More Free Books!!

I’ve been fortunate to receive some new books in the mail lately that I didn’t have to pay for.  One, Iliana sent me for winning her contest over at Bookgirl’s Nightstand.  I look forward to reading Meg Wolitzer’s The Ten Year Nap which Iliana did review at her blog.

Three Rivers Press and Crown Publishing have also cotinued their kindness by sending me three books I was interested in reading, including Superpowers by David J. Schwartz, Out-Takes From a Marriage by Ann Leary, and Just Do It by Douglas Brown. 

I just finished  Superpowers  by David J. Schwartz.  This is the story of five college students who wake up one morning after partying together with superpowers.  Caroline can fly, Mary Beth has super-strength, Harriet is invisible, Jack is super-fast, and Charles can read others’ minds.  The group must decide what to do with their new powers, whom to tell and how to balance their new “responsibilities.” 

I’m not sure what to say about this book.  I chose it from a list thinking that the concept sounded interesting.  I always like Superman and Spiderman stories.  This was a little different.  It took a look at the darker side of superpowers (which Batman and Spiderman have hinted at in movies), but spent little time on anything too positive.  This book had quite a negative feel to it. 

The book is told from the perspective of an editor (who is loosely part of the story) as he has interviewed two of the super”heros”.  The tale is fraught with consipiracies, confusion, sadness — not too much happiness.  Maybe that’s why I had some trouble with this book.

The main characters were interesting, but I thought they could have been developed a little more so that I could care about them.  There were a couple of “extra” characters that took some attention away from the main story that I think could have been deleted so that more attention could be paid to developing the main characters.   

The author did provide some suspense.  Each chapter started with a date, starting with May 20, 2001 and ending on October 19, 2001.  Knowing that 9/11 was coming added some suspense to this novel and kept me reading.  I was interested in how the superheros would deal with 9/11 and how/if they would be involved.  The author did do a good job showing how that horrible event affected the main characters in a similar way it affected the rest of us.  It made the “superheros”  human.

If you’re into superheros and comic books, you would probably enjoy this book.  There are definitely some political undertones, which I don’t always appreciate, but I know there are those of you out there that do.

Daughter of York — by Anne Easter Smith

I was looking for a book in the new book section at the library for my husband.  As I was browsing, I noticed a nice thick book which pictures of 1400’s England.  I picked it up for myself! 

Daughter of York is the story of Margaret York, prominent sister of King Edward of England in the late 1400s.  I was interested in this book because it was an era in English history that I had not read about before.  I’ve been basically obsessed, in the past, with King Henry’s era and reading all of Philipia Gregory’s books. 

Anyway, Margaret becomes a bargaining chip for King Edward as he tries to fortify England against France and become aligned with Burgundy.  She is forced to marry Duke Charles of Burgundy, even though she is in love with Edward’s brother-in-law, Lord Anthony Woodville.  But, Margaret does her duty for England and becomes a strong woman who accomplishes a great deal. 

This book took me awhile to get through.  It was very detailed with the history, which many people might enjoy.  However, it bogged me down a little.  There were too many names to remember, many of them being the same (everyone seemed to be Edward, Richard, Charles, Margaret, Mary or Elizabeth).  And, of course, the names change as the ranks change.  The author did provide a detailed list of the characters in the early part of the book as well as a family tree.  The family tree was helpful, but I was still confused by whom everyone was.  After a while, I focused only on the main characters and stop trying to remember who everyone was.  It made the book a little easier going.

As for the story of Margaret,  that I truly enjoyed.  The author made Margaret very real for me (which, of course, she is.)  The author did a great job describing Margaret’s conflicting thoughts and feelings throughout the novel.  I cared about Margaret.  I also cared about the other main characters, even though they were quite flawed.  Again, the author did a fabulous job describing everyone.

At the end of the book, in the author notes, the author admits that she made up the romance between Anthony and Margaret which was a central part of the book.  Based on historical data, the romance was possible, but not confirmed.  This was quite a surprise (and disappointment) to me based on the big part the romance played in the novel and the fact that the rest of the historical data was so well researched and portrayed in the book.  I really wanted happiness for Margaret and Anthony!  At least in real life, it was not meant to be.  

