Lauren Reviews Two Years Eight Months & Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

Two Years Eight Months & Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
Published: September 2015 by Random House
Source: eARC
Rating: 4 Stars

From one of the greatest writers of our time: the most spellbinding, entertaining, wildly imaginative novel of his great career, which blends history and myth with tremendous philosophical depth. A masterful, mesmerizing modern tale about worlds dangerously colliding, the monsters that are unleashed when reason recedes, and a beautiful testament to the power of love and humanity in chaotic times.

Inspired by 2,000 years of storytelling yet rooted in the concerns of our present moment, this is a spectacular achievement -- enchanting, both very funny and terrifying. It is narrated by our descendants 1000 years hence, looking back on "The War of the Worlds" that began with "the time of the strangenesses": a simple gardener begins to levitate; a baby is born with the unnerving ability to detect corruption in people; the ghosts of two long-dead philosophers begin arguing once more; and storms pummel New York so hard that a crack appears in the universe, letting in the destructive jinns of myth (as well as some graphic superheroes). Nothing less than the survival of our world is at stake. Only one, a djinn princess who centuries before had learned to love humankind, resolves to help us: in the face of dynastic intrigue, she raises an army composed of her semi-magical great-great--etc.--grandchildren--a motley crew of endearing characters who come together to save the world in a battle waged for 1,001 nights -- or, to be precise, two years, eight months and twenty-eight nights.

I honestly don't even know where to start, but here goes nothing. There are two worlds - ours and the magical world the jinn live in. One day a crack forms between the two worlds and the jinn, both good and bad, slip through to our world. The jinn can do many, many things... influence people to do just about anything, curse them for eternity, give them a magical gift... they're magical creatures so... yeah. 

We follow a few humans and get to witness the weird things that start happening to them, to people around them, and to the world around them. This is when "the time of the strangenesses" begin, which last for the amount of time the title of this novel suggests. 

Before the crack was opened, a good jinn princess slipped into the human world and lived for many years. Almost all jinn are incapable of human emotions such as love, jealously, gratefulness, shame... and the princess wanted to experience those. She married a philosopher and had many children. Her children all had one thing in common - they had no earlobes. Weird, but not too weird, right? Eventually the philosopher chooses work over his wife and moves away, leaving her and their children. With this, the jinn princess goes back to her world. 

Now years later, this crack between the two worlds is causing chaos and fear. Remember the jinn's children? Think about how they had children, then more children, and so on until there are now countless half human/half jinn people in the world. When that crack was opened, many things start to plague these earlobe-less people and you can't help but be sucked into their lives. 

Rushdie presents yet another stunning literary novel full of fantasy, stories I have no how how he came up with, and a writing style that always keep me interested.

Lauren Reviews A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
Published: October 2015 by Disney Hyperion
Source: eARC
Rating: 5 Stars

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air. Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

At first, I got the... "I volunteer as tribute!" vibe when the girl swapped places with her sister. She was sacrificing her life so her sister could live. So... that's basically the same thing, right? This still did not deter me from the book by any means. 

The main character is one brave girl. Not only did she decide to die so her sister could live, but she decided if she was going to go die - she'd go out with a bang. She wanted to kill Lo-Melkhin. I mean, who wouldn't? Lo-Melkhin had killed over 300 girls - all of them his brides to be. But this time would be different. The girl tried something none of the other had... to pique Lo-Melkhin's interest. The first night, when almost every bride died, the girl told Lo-Melkhin a story. Soon dawn arrived and Lo-Melkhin agreed to let her live another day so he could hear the rest of the story. 

Throughout the book, the girl seemingly challenges Lo-Melkhin with her words, which of course just made him more curious. It soon become apparent that Lo-Melkhin isn't really himself and he has some sort of power. The girl starts to see this mysterious power during their long nights full of story-telling. Even Lo-Melkhin's mother can sense her son is different... changed somehow. 

All the while, the girl's sister and the people from the girl's village have been praying to the girl as if she was already dead and considered a smallgod for sacrificing herself. Now the girl starts to sense a sort of power within herself. Maybe now the girl can finally face Lo-Melkhin and prevent more deaths. 

