A Blind Guide to Stinkville

A Blind Guide to Stinkville Beth Vrabel 4 / 5	Published October 13, 2015 First Sentence "Even I could see that Tooter was no Seeing Eye dog."
Publisher's Description: Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville. For the first time in her life, Alice feels different—like she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time. This is a stirring small-town story that explores many different issues—albinism, blindness, depression, dyslexia, growing old, and more—with a light touch and lots of heart. Beth Vrabel’s characters are complicated and messy, but they come together in a story about the strength of community and friendship.
Dear Reader, This was a sweet little middle grade book. It was charming and adorable, while surprisingly also tackling a lot of pretty serious issues, such as bullying, disability, racism, and depression. The story centers around Alice, an albino girl who grew up in one place and has never seen her differences as being all that noticeable. When her father moves the entire family across the country, though, things change quickly. Alice's limited vision means she is reliant on her family to get her around; she cannot explore her new world on her own. This forces her into new situations and she begins to learn to become more self-reliant. As she does so, she also begins to forge new relationships with townspeople of all ages. She befriends a girls whose mother works as the children's librarian, an old man who spends his lonely days whittling, and a sweet diner waitress who immediately treats Alice like family. But Alice also encounters some of the less savory locals, and her family is dragged into controversy over their beloved dog. This, surprisingly, helps to bring her strained family closer as they band together to stand up for Tooter.  One of the topics I thought the book dealt with surprisingly well (outside of the obvious albinism) was that of  Alice's mother's depression. I have not seen many books deal so honestly with the sickness, and especially not YA books. I appreciated that the mother would have her good and bad days as she struggled realistically to overcome those times when she just wanted to stay in bed, using the covers to block out the world she couldn't deal with. I could identify with this mother, despite wanting to shake her into being there for her unhappy children. It was difficult to read but so true to life that I could easily sympathize. I also liked the character of Alice, a strong young girl who struggled to decide her own character and values as she learned her way around Sinkville. She began to discover herself, something she might not have ever been forced to do in her former life. The book also deals well in balancing Alice's need for independence with the necessity of certain special treatments. I think any kid would do well to read fun this book to understand more about the realities - both the struggles and triumphs - of life. Yours, Arianna

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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

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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

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All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places Jennifer Niven 4 / 5	Published January 6, 2015 First Sentence "Is today a good day to die?"
Publisher's Description: The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die. Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.
Dear Reader, Maybe it was the lack of hype prior to my reading this book, but I enjoyed it far more than I did the two it is compared to above, The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor & Park. Although it is rightly compared to the two, this book felt like it had so much more to give me. Perhaps it was just that I identified most with these characters, which is strange because one of the things that bothered me most about TFIOS was the unbelievable pretentiousness of the teenaged characters, and Violet and Finch can often be found quoting Woolf. But ATBP is more of a mix between Hazel/Augustus and Eleanor/Park, a good blend between the extremes of the two books in terms of where it explores knowledge and teenage lives. I am not even sure if I liked Finch all that much, but I did sympathize with him and how he often felt. And I think the author did a great job of presenting mental illness in him, and the uncertainty of mourning in Violet. I feel like I can't write much about this book without spoilers, so I will probably keep this review short. I just think it's definitely a great Young Adult read, particularly for those who are struggling with loss and figuring out their own identities. I say this a lot, I know, but I think this would have been a favorite when I was in high school - a book I could identify with, a relationship I could see developing between two very different kids. I think one of my favorite things about this book was how the author chose to showcase Indiana by having Violet & Finch partner on an "explore our great state" project for school. This allows Niven to introduce the reader to all the nifty, unique, quirky places in IN, from the world's largest ball of paint to the infamous shoe trees. All the places she mentions (and sometimes even the people) are real, and I imagine this book receiving accolades something along the lines of Idaho's legislation on Napoleon Dynamite. It did a great job of introducing me to a state I might not otherwise know much of anything about. Pair that with the budding romance of two teenagers, and you've got yourself a very sweet and magical little book. With a whole lot of tragedy - and beauty - thrown in. Yours, Arianna