Would I recommend this book?  Yes, but not to everyone.  If you are a real history buff who likes lots of facts in your fiction stories, this book is for you.  If you are looking for something a little lighter, I might skip this one.

Kindergarten Book Club

My 5-year-old daughter is fascinated by my membership in my book club.  She asks lots of questions about it and always wants to know when we’re going to meet again.  When I come back from a meeting, she always asks, “How was book club, mommy?”  She doesn’t show much interest in my other comings and goings. 

She asked me if she could start a book club with her friends.  I thought it was a great idea.  She picked five friends to invite, some going into kindergarten and some just finishing kindergarten.  She came up with lots of ideas for her club.  My daughter is very big into games at parties, so she thought we should play some sort of game at her book club.  We decided to have a book exchange.  To exchange the books, we copied the cake walk idea from one of her favorite Junie B. Jones books, Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, by Barbara Park.  Instead of picking cake when their number was picked, the girls picked one of the books to take for the week (each girl had brought one of their favorite picture books to share).

After the “book walk,”  we sat down a read a book.  This week’s theme was Winnie the Pooh and we read Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree by Janet Campbell.  Most of the girls liked the book, but my daughter told me it was “boring” and “too long.”  Oh well, I guess that’s what a book club is, being introduced to books you may or may NOT like. 

After reading the book, we did an activity that included a snack.  The girls colored pictures of Winnie the Pooh and decorated them with stickers and stamps.  Then, we made toast and cut it into teddy bear shapes.  We covered it with honey, used chocolate chips to make a face, and then snacked.  Some girls loved honey, just like Winnie the Pooh, others did not. 

We talked some about what we read, laughing a lot about our favorite parts.  The girls especially liked when Rabbit drew a face on Pooh’s bottom when he was stuck in the door.  So, the girls drew faces of what they would have put on Pooh’s heiny had he been stuck in their door.  We talked about their favorite foods and what happens when they eat too much of it.  We talked about what different characters were feeling throughout the book and made faces that showed the girls’ feelings. 

Overall, the girls seemed to have a good time.  We’re going to meet again next week at someone else’s house.  This weeks theme is SUMMER!!  I know my little one is looking forward to it.

Book Club Pick — Baby Proof by emily giffin

This month, my vote finally won and we chose Baby Proof, by emily giffin for our read.  Of the three books suggested, I felt like this would be a nice, light read — a good one for the summer.

Baby Proof is the story of a couple who has agreed they don’t want children and decide to get married.  However, after three years, the husband (not the wife) changes his mind.  He does want kids. 

Well, I finished this book in one day!  I really enjoyed it and loved emily giffin’s insights.  Sometimes, I felt like she was reading my mind.  Now, I have decided to have two kids, and, before having kids I often wondered why married couples chose not to have children.  After having my kids, whom I love dearly, I “get” why people don’t have kids. 

The author does a great job describing the conflicting emotions and thoughts of the main character, Claudia, throughout the book.  I do find the main character a little un-self-aware and stubborn.  I understand Claudia’s feelings that she and her husband had a deal and it’s not fair he changed his mind, but she doesn’t even try to understand his point of view.  She professes that he’s her soul mate, but doesn’t even try to work out their problem (at least at first).  Also, I felt like she projected onto others what she “thought” they were thinking instead of what they really were.  She always jumped to conclusions (don’t we all?)  But, sometimes, I didn’t like her very much. 

Other times, I found her to be very endearing.  Her interactions with her young niece are heart-warming.  Her deep feelings for her family and her husband are admirable.  And, her finally coming to terms with her thoughts and feelings helped me like her more.  Overall, Claudia turned into a friend that I was sometimes frustrated with, but liked anyway.

I don’t usually remember quotes/passages from books or find any that have truly “touched” me, but as I read the early pages, I found some lines that the author wrote that I have actually thought as a parent.  One such line, talking about how relationships change with children, is:

“So for better or worse, the dynamic of two people shifts and takes a new form.  A form that sometimes seems to have more to do with surviving than truly enjoying life.”

I can’t tell you how much I relate to this statement. 

