Stars in the Night

Stars in the Night
Cara C. Putnam
Summerside, 2010

I won this from a weekly giveaway over at Favorite PASTimes, and Ms. Putman signed it with a wonderful message I needed the day it came: "Dreams do come true!" Even though I don't normally read mysteries, this book called and beckoned and I had to answer ... Yes, there is a mystery to it, but the story itself is so much more than trying to figure out "whodunit". The characters are real - I recognized much of myself in Audra - their feelings are familiar, their conversation believable. I knew I'd like the story based solely on it being about the Homefront effort during WWII - especially since it focuses on glamorous old Hollywood. I did not expect to get so 'sucked in' to the story -- I devoured it once I was able to sit down and read it. I had to find out what was going to happen next, how everything would turn out in the end. I didn't expect everything to resolve as it did - I was truly surprised by the twists and turns in the mystery part of the telling. I don't want to give anything away, but this is definitely a book I'd recommend for someone wanting an involving, satisfying read that has more weight than chick lit, but isn't really heavy.

Book provided by my personal library.

Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom

Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom
Susan Nielsen
Tundra Books, 2010

As promised in a previous post, a review of Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom! I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into when I started to read -- I haven't read about middleschoolers in years -- but the premise was just too good to pass up. How could I resist a story about a girl trying to set her mom up with George Clooney?! You just can't do that. Resist, I mean. Although chances are it'd be a bit difficult to set up someone with Clooney. But I digress ... Back to the review: The characters are younger than what I've read in a while, but that did not detract from either the story nor the characters themselves. Violet is not too growny, and while once or twice I felt like she was acting a little 'beyond her age', within the context of the story it made sense and worked. Then too, I stopped to think about my little cousin and her friends - all 13-14 - and how they behave ... Violet was very convincing as a character, and I enjoyed her escapades.

For all the fun and humor of the title, there is some serious real-life stuff going on in Violet's life. Nothing is over-dramatized or played up for emotional shock value, everything is presented as "this is reality". I think there are probably a lot of readers who can relate to Violet and her experiences and emotions. It's a real book, that will make you think about real things, but in a super cute and very enjoyable, fun read. Definitely glad I gave it a go - thanks, Amanda, for making it possible!

Book provided by my personal library.

The Cookbook Collector

The Cookbook Collector
Allegra Goodman
Dial Press, 2010

What caught my attention initially was the title - my mum and I collect cookbooks, so to see a novel entitled "The Cookbook Collector" was attention-getting to say the least. Then I saw where people are calling Allegra Goodman "the modern-day Jane Austen". And at that point, I knew I needed to give in and read the book. Thankfully, I lucked out and the library had it available and ready for check out!

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call Goodman the new Jane Austen, but I can understand why people draw the comparison: Just as Jane knew humanity and was able to demonstrate the ridiculous and the admirable in her characters, Goodman is a keen observer of human nature and draws very believable, real figures. So while I can understand it, I don't entirely agree. The Cookbook Collector has a LOT of characters. And almost all of them get a chance to 'speak'/ be in the spotlight. While that creates a very developed, detailed and dimensional story, it was also rather confusing until I got everyone sorted out in my head.

Actually, that's kind of my overall feeling about the book: I was confused until I got it all organized. There are a lot of storylines, and figuring out how they all related - IF they were all related - took some mental attention. As the story progressed, it got easier and easier to follow. Whether that's because I was now totally engrossed in the story or because I had worked through the confusing beginning and made it into a clearer-in-general part of the story, I don't know. What I do know is this: Goodman wove an intricate tale, and took it somewhere I was not expecting. At all. Once I reached the end, I had a moment of thinking "I should've seen that coming," but then - if I had seen it coming, I wouldn't have liked the story so well. Because I did like it, a lot. Allegra Goodman may not be Jane Austen, but she can write an amazing and arresting story.

Book provided by my local library.

Simon Pulse RomCom Challenge

I saw this posted over on the YA Booknerd blog, and while I was intrigued I didn't think I would be able to get my hands on any of the books. Then I browsed the stacks of the library I am interning at, and had a momentary happy dance today! They have some Simon Pulse RomComs!!! Not the whole set, but enough to let me do the challenge. Quite exciting, let me tell you. This will be my second challenge effort (the first being Everything Austen II, which I need to get my butt in gear on), and I'm pretty excited.

I think I'm going to do this at the 'Lover' level, since I'm not sure there are 15 different titles I can get my hands on ... If I can read more, I will. But I'm shooting for 5! Yippee!

Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation
Jean Kwok
Riverhead, 2010

I have seen this listed on a lot of To-Read lists, and read several reviews, and let's be honest: the cover and title are pretty amazing. (Random sidenote: I wish my own hair would stay that nicely with a pencil stuck through it.) So when I saw it available at the library, I quickly scooped it up.

The story is straight-forward and chronological, after the initial chapter that is a little bit of a "Huh? Did I miss something?"-intro to the book. It makes sense later, after you've read the story of ah-Kim from beginning to end. Premise is simple: mother and young daughter immigrate from China to America, and do whatever it takes to survive. Ah-Kim is very smart, and quickly learns what needs to be done to rescue her mother and herself from their situation in life. Along the way, there are all sorts of 'normal' growing up adventures, and these are contrasted to the 'hidden' life of New York's Chinese.

For me, the book was just 'okay' -- it didn't have me hanging on every word, but I wasn't disgusted either. I kept reading, and was actually surprised by the ending. Did not see that one coming. At all. Kwok's ability to slip that in while leaving me, the reader, totally unawares of where the story was going earned a few points.

Book provided by my local library.

My Name is Memory

My Name is Memory
Ann Brashares
Riverhead, 2010

I am a huge fan of Ann Brashares, and have read every book she's written. So when I found out she had a new book coming out this year, I was thrilled! Until I saw the premise ... I'm definitely not a fan of paranormal, and while time travel in the sense of - well, I guess it's basically reincarnation - isn't that "paranormal" it was a little odd and not really on my reading radar. But the cover kept beckoning, and I kept seeing it popping up in places, so I gave in. Oh. Wow. I am so glad I did. The story isn't about reincarnation so much as it is about memory - and what makes a person the person they are. It's about trust and faith and love. It's about humanity. And it's a bittersweet romance.

Daniel, the one who remembers the most, gives us all the backstory, which involves a lot of flashbacks/memories. They're nicely done however, and clearly marked - both by chapter headings and a change in font. The memories are scattered in among the 'current' story, and help explain why everything is happening as it is in the now. In the process of learning about Daniel and Lucy/Sophia's past, the reader also gets to experience fun historical vignettes - Daniel has lived many times, and has many memories. This is most definitely a book that requires the willing suspension of disbelief -- it is rather fantastic at points -- but if you read the words on the page instead of trying to reconcile them with a sense of reality, the story will take you amazing places.

All things considered, I'm glad I took a chance on My Name is Memory -- it is very different from what I tend to read, but the story was everything I expect from Brashares. Sometimes risks are lesser than their rewards.

Book provided by my local library.

Summer Reading Recap

I work in a college environ, so I consider 'summer' to be May-June-July-August, therefore, here are the books read from May through August:


May
- Waiting for You: Susane Colasanti (320)
- Sweet Little Lies: Lauren Conrad (309)
- The Alpha Bet: Stephanie Hale (232)
- The Cranford Chronicles: Elizabeth Gaskell (484)
- The Cinderella Society: Kay Cassidy (322)
- Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots: Abby McDonald (293)
- The Summer I Turned Pretty: Jenny Han (276)

June
- Spoken from the Heart: Laura Bush (432)
- Wish: Alexandra Bullen (323)
- Dreaming of Dior: Charlotte Smith (292)
- Wedding Season: Darcy Cosper (340)
- Odd and the Frost Giants: Neil Gaiman (118)
- Princess Ben: Catherine Gilbert Murdock (344)
- A Song for Summer: Eva Ibbotson (397)
- Android Karenina: Leo Tolstoy & Ben Winters (538)
- Tammy: Adventure in Hollywood: Alice Wellman (214)
- It's Not Summer Without You: Jenny Han (277)
- The Bad Queen: Carolyn Meyer (420)

July
- Cleopatra's Daughter: Michelle Moran (422)
- Someday My Prince will Come: Jerramy Fine (305)
- Portion of the Sea: Christine Lemmon (422)
- After the Kiss: Terra Elan McVoy (382)
- The Cupcake Queen: Heather Hepler (242)
- Runaway: Meg Cabot (310)
- Persuasion: Jane Austen (283)
- Ice Land: Betsy Tobin (354)

August
- Everlasting: Angie Frazier (329)
- Heist Society: Ally Carter (287)
- Commencement: J. Courtney Sullivan (324)
- Lowcountry Summer: Dorothea Benton Frank (340)
- My Name is Memory: Ann Brashares (324)
- Girl in Translation (290)

Totals:  32 books, 10545 pages

Okay ... So maybe that's a lot more than I was expecting, even though I see my yearlong tally on a regular basis. It was obviously a hot-hot summer, which meant a lot of afternoons reading in the cool. And no, not all of those books have been reviewed on here - this blog is still getting up and running as a steady review-source; and, too, some of them I just frankly didn't feel inclined to review some of 'em. I'm getting better though, I really am. There are definitely some reviews in the works waiting to get fine-tuned and published. So stay tuned!

