Review: Fangirl

October 27, 20135 Comments

Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

Cath and her twin sister Wren have always been close, and they’ve especially bonded over their love of Simon Snow, a Harry Potter-esque series of books with a huge fan base. Cath is even writing a slash fanfiction novel about Simon and Baz (think Malfoy from the HP books), with some help from Wren. But now that they’re starting their freshman year of college, Wren wants to branch out and meet new people — which means she doesn’t want to be Cath’s roommate. Which means Cath is all alone in a strange place, with a painful amount of anxiety and no idea where the dining hall is. Cath’s only solace is hiding out in her dorm room and writing fanfiction, but slowly she begins to make friends and come out of her shell. She even meets a boy and experiences the shock of falling in love for the first time. But can Cath embrace these new experiences and emotions without losing the person she’s always been?

I’ve absolutely loved both of Rainbow Rowell’s previous novels, Attachments and Eleanor & Park, so I had high expectations for this book; happily, I wasn’t disappointed! Cath is a character I can really relate to, as I think most readers and book bloggers can. She knows what it’s like to get lost in a fictional world and really engage with the characters in a book. I also really liked the way fanfiction is portrayed from various perspectives. There’s Cath, who uses it as an outlet for creative expression; her roommate and friends, who think it’s weird; her creative writing professor, who views it as plagiarism; and a devoted fan of Cath’s work who eagerly awaits each new installment of her fanficiton. The romance is very well done, as always, and I loved watching Cath slowly let down her defenses. I wasn’t nuts about all the excerpts from the Simon Snow books and Cath’s story, but other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

Review: Chimes at Midnight

October 5, 20133 Comments

Seanan McGuire, Chimes at Midnight

October Daye, faerie knight and private detective, is making it her mission to get goblin fruit off the streets of San Francisco. More potent than any human drug, goblin fruit will cause a human or changeling to become addicted with just one taste; its victims will become swallowed up in their dreams, wasting away and eventually dying. When Toby discovers the corpse of yet another changeling addict, she decides to petition the Queen of the Mists for help. But instead of listening to Toby’s arguments, the queen promptly exiles her, giving her only three days to get out of town forever. Reeling from shock, Toby nonetheless decides to fight back — and soon discovers some interesting details about the queen’s accession to her throne.

This book is yet another wonderful installment of the Toby Daye series. I don’t actually read a lot of urban fantasy, but I was hooked on these books from the beginning. I love Toby’s hard-boiled, self-deprecating voice, and it’s easy to root for her even when she’s getting herself into ever more dangerous situations. I think this book in particular was an excellent showcase for all the secondary characters: from Tybalt and May to Quentin and the Luidaeg, everyone seems to have a moment to shine. Also, the mystery of Quentin’s background is finally revealed! This is definitely more of a “plot” book than a “character” book, though; it’s Toby’s race against time to avoid banishment that drives the story forward. Overall, this is another strong installment of a great series — can’t wait for the next one!

Review: The Collaborator of Bethlehem

August 27, 20134 Comments

Matt Beynon Rees, The Collaborator of Bethlehem

Omar Yussef, a teacher at the Dehaisha refugee camp in Bethlehem, is a fussy, polite, middle-aged man with a combover. He’s the last person anyone would ever expect to make trouble, especially in the politically charged atmosphere of Bethlehem, where one wrong step (literally or figuratively) could place him and his family in lethal danger. But when a prominent Palestinian freedom fighter (or terrorist, depending on whom you ask) is shot just outside his own home, Omar can’t help getting involved — especially when his friend George Saba, a Christian and therefore a convenient scapegoat, is arrested for the killing. Omar knows that George is innocent and even finds evidence proving that he could not have committed the crime. But Omar’s friend the police chief is unwilling to investigate the matter further, since clearing George’s name would anger the militant Palestinians who champion the dead man as a martyr. So Omar resolves to investigate on his own; but the more he digs into the events surrounding the murder, the more he risks his own life.