Anyway, I’m looking forward to our book club’s discussion of this book.  We’re a group of mothers (some who have had trouble conceiving) and it will be interesting to see how each of us relates to Claudia (or not). 

I, also, just checked out the author’s website.  I don’t usually do that, but I wondered if there was information about why she chose this topic, especially since she has children of her own.  While I didn’t find out anything like that, I did find out that if you join her newsletter, you get entered into a drawing for some great stuff, all in honor of her new book, Love the One Your With.  I plan on checking that one out!

Running With Scissors — Book and Movie

Last week, my husband and I watched Running with Scissors.  I know I have heard about it, but I didn’t remember anything I’d heard.  Anyway, when I started watching it, I became aware it was based on a memoir by Augusten Burroughs.  I know you probably think, “you must be kidding, you didn’t know that??”  Well, no, I didn’t.

Watching this movie was a surreal experience.  I could not believe this movie was based on a memoir.  It was too “crazy.”  The characters were so out-there I couldn’t believe they were based on reality.  I was fascinated by a mother who would give her son to a psychiatrist to raise.  And, not just any psychiatrist, but one that seemed crazier than she was.  I was enthralled by this movie and I had to believe that the director must had taken great liberties with the book. 

So, after the movie, I ran over to the library to get out the book.  When I started the book, I couldn’t believe it.  It matched the movie almost exactly (at least in the beginning).  These people actually existed!  Now, I have a doctorate in professional psychology and I still couldn’t fathom this story.  The more I read, the more I was in awe. 

Basically, this memoir of Augusten  tells his story from tween to late teens.  He details his parent’s divorce, his mother’s subsequent psychotic episodes, and his experiences with the Finch family (his mother’s psychiatrist).  There is also a great deal of discussion about his first gay relationship with a 33-year-old man, also an adoptee of the Finch family. 

After reading the book, I did think that the movie did it justice.  There were some changes and a few ommissions, but the movie definitely captured the craziness of Augusten’s teen years.  Although, the actor playing Augusten was a little old to be believable for the age he was suppossed to be.  I found that very distracting in the movie. 

As for the memoir, it read like a novel for young adults.  I often had to remind myself that it was all based on Augusten’s real life.  I am amazed that Augusten turned out okay and is now a successful writer.  While I think living with the Finches was not a healthy way to grow up, they did teach some important lessons, even if they were taken to the extreme. 

I would recommend both the book and the movie and found watching them in tandem to be an interesting experience. 

Stephenie Meyer Fan

 

As everyone who knows me knows, I LOVE the Twilight series.  I would say I’m mildly obsessed with these books.  I borrowed Twilight from the library last year and raced through it.  I was in a bad mood when it was over because I didn’t want it to end, so I proceeded to rush out to the bookstore to buy New Moon, which I could only get in hardcover.  I NEVER buy hardcover books, but I couldn’t help myself.  Well, needless to say, I finished that one quickly, too.  While I didn’t enjoy quite as much as Twilight, I still loved it.  My husband picked up Eclipse for me, also in hardcover, the next day.  That’s TWO hardcover books in less than a week.  I thought I lost my mind.  Again, I raced through the book.  The third one was my favorite.  I know many disagree, but that love triangle had me hooked. 

Shortly after I finished the last one, my mom asked me what I would like for a gift.  I told her I wanted a hardcover copy of Twilight to complete my collection.  She obliged!  I have the complete collection and I am eagerly awaiting book number four, Breaking Dawn, which I pre-ordered, of course, in harcover.

I have recommended these books to anyone that will listen.  My mom has read them all, my friend who originally turned me on to Twilight  has read the rest of them, I push the book regularly on my book club friends.  My author friend read the first one, enjoyed it, but didn’t want to spend the money on hardcovers for the second two.  That, I don’t understand!!  I have another friend who has resisted me because she didn’t want to shop in the young adult section.  I told her she is really missing out.  I find some the best books (which I did) in this section. 

