Lola Flips the Script on Gang Life

I wouldn't normally reach for a novel about L.A. Gangs. It's just not really my forte. But Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love, while mainly being a novel about L.A. Gang life, is not anywhere near your typical gang banger novel. Allow me to explain.

When you think of a a novel about gangs, you, like me, probably think of wife beater wearing guys who sling drugs and carry a weapon 24/7. The key assumption here is that MEN are the ones we automatically associate with gang life. It's just always been that simple. Enter Lola. The novel is  about L.A. Gang life with one big difference: it's about a WOMAN who is the head of the fictitious Crenshaw Six gang. The novel centers around Lola's life as gang leader they never saw coming. A new take on the feminist motto "We Can Do It" indeed.

Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

Audiobook: A Boy Called Christmas

So this book, aptly titled A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig, caught my attention because I was looking for a new book this holiday season to share with my son. In all honestly, I didn't realize this was an audio book until after it arrived (my fault, for not reading the description). That being said, I was a little nervous that the audio book would not keep my seven year old's attention. Luckily, this book grabbed our imagination from the start so my son "tuning out" was a non-issue.

I was pleased to discover a new Christmas book that wasn't cheesy or a subtle rehashing of the usual Christmas stories. In a nutshell, A Boy Called Christmas tells the tale of a boy named Nicholas (duh!) who faces many hardships during his childhood. Magic elements ensue (reindeer! trolls! pixies!) and Nicholas becomes a hero.

Will your child enjoy this book? YES! But even better parents, YOU will too. Add this one to your reading shelf for next Christmas.

Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a Must Read for 2016

There's been a lot of talk about Blake Crouch's new novel, Dark Matter, and all of it is accurate. This book is the first book I've read in a very long time that grabbed me from page one and had me up very late every night in an simultaneous attempt to somehow both resolve the story and keep it from ending.

A good mix of Sci-Fi and Thriller, Dark Matter carries the reader through the lives (yes, LIVES) of Jason Dessen, a physist who longs to answer everyone's favorite hypothetical question ("what IF I had made different choices in my life? Where would I be now?") thru science.

Without spoiling the story, this book will definitely appeal to a mass audience. Don't be intimidating by the Sci-Fi laebeling. While things get a little heavy on the science occasionally, the story is one worth following until the end.

Definitely worth making it one of your must-reads for 2016.

Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

I Am No One By Patrick Flannery

I Am No One by Patrick Flannery is at it's most basic level a novel that brings to life the fears of most of us in the 21st century: having our lives on digital surveillance. Paranoia, self-identity issues and suspense abound.

While the premise of the novel revolves around Jeremy, an Oxford academic, who relocated to New York City, it is also a story that haunts at a deeper level. Remember when "big brother" was always watching? There is no denying that the digital age has upped the ante on what big brother can watch. A reasonable fear indeed.

I did find the flashbacks a bit tedious and the book a little too heavy to read leisurely (not a beach read, in my opinion), I cannot deny that Patrick Flannery has some amazing writing chops. In all honesty, even when my attention drifted from the story his writing kept me coming back to finish it.


Blogger Note:  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. This review is entirely based on my opinion.

Wreck and Order by Hannah Tennant-Moore: A Book About Putting Yourself Back Together After Falling Apart

Wreck and Order by Hannah Tennant-Moore is a book that reads like a memoir in all the best possible ways. Right off the bat, I enjoyed this book and connected with it (mostly). I felt like the narrator, Elsie, was able to represent an accurate depiction of an almost-thirty year old woman from a (dare I say) feminist perspective. Elsie longs to do something with her life that matters by way of incompatible and toxic relationships, traveling to Paris and Sri Lanka and a long-term project of a French translated manuscript about cats. 

Wreck and Order by Hannah Tennant-Moore, Penguin Random House

This was the Eat, Pray, Love for the modern twenty-something. Honest, unapologetic and full of promise. It's rare to read a book that unintentionally speaks for young women's yearnings to belong in the world and have something of their own. In lieu of bad relationships and a product of the 50% divorce rate, Elsie wants to have her own legacy and own meaningful life project, which to her comes in the form of an ambitious and sometimes a lost-cause translation endeavor. I dare you to show me a young woman who doesn't long to find herself apart from who she is as a daughter or in the confines of a relationship. These relationships, while wrecking her, also give her the desire to fully live a life of new experiences.