This book was a wonderful reboot of Arabian Nights... or at least it had a few similarities. I loved the main character and the snide comments she made to Lo-Melkhin all the while knowing she could be breathing her last breath. I recommend this book to everyone... seriously. Even if you don't care for the YA or fantasy genres, I still think you'll love it. 

Cross-posted at The Tattooed Biblio

Lauren Reviews Sound by Alexandra Duncan + Giveaway

A special thank you to Jamie at Rockstar Book Tours for including me on this book tour! I enjoyed this book so much and I'm so grateful that I get to share the love!

Before I get to my review and the giveaway I know you are all dying to enter... here's a little author info to brush up on. :)

About Alexandra Duncan

Alexandra Duncan is a writer and librarian. Her first novel, Salvage, was published April 1, 2014, by Greenwillow Books. Her short fiction has appeared in several Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She loves anything that gets her hands dirty – pie-baking, leather-working, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

You can stalk her online via these links...

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Sound (Salvage #2) by Alexandra Duncan
Published: 9/22/15 by Greenwillow Books
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars

Sound is the stand-alone companion to Alexandra Duncan’s acclaimed novel Salvage, a debut that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Perkins called “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction.” For fans of Beth Revis, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.

As a child, Ava’s adopted sister Miyole watched her mother take to the stars, piloting her own ship from Earth to space making deliveries. Now a teen herself, Miyole is finally living her dream as a research assistant on her very first space voyage. If she plays her cards right, she could even be given permission to conduct her own research and experiments in her own habitat lab on the flight home. But when her ship saves a rover that has been viciously attacked by looters and kidnappers, Miyole - along with a rescued rover girl named Cassia - embarks on a mission to rescue Cassia’s abducted brother, and that changes the course of Miyole’s life forever.

Back to the world of crumbling planets, deep space ships, and most importantly... back to Ava and Miyole. First off, I loved the first book in this series. And... I definitely love the fact that each of the books in this series can be read as a stand-alone book. Sometimes series books get tiring for me.

While the first book has everything to do with Ava, this book focuses completely on Miyole. She's all grown up. At least as grown up as a young adult can be. She's extremely smart and determined... flying through school and university like jet plane. She landed her first job on the Ranganathan, a deep space research ship as a scientist assisting in a lab to cultivate and oversee the lives of bees and butterflies. The goal is for them to eventually be able to thrive on a newly terraformed planet. While Miyole enjoys her work, it is easy to sense something is missing in her life. 

Suddenly a small space ship crashes into the Ranganathan, bringing with it a handful of survivors as well as a cat. Dakaits, whom I imagine to be like space pirates, attacked the small space ship, kidnapped a few of the people, and left the everything else to burn. One man that was kidnapped happened to have a sweet young daughter and a courageous/fiery sister: Cassia. Cassie enters Miyole's life and reminds her of the past. Miyole has done everything to forget her Manman, her biological mother who was killed, and to forget her life before finding Soraya, Miyole's adopted mother. Now Cassia's distress over her lost brother starts the bring Miyole's past back to life. Cassia is stubborn and will not take no for an answer when she asks the Ranganathan's commander for help rescuing her brother. Miyole cannot accept it either. Miyole and Cassia steal a short range space shuttle and make plans to rescue Cassia's brother. Miyole has decided to risk all just as her Manman and Ava had for her.

The courage Cassie and Miyole display is awe-inspiring. Against all odds, against so many variables, against all of the evil lurking deep in space... they decide to venture into the unknown to save a loved one. Rules be damned. I was extremely happy to see how the author also incorporated Miyole's Haitian ethnicity and Mumbai upbringing into this book. I loved reading about the cultural aspects involving the beautiful saris and practices. Cassia and Miyole also have a little romance going on at times... which is a huge high-five in my book for more authors including homosexuality in their writing. I throughly enjoyed this book and I can only hope the author writes another.

And finally... the giveaway! Enjoy!

Enter below to win a signed hardback of Sound, a signed paperback of Salvage, and this electronic butterfly in a jar. Open to U.S. residents only.

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Lauren Reviews Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Published: September 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: eARC
Rating: 5+ Stars

This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. 

