Review: Lost Lake

February 25, 20146 Comments

Sarah Addison Allen, Lost Lake

The tiny vacation resort of Lost Lake in Suley, Georgia, means different things to different people. For Eby Pim, it’s a tangible reminder of her happy life with her now-deceased husband, George; but it’s also an increasingly burdensome property to maintain, and Eby has decided to sell it. For Eby’s longtime friend and constant companion, Lisette, Lost Lake is a refuge, and she vows she’ll never leave. And for Kate Pheris, widowed one year ago and just now waking up from her grief, Lost Lake is a memory of the best summer she ever had. When Kate impulsively decides to revisit Lost Lake with her daughter, Devin, she is immediately drawn to Eby and the other colorful inhabitants of the surrounding town. Kate and Devin’s arrival also catalyzes several important changes in Suley, including the resolution of a long-buried tragedy and the banishing of an old ghost. Eventually Kate is able to help Eby create a new future — and maybe even find one for herself.

As a longtime fan of Sarah Addison Allen, I couldn’t resist buying her newest book immediately (in hardcover, no less!) and devouring it as soon as possible. Fortunately, this book contains all of SAA’s trademark elements: a community of strong women with interconnected lives, decades-old secrets that are gradually revealed, understated romance, and a hint of magic. I especially loved the flashbacks to Eby’s life with George in Europe; they were so romantic and lavishly described that they made me want to hop on the next plane to Paris! I wasn’t terribly fond of the storyline with the alligator…I don’t want to spoil the book, so I’ll just say that the magical element was a bit too prominent for me. Overall, this is not my favorite SAA novel (that would be The Sugar Queen), but it is a lovely, relaxing read that I would definitely recommend to fans of this genre.

Review: Never Have I Ever

February 16, 20142 Comments

Katie Heaney, Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date

Katie Heaney is a 25-year-old writer for popular websites such as BuzzFeed and The Hairpin. Also, she has never been in a relationship — or, as she colorfully puts it, “Not one boyfriend. Not one short-term dating situation. Not one person with whom I regularly hung out and kissed on the face.” In this memoir (of sorts), Katie reminisces about her non-romantic history, from her first optimistic but doomed crush in elementary school to the humiliation of having no one to “couples skate” with during her 7th-grade field trip to the roller rink. She remembers her hopeless crush on the popular boy in high school, her romantic misadventures in college, and her almost-relationship in grad school that never quite worked out. Through it all, Katie maintains a tongue-in-cheek tone as she describes her own social awkwardness, how being dateless for so long has (and has not) defined her, and the relationships that truly matter most in her life, which are her friendships.

I picked up this book both for the topic and because I think Katie Heaney is hilarious. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, even though I think some of her other writings — particularly her Reading Between the Texts series — are much funnier. Basically this is a book that won’t surprise you: If you’re interested in the premise and enjoy the author’s sense of humor, you’ll like it. I found a lot of the anecdotes very relatable, especially those hopeless middle- and high-school crushes and the endless over-analysis that accompanies them (he said hi to me at lunch — what does that mean?!?!). But one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book, to me, was that her pursuit of romance turned out to be more of a quest for friendship; my favorite scenes were between her and her best friend Rylee, whom she obviously loves dearly. All in all, this is a fun, light read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Recommended for plane or beach reading.

Review: A Grave in Gaza

February 13, 2014Leave a comment

Matt Beynon Rees, A Grave in Gaza

Omar Yussef, a middle-aged teacher at a school in Bethlehem, is accompanying his boss Magnus Wallender on an inspection of the UN schools in Gaza, along with James Cree, another UN official. Almost as soon as they cross the border, however, they are confronted with injustice and violence: a professor who exposed corruption at his university has just been arrested and will likely be killed, unless Omar can prevent it from happening. Meanwhile, a lieutenant in a Palestinian military group has just been killed, and the presumed culprit is part of an arms-smuggling organization called the Saladin Brigade. But when Omar speaks to the alleged murderer, he begins to wonder whether the man is actually guilty. As Omar and his colleagues investigate these issues, they realize that the two crimes might be connected. At the same time, they are drawn deeper and deeper into a rivalry between military leaders who are fighting for control of Gaza; as a result, their own lives may be in danger.