Her travels, while being the most unrealistic part of the novel (really how many almost thirty-year olds do you know whose fathers foot the bill for not only Paris living, but also a sojourn to Sri Lanka?) also echo the general notion of loosing oneself in order to discover a better understanding of oneself.

An enjoyable novel that left me with a slight case of wanderlust and hungry for the next serving by Tennant-Moore.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Bad Doctor Makes for the Best Narrator in Summer House with Swimming Pool

If I were to judge this book by it's cover, I'd say it was the perfect summer beach read. I mean it's called Summer House with Swimming Pool (by Herman Koch), which doesn't get a whole lot more summer-sounding. However, my immediate reaction while reading this book was "wow, this narrator sounds a lot like that one friend we all have that is too honest about things". You know the person: they have no filter and say exactly what they are thinking at all times even when you find yourself cringing and wishing they would just be quiet already.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch

This novel centers around Marc Schlosser, a family doctor who gets himself into some trouble when a patient of his dies. That's the plot but really this book is about Marc the maybe not so reliable narrator and his disturbingly honest insight into all things. From his family life, to what he really thinks of his patients, this book is one big very dark comedy wrapped up inside a not-so-thrilling thriller.

Read this book if you like to analyze the characters in the novels you read. You are guaranteed to be thinking about Marc long after you finish.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing isn't for Everyone, But Give it a Shot for More Ambitious Summer Reading

This book. What can I say about this book (A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride) ? I WANTED to like it. The reviews and the stellar ratings and ravings made me certain that it would fall in line with the kind of literature that I devour like ice cream on a hot day.

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride. 

But, in keeping with the whole summer ice cream analogy, it melted before I could really appreciate what it had to offer. I just couldn't get into it. I tried. I gave it several attempts but I just couldn't stick it out. Which is unfortunate because I am not usually a book quitter.

I'm all for experimental style writing and stream of consciousness story-telling. I thought this book would be a more substantial summer read for me, but I had to abandon it. Even though it didn't work for me, I wouldn't rule it out. It won a slew of book prizes, so clearly I may be the one not getting this book. In the meantime, I'm putting it on my "to read again" shelf for another day. Maybe Winter is a better suited season for me to indulge in this one.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

The Martian is A Timely Tale of Thrills

If ever there was a novel that tied in to current events, The Martian by Andy Weir would be it. Don't believe me? Pause. Step away from this blog and head over to your news site of choice. Do a quick search in the science section and you'll find the story about the colonization of Mars. No longer is the subject a matter of fiction.

The story is compelling and touches a nerve of fear at the very core of the reader. Imagine a Mars exploration gone wrong. An astronaut, Mark Watney, presumed dead who turns out to be alive but left behind on Mars. Watney needs to plan his survival down to the most minute detail. From food to water, to oxygen and a way to contact Earth. His life depends solely on his ability to find ways to prolong his survival.

Andy Weir clearly did his research while writing this novel. All of the details, from NASA protocol to the environment of Mars, are well covered. And while science fiction may not be my genre of choice, this book certainly kept me interested and reading through to the end.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

The Vacationers: A Story About The Holiday I Never Want to Be On

Ok so I believed the hype and dove in (pun kinda intended) to THE SUMMER BOOK of 2014: The Vacationers by Emma Straub. And I am probably in the minority when I say this but, I just wasn't feeling it.

The book is literally about a dysfunctional American family that goes on vacation to the idyllic Spanish island of Mallorca. Said family are the Post's: Fran (mom who may possibly care more about food/cooking than everything else), Jim (father, recently fired from his lifelong career at a men's magazine because of an affair with an intern), Bobby (Fran & Jim's oldest child who behaves like someone 10 years his junior) and Stella (Fran & Jim's daughter who seems to be the most stable member of the clan, recent high school graduation about to fly the coop for college life). Along for the vacation are family friends Charles & Lawrence (married couple who spend most of 2 weeks hoping that their adoption in the states goes through) and Carmen (Bobby's much older girlfriend/personal trainer). A few minor characters included a Spanish virginity-taking tutor, a retired hunky tennis pro, a Harley driving pediatrician and the even more self-obsessed (really? is that possible?) owner of the home who rents it to the Posts for their quasi-doomed holiday, none of which really do much to elevate the plot to anything that would keep the reader compelled to finish the book.