This book. This book... just... this book. This book is everything. There are few books I've read that I can relate to on a level that is borderline perfect. This is one of them. Before I get into that, I have to tell you how much I love the book in general. I felt this book had just the right amount of detail when it comes to the main character's environment, what she could see from her window.. even down to the medical terminology used to describe Maddy's disorder. Then add the cutest sketches and little handwritten workbook pages. I read this on a Kindle and STILL the sketches were just a plus for me.

Back to the 'this is book is EVERYTHING' part of my review.. well, this book is almost me. Maddy is a teenager who is allergic to everything. Her mom has had her sequestered in a sealed house since Maddy was a toddler. Think of John Travolta in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble except this girl had a house and couldn't leave it. This part resonates with me a on few different levels. I am allergic to so my friggin' things. Febreeze, dryer sheets, strong fragrances, cigarette smoke, dogs, cats, pollens, grass.. THE AIR. Now my problems are in no way as extreme as Maddy's medical issues, but I do have an immune disorder as well. Which basically means I tend to get whatever sickness that is going around. Maddy can walk outside and potentially die. I felt so many of the same feelings as Maddy, except she is almost ALWAYS optimistic. Me.. not so much. Sometimes it gets me down that I have at least 3 doctor appointments a month. Maddy takes everything in stride and reminded me to chip up and be grateful. 

Maddy watches a new family move in next door from her window and she ultimately strikes up a friendship with a boy her age named Olly. He's into parkour and fights with his dad a lot. They start chatting by her miming words from behind her window and Olly writing on poster boards. (How cute is that?) Then they start emailing and chatting online. Olly makes Maddy want more. More than being stuck in her bubble for the rest of her life. Maybe having a short, full-filling life is better than having a long, un-lived life. 

This book touched me because I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My disorder keeps me from doing so many things in life that I want to do. Maddy is a fictional character who is an inspiration for me. She stops seeing herself and an ill person and starts to see herself as the witty, funny, smart person she is who just happens to have a medical condition. This book will forever hold a place is my heart. 

Cross-posted at The Tattooed Biblio

Lori Reviews MY SUNSHINE AWAY by M. O. Walsh

Title:  My Sunshine Away
Author:  M.O. Walsh
Publication Information:  February 2015 by Amy Einhorn Books
How I Got This Book:  I bought a copy on my Kindle app.

Goodreads Synopsis:  My Sunshine Away unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson—free spirit, track star, and belle of the block—experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.

In My Sunshine Away, M.O. Walsh brilliantly juxtaposes the enchantment of a charmed childhood with the gripping story of a violent crime, unraveling families, and consuming adolescent love. Acutely wise and deeply honest, it is an astonishing and page-turning debut about the meaning of family, the power of memory, and our ability to forgive.

My Thoughts:  Wow.  A Twitter friend mentioned this book and I bought it immediately because I trust her taste.  Only partway through, I began brow-beating another friend into reading this one, encouraging her to abandon her current read and start immediately.  Finally she relented and she thanked me for it.  I think.  I'll just say she did because I know she liked the book, so on some level she did thank me.

This has the elements of a thriller--in the opening pages a teenage girl is raped right down the street from her home and the narrator tries to figure out who did it--but it also is a wonderful, beautiful bildungsroman about growing up and life changing and becoming more complicated that we can all relate to.  The real story is the narrator's personal development from a boy firmly ensconced in his little suburban home to a man who has faced some real challenges and changes and comes out the other side.

My heart broke a number of times throughout this novel, at big and small moments.  The end left me feeling weird and utterly destroyed, yet somehow hopeful and wistful.  For me, it was the same feeling I get at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird.  I felt completely alive, but also somehow detached from my real world.  Somehow I was able to drive to Chipotle and back in a fantastic haze.

This is a book I still think about and carry with me.

I cannot wait to see what else Walsh produces.

An utterly amazing read.

A new favorite for me.

Go buy it.  Now!

Lori Reviews The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn

Title:  The Intern's Handbook

Author:  Shane Kuhn

Publication Information:  April 2014 by Simon & Schuster

How I Got a Copy of This Book:  I can't remember exactly how I got a copy of the ARC, but the publisher asked if I would be interested in reviewing the book, so I decided to give it a shot.

