Book Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Fiction. I read this in February 2015 because it was selling like hotcakes and it seemed to be on everybody's hold list, so why not. It was excellent, one of the best books I have read this year! I learned a ton about elephants (that scary roar from the T-Rex in Jurassic Park is a male elephant), it had fully developed characters, and the mystery was quite good, it kept me guessing throughout. Often I find with mystery or suspense books though that I am sick of waiting to see who did what, and it feels like the rest of the book is just filler: the first page is usually a cliff-hanger (person dying but we don't know who it is), loads of filler, then the last two chapters provide "what really happened" followed by some kind of neat wrap-up of their lives. That formula works and sells a lot of books. Although this one does follow said formula a bit, the middle portion of the book is compelling, you really do want to find out about their lives, the elephants, and what will happen to their sanctuary.

I highly suggest this to mystery lovers, those looking for a compelling little novel, and those who want to know more about elephants (the research was fabulous).

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Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Fiction.  I read this one because they made it into a movie, the trailers looked pretty good, so I thought I would read the book and then watch the film.  I have not yet watched the movie, but the book I thought was interesting, and it is part of a series, and it does end in a way that leads you on well to want to read the next book.  I have not read the next book either, although I did enjoy this work.  It is for young adults and I think it fits the category well, and it is still complex enough to be a light read that is enjoyable for adults too.

The main character is Jonas, and like most young adult books the main character is unique and doesn't totally fit in, he does not fit a specific role really, so he is chosen to be the next Giver, who holds everybody's memories for them.  This is so that people can go on living their lives in this sort of Utopia without pain and sorrow, but of course this means they also live life without true happiness and joy too.  Everything is always the same and they are unaware of their lack of exposure to true life as we know it.  Jonas eventually learns how to receive the memories and live with them, and in the end he goes off on a quest, pretty much alone, and it seems to end with some hope and a bit of mystery to be solved.

I may one day read some more and I may get the movie one of these days, but I don't feel terribly compelled to do either one.  It was not a bad book, but it was not earth shattering for me.  Again, it is youth reading, so perhaps it is a more powerful read for elementary school children.  Each generation needs their heroes.

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Book Review: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Fiction.  I read this for the faculty book group Read Around the World for February 2015.  This work takes place in Zimabwe, in an impoverished neighborhood, with the protagonist Darling, who is a ten-year-old girl.  The novel follows Darling and her friends around town as they search for guavas to steal out of the trees in more well-to-do areas, her very young and pregnant friend, the sleazy clergy, and the corrupt paramilitary police.  It is a sad story and a sad life, and eventually Darling goes to America to live with her aunt, and we hope this will make life better for her, but she is faced with a much different way of living, and a much different view of how children behave in the two different worlds.

I think it is important that these stories are told, but I feel I have read so many of them, and they are all so sad and depressing, it weighs on you to read them over and over again.  It did lead us to a good discussion about the nature of violence, how it is passed on, and what people deem as acceptable.  And that is what this felt like, a way to address issues of poverty in Africa, the difficulty immigrants face (legal and illegal), and how do we view violence.  It did not feel like a novel, it was depressing, it was not cohesive, and I don't feel it offered something new nor did it offer any possible suggestions or solutions to such problems in the world.  I would recommend it only if you have not read the same type of thing before or if you are in a book group that wants to discuss these specific issues.

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Book Review: Saint Odd by Dean Koontz

Fiction.  This is the last one in the series, 7/7, published in December 2014.  I feel like we were fed all of these really important symbols throughout the other books, and when we are finally told what they are, it is just sort of blah.  This book zigged and zagged around a lot, didn't seem to have much focus, left you unsatisfied with explanations of what were supposed to be "monumental" symbols, and ended very predictably.  It's the last one, we know he is going to die, it could have been much more interesting.  I think Koontz had to end the series, couldn't decide what to do, and then threw in everything but the kitchen sink in tiny pieces and parts, while still managing to endlessly repeat himself.  I really do hope this is it, because I do not want to feel compelled to finish reading the last of the series, again, just so I have finished it.  I am going to go back to happily awaiting Stephen King's books, and hoping he lives forever, that way I don't have to go looking for a second rate substitute.  I commend the creation of the characters, but the writing needs help, and somebody should be editing him better to make things more cohesive and less trite.

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Book Review: Defending Jacob by William Landay

Fiction. I read this novel because it was on the list for CLPL fiction book club last year (April 2014), and I could not go to it, so I was catching up.  I read it in January 2015.  This would be a good one for people who like crime novels that do not have too much gore, with a bit of mystery and thriller tossed in with the questions of how far parents will go to believe their children no matter what, and to defend them no matter what they find out.

The family in the novel consists of the father and attorney Andy Barber, his wife Laurie, and their son Jacob who is accused of stabbing another boy in a park.  There is much back and forth in this book on whether or not Jacob did it, if his parents believe him, if the court will believe him, and whether or not we as the reader, following along with Andy narrating to us, believe in Jacob's innocence or not.  At one point there seems to be a candidate who is more likely than Andy to have committed the crime (a pedophile in the neighborhood), but I constantly wavered back and forth right along with the narrator.