This book is essentially about all of them and how their secrets come out and either redeem them or ruin them. There is no real plot. The characters are self-obsessed and don't really do anything noteworthy except exist. There are marital problems. Money problems. Career problems. Friend problems.  It's as if the book is a suspended glimpse of how people interact with one another when forced to by proximity via vacation house in foreign country. (Side note: the descriptions of Mallorca were very enchanting)

I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. It felt like I kept waiting for something to happen, and it never really did.

photo courtesy of: Penguin group

Until You're Mine: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Meets Every SingleEpisode of Law & Order SVU

The job of a nanny is notoriously double-edged: she must be fully trustworthy yet at the same time manage to not blur the delicate line between parent and hired caregiver. In the novel, Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes, mom-to-be Claudia searches out the perfect nanny to help around the home after her baby daughter arrives. As the wife of a Navy husband, Claudia spends the majority of her time flip-flopping between her career as a social worker and primary caregiver for the twin boys she's become defacto mother to following the death of their birth mother. Having had a history of stillbirths and miscarriages, she is in a fragile medical state that makes the assistance of a nanny even more useful. Enter Zoe, the seemingly perfect nanny-candidate. The twins love her and she has all the necessary qualifications, but she also has a secret. (Cue the mysterious music)

To make matters worse, there has been a serious of attacks on pregnant women and their unborn children in the area. Claudia's increasingly vulnerability make her suspicious of Zoe and that's when the story really takes off at roller-coaster speed.

A suspenseful novel with a twist that I never saw coming. Hayes did a good job of misdirecting the reader and it makes for a fun and entertaining psychological thriller. Pack this one in your beach bag!

courtesy of Random House

Constellation of Boys: A short MUST READ for Loose Girls Everywhere

Kayla is a little of each of us. She is the Everygirl, who eventually morphs into the Everywoman. In CONSTELLATION OF BOYS by Kerry Cohen, Kayla Gray connects the boys of her life from age eight onward. Her brother's friend, the boy at the gas station, her missing-in-action father, the boy at the summer beach house, boys from the mall, boys from school, boys from the skate park, older boys who were friends of her brother, men her mother has relationships with. The boys were fleeting moments in her life, much like the passing of a lone shooting star, once they passed over her, were never to be heard from again. The connections she craved from boys, most notably mirrors her mother’s own relationships with men, eventually becomes her unraveling.

Told in short vignettes about each boy’s effect on her life, however minor or major, CONSTELLATION OF BOYS is simply a glimpse into a young girl’s mind specifically as it relates to boys. How boys are all-consuming, how boys have an ability to be confident about their place in the world from a young age and how girls have to forge out their own place while withstanding the emotional rollercoaster highs and lows of want and desire. How boys have it so easy, they “owned the world” and how girls subject themselves to boys’ whims in the most intense ways just to grasp at the possibility of connection. How boys become a drug. The underlying parallel between boys as heavenly bodies. The euphoria attached to be wanted can be addicting. Thus, how easily we all become loose girls.

A great, quick read for adults and teens alike. Kerry Cohen has definitely done it again with being able to speak for all of the loose girls of the world.

The Goldfinch, The Book I am Glad I Didn't Give Up On

It's hard not to want instant gratification. We live in a world of instantaneous wish-granting wherever we look. So of course it makes sense that that modern day false entitlement follows us over to the books we read as well.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. If you follow books at all, you know it was all over the "Best of" Lists in 2013. Intimidating in size (nearly 800 pages) and slow to really take off, this book immediately reminded me of something Dickens would have written had he been alive today.

The Goldfinch follows the life of Theo Decker at age 13, when his life really begins to take shape. The tragedy of his mother's unexpected death propels the plot along through a weaving path that takes the reader along for the ride. Art figures prominently into the story as both a place and a character. The title of the book itself, borrowed from and inspired by the 350+ year old painting by Carel Fabritius.

A book full of tragedy (orphaned children, unrequited love), mystery (stolen artwork), antique dealings (after reading this book you will have an ametuer understanding of all things antique furnishings), childhood (how parents imprint on their children) and friendships (and how they affect the course of our lives). From an abstract standpoint, the novel also brings up themes of art and beauty and how it leaves an impression on the individual, right and wrong and the moral gray area and the tragedies of life and how we allow them to direct the paths we take in life.