Goodreads Summary:  Interns are invisible. That’s the mantra behind HR, Inc., an elite "placement agency" that doubles as a network of assassins-for-hire, taking down high-profile executives who wouldn't be able to remember an intern’s name if their lives depended on it.

At the ripe old age of twenty-five, John Lago is already New York City’s most successful hit man. He’s also an intern at a prestigious Manhattan law firm, clocking eighty hours a week getting coffee, answering phones, and doing all the grunt work no one else wants to do. But he isn't trying to claw his way to the top of the corporate food chain. He was hired to assassinate one of the firm’s heavily guarded partners. His internship is the perfect cover, enabling him to gather intel and gain access in order to pull off a clean, untraceable hit.

The Intern’s Handbook is John Lago's unofficial survival guide for new recruits at HR, Inc. (Rule #4: "Learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee: you make an exec the best coffee he’s ever had, and he will make sure you’re at his desk every morning for a repeat performance. That’s repetitive exposure, which begets access and trust. 44% of my kills came from my superior coffee-making abilities.")

Part confessional, part how-to, the handbook chronicles John’s final assignment, a twisted thrill ride in which he is pitted against the toughest—and sexiest—adversary he’s ever faced: Alice, an FBI agent assigned to take down the same law partner he’s been assigned to kill.

My Thoughts:  This book was extremely fun to read.  I've gotten rather into thrillers over the past few years.  This book reminded me quite a bit of Archer if Sterling Archer were doing a long-term undercover assignment.  The protagonist, John Lago, is pretty smooth.  He's an assassin who is great at what he does and he's a bit cocky about it.  But he finally meets his match on his last mission ever.  The ending is one I didn't see coming, but once I got there, it was the only ending that there could be.

Most of the book is Lago writing instructions and tips for future assassins.  Occasionally, there are FBI transcripts.  These transcripts do an excellent job of furthering the plot in ways that John's narrative could not do.  He also includes his rules for how to do his job.  John spends a good amount of time discussing how being an orphan helps him do his job because he has not had an easy life with clear rules and feelings towards other people.  This was really interesting to ponder.  Finally, he gets to the point where he finishes his handbook and continues to tell the story.

I really enjoyed the thriller from a first person perspective.  I'm sure there are other novels out there that use this technique, but I haven't read any before, so it was new for me.  I liked the depth that it brought to the story.  And I liked the voice of John Lago.  He was intelligent and funny, but also removed and distant.

I read good bits of this book with NCIS playing in the background.  This was a great combination!  Both are about agents who have a job to do.  The NCIS agents sometimes bend the rules to the breaking point in order to get their man.  John is an assassin who disregards all rules and laws to get his man (who is usually a very bad person who really kind of deserves to die, even if it's not exactly legal).

Four stars for a fun read and an awesome narrator!

Lori's (Midway) Review of Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

Title:  Not That Kind of Girl:  A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"

Author:  Lena Dunham

Publication Information:  October 2014 by Random House

How I Got a Copy of This Book:  I pre-ordered an ebook copy...then I had to buy a hard copy because of reasons.



Goodreads Synopsis:  "There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told," writes Lena Dunham, and it certainly takes guts to share the stories that make up her first book, Not That Kind of Girl. These are stories about getting your butt touched by your boss, about friendship and dieting (kind of) and having two existential crises before the age of 20. Stories about travel, both successful and less so, and about having the kind of sex where you feel like keeping your sneakers on in case you have to run away during the act. Stories about proving yourself to a room of 50-year-old men in Hollywood and showing up to "an outlandishly high-fashion event with the crustiest red nose you ever saw." Fearless, smart, and as heartbreakingly honest as ever, Not That Kind of Girl establishes Lena Dunham as more than a hugely talented director, actress and producer-it announces her as a fresh and vibrant new literary voice.

My Thoughts:  Full disclosure--I'm not done with this book yet.  But I needed to write something so that I could spread the word.  Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard about this book of personal essays.  There have been a lot of great things written about it and there have been some pretty bad things written about (in my opinion, these things have been said by people who have no stinking clue what it's like to be a female in their mid-20s in the 21st century so really ought to stop speaking...anyway! moving on!).

