August, 2013
The Silver Star: A Novel" by Jeannette Walls
When Bean and Liz's mom runs off, they take a bus from the west to east coast. Landing on the doorstep of their Uncle Tinsley, they find living in a small southern town to be much different than expected.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It come across as a book for young teens rather than Wall's adult audience. The characters seem a bit stereotypical and it just does not have the magic of her other books.
"Untraceable" by S. R. Johannes
When Grace's father goes missing, she continues to search for him, long past the point of reason. Although this book had an interesting setting, the characters just didn't come across as genuine. They seemed very stereotypical. Overall, a bust.
"Middle Damned" by Shane Stilson
When Blake crashes his car into a semi, his entire family is killed. After death, Blake is sent to middle damned, a point between heaven and hell. Overall, I thought the book was well written. However, I grew bored about halfway through. I am not a spiritual person, and the search for meaning, search for self, bores me to tears. I do think this book will appeal to a large number of individuals, it just wasn't for me.
"Mrs. Poe" by Lynn Cullen
When Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" hits the market, it is an instant success. Frances, an aspiring poet, is struggling to raise her two young children while hiding the fact that her husband has left her. After meeting Poe, the two are instantly drawn to one another. Under the pretext of visiting Mrs. Poe, Francis and Edgar become close friends.
I thought this was a fascinating book. It was well paced, the characters were full and robust and overall an intriguing plot. I was very impressed by the authors writing style, and look forward to reading more of her books.
"Mama Rose's Turn" by Carolyn Quinn
Much is known about Baby June and Gypsy Rose Lee. Much has been confabulated about their mother, Rose. Based on her life, this story follows Rose struggle to provide for her daughters and the various schemes she utilizes to get her way.
I thought the first half of the book was riveting. It was an interesting weave of facts and storytelling. The second half of the book seemed to be written by a different author. At times it was more of a recitation of facts and the storytelling was lost. It almost seemed as if the author became bored with the subject matter. Needless to say I didn't quite finish the book.
"Funeral Dress" by Susan Gilmore
Emmalee has struggled all of her life. As a young child her mother died of cancer. Dirt poor, her father provided little for her, preferring to spend his time drinking. At his urging, Emmalee drops out of school and gets a job at the local shirt factory. Leona, an expert seamstress, takes an interest in Emmalee. When Emmalee becomes pregnant, she denies it right up until she is giving birth in the factory floor. Leona invites Emmalee to move into her home. However, the night before she is to move, Leona and her husband die in a tragic car accident. Devastated, Emmalee asks to make her funeral dress, determined to make sure that she honors Leona's memory.
I fell in love with Emmalee and found myself rooting for her and the baby. I thought the story was well written, well paced and perfectly blended the past and present. Highly recommended.
"The Spirit Keeper" by K. B. Laugheed
During the 1800's, Katie and her large family of Irish immigrants settle in the frontier. When I their home, Katie, her mother, and several siblings are taken captive. However, Katie quickly learns that two Indians, Syawa and Hector have been on a quest to rescue her. Given the choice of leaving her miserable life, she decides to travel with the two Indians back to their homeland.
This was a fascinating book. I had a hard time putting it down. Not only was it a touching story, it was beautifully written. I would have liked a map to trace their journey by, but this is the only criticism I can come up with. I would love to read a sequel or more novels by this author. Highly recommended.
"Cartwheel" by Jennifer duBois
While studying abroad, Lily's housemate is murdered. Thrown in jail, the story alternates between the events leading up to the murder and her family's attempts to save her.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Some of the characters seemed a bit cartoonish and at times the different points of view dragged on and on. It isn't enough to tell me that a character is interesting, the author really needs to show me. I did like the authors use of "big words" to convey meanings. I think this really added to the book and my interest in it. Ultimately, I like my suspense and/or mysteries to have some kind of finality to them. This book delivered absolutely zero finality. Overall, not something I would reread.
"Cities At Sea" by Martin Simons
Set in the future, all of the major cities of the world are on huge rafts floating in the ocean. When Sal's raft comes near the Shanghai raft, she meets Jezzy, a scientist who has modified humans to have gills in order to explore the ocean. Intrigued, Sal signs up for the program. When a new captain takes over in Shanghai, Jezzy's team makes the choice to separate from the city.
I thought this was a very interesting world and I would be interested in reading a sequel. The author seemed to jump forward in time a lot, skimming over major events and developments. I would have liked to read more details about these in-between times. I also would have like the author to show more character development and interactions among characters. Overall, not a bad book.
"Finding the Dragon Lady" by Monique B. Demery
Madame Nhu, popularly known as the dragon lady, was the woman behind in throne in Vietnam. When the Ngo brothers are assassinated, she slips into obscurity.
I knew very little about the Vietnam war and even less about events leading up to it. This was a very informative, yet interesting read. Overall, highly recommended.