Commencement

Commencement
J. Courtney Sullivan
Knopf, 2009

I originally picked up Commencement because it looked to be one of those chick lit books I love: four girls, from different backgrounds, finding each other at the right time, and staying friends through life's adventures and misadventures. It was that, but it was also so much more! I expected fluffy, happy-go-lucky, maybe a tear but definitely some laughing out loud. I got that, but I also got a thought-provoking story that reached in deep and made me think about all kinds of 'issues'.

Logistically, the novel is written from each of the girls' perspective in turn - clearly labeled, and you always know which character is narrating which section (this is a good thing). Since the story begins with their freshman introduction and continues to the present, there is a lot of 'flashback' and time-jumping -- however, it is not confusing and transitions are introduced very well. Each girl is allowed to tell her own story, or own personal interpretation of shared events as well as her own individual journey. Because of this, there is some overlap between accounts - however, this only adds to the depth of the story, making it more real and involved.

I definitely loved this novel, even though some parts were really hard to read ((there are a lot of serious, weighty issues that are present - it's not overwhelming, but you will think)). I had no idea where the story was going, and at the end I was totally surprised -- since I tend to guess how things are going to end, this is an accomplishment on the part of the author. I'd love to know where the story is going from there -- will there be a sequel? Does it continue only in the minds and hearts of those who read it? Time will tell, I s'pose.

Book provided by my local library.

Happy happy!

I've been horrible about updating lately, oops. I have reviews to post, I just haven't ... Sigh. Bad habits are so easily acquired. However, some happy teasers:

New books are in my life muchly these days! Not only did I make an amazing haul at Goodwill a few weeks ago regarding 1950s-1970s "young adult" books, but I find myself the happy winner of several giveaways this month. That is definitely something to celebrate. So far, the only one that has been delivered is Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, which I won from Amanda's very fun giveaway over at Books of Amanda's Land! I will post the others as they come ... and be looking for a review of Dear George coming soon. We hope.

Reviews are coming. I promise! Just not sure when ... but until then, check out some of the blogs on my blogroll for some amazing To-Read List additions.

Wowzers Giveaway!

Passages to the Past is hosting an amazing giveaway! Check it out (also on the sidebar, for easy access)!

The loot:
The entire collection of Susan Holloway Scott's novels - historical fiction, with gorgeous covers and appealing titles and storylines. Definitely very interesting ... Here's hoping!

Contest @ Breathless Books

Becky over at BreathlessBooks is having a follower-celebration contest: Win a book from her To-Be-Read list!

Check it out: http://breathlessbooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/50-follower-giveaway.html#links

Choose Your Genre Contest

Hey hey, stumbled across another amazing contest: Choose Your Genre over at Books Obsession!

There are four, yes, FOUR, different prize packs you can win from (designated by genre), and each pack features books and swag. Cool beans,  right?

Check it out: Choose your genre contest!

Amazing Contest!

Stumbled across this contest - totally amazing. Seriously. Check it out!
Best part of all? It's about sharing your reading with your sisters! Oh yeah ... This is good stuff.

http://www.facebook.com/ThereseWalsh.author?v=wall#!/notes/therese-walsh/a-big-fat-51-author-102-book-my-sister-and-me-contest-the-official-rules-the-off/143430712341519

Heist Society

Heist Society
Ally Carter
Hyperion, 2010

This is totally not my normal read, but I saw it and decided to pick it up on a whim; the cover and title are fun, and the blurb on the bookflap suggested there might be something I'd at least like to the story. I was quickly whisked away on an adventure unlike any I've been on before. Sometimes taking risks pays off - whether they are simple, like reading something out of your ordinary, or huge risks that put your life and the lives of all those you love best at work, like Kat has to make in the story.

The story was surprising well-written. Fast-paced, with enough action and drama to keep me focused and interested, but not so much as to be overwhelming. Timing was key, because the main story takes place in just two weeks' time. Some of the travel that takes place seems a little far-fetched, but this is a far-fetched story set in a global world. This was definitely a glimpse into a world I can barely even imagine, but - surprisingly - enjoyed. May have to take a few more [reading] risks in the future ...

