The Eyre Affair

The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde 3.5 / 5	Published 2001 First Sentence "My father had a face that could stop a clock."
Publisher's Description: The word "unique" is overused and frequently misused. Here, however, is an instance where it truly applies. But to call "The Eyre Affair" a unique first novel featuring a fearless fictional adventurer barely begins to tell the story. When asked to summarize his creation is a single sentence, Jasper Fforde described it as "a literary detective thriller with romantic overtones, mad-inventor uncles, aunts trapped in Wordsworth poems, global multinationals, scheming evildoers, an excursion inside the novel "Jane Eyre," dodos, knight-errant-time-traveling fathers, and the answer to the eternal question: Who really wrote Shakespeare's plays?" Swindon, a traditionally tranquil English town, is the ironic setting for most of these oddball characters and peculiar goings-on; the year is 1985. Fforde spins his wildly imaginative crime caper in language every bit as ingenious as the madcap plot; his devilishly clever turns of phrase take the form of verbal puzzles, anagrams, and literary and cinematic in-jokes.  Long involved in the movie-making business, Fforde gives a starring role to Thursday Next, a captivating sleuth whose respect for literature matches that of her creator. The essence of Thursday's quest is the capture of Acheron Hades, a wily cad whose dastardly crime is murder of characters from the classics.
Dear Reader, As Amberbug once wrote in her Goodreads review of this book, this is definitely a solid sci-fi book - a fun adventure, and one you find yourself wrapped up in.  And isn't that what a really enjoyable book does?  Just takes you out of the real world entirely, and drags you along on its own adventure. And that's what you'll get: a mix of all sorts of science fiction, including (resurrected from DNA) pet dodo birds, time travel, fantastic inventions, and masterminds with unreal powers.  And for a book lover, especially one who has read the classics, this is the adventure book for you.  (Although I wish I had brushed up on my Jane Eyre and some Shakespeare before having cracked this book!)  I enjoyed the character of Thursday Next, who was a strong and independent policewoman.  She has a moral compass and takes on enemies who are much stronger than her, and then manages to outsmart them.  So I couldn't help but want to be her. I think this is definitely a great recommendation for someone who might just want a break from those great-but-draining classics.  Since the author clearly loves books, it gives you something to identify with - but it's also just a really amusing romp through time and space - and books! Yours, Arianna