Like any review of a suspenseful book, one struggles with what to include and what not to include, so I will say it is worth the read, especially if you like court related drama, and I will say it has a humdinger of an ending, one I did not see coming at all.

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Book Review: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Fiction.  I read this because it is on the CLPL fiction book club list (November 2015) and I was catching up on the ones I cannot go to in-person.  This one is a little different than your average book, it has a touch of fairy tale to it, and requires a nice suspension of disbelief, but it is worth it.

A couple (Jack and Mabel) who live out in the Alaskan wilderness in 1920, and who are childless, decide one night to have some fun after another day of hard living, and create a snowman, rather a snow child.  The next day the sculpture in snow is gone, but Mabel soon starts to see a beautiful young girl scampering around out in the woods accompanied by a red fox.  Eventually the two start to talk, and Mabel comes to learn the girl calls herself Faina, and she seems to survive out in the harsh Alaskan winter all by herself.

I don't want to say too much and ruin it, but the girl starts to come by for dinners, she is always too hot inside the cabin when she is out of the snow, you do eventually learn something about her father, and one day there is something involving a marriage and another child.

I recommend this if you like watching shows and hearing about Alaska, if you like folk tales and fairy tales that are updated to more modern times and places, and if you want a little magic with your novel.  It is an intriguing but lighthearted read.

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Book Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Novel.  Historical Fiction.  I read this one because it is on the fiction book club list for CLPL (January 2015) and I was once again catching up with the works for the meetings I cannot attend due to my teaching schedule.  This one is a double-story, following the lives of a contemporary young girl named Molly Ayer who has been in and out of the child welfare system, and Vivian Daly who was once one of the children put on one of the orphan trains that sent children out to the Midwest to be "adopted."

I really enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit about these orphan trains, which I had previously no knowledge regarding them.  The general idea was to take abandoned or orphaned children from large cities like New York, and ship them out on these trains to the Midwest, where they could be adopted by farming families who could use the extra help.  They thought it would solve the problem of getting large numbers of immigrant children off the streets, and at the same time provide free labor to the farming families to grow food that was desperately needed in the U.S. at that time.

Vivian's story is sad and tragic, with her becoming a free labor seamstress with little food, for a couple who literally lock the refrigerator and make her sleep on the floor.  Somehow she endures and makes a life for herself, eventually as an adult in Maine, where she helps Molly serve her court time by doing little bits and pieces of things around her house, such as cleaning out the attic.  The two connect on a sincere human level, and the two stories unfold over time as you read through the novel.

I highly recommend this work, it is one of the more touching and eye-opening pieces that I have read in a long time.  You will learn about the strength of these children, the enduring human spirit, and how these two people connect to each other in a world that is often unjust.

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Book Review: The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Novel.  Historical Fiction.  I read this in January 2015.  It is one of the fiction book club selections for CLPL (August 2015).  I read this trying to keep up with their reads for the year when I have time, but I may be able to make this one, it just depends when the faculty meetings begin for Fall semester.  This work is based on the life of Anne Morrow, the wife of Charles Lindbergh.

Depending on how much of this is true and how much of it is fiction, the fine line walked with works of historical fiction, Charles Lindbergh was definitely a class-A jerk, and it is amazing what Anne Morrow went through to support him.  He treated her like an accessory, always depending on her to hop on board when he wanted her there in the plane, but to stay put at home and have no life of her own the rest of the time.  She was most definitely and introvert, but although quiet and shy, she had a strong personality of her own and made it through personal struggles and public scrutiny with bravery and class.  Since I do not know much about the historical truth of these matters, I was able to be involved in the story without trying to argue with its accuracy.  So, unfortunately, I cannot say with certainty whether or not fans of Lindbergh and aviation history would like this book.

I recommend this work to those who like historical fiction, who want to learn more about the famous couple whose baby was kidnapped, about the history of aviation in the U.S., and who are looking for a role model for introverts everywhere.  She was an interesting woman.

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Book Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

Fiction.  This was a wonderful little novel and a definite must for anybody who is a "foodie" of any kind!  I loved the characters, the settings, the author's way with words, and the plot was fantastically interesting too.  The main character is Billie Breslin, who takes a job as an assistant to the editor in NYC at the preeminent food magazine Delicious! (think Gourmet where the author used to work).  The novel follows Billie through the streets of New York as she learns even more about food: she has a perfect palate and can taste almost any ingredient immediately, which helps her land her second job at Fontanellis, a fun and traditional cheese shop, where she is the first non-family member to ever work there (of course they treat her like family though).  The offices of the Delicious! magazine are in a 19th-century mansion, filled with quirky co-workers, beautiful architectural features, and eventually a mystery for Billie to solve.

After the magazine is closed by the owner who wants to focus on their more lucrative magazines put out by Pickwick Publishing, Billie finds herself the only one left behind to answer phone calls, emails, and bizarre letters from people who have utterly destroyed the recipes in the magazine.  Since its inception, the magazine had what is called the "Delicious! Guarantee": try the recipe, if you do not like it we will refund your money for the items you purchased to make it.  A particularly peculiar customer, who calls every single day, does the most disastrous things that you can think of, such as substituting canned oysters for scallops, powdered milk instead of heavy cream, and other comically tragic concoctions.  