Book provided by my local library.

Ice Land

Ice Land
Betsy Tobin
Plume, 2008

Oh. My. I fell in love with the cover a year or so ago, and when I found out it was about Norse myth, knew I simply had to read it. When I finally got my hands on it, it was definitely worth the wait.

I knew the story dealt with Freya (Norse goddess of love), and somehow the country of Iceland. What I didn't realize was that there were two separate storylines that were going to be presented -- stories that were overlapped and interwoven with an intricacy I did not expect. I was quickly immersed in the story - excuse me, stories - I was reading, and then when everything came together I was surprised. But also delighted.

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting - probably a novel just about the Aesir and Asgard. Instead I got a beautifully descriptive novel that examined the humanity of the gods, and their undeniable connections to the 'earthlings' (humans, dwarves, giants, animals ...). It's a novel about life, and chances, and most of all: Love.

Book provided by my personal library.

[Everything Austen II] Persuasion

Everything Austen II is a challenge hosted by Stephanie over at Stephanie's Written Word.
The goal: To read 6 Austen-themed works between July 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011.
The progress so far:
1: Persuasion (Jane Austen)
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:

Persuasion
Jane Austen
Signet Classics, 1996 (original publication 1817)

I have read at least 3, if not 4, contemporary retellings of Austen's Persuasion - so I was very familiar with the story. Several of my close friends love it, calling it their favorite Austen of all. So I went into this with high hopes and a happy sense of anticipation. And then I struggled my way through it ... I love Jane, but I definitely do not love Persuasion. At all. You can tell that this novel was written as she was "running out of time" sotospeak, and was not able to go back and rework everything -- it's almost like a second, maybe third draft, and one more good revision would have done the trick. The story's there, the characters have some promise, but it's just not quite clicking. The best of the whole book are Chapters 10 and 11 of Volume 2 -- coincidentally, the only two chapters Jane went back and did serious reworking of (or so says the introduction in my volume). You can tell. There's a difference to the story in those two chapters.

Anne Elliot annoyed me. I wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled in her head and she woke up. They say she shows amazing patience -- to me, she showed immense passivity. Did she feel things? Yeah, to varying degrees. But she was just so ... complacent and accepting of everything. I got increasingly frustrated with her as the course of the novel continued. Captain Wentworth was not a bad hero - but I'd like to get to know him better. He had a humanity to him, a normal, familiar pride about him, that reminded me of Darcy. Perhaps if the Captain were written more, Anne would be more appealing and the story revived greatly.

Unfortunately, strangely, the original Austen is lacking in story and likeability to the contemporary retellings.

Book provided by my personal library.

After the Kiss

After the Kiss
Terra Elan McVoy
Simon Pulse, 2010

The cover caught my attention on this one. Well, the cover and the title itself. I'd seen several reviews for it, and they all led me to believe it'd be a cute, easy summer read. That part is definitely true - what they did not tell me was that it's a novel in verse.

The basic premise is that the book follows two girls, who do not meet or technically know each other. I say technically, because their stories overlap. Drastically. Dramatically.

Each girl is allowed to tell her own story ... Camille writes in free-verse, almost stream-of-consciousness, but in third person. It allows for a singular perspective: you're getting to see inside her - as much as she allows herself to look inward, anyway - but you also get to see the dynamics of her world. Becca writes in a variety of poetic forms ... from tributes to Browning and Williams to a very cleverly done villanelle.

Overall, I think the form works - I just wish I'd had a little forewarning. I was caught blindsided and was therefore a wee bit confused. That quickly dissipated, it just took a moment or two of adjusting.

Book provided by my local library.

Portion of the Sea

Portion of the Sea
Christine Lemmon
Penmark, 2010


I won this in a Goodreads.com firstread's giveaway: after stumbling across a review of Lemmon's newest novel (Sand in my Eyes) at Luxury Reading, I saw this book listed as an ending-today firstreads giveaway. I entered on a whim and a hope, and actually won. Talk about huge smiles!

What originally caught my attention was the blurb on the back: A tale about a woman’s treasures – heart, soul, and mind –
and the struggle to keep them afloat.

It’s 1953 in sunny Florida, a...more  

A tale about a woman’s treasures – heart, soul, and mind –
and the struggle to keep them afloat.

It’s 1953 in sunny Florida, and 15-year-old Lydia Isleworth thinks her ultimate life goal, like that of every woman she knows, is to marry a respectable man and raise a family. Then, she meets an aspiring Hollywood actress Marlena DiPluma, who says four life-changing words—YOU CAN DO ANYTHING—and gives her a journal to read. The journal, written by Ava, a defiant girl of Lydia’s age, becomes the catalyst for Lydia’s awakening and new life adventure.