The book is broken into five sections--Love & Sex, Body, Friendship, Work, and Big Picture.  I've read the first two sections and part of the third.  Dunham writes so intelligently on these topics because duh! she's lived them.  She shares her experiences and infuses them with humor.  She constantly makes me exclaim "Oh my goodness! My tooooooo!"  I've seen a number of friends or people I follow on Twitter comment on how her stories are their stories.  It's great to see someone to whom you can relate so closely.

The book reads like a no holds barred conversation with one of your best friends.  With alcohol that magically doesn't give you a hangover.  I don't know what exactly that means, but it sounds like the right thing to say.

Dunham's writing has made me feel more comfortable in my own skin, which makes the book priceless in my opinion.  I really like the way this book fits into the current conversations about feminism and what it means to be a female in the twenty-first century, a la Caitlin Moran (another book of essays I can't wait to sink my teeth into!).

I would highly recommend this book.  But, I must admit, it's not exactly for the faint of heart.  So if you aren't up for a frank conversation about love & sex and the female body, better hold off (but really work hard at trying to become ready for that conversation because this book is just too great to miss!).

I'll definitely be back with full thoughts once I finish the book.

TB&TB Book Club Conversation about Someday, Someday, Maybe

A few of us B&Bers decided to read Lauren Graham's recent debut novel Someday, Someday, Maybe and then have a discussion.  We chose this as our June book club read and I apologize for the delay in getting this post up.  The easiest way for us to do this was via email, so please forgive the longer posts...Also, be careful of spoilers! If you want to see general thoughts, scroll to the very bottom to see the "In Short" paragraph.

Lori--General impressions, like/dislikes, did the novel "speak" to where you are in life as we suspected when we first started?

Tahleen--I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I thought Graham does an excellent job with her dialogue and Franny's inner monologue; it's very snappy and funny. I wasn't sure if it would be any good just because it's not often when actors/actresses are able to become novel writers with such success. I've also never seen Gilmore Girls or Parenthood, so I didn't go in with an image of her besides what most Americans know about her.

I was also really pleased at how much crossover appeal this book has for teens; as a teen services librarian, I would feel completely comfortable recommending this one to middle and high schoolers.

Lori--I'm with you.  I was really surprised as well at how good it was.  I love Lauren Graham, so I was going to attempt to muddle through no matter what (kind of like with The Casual Vacancy), but I was really glad to not have to muddle.  I am curious to see what her next book is like.

I think that she touched on something important--we're taught to take any opportunity that we receive because, in this climate, we're supposed to count our lucky stars when we received any job.  But she considers what's right for her.  That was really nice to see.  Sometimes we get an opportunity that just isn't appealing to us and what we ultimately want to be doing.  It's a tough decision to make.

I also agree with you that there is a lot of crossover appeal.  I think a lot of females would really enjoy this.  I don't see males enjoying it.  

How did you feel about the pages from her planner interspersed?  Good?  Bad?  Fun?  Distracting?  I thought they were a little hard to decipher at times...

Bridget--I was and wasn't a fan of the planner. I thought it was cute but also sometimes distracting and occasionally indecipherable--I always worried that I was missing something if I skimmed it too quickly.

I can't say I LOVED the book, but it wasn't really my type of book, so I didn't expect to love it. I thought Franny was pretty adorable and I loved both her roommates (obviously for very different reasons!). I don't know much about the acting community/process/etc. so I can't necessarily say how "true to life" it was, but it felt real to me. What did you guys think about that? Did it seem "realistic"?

Lori, I agree with your point about how we're taught to take every opportunity we're offered because we're lucky to get any offers at all, but I was glad that Franny was able to "follow her heart" (for lack of a less cliche term) and refuse the parts that weren't right for her. I found myself feeling oddly proud of her. I will say that by the end, I was definitely invested in how things turned out for Franny, and that, in my opinion, is the hallmark of a good story: making the readers invested in your characters! Do you guys agree?

