood in me (I've been told I may or may not - I'm that much of a mutt!), so it's not like I'm being patriotic for my home country or anything. I just love the scrappiness and spirit of the Irish, I guess. Plus, Irish boys. :) In ANY case, I digress: the point is, I chose this book based solely on the title when I was browsing through my library's Overdrive selection. The premise sounded intriguing, so I loaded it onto my iPod and gave it a go (well, two, to be exact!). There were certainly slow moments to the book, and parts I didn't love - some of the stories got very deep into describing battle scenes and the like, and that just doesn't appeal to me; my mind ends up drifting away from listening to those parts. Additionally, I found I enjoyed most those stories which were based in reality, versus the fairy-tale feel of some of them. Overall, though, all of the stories were entertaining. So. What was the book about, you ask? In the most basic description, it was about an Irish storyteller - or a seanchai, as they are called (I found a great video of what the old man probably looked like while telling his story!). This man travels the country, earning his room and board by entertaining the townsfolk he encounters. If he tells a good story, he is invited to stay longer, and thus have a place to call home for a time. He has no permanent address, no way to be found. It's a rather romantic idea, isn't it? Not something that would even be feasible today, but Delaney based his story in the 1950s. As someone on Goodreads rightly noted, this book was MADE to be audiobooked: I got to experience the closest thing to being in the room with a seanchai. The stories were made to be TOLD - not watched, not read on the page - so they were really well crafted for the aural venue. I'm glad I happened upon the audiobook version of the novel! The stories the old man tells begin with the earliest known Irish history and continue progressing until they reach the (relatively) present day - stories about everything, including the island's original clans, the British invasion, the IRA. I learned SO MUCH - about Irish history, and surprisingly about the origin of certain words & phrases, which as many know is right up my alley! The book was also really well done in that it didn't just consist of a bunch of stories told one after another. The author really knew what he was doing: he kept things varied (and really interesting, as it examined the fading calling of storytelling as the world became more technological) by having the stories told not only from the teller's mouth, but also through the mediums of television, transcription, audio tape, letters, and even through other characters. The story revolves not truly around the old man so much as it does around the life of Ronan O'Mara, a young boy who first becomes enchanted by the storyteller at the impressionable young age of nine. He spends his life following the man, in various ways, and there is even a mystery intertwined with everything! Delaney really understood what was necessary to make what sounds like a somewhat dry idea into something so much more robust and read-worthy. I'd definitely suggest this book, especially to those who seek to broaden their knowledge about their own Irish heritage. Yours, Arianna

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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

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Left: Hardcover - Right: E-Book

Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage Finishing School: Book the First Gail Carriger 3.5 / 5	Published 2013 First Sentence "Sopharina intended to pull the dumbwaiter up from the kitchen to outside the front parlor on the ground floor, where Mrs. Barnaclegoose was taking tea."
Publisher's Description: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.
Dear Reader, This book (auspiciously or not - it definitely wasn't life-changing) made #50 for me this year!  Wahoo, I made my GoodReads reading challenge goal!  (Yeah, I'm gonna have to up the ante for next year...) In any case - what a fun read!  Definitely a YA book, as is probably evident. Sopharina is another one of those awesome strong female leads who I find myself gravitating towards, even in my 30s. (And I think I would have loved them even more when I was in my teens, trying to define who I was!) This was another referral from my awesome coworker, who is a cataloger and therefore saw this come across her desk.  She snatched it up, and read it in two nights - I did the same, once she had passed it on to me! It was a super quick and engaging read.  I don't know if I'd read more of the series, even though it did leave cliffhangers (of course), but I did think the concept was a lot of fun. As far as young adult sci-fi/fantasy novels about feminists go, this one was certainly different: it was based in a steampunk version of our own world, complete with a clockwork servant class (they were called "mechanicals") and dirigibles, and no technology as it was supposed to be Victorian England. So, that caught my eye right from the start (isn't the cover great?!). Then of course there was the "etiquette" school which actually was what it advertised...but with a twist. While most don't realize it who aren't in the know, the school doubles as a spy training institute.  Girls are taught (at least in their first year) how to flutter their eyelashes and faint to distract their targets, for instance.  So while Sopharina was sent there by her mother to learn etiquette, and she does pick up poise, she also learned the art of deception. It's a great concept! I would never have thought of it. The reader follows Sopharina along in her adventures as she starts school (she is ignorant of its dual nature, at first), makes friends and enemies, and of course embarks on several tight-squeeze adventures. The characters are all larger than life, great caricatures. The story isn't quite predictable, but it isn't surprising, either.  If you are expecting a good, solid steampunk YA novel, you will be pleased with this one. This is Carriger's first YA work; now I'm interested in checking out her adult fiction.... Yours, Arianna

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RH Top Summer Reads with Michael Kindness & Ann Kingman

HOT Summer Reads with Random House's Ann Kingman & Michael Kindness! Hosted at RJ Julia Bookstore in Madison, CT July 1, 2014

   

Shelf Notes decided to head down to RJ Julia on a weeknight for this event. We both had fun things to discuss after, and wanted to share that with you. You'll find out chat below but before that, we've included some pictures from the event and a list of the books they recommended. 