A well-written novel that pays off in the end, if you can get past the drawn-out beginning and the somewhat intimidating length of the book.

"To try to make some meaning out of all this seems unbelievably quaint. Maybe I only see a pattern because I've been starring too long. But then again, to paraphrase Boris, maybe I see a pattern because it's there."

The Book I Regretfully Couldn't Finish Reading

Several years ago I picked up a rather large book on a complete whim, and turned out to be the most horrific book I had ever read. That book was The Terror by Dan Simmons.

Flash forward to this year. Dan Simmons released another novel which I was giddy over. I even pre-ordered it so that I would get it as soon as it was released. Judging it only by its cover (we all know how that works), I was hoping for the same terrifying storytelling that had gripped me with The Terror.

The book is called The Abominable. It's another huge book, full of historical details. It is evident that Simmons did his research. Unfortunately for me, it was well past page 160 when the word Yeti made it's very first appearance. I stuck with the book deep into 200-plus pages, hoping that 1) the pace would speed up and 2) the scary stuff would kick in. Sadly, neither happened.

I think if you are a reader who has a niche interest in mountain climbing (especially around the time when reaching the summit of Everest had not yet been successful), this book will appeal to you. Perfectly.

For me, I just couldn't stick it out. I had fantasies of Yeti horror stories yet all I got was a lesson on mountain climbing jargon.

To Simmons' credit, he really did a good job researching the time period and all the specifics related to scaling a summit. It just didn't make for an entertaining story (for me).

We Are Water Floats to the Top, Despite Being Weighed Down by Too Much Character Baggage

Dear Wally Lamb,

I'm *this" close to finishing your latest novel, We are Water.  I've been waiting a while to read it, ever since I knew it was forthcoming, I had it added to my Amazon cart. So probably since the summer.

What can I say? I get excited to read a good book. Ever since I read She's Come Undone, I can always count on you for at the very best, an emotionally charged literary winner, and at worst, not a hell of a bad way to waste a week or two.

That being said, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I'm all over the place with it, which pretty much mirrors the novel. I'm not sure exactly where this story will end up and not because it's keeping me on the edge of my seat. More like I'm having trouble figuring out which story is the actual story. Does this make sense? Is my confusion jumping off the page at you?

Look, we've got themes of racial tension, pedophilia, alcoholism, prostitution, artificial insemination, lesbian weddings, sexual misconduct between teacher/student, poor parenting, child abuse, murder, absentee fathers, the importance of one's heritage, art, religion, childhood trauma and its long-term effects, the cost of keeping a painful secret and (wait for it...) sharks (!!). We are literally all over the map here and tragedy abounds.

First let's focus on what works for me in this novel. As usual, Mr. Lamb has a knack for writing from a women's point-of-view. Don't believe me? Go (re)read She's Come Undone. With this novel, he takes it further, writing from a slew of varied vantage points. And it works (for the most part). It feels legitimately honest, to the point of making the reader angry. Especially when he writes from the character Kent's perspective. Completely cringe-worthy. Which means it works.

The most glaring example of what didn't work was the mash-up of stories. We have a storyline from the days when racism abounds centering around a promising black artist who accidentally (?) drowns before he makes his mark in the art world. We have another storyline surrounding Annie and Orion Oh, present day, consisting of divorce and gay marriage, as well as issues of parental abandonment and abuse that they bring with them from their respective pasts. Then we intimately meet the Ohs three adult children, and we learn about how their lives are colored in shades of disarray from their childhood. There's a lot going on which makes it a challenge for the reader to decide who they should be rooting for. I feel like the novel has a little bit of everything, which can sometimes be good, but in this case makes it feel manic.

UPDATED AFTER FINISHING:

Despite the heavily-layered story lines, Mr. Lamb somehow manages to pull it altogether (mostly, though one of the most intriguing stories about Josephus Jones kind of left us hanging) and tie all 576 pages of it with a shiny bow. As a reader, I feel like I know these characters in an intimate way and feel as though, once again, Mr. Lamb manages to be an excellent writer of character development. All of the characters were completely fleshed out in their own complex way. I can't help but think this would translate well to TV (Lifetime channel, are you reading this?).

Bet on seeing this novel on many book club lists in the coming months, it leaves the reader with a lot of discussion fodder.