Something random that I was kind of glad to see, even though it made things less cathartic, was that Penny actually seemed to be a nice person, not just fake nice, you know? 

In the end, it's definitely a quick, enjoyable, summery read. If I hadn't already read it, I would definitely be taking this one to the beach. 

Tahleen--I thought they were cute. I liked looking at the doodles, and it was a different way to see what happened in her life instead of just telling us as it happened.

One thing I noticed was how different the world in 1995 was for recent graduates. In today's world, I doubt many people would be able to just move to NYC without a job, then get one that will only barely cover your rent and food. Too many have student loans now; a job would have to cover that stuff as well. I'm guessing most would have to get at least two jobs if they are part time.

Lori--I agree with both of you.  I did my best to decipher them, without spending too much time on it (thus disrupting my flow).  

What did you guys think about her relationship with her dad?  It reminded me a lot of my relationship with my dad.  I know he loves me, but we don't talk a whole, whole lot and when we do he usually winds up saying something about baseball because we have that in common (whereas, Franny and her dad had books).
What did you guys think about her being named Franny from the Salinger novel?  It's been a while since I read the novel, but a quick review of the SparkNotes showed that Franny was a good match, but not overly matchy.  Dan's analysis of it was fantastic.  I loved the bit about how repeating the same thing makes it true.
I go back and forth on the issue of Clark (the guy in Chicago; her back-up plan that failed).  I thought that Graham could have done more with that thread, but at the same time, what else could she have done?  We get the point at the end of the novel that Franny will end up just fine and that thing will probably work out with Dan.

Did you guys hear about them developing a TV show based on the characters?  I am really excited about that!  I think it has some good potential.

Bridget--I thought her dad was adorable. My dad and I can be like that as well. I really liked the voicemails he would leave her. 

I haven't read the Salinger novel, so I can't really comment on that part, unfortunately.

Definitely think she could have delved into the Clark thing more. I was expecting him to take on more of a role than a voice on the answering machine. But in the end, it was a good little twist that she kept avoiding calling him back because she thought he wanted to get back together (or whatever) and then it turned out that he was engaged. Awwwwwwkward.

Oh also--what did you guys think about it being set in 1995? I guess I just expect books to either be set in present time or further back than that...although I guess that's almost 20 years now...

Lori--I thought 1995 was an interesting choice.  I think that, like many first novels, this one is highly autobiographical, so she was writing about what she knew.  Without knowing that, I think that it is interesting because it's not so far off as to be totally new to the readers, but it's not recent enough that it feels hard to relate to.  Basically, we as a society can kind of agree what 1995 was like, if that makes any sense.

What did you think of James?  I was suspicious of him from the start.  Then Penny dumped him (over the boob job thing, but at the time I totally thought it was because she was a snot) and he hooked up with Franny and said some sweet things.  But then he acted weird and in a way that would/should throw up all of these red flags.  I was so proud when she ditched him at the premiere.  What he did was so not cool.

Bridget--I was so proud when she ditched James at the premiere too!! He was definitely suspicious from the beginning. What a douche. (Sorry, but still.) The boob job thing was so weird!!

Tahleen--I liked the 1995 setting, and it allowed for miscommunications that probably wouldn't happen today in the same way. I actually didn't mind Clark not being in the novel that much; I feel like if he were, it would muddy the waters a bit and would distract from the main plot.

Lori--Good point, Tahleen!  The miscommunication and the actual communication methods (answering machine and fax, especially) play a huge part in the story.  Any earlier and the technology wouldn't be there, any later and there wouldn't be so many problems.

Clark having more of a presence would have definitely clogged the story.  But at times, it kind of seemed like a throwaway.  In the end, though, I see the purpose of him--he's there to show that part of growing up is letting go and changing plans.  If Franny hadn't distanced herself from the relationship, even by avoiding his calls because she thought he wanted to get back together, it would have impeded her ability to make the progress she made.  Obviously, they couldn't get back together because of the other romantic interests, but also it would mean throwing away her dream.  Ultimately, I think Graham used him well, but it took until the end to see that.

Bridget--Lori, I definitely agree with your second paragraph. Based on the summary from the book jacket, I was expecting a lot more about Clark, but didn't get it. But like you said, in the end it really was a good use of a character.