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Author Talk: Meg Wolitzer

Author Talk Meg Wolitzer April 1, 2014 @ RJ Julia Booksellers (Madison, CT)	I don't have AmberBug's ninja-photo skills -- not to mention her normally amazing photo skills! -- so this cute author pic is one I borrowed from npr.org.
Dear Reader, On April Fool's Day (no joke!*), my sister Bethany drove down all the way from Sudbury, MA so we could attend Meg Wolitzer's author talk hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT.  This was a big commitment, yes, but we were both fans of the book and really wanted to hear what she had to say about it.  I first got to introduce Bethany to the charming RJ Julia store, which we entered through the cafe in back.  So of course that necessitated buying coffees and a ginormous cupcake to split - vanilla with strawberry frosting (yum!).  Then we found our seats for the reading and talk. I took copious notes on Wolitzer's discussion points, so I'll try to get them down in a coherent sort of way. First, she read an abridged version of Chapter One from The Interestings (see my initial Shelf Notes review here!).  She was a great reader (Bethany & I later commented on how she ought to have narrated her own audiobook!), engaging and funny and endearing.  And she clearly cared about her characters as she read them. Next, she took audience questions - including one from Yours Truly!  Here's a summation of what was asked & answered, as well as a few great Wolitzer quotes thrown in: MW went to summer camp in the Berkshires when SHE was the same age as the book characters - for acting (although she claims she had tried to adopt a horrid Katherine Hepburn voice!). She recalls a very talented girl (in the same acting program) who became a doctor, which initially surprised her - but then she realized that acting well requires a lot of empathy, and perhaps that was why she ultimately pursued that very different field. MW will be coming out with a YA book in the fall - titled Belzhar, which is a play on Plaths' The Bell Jar. She likes to write about adolescents. She made a best friend at camp with whom she lost touch for over 12 years, but then reconnected with. She finds she often has dreams of being at her old campsite, or of a return to camp. She believes The Interestings explores "that moment that life is at its most vivid" - it's when you find "your tribe, your people" - as she pointed out, that is usually where adults are NOT, when you are a teen!   That is really what the book is about - NOT summer camp, but those connections. Also, the tribe you WISH you were a part of - that you join by faking or weaseling your way in (akin to Jules' experience). I asked about the obvious similarities between Figland and The Simpsons,  and whether MW had based Ethan's character strongly or loosely on Matt Groening - she said VERY loosely, she hadn't done any research on him at all - she just chose that situation because the book was based in this 80s era when adult TV could offer cartoons on prime time, and that was a big change. The relationship between Jules and Ash went on such different trajectories, and it was difficult for them to stay friends through everything - the book "is about what happens to talent, but also about friendship & jealousy" - MW brought up the Russian word which translates to "white envy", which means that sort of positive envy you feel for loved ones.  She wanted to explore how the characters kept their friendships alive. MW's mother is an autodidact & writer; her father is a psychologist.  Her mother started writing late; they lived in Long Island at the time, and MW lived there until she was a college grad, then moved to NYC. The dinner party focuses very much on the then very current issue of AIDS - MW felt that she really needed to show what it was like to live during that time, when you lived in fear of losing friends and loved ones regularly.  Also, she wanted to convey what it felt like to live during the Reagan years, and made sure to insert references to now-defunct things such as PanAm and a NYC pub, and the WTC. "As a writer, you have to let your characters be annoying & also to stagnate - as people DO - life gets in the way of moving, etc." (re: Jules' stagnation in the awful apartment) The Goodman family was very entitled - MW: "it's interesting to track corruption & loyalty in a family, as opposed to a corporation" MW: "You don't have to love your characters, but you have to find them human & understand what they do." She doesn't like  to write autobiography because people tend to get upset. :) "Writers need a moral integrity" -- MW "Every books needs an imperative" -- MW She quoted Zadie Smith's "When I write, I am trying to express the way I live in the world." MW thinks readers are drawn into books where the writer is really trying to wrestle with something.  "You go into a store and pick up a book -- what makes you put it back down?" -- "The reader wants to know, Why are you telling me this? and if the author can't answer that, the reader doesn't want to engage." Novels must vie for your time in very crowded lives. MW loves Ethan - "I practically have a blow-up doll of him at my house" - she feels she has a sense of humor very like his. MW: "We want our writers to have great gravitas on the page but be very funny in talks." She told a funny joke about a grandmother and white-water rafting.  (Let me know if you want me to try & type it all out!  I'll try to do it justice...) MW: "A writer needs to keep piling it on like a layer cake." I also got AmberBug a little surprise...shhhh, don't tell! ;) (The author was kind enough to draw doodles in the books my sister & I bought.) Meg Wolitzer's off-the-top-of-her-head book recommendations: Mrs. Bridge The Imperfectionists: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle) The Days of Abandonment The Patrick Melrose Novels: Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother's Milk All in all, my sister and I were thoroughly charmed by Meg Wolitzer.  I look forward to reading more of her work.  Yours, Arianna * Sorry, couldn't resist the bad pun!

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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Oryx & Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy #1)