After getting through the first three books, I became an avid reader of Stephenie Meyer’s website.  I find wonderful updates on her books, what her plans are for the future, her ideas about the upcoming Twilight movie (coming out 12/12/08, I need to get a babysitter).  I also found something else I couldn’t pass up, the first chapter of the next book that Meyer is writing.  Since Breaking Dawn is the last in the series, I thought I’d be very sad.  However, I’m happy to report, Stephenie is going to write a companion book to Twilight written from Edward’s perspective.  I read the first chapter and it was great!  It was fascinating to read the same events from a totally different perspective.  And, there were some surprises to me.  I will be waiting anxiously for this book, too.

Now, to really let you know how obsesses I am, after I got my first MP3 player at Christmas, I ran to the library and checked out the books on CD.  I loaded them onto the MP3 player and listened to the books, obsessively.  Every chance I got I had those earphones in.  I was like a little kid again having someone read me a beloved story.

And, then, I found out that Meyer released a special edition of Eclipse, which included the first chapter of the next book (plus an iron-on Team Jacob or Team Edward patch).  Now, I know you’re thinking I bought this special edition, but I didn’t go that far.  I just went to Borders, took the book and found a comfy seat.  I sat down a read that first chapter and then gingerly put it back on the shelf. 

Now, I, of course, liked it.  But, I have to say I was a little disappointed, too.  Bella is still hemming and hawing about not wanting to have a wedding and get married.  She’s almost annoyed that her mother is not giving her a hard time about it.  And, she’s still thinking about Jacob.  Puhleez!  Jacob is great, but he is no Edward.  (I think I’m secretly in love with Edward, myself.  Don’t tell my husband!)   So, I am definitely on Team Edward.   What team are you on??

Well, I’ll be waiting with baited breath for the delivery man to deliver my copy of Breaking Dawn on August 2nd.  Will you?

A Self-Proclaimed Suspense Novel

I just finished a mystery, The Finishing School A Novel of Suspense, by Michele Martinez.  My author friend gave it to me to read.  I felt like another mystery after reading her book last week.

The Finishing Schoolis about a federal prosecutor, Melanie, who gets involved in a high profile case of two apparent OD’s of two rich girls from a very exclusive school.  Of course, it turns out there is more to it than just the ODs.  There’s murder, embezzlement, drug muling, old grudges, affairs, and, of course, a budding romance between Melanie and one of the FBI agents.  This book had it all.

The pace of the book was quick.  There was always something going on and it kept you interested. There were many characters that I sometimes had trouble keeping track of.  However, I really did like the two main characters.  I enjoyed the unfolding of their relationship, even if it did seem a little unbelievable.  I didn’t think the author did a good job resolving the one big fight the couple had.   It kind of got glossed over and I think it could have been handled better.  It was like the author threw in the fight to cause some more tension, but then decided to forget about it.

What I thought was interesting about this book was it told you the killer’s name from the beginning.  So, I often wondered what the mystery was.  However, the story did unfold and there were lots of twists I didn’t see coming.  I was shocked by some of the twists and found the wrap-up of the story satisfying.

Overall, if you’re into mysteries, this book is a good one.  If you want to know more about Martinez’s mysteries with Melanie check out the author’s website.

 

A Young Adult “The Road” — LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer

 

I read a review of this young adult novel on Book Addiction and just had to get to the library and get.  It quickly moved its way up to the top of my TBR list.

This book is the journal of a young woman that details her and her family’s struggle after a meteor knocks the moon closer in orbit to the earth.  This lunar impact causes drastic changes on Earth, including extreme climate changes, loss of major cities/states, lack of food and gas, etc.   It kind of reminded me of a more interesting version of The  Road. 

I really enjoyed the diary approach as it really let us into this teen’s feelings.  It was true to life in showing a typical adolescent’s feelings and how they continue even in the face of great tragedy before she must learn to grow up too soon. 

It dealt wonderfully with the confusion the teen feels when her mother stops wanting her to consider others outside the family and the anger that results.  This part did remind me of The Road when the father in that book got angry with his son when the son wanted to help strangers they found along the way.  It made me wonder how I would react as a parent in these situations.  When I read The Road, I was shocked by the father’s reactions to the son wanting to help.  Then, the mother in Life As We Know It reacted similarly.  I guess the parental instinct for protecting one’s family outrules wanting to help others. 