I don’t know if I can say I liked this book…it’s very dark and very serious, and “liking” doesn’t seem like an appropriate response to it. But I’m extremely glad I read this novel, because it introduced me to a setting and a conflict that I honestly know very little about. The book does a wonderful job of depicting everyday life in Bethlehem, where the threat of violence is omnipresent and where the voices of extremism are much louder than the voices of moderation and peace. I really appreciated that the book does not paint either Israelis or Palestinians as the “bad guys,” but rather focuses on the struggles of individual people to do the right thing (or not) in a terrible situation. This novel is technically a murder mystery, but I found the detective work to be the least interesting part of the story. The urgency of the plot comes not from the hunt for the killer, but from Omar’s race against time to save his friend George. Overall, I found this book a fascinating read and will probably seek out more mysteries featuring Omar Yussef.

Review: Dirty Little Secret

August 11, 2013Leave a comment

Jennifer Echols, Dirty Little Secret

Bailey Mayfield grew up playing classic country songs with her sister, Julie. They’d always planned to pursue a music career together, with Bailey on her fiddle and Julie playing guitar. But when a big record company signs Julie — and only Julie — Bailey is left out in the cold. She’s not even allowed to play music in public anymore because it might damage Julie’s career. Now Bailey is living in Nashville with her grandfather, and the only place she can play her fiddle is at the local mall, where she accompanies country musician impersonators. Everything changes, however, when Bailey catches the eye of Sam Hardiman, a fellow musician who wants Bailey’s fiddle in his band. He also seems to want Bailey herself, but will his dreams of stardom come between them? And will Bailey be able to follow her own path without ruining her sister’s life?

After being disappointed by Echols’ adult romance, Star Crossed, I’m happy to say that I really loved this book! I’m a sucker for plots that involve music and musicians, so this particular novel was right up my alley. I loved the descriptions of the Nashville music scene, which really made me want to experience it for myself! And of course, Echols does teen drama and swoony romance so well; Sam might be my favorite hero yet! I wasn’t totally crazy about the storytelling structure, though. We meet Bailey significantly after the record company snubbed her in favor of her sister, but we don’t really learn what’s happened to her until much later in the novel, so there are a lot of allusions to Bailey’s past that don’t make sense initially. I understand that writers do this to build suspense, and it can be effective, but here I just found it confusing. Still, that’s my one issue with a book I otherwise loved. YA and/or romance fans should definitely check it out!

Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

August 8, 2013Leave a comment

Sarah Addison Allen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon

When 17-year-old Emily’s mother dies, leaving her an orphan, Emily moves in with her grandfather in her mother’s hometown of Mullaby, North Carolina. Almost immediately, Emily begins to notice strange things about the town — starting with the fact that her grandfather is literally a giant who stands over 7 feet tall. Then there are the mysterious lights that appear outside her window at night, which nobody seems to want to talk about. But most importantly, Emily soon discovers that the entire town is hiding a secret about her mother, something that has the potential to change Emily’s life forever.

I’m starting to suspect that Sarah Addison Allen is a sorcerer of some kind; her novels all have this luxurious, magical quality that transcends ordinary experience. Or to put it less pretentiously, I love her books, and this one is no exception! I enjoyed the glimpse of life in a small town, with all its idiosyncratic personalities and inexplicable traditions. My favorite character was Julia, Emily’s next-door neighbor and the best baker in town. There’s plenty of romance and mystery in this book, and it’s a perfect read for a lazy summer afternoon. This is not my favorite novel by Sarah Addison Allen — that would be The Sugar Queen — but it was still a lovely experience. Can’t wait for her new book, which is coming out next year!