As with The Collaborator of Bethlehem, the strength of this book is its depiction of life in contemporary Palestine. Rees uses his journalistic background to portray the conflicts, corruption, and political turmoil of this region in an extremely vivid way. At the same time, he illustrates the lives of ordinary Palestinians with great sympathy, showing how they try to do their best in very difficult circumstances. Read as a mystery novel, the story isn’t particularly compelling; although Omar Yussef does solve the lieutenant’s murder, that investigation is secondary to his discovery of how the various crimes and acts of violence are linked together. I liked learning a little more about Omar Yussef’s past in this installment of the series, as well as seeing more of his friendship with the Bethlehem police chief. There are also a few new characters that I’ll be interested to follow in future books. Overall, this is a book and series I’d highly recommend for its setting, and I will probably seek out the third Omar Yussef mystery at some point.

Review: Unsticky

February 12, 20145 Comments

Sarra Manning, Unsticky

Grace Reeves has always known that she wanted to work in fashion, but her big dreams have been replaced by bitter reality. At 23 years old, all she has to show for herself is an unfinished degree, a terrible job that barely pays enough to live on, an abusive boss, and a mountain of credit card debt. In short, Grace is stuck and can’t seem to find a way to change things. But that all changes when a wealthy older man named Vaughn presents her with a shocking offer: He wants her to become his mistress. He will give her a monthly sum and an additional clothing allowance; in return, she must be at his beck and call, accompanying him to various social events and making herself available…in every way. At first Grace is shocked and repulsed, but eventually she rationalizes that she can’t turn down so much money, especially when she already finds Vaughn attractive. But as they embark on their “arrangement,” Grace and Vaughn both find themselves changing in ways they never thought possible.

I finished this book several days ago, but I still find myself processing it, which is not something that usually happens to me with chick lit! At first glance, this is a Cinderella story, but it’s a very dark, complex take on that idea. I’m still not sure how I feel about Grace and Vaughn’s relationship. It can certainly be seen as unhealthy or even abusive: Vaughn is very controlling, and while he is never physically violent with Grace, he tends to treat her as an object he’s bought and paid for. On the other hand, as we learn later in the novel, Vaughn does have reasons for being the way he is. Both he and Grace are very flawed characters who have extremely low self-worth. I admire what Manning did here, which was take two damaged, unlovable people and show them learning to love each other. This is definitely not a feel-good romance, but it feels more realistic than many books in the genre. It’s also a very addictive read! So I’d definitely recommend it as a thought-provoking look at love and romance, but be aware that many aspects of this novel are uncomfortable, to say the least.

Review: Lexicon

January 20, 20146 Comments

Max Barry, Lexicon

Emily Ruff is a teenager living on the streets of San Francisco, subsisting on the change she earns by fleecing people at cards. So when she is approached by a mysterious organization that wants to send her to a special boarding school, all expenses paid, she jumps at the chance without asking too many questions. When Emily arrives at the school, she learns that its purpose is to train poets, an elite group of individuals who can use words to “persuade” people to do anything. Emily learns that people can be divided into segments based on their personality type, and each segment responds to a unique set of words. The poets want Emily because they have ascertained that she is more than usually persuasive. Meanwhile, Wil Parte is on the run, accompanied by a renegade poet called Eliot — but he doesn’t know who he’s running from or why they’re looking for him. Both Emily and Wil must eventually face violence and impossible choices as the connection between their stories becomes evident.

I picked up this book because I loved the premise, which is essentially that words have power (something book lovers already know!). Max Barry has imagined a world in which the masses can be controlled by an elite few with words alone — a world that is frighteningly close to our own. For me, the book’s biggest strength is how plausible it is; with our private lives increasingly made public through the Internet, it’s very easy to imagine governments and other powerful groups using that private information for their own ends. The book also reads extremely quickly and is chock-full of action. However, the book was a little too graphic for me, in terms of both sex and violence. And more importantly, I feel like Barry missed a great opportunity to explore some interesting philosophical questions in the novel. Clearly the poets are to some extent sinister, and the villain of the book is quite obviously the villain; but even the so-called heroes do a lot of morally questionable things, and their behavior is never really called to account. The book has a happy(ish) ending, and I just don’t think it’s justified. Still, this is a fun read if you’re interested in the premise, but I’d recommend getting it from the library rather than buying.

Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

January 14, 20142 Comments

Katherine Reay, Dear Mr. Knightley

Samantha Moore has been in and out of foster homes her whole life. Now, at age 23, she’s living at a group home called Grace House, but she’ll soon have to leave unless she can find a way to go back to school. One day she gets a surprising offer: if she can get into the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, an anonymous donor will pay her tuition and living expenses. The only condition is that she must write regular letters detailing her educational progress to the donor under the name Mr. Knightley. Samantha is reluctant at first, particularly because she feels much more connected to fiction than journalism. Indeed, her closest friends growing up were the classic novels that kept her company through dark times, and she frequently hides in the world of books when real life is confusing or difficult. Still, Sam agrees to the deal, and through her letters to “Mr. Knightley,” she is finally able to face her past — and her future.

Despite what the title might suggest, this book is not a Jane Austen spinoff; rather, it’s a contemporary reimagining of Jean Webster’s novel Daddy-Long-Legs. My overall opinion is that the original is far better, but I can’t get into more depth without SPOILERS for both books, so skip the rest of this review if you don’t want to know how they end! … OK, so if you’re still with me, what happens is that Samantha eventually falls in love with “Mr. Knightley,” who turns out to be the handsome mystery novelist who’s been keeping Sam company throughout the book. He knows everything about Samantha, whose letters to him have been more like a diary, yet he doesn’t confess his true identity until the very end of the book. There’s this huge power imbalance between him and Sam, and the book never really addresses it, and I just couldn’t buy it as a romantic or satisfying ending at all. For some reason I didn’t mind it as much in the original – maybe because of the time period in which it was written? So I had a huge issue with the core of the story, and I also didn’t like the author’s writing style. It’s a very readable book, and if you like Daddy-Long-Legs you may enjoy this one too, but I was disappointed.

Review: Un Lun Dun

December 20, 20132 Comments

China Miéville, Un Lun Dun

Zanna and Deeba, two seemingly ordinarly pre-teen girls, are suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar world when they follow an umbrella into a dark London basement and emerge in Un Lun Dun. Un Lun Dun is an “abcity,” part of a universe that parallels our own but has many significant differences. (For example, giraffes aren’t exactly harmless herbivores in Un Lun Dun….) At first, Zanna and Deeba only want to go home; but they soon learn that Un Lun Dun is under attack by the evil Smog, and Zanna is supposed to be the “Schwazzy,” or chosen one, who will fulfill an ancient prophecy and defeat it. The girls are willing enough to help, but when their first encounter with the Smog goes terribly wrong, it’s up to Deeba, rather than the chosen Zanna, to save the day.

This was my first encounter with Miéville, and I’m thinking it won’t be my last. If you enjoy detailed world-building and clever puns, this is definitely a book for you! The world of Un Lun Dun is wildly inventive, from the trash-can warriors known as “binjas” to the flying buses to the “extreme librarians” who populate the abcity. You may think the book sounds a lot like Gaiman’s Neverwhere, what with the alternate London setting, but I was actually reminded a lot more of Jasper Fforde. The plot itself is rather predictable, but it’s still a fun ride to follow Deeba as she figures out who her real allies and her real enemies are. Some may find the book a bit preachy on the issue of environmentalism — the villain is literally called Smog, after all — but since this book is aimed toward younger readers, I suppose the message shouldn’t be too subtle! All in all, I found this book very entertaining, and I’m interested to try some of Miéville’s adult novels now.

Review: The Perfect Match

December 18, 2013Leave a comment

Kristan Higgins, The Perfect Match

Practical, reliable Honor Holland has been in love with her longtime best friend, Brogan Cain, since high school. But when she goes to the gynecologist on her 35th birthday (because that’s the kind of girl she is), the doctor tells her that she should think about having children soon if she wants to be a mom. Honor realizes it’s time to get serious about her love life, but her hopes for a romance with Brogan are dashed when he rejects her. Meanwhile, Tom Barlow is a British college professor whose visa is about to expire. He’s desperate to stay in America to be near his “almost-stepson” Charlie — even though Charlie is a sullen, withdrawn teenager who seems to want nothing to do with him. With a little help from some matchmaking friends and family, Honor and Tom decide to form a marriage of convenience; this will enable Tom to stay in America, and Honor will get a chance at motherhood. But all too soon, sparks start flying between them. Can Honor and Tom move past their baggage and insecurities to turn their fake relationship into something real?