Kimberly--Yay! I finally get to join in!

So! Clark. I like that he was put off until the end. Because I felt like he was just there, hovering. Waiting to possibly save the day or cause problems if things didn't work out for Franny. Which was how she viewed him. So I felt like I experienced it with her.

My favorite part of this book was the descriptions of theatre life. At some points I was stressing out, reading about everything because it is SO TRUE. Especially Franny's audition nightmares, I have those all the time. Usually I'm about to go on stage and I realized that I have no idea what role I'm playing, or any of my lines. It's always the stage at my high school too... I had to put the book down every once in a while and remember that it wasn't me that was auditioning/rehearsing/performing and that I had no reason to feel so nervous.

I loved the descriptions of New York too. Makes me miss it!

Franny's reaction to the movie that basically reflected her life made me laugh out loud.

Um... what else? I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Penelope. She turned out to be so much nicer than I thought she'd be.

In short:

Basically…we all enjoyed the novel.  It definitely works for a variety of ages, from high schoolers through the twenties, and probably even is a nice look back for the thirties.  Franny is a girl that we can all relate to—she’s facing problems with work, finances, men, and dreams.  Graham’s character reacts to these challenges in a very realistic and hopeful way.  A really good read.

Feel free to link up your own review or thoughts on the novel with the Mr. Linky below!

Lori Reviews Pain Parties, Work

Title: Pain, Parties, Work:  Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953

Author:  Elizabeth Winder

Published:  HarperCollins, 2013

Where I Got It:  I received this book from the publishers.

I really like Sylvia Plath.  I love her poetry--it's so honest and real.  Even more than that, I love reading her journals.  In her journals, she sounds like any other young college girl.  Her concerns are/were my concerns--boys, school, clothes, and her appearance.  Yet, you most often hear about Sylvia Plath the depressed artist.  While she was this, she also had bouts of normalcy that masked the pain.

That's what Elizabeth Winder seeks to explore in her study of the month that Plath was a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine in New York.  Winder walks the reader through the entire process, day-by-day--what Sylvia did and saw each day of the experience.  Plath went into the month extremely excited to become a posh New Yorker.  She spent a good amount of her money on buying just the right clothes.  These clothes would be sophisticated without trying too hard to make her fit in.  She was ready and excited to see the culture of the city.  Yet this summer wound up being the summer Sylvia wrote so truthfully about in The Bell Jar.

Winder uses excerpts from Plath's letters and journal, as well as interviews from her fellow editors.  All of these portray Plath as a young woman who believed that females could be both smart and beautiful.  She was determined to be both.  She was not the pained artist who cared nothing about appearance.  She cared very much about the things that most 20 year old young women care about.  Still, she was quite disappointed and disillusioned by the experience of being a guest editor.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I think that the author did a fantastic job of pulling together various sources to write a detailed description of Sylvia's month in New York.  I really like the organization of the narrative--Winder covers the first week before covering Plath's life before the guest editor position, the carries through to the aftermath of the month in New York.  She uses a lot of quotations from Sylvia's fellow editors, most of whom could not imagine that Sylvia's life would turn out as it did.  Why?  Because she seemed so much like them.  I like the extra features that Winder includes in the book, such as the text boxes that cover in more detail an aspect of Plath's life, such as talking about Plath's love of paper dolls as evidence of her love of fashion, or the chapter entitled "A Dictionary of Adolescence," which defines some important parts of Sylvia's life.

All in all, I think that this is a great book for anyone who is interested in learning more about Sylvia Plath or for anyone who really enjoys The Bell Jar.