Review: Wedding Night

July 31, 2013Leave a comment

Sophie Kinsella, Wedding Night

Lottie Graveney is certain that her boyfriend Richard is going to propose, so when his “big question” for her turns out to involve frequent flyer miles, she’s absolutely devastated. Still reeling from the subsequent breakup, she gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Ben, with whom she once spent an amazing summer on the Greek island of Ikonos. Ben is still as gorgeous and fun as Lottie remembers, and he even says he wants to get married. So Lottie and Ben decide to have a quickie wedding and fly to Ikonos for a whirlwind honeymoon. But Lottie’s older sister Fliss thinks this is a terrible decision, and the only solution is to follow them to Ikonos and stop them from consummating the marriage. Can Fliss prevent Lottie from making the biggest mistake of her life without losing her own chance at happiness?

I normally enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s light, breezy brand of chick lit, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this latest book. It was a fun, fluffy read, but ultimately I didn’t like this one as much as I wanted to. Lottie and Fliss take turns narrating the story, and I think the novel lacks focus as a result. There’s just so much going on, between Lottie’s romantic turmoil and Ben’s questionable motives and Fliss’ difficult divorce and Richard’s change of heart…it was just too many threads to keep track of, especially in such a fast-paced novel. There are ultimately two romantic plotlines, and neither of them is sufficiently developed. Also, I had a lot of trouble with Fliss’ character; while her original intention of protecting her sister is good, she uses a lot of underhanded methods to get her way. Another character does call her out for this behavior, but that didn’t stop me from being frustrated for a big part of the novel. All in all, this is a decent beach read, but I’m glad I didn’t spend any money on it.

Review: Suddenly, a Knock on the Door

July 30, 20131 Comment

Etgar Keret, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door (trans. Miriam Shlesinger, Sondra Silverston, and Nathan Englander)

This collection of short stories is a strange mixture of realism and fantasy, comedy and tragedy. Keret is an Israeli author, and several of his stories reflect the current struggles of that country; one of them begins with a conversation in a restaurant and ends with a suicide bombing. But there is no grand political pronouncement in these stories, and ultimately they’re not about politics. Rather, they depict universal human experiences like sex, friendship, death, love, loneliness, chance, and fate. My favorite story in the collection (“What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?”) starts with politics but ends somewhere else entirely, as a documentarian interviews both Jewish and Arab residents of Israel and meets a man with a magic goldfish. Most of these stories are dark, and many are surreal, but all of them offer a fascinating perspective on the human condition.

I don’t often read short stories, and I’d certainly never read anything by Keret before, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this collection. Keret’s style is very understated and direct, which works well in his fantastical stories especially; it’s as though he’s telling a joke with a completely deadpan expression. I also think the stories as a whole are very well-crafted, with endings that are resonant and satisfying but don’t necessarily tie everything up too neatly. I definitely teared up on more than one occasion! As usual, a few of the stories didn’t quite work for me — the titular story in particular was a bit too clever for its own good — but overall I was very impressed with this collection and plan to read more by Etgar Keret.

Review: The Innocents

June 21, 2013Leave a comment

Francesca Segal, The Innocents

Adam Newman is a successful young lawyer living in the posh London suburb of Temple Fortune, home of a tightly-knit Jewish community. He is about to marry Rachel Gilbert, his childhood sweetheart and a thoroughly suitable girl in every way. The Newmans and the Gilberts have been friends for many years, and the entire community of Temple Fortune has embraced Adam and Rachel’s upcoming marriage. The only discordant element in their plans is Rachel’s cousin, Ellie Schneider, who has recently returned to London to avoid a scandal from her life in New York. Adam disapproves of almost everything about Ellie, yet he finds himself strongly attracted to her. The more time he spends with her, the more his safe and secure world begins to unravel. But can Adam really choose Ellie if it means leaving Rachel, her family, and Temple Fortune behind forever?