Oryx & Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy #1) Margaret Atwood 5/5	Published 2003 First Sentence "Snowman wakes before dawn."
Publisher's Description: Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.
Dear Reader, I loved this book. I stayed up way too late every night reading this book. Lack of sleep didn't stop me from picking up the second book The Year of the Flood the same night I finished Oryx & Crake. Not many books can keep me up like that, let alone wanting me to pick up the sequel directly after. Usually, I'm the type of person that likes to let it digest and even wait a few months to pick up the second book (if at all). Books with series (3 or more) get me anxious (mostly because of the invested time required), I find that I don't usually finish a complete series unless the book rates 4 stars or higher for me. There is just too many books and too little time!  Let me rewind a bit though, I haven't even told you anything about the book yet. Meet Snowman (a.k.a Jimmy), a self absorbed and somewhat dis-likable character who somehow survives this crazy Apocalypse. No, I didn't give anything away that wasn't already given to you by the books description. There are quite a bit of plot twists and surprises and I promise I won't divulge any of those delectable secrets. Atwood brings us back and forward through time using Snowman/Jimmy's eyes. Through Jimmy, we see as he reflects back upon everything that has happened and we meet all the characters that play the part from his perspective. Everything he goes through plays a small part of the impending changes of the future. Since I don't want to give anything away, I think I'll leave it at that.  I like the genre "speculative fiction" and this novel fits perfectly under that category. I really wish I had read this when it came out in 2003. Atwood has taken some scary ideas (most of them could very likely be true) and given us a novel that could very well be the next 1984. I predict that this novel will be looked back upon as a reference for future generations, almost like a warning that wasn't heard (hopefully I'm wrong about this). Wasn't that the same feeling Orwell's 1984 gave us? I obviously wasn't alive when 1984 was published, so I can't say personally but the book has that stigma of predicting the future.  Some of the creepy things we come across in Oryx & Crake include, animal splicing (the Rakunk which is a combination of raccoon and skunk), genetic alterations (chemically injecting food so it won't rot or attract bugs), voyeuristic programming (watching the most taboo of topics on the internet and becoming desensitized by it, like kiddie porn and suicide). Does any of this sound familiar? Atwood definitely gets her inspiration from our own technological advances, she brings the current inventions to a new scary futuristic level. This is a world that you can imagine, a world that could be our future... now THAT is scary! SPOILER!!! Don't Read Below This If You Haven't Read The Book ... (ALSO contains Battlestar Galactica Spoilers, if you've never seen or finished that show *and SHAME on you if you haven't seen the show!!*) I just wanted to talk about the main theme of the book, the Apocalypse. I think what I loved about this book reminded me why I loved Battlestar Galactica so much. Both give us a decaying world filled with crime, overuse of technology, morals gone wrong and pretty much complete disrespect of the land we call home (again, doesn't this sound a bit too familiar!) Also, both BSG and Oryx & Crake reset the world, taking away everything that was destroying it (including the mass population). Neither this book or the show gives us the aftermath but one can only imagine how the world will be rebuilt with the remaining survivors. BSG went one step further pushing the idea that humanity will just make the same mistakes over and over again. To quote from the show "All of this has happened before and will happen again".  I think the idea of resetting and starting anew, making the survivors live with the earth and nothing else, is SO fascinating. I've often thought of what we would do without all the technology we have, would we be able to survive? Would we be able to reset our own way of thinking and go back to scavenging for food and shelter? I actually think it would be kind of wonderful to get a second chance, but I think the same problems would arrive and like BSG showed us... humanity would be in an endless loop, making the same mistakes over and over again.  SPOILER DONE!!! I have nothing else to say but READ this book.  Yours, AmberBug