A story of parallel lives, Portion of the Sea follows two young women in passionate pursuit of their independence–Lydia during the cultural revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, and Ava during the late-1800s when a few pioneering American ladies set the course for women’s freedom.

In this stirring follow-up to her debut novel Sanibel Scribbles, Christine Lemmon offers a trademark story of how women can inspire each other to pursue bold dreams, make courageous choices, and reclaim lost treasures.

Knowing this was also about my much-beloved Gulf Coast, I couldn't wait to dig in and read. I was not disappointed.

Portion of the Sea is a double-story: Lydia's story is intricately interwoven with the story of Ava, and while sometimes this can be very confusing or slightly annoying, Lemmon executes it with success. There are clear delineations between the two girls and their stories, but they are similar enough that together they comprise a beautifully written portrait of a girl's discovering who she is and what she wants out of the world.

I saw myself in so much of the revelations and frustrations verbalized by both Lydia and Ava. I recognized their struggles, I empathized with their troubles and confusions, and I knew their joys. (Well, most of them). This is a book that I am going to, without a doubt, hand my friends, encourage my little cousins to read, and one day, share with my daughters. It's a powerful story, and beautifully written. Plus, it's about the magic of my Gulf.

Book provided by my personal library.

New Books!

So my list of new books is huge this week, but only because my library was having a major book sale: $1 a bag, for as many books as you can cram in. How amazing is that?! Needless to say, I had fun. Here are my newly acquired titles:

• The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek (Evelyn Lampman)
• The Shy Stegosaurus of Indian Springs (Evelyn Lampman)
• The Garden Party (Katherine Mansfield)
• The Grand Sophy (Georgette Heyer)
• Cabbages and Kings (O.Henry)
• Her Father's Daughter (Gene Stratton-Porter)
• Free River (Myna Lockwood)
• Names on the Land (George R Stewart)
• Living Biographies of Famous Novelists (c. 1943)
• Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley, vol. VI
• Children's Books too Good to Miss (1966 edition)
• Men of Albemarle (Inglis Fletcher -- 1st edition!)
• Dawn's Early Light (Elyswth Thane - Williamsburg series)
• Yankee Stranger (Elyswth Thane - Williamsburg series) 
• Ever After (Elyswth Thane - Williamsburg series) 
• Light Heart (Elyswth Thane - Williamsburg series) 
• Homing (Elyswth Thane - Williamsburg series) 
• The Lost General (Elyswth Thane)
• From This Day Forward (Elswyth Thane)

I also received another won-book: Ice Land (Betsy Tobin)

The Thane books -- I saw Ever After and was caught by the title. Picked it up on a whim, because at 10-cents a piece, it's okay to take the gamble. Then I realized there were several other titles by the same author, and snagged them too. Last night, while on Goodreads.com I learned that there actually IS a Williamsburg series (following a couple families through generations - I think very similarly to Eugenia Price's books), and I had managed to find the first 4 and 7th titles in the series. Just need to find the 'missing' 2, and I'll have a complete set! Wowzers. Hope they're as good as they look to be. The other two Thane titles are stand alones, best I can tell.

Someday My Prince Will Come

Someday My Prince Will Come
Jerramy Fine
Gotham, 2008

I LOVED the title first - it just speaks of my life. And when I saw it on a bargain table, I had to snatch it up. It's a light, easy read that actually does hit on some fairly important/serious issues. The premise is simple: American girl is IN LOVE to the point of obsession with an English Prince, and determines she is destined to marry into the Royal Family. The story is her adventures (and misadventures) along the way ... Any girl who has ever indulged in serious daydreams about what life wou...more I LOVED the title first - it just speaks of my life. And when I saw it on a bargain table, I had to snatch it up. It's a light, easy read that actually does hit on some fairly important/serious issues. The premise is simple: American girl is IN LOVE to the point of obsession with an English Prince (whom she has never met, from the age of 6), and determines she is destined to marry into the Royal Family. The story is her adventures (and misadventures) along the way ... Any girl who has ever indulged in serious daydreams about what life would be like as a Disney Princess will appreciate and relate to Fine's musing and contemplation. I recognized myself in several of her statements - as well as in her revelations (well, maybe not ALL of them, but the more 'universally applicable' ones - if you read it, you'll know what I mean).

Book provided by my personal library.