Lori Writes Three Mini-Reviews

Title: House of Earth

Author: Woody Guthrie with an introduction by Douglas Brinkley and Johnny Depp

Published: Harper Collins, 2013

Where I Got It:  The publisher sent it to me for review

I was SO excited when I received the opportunity to review this book and I became even more excited as I read the extensive introduction and became aware of the personal connection with the book.  So...Woody Guthrie is a well-known Oklahoman who wrote many folk songs, including "This Land Is Your Land."  As a young adult, he moved to Pampa, Texas, an area that was heavily hit by the Dust Bowl during the Depression.  My grandparents actually lived about 30 miles from Pampa, so they were geographically very close to the action of the story.  Guthrie wrote the novel in the 1940s, after the events already took place.  The manuscript was lost in Irving Lerner's papers, recently discovered by the archivists at the University of Tulsa.  But as the content of the story shows, the world probably was not ready to read this novel during the Truman era.  However, as economic turmoil and the environment are becoming more and more central to today's discussion, the world was finally ready to read this book.   The story that Guthrie wrote was very touching and is one I will definitely read again in the future.

Guthrie lived in Pampa during the infamously horrible Black Sunday dust storm that occurred in April 1935.  As he survived the storm, Guthrie realized (as the introduction points out) that humans need three things to live--food, water, and shelter.  He chose to write on the third element.  Guthrie began researching the strength of adobe construction and concluded that that type of home would best suit those remaining in the areas afflicted by the Dust Bowl.  But these people rarely owned their own land, and were unable to build permanent structures.  The novel is a call to arms for people to turn on the evil business owners, the bankers who owned the land, and Big Agriculture that destroyed the land.

While Steinbeck wrote about those who gave up and left Oklahoma, Texas, and other afflicted areas, Guthrie wrote about those who were stubborn and brave enough to stay behind and tough it out.  The novel focuses on Tike and Ella May Hamlin, farmers who want a better life for themselves in the face of the Depression and the Dust Bowl.  Tike gets the idea of building an adobe house, but is unable to do so because he does not own his own land.  Central themes to the novel include undying hope in the wake of endless struggling, the abuse of the grasslands by man, and is a socialist call to arms against oppression--all themes still relevant today.  Guthrie explores these topics with a voice that shows his connection with the place and people he's writing about.

A wonderful read for anyone interested in the Great Depression, literature with a social conscience, or fans of Woody Guthrie.

Title: The Real Jane Austen:  A Life in Small Things

Author: Paula Byrne

Published: Harper Collins, 2013

Where I Got It:  The publisher sent it to me for review

This was a very interesting biography for fans of Jane Austen to read.  I'm not going to discuss the actual content of the biography because that could get out of hand.  Instead, I will comment on the approach to the biography.  Byrne takes a unique approach by exploring Austen's life and writing through various themes or moments, which range from her father's religious views to her life in Bath to her struggle to become published.  Each theme is tied to a particular object, such as vellum notebooks and a royalty check.  Byrne ties together Austen's life and her work throughout the biography, including many quotations from Austen's novels.

I am not sure how this biography compares to others on Jane Austen, but I think that this is a fantastic approach to writing a biography and should really set it apart.  It's really the approach that makes the work stand out--Jane's life wasn't exactly action-packed, after all.  

The main issue that I have with the biography is one that many of Austen's biographers have had--there was not a whole lot of documented primary evidence on which to base some of the claims about the author. This, of course, is not indicative of a weakness on Byrne's part.

I think that a good basis of knowledge on Austen is necessary to most fully appreciate the biography, but I think it would be a pleasurable read for anyone who was interested.

Title: Frances and Bernard

Author: Carlene Bauer

Published:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Where I Got It:  I bought this myself after a Twitter acquaintance recommended it.

I love, love, loved this book!  I read it in two sittings.  I devoured this book like I haven't devoured something in quite a while.

What's it about?  It's about two author--Frances, a novelist, and Bernard, a poet--who met at a writers' colony and started up a correspondence.  It's an epistolary novel, primarily comprised of the letters between Frances and Bernard, but with letters to their friends to flesh out the story.  What begins as a few letters between people who barely know each other quickly becomes a correspondence that can change the lives of the participants.  The story is based on Flannery O'Connor and Robert Lowell.

I loved the voices that Bauer created in this novel.  Frances and Bernard both spoke with such depth and individuality, which is difficult to do when creating characters of the opposite sex and when switching between speakers.  She does not let the voices of the two characters become confused or mixed up--they remain distinct.  Though a story about relationships on the surface, the story is more about human growth and the process of truly finding oneself.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves books about books.  So good!