As the story continues, Billie and another former employee, Sammy, end up becoming fast friends.  He is at the empty old mansion because Sammy has yet to empty out his office (he was traveling in Marrakesh) and thus he hangs around attempting to help her solve some of the bizarre inquiries from the readers (e.g. requests for recipes dating all the way back to the 1950s).  The two of them end up exploring the library as a result of trying to search for some obscure information, but the library had been locked up for decades, and nobody knew what exactly was inside.  They find themselves trying to solve a mystery related to the correspondence during WWII between a young girl named Lulu and the now infamous James Beard, who worked at the magazine.  I do not want to add more lest I give away any spoilers, so I will say that it is a charming novel, filled with friendships, tragic family histories, mystery, some romance, and of course utter devotion to food which will appeal to gastronomes everywhere.  Give it a read, it will make you smile!

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Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Fiction. I was searching for something good to read that was available immediately from my library's digital consortium (I have enough on my hold list), so I looked up Donna Tartt because I enjoyed The Goldfinch immensely (her most recent work, she won The Pulitzer Prize for it).  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I love the intelligence of her writing, but she most definitely tackles some deep and disturbing parts of the human psyche; so, if you are looking for something light to read, this is certainly not it.  However, if you are up for something a little more challenging than your average top seller, this is a good one because she is an excellent storyteller.

This work never exactly states what year it is, which I found both profoundly annoying and intriguing at the same time.  I was originally guessing the late 60s but then she mentions some styles of clothing that seem more like the 80s, and then a bit later some things that seem like the 90s (music primarily), so I am still not terribly certain of when exactly the events took place, even though I have finished the work.  I am fairly certain she meant for that to be the point: we live like the eras we identify with, small upscale colleges seem to warp you back to the late 60s when learning was valued before the sole focus now of obtaining a piece of paper to "get you a job," and so that we as readers do not obsess about spotting popular culture, but rather that we focus on the timelessness of these kinds of relationships and the people who have them.

The central story revolves around the protagonist Richard Papen, a small town California man, attending an exclusive college in Vermont called Hampden.  He eventually succeeds in his goal of becoming a part of a tiny group of classics majors, six in all, who center their lives around the tutelage of Professor Julian Morrow.  The work is quite like a Greek tragedy itself, slowly unfolding the background of events that lead up to the death of one of the characters, which we are told about from the very beginning of the novel.  You get everything very Greek in here: murder, incest, much imbibing of alcohol, highbrow thinking simultaneously with lowbrow behavior, the ruling classes, exclusivity, friendship, oddities of love, devotion to learning (not merely memorizing items for a test), and of course a dark ending.  If you are up for something that is complicated but a pleasure to read, if you value the effort real learning takes, and if you like the darker side of humanity, then I recommend this work to you.  Donna Tartt is an amazing writer, and I can see why she spends so much time working on each of her novels (about a decade): they are highly evolved microcosms of humanity, not remotely like easy beach readers that people toss to the side.  The ideas will stew around in your brain for quite some time.

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Book Review: The Song of King Gesar: A Novel by Alai

Fiction, based on mythology.  Good for Tibetan mythology and the tradition of oral storytelling.  Two stories, one set now of a storyteller chosen by the gods, and one of the past that tells of Gesar, both running concurrently.  Be sure to read the title of each chapter so you know if it is in Gesar's time or now with the storyteller (at one point they merge, very fun).  Probably a tough read if you do not like mythology or if you are not terribly familiar with eastern religions or cultures.

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Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Fiction. This was a fun little novel.  It involves a quirky job, a secret society, and Google.  Again, not saying too much because it is a fun little read, and I would definitely recommend it for something light but fun and mysterious.

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Book Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

     I thought I would catch up on the last few Stephen King books I had not read, so I picked this up from the library.  In large print it is just over 1,000 pages.  I really liked the book, but I am a fan of Stephen King so not really a surprise there.  Like many of his other books it is not really scary like people might assume, it is an examination of people and their character when they are faced with a set of unusual circumstances.  It is a great answer to that "what if" question, that if you were faced with the ability to travel in time, what would you do?  

     It is set in 2011 and 1958 for the two time periods.  The main character, Jake/George, can go back to 1958, and each time he returns those changes are set in 2011, unless he goes back to 1958 again, then the slate is wiped clean, so there is a sort of reset button.  Ultimately he is asked by the man who discovered this little time travel bubble (Al, owner of the diner) to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing JFK, which means a waiting period/he has to live out five years in the past.  I won't say that much more about it lest I ruin the ending, but I do want to say the novel is a nostalgic look back at the late 50s and early 60s, it has a nice little love story in it, and typical of Stephen King you get some answers at the end but not all of them, which leaves you open to solve the riddles for yourself.

If you are up for a long book and like a little science-fiction mixed in with nostalgia, this is a great book to read!

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