I’m a big fan of Kristan Higgins’ light, witty contemporary romances, and this book is no exception. It’s a sequel of sorts to The Best Man, and there are welcome cameos from Honor’s sister, Faith, and the rest of the Holland clan. I really like books that feature big, rambunctious, mostly functional families; it’s very rare in fiction, unfortunately, and I found it a refreshing change. I also tend to enjoy the “fake relationship becomes real” romantic trope, although here I was a little confused about the setup. Honor agrees to marry Tom on the condition that they will both give the marriage a real effort, to see if something can grow between them. But that seems like an awfully big risk to take, especially since Honor is hoping to get a child out of the deal. Aside from that, though, I have no complaints! The romance is very well-written and well-developed, as usual in a Higgins novel. There are a few “adult” scenes, but nothing too explicit. I even liked Charlie, even though I usually hate the way children are portrayed in adult novels (too precocious, too sickeningly sweet, too much of a blatant plot device rather than a real character). All in all, I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance! You may want to pick up The Best Man first, but it’s definitely not necessary to follow this book.

Review: Shadows

November 5, 20135 Comments

Robin McKinley, Shadows

At first glance, Maggie seems to be an ordinary teenage girl: she loves animals, hates algebra, and thinks there’s something wrong with her new stepfather, Val. But it’s not just Val’s funny Oldworld accent or terrible taste in shirts that worries Maggie. It’s the fact that he’s always surrounded by shadows that don’t make sense; they’re the wrong shapes, and there are far too many of them to be natural. To make matters worse, Maggie has started to notice some troubling things about her hometown in Newworld — unexplained phenomena that almost look like breaks in reality. Eventually Maggie confronts Val and learns some unpleasant truths about Newworld and its way of dealing with unnatural occurrences.

I’ve been a huge fan of Robin McKinley’s since the first time I read The Hero and the Crown in elementary school, so I was ecstatic to learn that she’d written a new book, even if it wasn’t the long-awaited continuation of Pegasus. However, I’m sorry to say that I was very disappointed in this book. It does contain many of the classic McKinley touches, such as a wonderful canine companion, a no-nonsense heroine with plenty of gumption, and (less happily) a magical system that is never fully explained. But overall, I felt let down by this story; there were a lot of very interesting threads running throughout the novel, but they were never gathered together in the end. I’m not sure whether a sequel is planned or not, but some further resolution of the story definitely seems necessary. I can’t help but wonder if McKinley was attempting to write her version of the dyptopian YA novel that is so popular nowadays. All I can say is, I vastly prefer her older books!

Review: The Dream Thieves

October 27, 20131 Comment

Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

***Warning: SPOILERS for The Raven Boys!***

Ronan Lynch has the unusual ability to steal objects from his dreams. This doesn’t seem very strange to his group of friends, but then, they’re not exactly normal either. Gansey is obsessed with finding the medieval Welsh king Owen Glendower, Adam has made a strange bargain with a magical forest, Noah is a ghost, and Blue lives in a house full of psychics. Although they’re all working together on the Glendower quest, Ronan is more preoccupied with his own talent and how it might be linked to his family’s past. He’s also being drawn into the orbit of another Raven Boy with a bad reputation and a reckless thirst for danger. But the greatest threat of all seems to come from the sinister Grey Man, who is hunting for something — or someone — that can bridge the gap between dreams and reality. Only Ronan’s friends stand between him and the darkness that awaits…who will prevail?

While I enjoyed The Raven Boys when I first read it, I wasn’t completely sure that I cared enough about the story or characters to continue with the series. This book, however, sold me; I’m now committed to reading the entire series as it comes out. Stiefvater is an excellent writer, with a sparse yet poetic way of describing things that I really admire. Also, since this is book #2 in the series, the characters and world have already been established, so there’s an opportunity to dig deeper into Ronan’s and his friends’ backstories. It doesn’t hurt that this book features Ronan heavily; he’s definitely my favorite of the Raven Boys, and his story arc in this book is compelling. I can’t wait to see what happens to him and the other characters as the series continues!

You Book Me All Night Long

Tag: contemporary