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A Beautiful Truth

A Beautiful Truth Colin McAdam 3 / 5	Published 2013 First Sentence "Judy and Walter Walt Ribke lived on twelve up-and-down acres, open to whatever God gave them, on the eastern boundary of Addison County, four feet deep in the years of rueful contentment."
Publisher's Description: Told simultaneously from the perspective of humans and chimpanzees, set in a Vermont home and a Florida primate research facility, A Beautiful Truth—at times brutal, other times deeply moving—is about the simple truths that transcend species, the meaning of family, the lure of belonging, and the capacity for survival. A portion of this book's proceeds benefits Save the Chimps, the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary. A powerful and haunting meditation on human nature told from the dual perspectives of a Vermont family that has adopted a chimp as a surrogate son, and a group of chimpanzees in a Florida research institute. Looee, a chimp raised by a well-meaning and compassionate human couple who cannot conceive a baby of their own, is forever set apart.  He’s not human, but with his peculiar upbringing he is no longer like other chimps.  One tragic night Looee’s two natures collide and their unique family is forever changed. At the Girdish Institute in Florida, a group of chimpanzees has been studied for decades.  The work at Girdish has proven that chimps have memories and solve problems, that they can learn language and need friends, and that they build complex cultures. They are political, altruistic, get angry, and forgive. When Looee is moved to the Institute, he is forced to try to find a place in their world. A Beautiful Truth is an epic and heartfelt story about parenthood, friendship, loneliness, fear and conflict, about the things we hold sacred as humans and how much we have in common with our animal relatives. A novel of great heart and wisdom from a literary master, it exposes the yearnings, cruelty, and resilience of all great apes.
Dear Reader, Gosh, how do I write a review of this book?  In many ways I was fascinated by the author's approach; it reminded me of something groundbreaking like The Sound and the Fury because it told half of the story from the perspective of chimpanzees, and I thought McAdam did a great job of conveying what he imagined their thoughts would read like.  However, in many ways that same innovation was frustrating and even annoying at times, despite my understanding of the use of such a device to help connect both stories - and to show the short link between humans and apes. I found I enjoyed the parts that were about Judy and Walt best; the research institute parts were odd and could get boring at times.  And I did find it frustrating because I never did understand what a "plekor" was supposed to mean: often, the author fairly easily conveyed the meaning of the made-up words he employed from the chimps' perspectives, but there were certain word choices which I think were never fully clarified. I also couldn't help but draw a (tenuous) connection between this book and the only other one I've ever read about ape research, Sara Gruen's Ape House.  I did enjoy that book more than this one, although I also felt that that one was a "lighter" read than A Beautiful Truth. The book's startling turn really threw me for a loop - I hadn't seen it coming!  Well, I guess in a way I had, but it was still a shock when and in what way it happened.  (Sorry, don't want to go into more detail for risk of spoilers!)  In any case, once that turning point happened, the book kind of went downhill from there, in my opinion.  I think because it focused almost entirely on the primate research institute, which was less appealing for me.  The story line made sense, but it just lost my attention, for the most part.  What most appealed to me about reading this book was the disturbing-yet-oddly-appealing train-wreck type scenario of humans choosing to own exotic pets.  If you are interested in seeing that "up close and personal", this book won't disappoint.  Walt and Judy's story is a tragic one, right from the start.  But it certainly is fascinating to watch unfold. Yours, Arianna

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Twittering from the Circus of the Dead

Twittering from the Circus of the Dead Joe Hill 3/5	Published 2013 First Tweet "TYME2WASTE I'm only trying this because I'm so bored I wish I was dead. Hi Twitter. Want to know what I'm doing? Screaming inside. 8:17PM - 28 Feb from Tweetie"
Publisher's Description: Come one, come all. The show's about to begin. Step right up for the Circus of the Dead: where YOU are the concessions. #CircusoftheDead
Dear Reader, This will be a short review for a short story. This was an Amazon Single (99 cents)! I finished this single a month back and have been holding off on reviewing it, no clear reason why. I think maybe because I didn't "love" it. Usually when I love a book, I have so much more to say about it. I really love Joe Hill, mostly because he brings this new world we live in to his books. I get a little fan crazed when an Author plays with new technology and experiments with social elements. This was fun and interesting but had a few problems, it was hard to say if the problems were with the story or the experiment... I thought he used twitter nicely, built up some terror and mystery but maybe would have been more successful if this were read on twitter itself. I can only imagine a "War of the Worlds" type story (not this one) that will shock twitter followers into believing something is actually true (when in reality it's a fabrication from a brilliant Author). I think we're really close to something like this happening, some writing stunt/experiment that involves twitter. It's an interesting platform and I'm really glad I read this story because it opened up my eyes to twitter a little more. I want to know what the next successful attempt for something new will be. I'm even MORE excited that I live during these times of change and will be sitting front row for the show. Okay, so I hardly talked about the short story but that's the beauty of it... I don't want to give anything away. Joe Hill continues to be at the forefront of this movement of social writing experiments and I'll be right there with him and others, through the good and the bad. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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