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The Furies

The Furies Natalie Haynes 2.5/5	Published August 2014 First Sentence "The first thing they'll ask me is how I met her."
Publisher's Description: When you open up, who will you let in? When Alex Morris loses her fiancé in dreadful circumstances, she moves from London to Edinburgh to make a break with the past. Alex takes a job at a Pupil Referral Unit, which accepts the students excluded from other schools in the city. These are troubled, difficult kids and Alex is terrified of what she's taken on. There is one class - a group of five teenagers - who intimidate Alex and every other teacher on The Unit. But with the help of the Greek tragedies she teaches, Alex gradually develops a rapport with them. Finding them enthralled by tales of cruel fate and bloody revenge, she even begins to worry that they are taking her lessons to heart, and that a whole new tragedy is being performed, right in front of her...
Dear Reader, This was not the book for ME. Let me explain this... I think the publisher's description is very misleading, I was under the impression that it would be more thriller than anything else. This was NOT the case. Do not be fooled into thinking this is the next "Gone Girl", because it doesn't even come close. I might end up judging this too harshly because I don't like getting tricked. For example, if you notice above it says, "Finding them enthralled by tales of cruel fate and bloody revenge, she begins to worry that they are taking her lessons to heart, and that a whole new tragedy is being performed, right in front of her..." DUN, DUN, DUN! This statement has a miniscule bit of truth in it but mostly is completely wrong and exaggerated. I don't think this book needs to falsely advertise and give the readers wrong ideas, hoping it will sell books, they will only get disappointed because it ISN'T what they expected. Even if the book is good, the Author won't get the credibility she deserves from her readers if they fall into the wrong hands. That being said, The Furies does have a lot to say and would be perfect for the teen that is just starting to learn the Greek tragedies/plays. I mean wow, does this book break them down... which is wonderful for someone who HASN'T had classes in the plays before but for the most part I felt I was reliving those moments back in High School. Why would I want to read entire chapters dedicated to discussions that I've already hashed out? I can totally understand a teen being really into this, and the Author does a wonderful job breaking this down for someone to understand the plays better BUT for an adult, I don't think so. This might be one of those cases where I think being a YA book is really meant for a teen and not for everyone. I just wish that the publicity for this book could put it in the direction it needs to go... and not into the readers who expect some big mysterious "reveal". I did enjoy the 'Dear Diary' parts from Mel (one of the students), her experiences on being deaf are very interesting and her character stood out the most for me. I wish we could have followed her around more instead of having to sit in on "classes" discussing the greek plays. I wanted to feel a stronger connection to all the other characters in the book but I just couldn't see how with all the stuffing given to 'teaching'. To be honest with you, the book had a lot of potential though, the writing is pretty good and the Author does have an excellent grasp on certain themes (life choices, death, tragedy, friendships). She also does a great job picking out those important themes from the plays and giving the reader a lot to think about (as well as the characters). I wouldn't say this book is bad, just picked for the wrong type of reader. I think this might be the perfect book to give my teenage cousin who might be able to relate to the teachings in this book and wouldn't get bored with the many discussions of various greek plays. I know I would have enjoyed this book tremendously at that age. So shame on you, whoever picked the marketing ploys and blurbs that are downright misleading... I can only hope changes are made and the marketing turns directions to place this book in the RIGHT hands. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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Left: Hardcover - Right: E-Book  