When I first heard about this book and realized that it was a contemporary retelling of The Age of Innocence, I was immediately intrigued because I love Wharton’s novel. Although I was skepitcal at first, I think Segal did a wonderful job of taking the same plot and transposing it to a contemporary setting. I didn’t find Adam to be the most likeable character, but the book depicts his struggle in such a compassionate light that it was easy to understand his conflicting desires. I also loved the portrayal of the Temple Fortune community, with its focus on family, shared values, and food. (Seriously, the food! Fair warning, this book will make you hungry!) I wasn’t totally sold on the character of Ellie and couldn’t quite see why Adam was so strongly drawn to her. But I really liked the fact that there were no easy answers; one minute I was rooting for Adam and Ellie, but the next I was feeling sympathy for Rachel. The ending is very bittersweet and poignant, just as in the original novel. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who liked The Age of Innocence.

Review: Spies and Prejudice

June 18, 2013Leave a comment

Talia Vance, Spies and Prejudice

Berry Fields isn’t exactly your typical teenage girl. Working as an assistant for her P.I. father, Berry is more likely to spend her weekend tailing a suspect than hanging out at the mall. She has also caught so many cheating boyfriends and husbands in the act that she doesn’t fully trust any of the guys she meets. So when drop-dead gorgeous Tanner and his stepbrother Ryan show up at her school, Berry is immediately suspicious and hostile — especially when she overhears Tanner dismiss her as “nothing amazing.” Meanwhile, Berry continues to grieve for her mother, who died eight years ago in a supposed accident. But Berry can’t help suspecting that there’s more to the story…and the more time she spends with Tanner, the more she’s convinced that he’s hiding something.

First off, this is definitely not a book you want to judge by its cover (which is pretty awful, am I right?). It has been described as a cross between Pride and Prejudice and “Veronica Mars,” and if that concept appeals to you, I think you’ll enjoy this book! I found Berry a very believable and interesting character, and her investigation into her mother’s death was a great way to propel the story forward. The romance between her and Tanner was well done, not too melodramatic or sappy, and the mystery balanced out the love story very well. I didn’t 100% understand the final solution to the mystery, but I was reading pretty quickly by that point, so I probably just missed a few background facts along the way. Finally, I really liked the way P&P was incorporated into the story; there’s enough for Austen fans to pick up on and appreciate, but it’s not an exact replica of the original plot. I like the fact that this book uses the P&P framework but incorporates its own spin. Definitely recommended to YA and Austen fans!

Review: Star Crossed

June 3, 2013Leave a comment

Jennifer Echols, Star Crossed

Wendy Mann is a PR expert whose job is to keep rebellious celebrities in line. She’s great at getting PR nightmares to clean up their acts, but not so great at getting them to thank her for it. As a result, her firm is losing business, and her job is on the line. Wendy has one last chance to prove she’s an asset to the firm: she’ll fly to Las Vegas to rehabilitate the image of a young starlet who’s in the middle of a very messy — and public — fight with her ex-boyfriend. Wendy is confident that she’s up to the challenge…until she discovers that her old college nemesis, Daniel Blackstone, is representing the ex-boyfriend. Daniel is just as good at his job as Wendy is at hers, and he’s just as determined to make sure his client comes out on top. When Wendy and Daniel meet again in Vegas, they are surprised to discover a strong mutual attraction. But can they make a relationship work when they’re on opposite sides of someone else’s breakup?

I’m a big fan of Jennifer Echols’ books and have eagerly devoured each one as it comes out. Sadly, however, I think I should have skipped this one. It’s not a bad book, by any means…the writing is fine, and the story is certainly a fun, easy way to spend an afternoon. My problem is that it’s no different from hundreds of other contemporary romance novels; there was nothing unique or compelling to make it stand out in my mind. I also wasn’t terribly interested in the setup of this book. I don’t particularly care about lifestyles of the rich and famous in Vegas, and I would never have picked up this book if Echols hadn’t written it. I was hoping she would be able to interest me in a book that’s not my usual taste, but unfortunately, I wasn’t convinced. I’m still really looking forward to Echols’ next YA novel, Dirty Little Secret, but I won’t continue with this adult series.

You Book Me All Night Long

Tag: contemporary