Here are the books that were discussed during the event (in order of appearance) :

(Click on any of the above books to be brought to their Amazon page!)

AmberBug: I loved meeting up with you for this event! I think we both came away from this with WAY too many books to add to our "to-read" pile! Which one of these caught your attention right away?

Arianna: I agree, it's always SO MUCH fun meeting up for our bookish adventures!! Especially at a place like RJ Julia.  (We totally dig their paninis.)  But, hmm, that's a good question, because I was fascinated by how I wanted to read ALL of the books after the talk, although going into it, I figured there would be a few I wouldn't be interested in.  So I knew I wanted to read The Quick and The Painter (apparently I have a thing for "The ____" books!), but I wasn't so sure about Sous Chef or Astonish Me.  But yeah, all of the books they mentioned are now on my to-read list, haha.  What about you?

AmberBug: Yes, those paninis... so cheesy delicious. The books, must think about the books (not hard to do). The first one that caught my eyeClose Your Eyes, Hold Hands but I knew you had been reading it at the time. I'm almost finished with it now and I like it as much as you did. A bunch of these, surprisingly, I've already picked up and read (The Martian, Summer House with Swimming Pool and The People in the Trees). I have to say, I'm loving their taste in books. I'm currently diving into Amy Bloom's Lucky Me, which is another I know you liked. I agree, The Quick, looks really good and even though Ann Kingman told us that you don't need to be a fan of Ballet to get into Astonish Me, I just don't think it would be my thing.

Arianna: That's understandable. I'll just have to read it and then tell you how awesome it was! I'll wear you down until you are dying to read it, too. Then we'll hold a mini book club. I've totally got this all planned out. Hehe!  -- Anyway, so glad you like both the Bohjalian and the Bloom, hurray! Two very different but very enjoyable reads, which the presenters corroborated. I can't wait to read the ones you've really enjoyed from their suggestions (I feel like you read like 50% of them already!). Delicious! also sounded intriguing because of its premise: letters between a young girl during WWII and James Beard, with clues that must be followed is how Michael described it. Sounds totally up our alley, right?!

AmberBug: Definitely! I actually bought that one on my Audible account, so it SHALL be listened to... just don't know exactly when. I was super intrigued by Sous Chef because the book included diagrams and drawings and lays out the inner workings of a restaurant which sounds fascinating. From what i could tell, that book would be one I'd like to physically read (buy or borrow from the library) because of all the fun extras inside. If you haven't checked out the podcast from Books on the Nightstand yet, you HAVE to... so much fun to listen to. They do so many book related topics and recommendations (NOT just Random House), although they work there... they do love ALL books, haha. Did you hear about this Summer Reading Bingo they're hosting? I love it! I wish I had known about it earlier, I feel like it might be too late to jump on the bandwagon!

Arianna: Ohhhh, YES! I really wanna play Summer Reading Bingo. We'll have to put a post up about it and share our progress! I could talk for ages about all the books I want to read from the presentation, but I'll limit myself to two more quick mentions. One, Casebook, because it was written by Steve Jobs' adopted sister, and described as "being for people who like Harriet the Spy"! The basic premise is that there is a boy who isn't allowed to watch the TV show "Survivor", even though it's all his classmates ever talk about, so he bugs his parents' room in order to learn what happens on the show...and in the process, learns that his parents are deeply unhappy. Simpson also wrote Anywhere But Here. And two, I'm surprisingly eager to read The Girls from Corona del Mar - described as a novel about friendship, as the cover indicates, but in an unexpected way. Ann promised that it's not "light and fluffy," and rings very true: a young girl idolizes her best friend, which certainly is something I could relate to. The two drift apart but are suddenly reunited as adults, and Maya is startled to see how she is now the more "together" one - "the perfect girl actually doesn't have a perfect life" kind of a realization. Sounds like something all of us self-doubting females must read! I know that you, too, could talk for ages & ages about books Amber! Any last remarks you wanted to make about the program or any of the books?

Amber: I think you covered the last one I was interested in, The Girls from Corona del Mar. I'm excited for all these books, but I just don't know how I'll fit them all in! Maybe some of our readers can pick up one or two and let us know what they think. ;) As usual, it was a pleasure and I can't wait for our next RJ Julia trip to see Edan Lepucki talk about her debut book "California"!

After the event, Amber checked out the Books on the Nightstand podcast right away and fell in love with it. If you want to spend a short half hour a week listening to some good book related stuff, this podcast is one to check out! I love the casual way Michael and Ann interact with one another and I know my reading tastes align so well with theirs... I can't wait to hear what recommendations they have next week!

GREAT logo...that's what MY nightstand looks like!