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer 3.5 / 5	Published 2005 First Sentences "What about a teakettle? What if the spout opened and closed when the steam came out, so it would become a mouth, and it could whistle pretty melodies, or do Shakespeare, or just crack up with me?"
Publisher's Description: Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is a precocious Francophile who idolizes Stephen Hawking and plays the tambourine extremely well. He's also a boy struggling to come to terms with his father's death in the World Trade Center attacks. As he searches New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he left behind, Oskar discovers much more than he could have imagined.
Dear Reader, Hmmm.  I'm not sure what I thought of this book, really.  It hovers between a 3.5 and a 4 for me.  In some ways it was such a beautiful piece, and in other ways, well - I kind of wanted to shake Oskar Schell until he stopped being so rude and annoying!  He was a fantastic character, in the sense of a "character": one who has quite a bit of dimension to him.  He was a seriously precocious kid who you sometimes forgot was just nine.  But he could be so incredibly annoying, too!  He didn't seem to have a filter and he offended others easily by his nosiness.  If I had encountered him in real life, I probably would not have wanted to interact with him. However, the book had a beautiful generational aspect to it, which echoed Everything Is Illuminated, Foer's first book.  Both spanned from WWII to the present, which leads me to assume is a time period which really intrigues Foer.  Both included stories of grandparents, parents, and grandchildren and how they arrived where they currently find themselves.  I was particularly interested in the aspects of the story which pertained to 9/11: Oskar's father died in the attack, and I think this might be the first book I've read since Julia Glass' The Whole World Over which truly dove unabashedly into the tragic event.  Perhaps I've read others; I'm sure there have been more.  But because that was such a momentous day that we lived through, and I recall well how touchy people were about the attacks for years later (they had to postpone TV shows and movies which featured the World Trade Center towers, in order to edit them out, didn't they?).  So it's interesting to see the tide finally turn, and people want to really touch on the anguish of that time. In any case, the premise of the book is neat, with Oskar wanting to discover the origins of a key that he found in his father's room after his death.  I found that also a bit frustrating, though, because his father didn't know he was going to die on September 11, 2001!  And he certainly wasn't sick or anything; this was a totally unexpected death.  So why would he have left clues to a posthumous puzzle?!  It bothered me that the kid didn't think about that, that he just figured his father had left him a clue and that was that, he had to move forward in solving it.  Ultimately, I guess one could say it was just his way of coping with his dad's untimely death.  But still.  At least the book had a good mystery to it, although even that wasn't quite solved to my satisfaction.  I guess I'm just more critical of this book than I want to be, which is why I keep wavering on every assertion I make!  I'm sorry.  I'll leave it at this: it was definitely an enjoyable enough book to read, and if you like Foer, then you'll definitely not hate this one.  It was an interesting take on the whole 9/11 thing.  I just didn't love it, that's all - and I had hoped to.  Ah, well.  Live & learn! Yours, Arianna P.S. I was totally unaware in 2011 that this was made into a movie, too!  I'll definitely have to watch it. P.P.S. I have to admit, I was totally enchanted by the grandparents' story: particularly of the silence, and the writing, and the way the two danced around each other, withholding when they should have been sharing.  Those were my favorite parts of the book, because they were so real.  I should have written that in my above review, but I just thought of it now!

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Life Is Short But Wide

Life Is Short But Wide J. California Cooper 3.5 / 5	Published 2009 First Sentences "My name is Mrs. Hattie B. Brown, and I am ninety-one years old.  My mother, Mrs. Mary Lee Brown, is 105 years old and she has almost all her own teeth.  She eats very well, and is still living; so I'm probably going to have a long life."
Publisher's Description: Wideland, Oklahoma, is home to ordinary Americans struggling to raise families and fulfill their dreams. In the early twentieth century, Irene and Val fall in love. While carving out a home for themselves, they also allow neighbors Bertha and Joseph to live on their land. The next generation brings two girls for Irene and Val, and a daughter for Bertha and Joseph. As the families cope with the hardships that come with changing times and fortunes, and people are born and pass away, the characters learn the importance of living one's life boldly and squeezing out every possible moment of joy.
Dear Reader, This was an another audiobook find that I stumbled across on my local library's Overdrive site.  I don't know that I would have come across it otherwise, but I am glad I did - and that I gave it a fair shake, because it almost immediately turned me off with religious talk: I thought it might not be my kind of book.  But, ultimately, the God talk was pretty limited, and did all work with the theme and feel of the book, so I am glad I stuck with it.  Cooper is a prize-winning poet, and you can hear that in her writing. I actually finished this book in mid-December, but it's taken me a long time to write about it.  I am not sure why.  It was a great story - an epic look at three generations of a family (and their loved ones, who are simply extended family to them) which settled in the midwest around the turn of the century.  Irene and Val begin the family, purchasing a house and some land and settling down in Wideland, even though Val travels often for his cowherding work.  The book leads you through this family's joys, triumphs, and of course tragedies.  It's fascinating to watch promising young people grow up, some failing in life and in love.  Ultimately, those with good hearts and morals really do succeed, even though they bear their share of misfortune.  The title of the book is very approrpriate; there are many short lives in the story, but their histories are very far-reaching.  As in real life, their stories overlap and interweave and become something entirely whole, outside of the individual.  It was a great listen, and I might check out more of Cooper's writing in the future. Yours, Arianna

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