I admired the strength of this mother, questioned the father’s choices, was shocked by some things people in general did.  I thought this book was thought-provoking in a way that I didn’t get from The Road which many other readers seemed to, like my husband.  I guess I get more out of a story with characters I can identify with than from a book with two unnamed characters that I never seemed to be able to “get.”

Overall, I’m glad I took Book Addiction’s recommendation and I add my own to the growing list of people who really enjoyed this one.

A Night with an Author

Last night, my book club met and discussed a first novel with it’s author.  Patricia Galiotos is writing her first mystery novel and allowed our book club to read it and give her feedback before she starts the process of sending out letters to get a book agent.  It was a fun and interesting meeting.

Patricia’s book, Bitter Pills, is a story about a psychologist, Eva, who works in an alternative high school in New York City.  Her colleague is murdered in the school and Eva gets involved, unofficially, in trying to solve the murder, especially since it seems related to things going on in the high school with her students.  In the meantime, she’s also working with her students who present some interesting story lines as well. 

Patricia has been working on her novel for 2.5 years.  She has two little kids and spends her evenings when they finally go to sleep to work on her book.  In “real life” she is a psychologist, so she writes from her own experiences. 

I was fortunate to be able to read two versions of her book.  While I really enjoyed her first draft, she really improved it with some major revisions over the last couple of months.  As she was researching how to get published, she realized that as a first time author with a mystery novel, she needed to shorten her book.  The process of cutting it down really helped her improve the book. 

While I may not be totally objective since Patricia is an old friend, my peers at the book club were.  They seemed to like Patricia’s novel, too.  We discussed how everyone really liked Patricia’s characters.  Someone commented that Patricia let the reader see the main character’s thought processes which really added to the book.  It was also agreed that Patricia did a great job describing Eva’s life in New York City.  We could really picture the city.  Patricia admitted that writing about the City was a fun part of writing the novel.

As for the mystery, there definitely was one.  Of the nine of us who read the book, only one guessed the murderer before it was revealed.  However, even the one who guessed said she wasn’t totally sure until the end, of course.  I know I enjoyed the mystery part and was relieved that the conclusion was not obvious nor so far-fetched that it was ridiculous.  It actually made sense.

Overall, it’s been fun being part of the “process” with an author (and very good friend).  I wish the best for her and know she’ll be successful.  You should all keep your eyes out in the future for Bitter Pillsby Patricia Galiotos. 

 

Historical Fiction — Egypt

 

Nefertiti  by Michelle Moran

Here is another book I received from Three River Press.  When I got it, I wasn’t sure if it was for me.  While I do like historical fiction, I wasn’t that  interested in Egypt thousands of years ago.  But, it turned out to be a fascinating read.  I really did enjoy it.

This book is the story of Neferiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, as they ascend into power in ancient Egypt.  The story is told from the point of view of the sister, Mutnodjmet, which I found interesting considering the title of the book.  While the book is mainly about how Neferitit rose in power and became Pharoah of Egypt, I found myself more interested in her sister and her life.  Mutnodjmet is a very strong character who is honest, in a dishonest place.  As the narrator, Mutnodjmet talks about the difficulties she faces as Nefertiti’s sister and what is expected of her as the “sister of the Pharoh’s chief wife.”  I found her to be an endearing character whom I rooted for instead of Nefertiti. 

This book covers Nefertiti’s reign, from Nefertiti became the young king’s wife until her death.  The author does a good job describing the cities of Egypt as well as its culture.  I could picture it all in my head and it didn’t seem as unfathomable as I thought it would be. 

I did find all the references to the different gods hard to follow, at times, but it got easier as the book progressed and starting focusing on two or three main gods.  There is quite a few characters and the author does provide a family tree in the beginning of the book.  I found myself flipping to it a great deal to keep track of all the characters.  It was very helpful.  Without it, I think I would have become too bogged down trying to remember all the Egyptian names that I may have lost some enjoyment. 

The author has written a follow-up to this book, called The Heretic Queen.  This one is due out in August and is suppossed to be the rest of Mutnodjmet’s life as well as the reign of her daughter, Queen Nefertari.  I am looking forward to reading this sequel.  I am now hooked on Egyptian historical fiction.