The Sunshine When She's Gone

by Thea Goodman
April 24-May 1, 2013

My speedy reading streak continues. I polished off this one in a week. Can't remember the last time I did that, but to be fair, Sunshine was only 225 pages. I also had that Bill Withers song stuck in my head for the past week. Only this book is the exact opposite ... there was Sunshine When She's Gone. Withers sings about how sad and lonely he is without his love, but in this case, Veronica finds herself more than happy when her husband and daughter leave her for the weekend.

Suffering from severe post-partum depression and loss over the emergency hysterectomy that followed the birth, Veronica is surprised to wake up refreshed after an unexpected good night's sleep. Her husband John wakes up early and decides to take six-month old Clara out in the cold January morning to a diner for breakfast. When he finds the diner closed, he hops in a cab for the airport and onto a flight to Barbados. He just wants to get warm. What follows is two days of phone tag, lies and Veronica's unexpected pleasure at having some alone time. For the reader, it's nothing but tension and worry that the baby will get home safely before getting any sicker than she already is.

I kept waiting for the plot to come to a point, but the storyline was so contrived, and the author appeared to give up at the end. I mean, really, who randomly decides to go to the Caribbean, and in what world would he have even gotten through customs with no luggage and a ticket purchased the same day?? I know that I read novels to escape reality, but they need to be somewhat believable too. The book was short, and in the end I'm grateful for that, but another 50 pages could have helped explain these unsympathetic characters a little more. Although maybe that was Goodman's intentions; to leave the reader feeling as shallow as this couple.

I really want to give this book two stars, but I have to give credit to the author for her beautiful prose. A reluctant three stars it is.

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The Light Between Oceans

by M.L. Stedman

April 13-23, 2013

Have I mentioned how happy I am that my book slump seems to be behind me? Well, hooray! I've been on a nice run of good words as of late, which is also encouraging me to read longer into the night, and losing some sleep. It's worth it though if the books remain as good as this one: The Light Between Oceans.

Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia after WWI an emotionally damaged man. He shoulders guilt for not being physically injured; having seen his fellow soldiers wounded beyond repair. He finds solace in a job on Janus Rock as the keeper of its lighthouse. On a rare shore leave, he meets and marries Isabel. She in content on the island and with the life they have built together. But after two miscarriages and a stillbirth, she is on the verge a breakdown; until the day when a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month old baby girl, who is very much alive. Isabel does everything in her power to convince Tom that they should keep the baby. As a man who is comforted by rules and procedures, he is adamantly against this idea. But when faced with a distraught wife who truly deserves children, he reluctantly gives in. They live with their new daughter, Lucy, for nearly four years until the guilt is more than Tom can bear.

“You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things.”

I tore through this novel with great interest and fascination. At times I found it so heartbreaking to read, but I didn't stop. Although the idea of keeping the child may seem completely unbelievable, Stedman makes you believe. This being her debut novel, I look forward to much more from her.

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One Last Thing Before I Go

by Jonathan Tropper January-February 17, 2013 I am a fan of Tropper. Light-hearted, yet sometimes with deep underlying messages, his books really lend themselves to audio. This one saw me through a drive down to Coshocton and back; four hours total, somehow making the trip a little more bearable (we all know I hate road trips and tend to whine a lot). Silver is a washed-up musician; divorced, shitty father, and all-around failure in his own mind. When his valedictorian daughter confides her pregnancy in him, his attempt to be a good father is by taking her to the abortion clinic. While in the waiting room, he suffers a mini stroke and soon finds out that he has an aneurysm in need of immediate repair – the repair to be performed by his ex-wife's financé. Being the loser he claims to be, he decides against the lifesaving operation and begins "waiting to die" by living in the moment and trying to become a better man. His entire family is exasperated and each makes an attempt to prove that life is still worth living. Poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, One Last Thing is the easy kind of reading I look forward to. “We don't stop loving people just because we hate them, but we don't stop hating them either.” * * * * *

50 Shades of ... I don't really care

by E.L. James
May 29 - July 16, 2012

Thank God that's over. I am probably the only woman on the planet who didn't read this trilogy in a week, let alone twice in a row. I didn't jump on the Christian Grey train; rather I wanted to shove him in front of one. I suppose I can understand why everyone is so fascinated with the books. I mean, let's face it, I read a lot and I have never read sex scenes quite like these. But after the initial "shock" and once through the first book, it was old news and honestly a little boring. If I hadn't bought the complete trilogy on my Kindle at one time, I highly doubt I would have continued on to book two, and definitely not book three.

I find it unnecessary to do a complete recap, so this post will be strictly opinion with lots of spoilers. I don't suggest reading any further unless you've already finished the books. If you have, I'd love to hear what drew you to them (or not).

I was immediately turned off by the poor prose. By no means am I a literary giant, but I've read enough to know good writing from bad. And even if I can't articulate which it may be, trust me, I just know. Within the first 10% of the book I was already rolling my eyes at the way the author overused "he/she mutters" and 'he/she murmurs." Really, why is this a story of two people with mush mouths who whisper to each other all the time? And if Christian Grey is the strong dominant the author portrays, then I'm quite sure he would never murmur anything. This was my biggest pet peeve. Incidentally, I did a find for "murmur" on my Kindle, and I came up with 764 results. Buy a thesaurus, Ms. James.

The next thing that kept my eyes rolling (and no, I don't want to be "punished" for doing so; that was just absurd) was Ana's constant referral to her inner goddess and her subconscious. It got to the point where I thought she was a schizophrenic with all these personalities living inside of her. When her subconscious started wearing half-moon glasses and reading Charles Dickens, it went completely over the top into utter ridiculousness. In reality, a 21-year old girl could simply not be emotionally mature enough to recognize any of this. Remember what you were interested in at 21 and fresh out of college? Yeah, me too, and it wasn't my freaking subconscious.

Toward the end of the second book, I was just becoming bored by so many things. First, the fact that Ana was so in love with Christian, yet she constantly walked on eggshells around him. She always worried whether or not he was mad at her. So very NOT sexy. Second, his possessiveness. If he murmured one more time, "you're mine" I was going to puke. Flawed or not, get a grip buddy. Third, I honestly failed to see the attraction to a man who takes pleasure in inflicting pain on a woman. In my opinion, he was a half step away from all-out domestic abuse. At one point he even says: "I want to punish you. Really beat the shit out of you." WAKE UP ladies!! THIS IS NOT OK! I would have thrown the book at the wall, but my Kindle didn't deserve to be smashed into a million pieces.

Finally, the little mystery thrown in for good(?) measure. By that point, I didn't care about Jack Whateverhisnameis or why he was out to get the Greys. It seemed an afterthought to add this inane storyline, and I don't think it added any intrigue or compassion at all.

I could probably go on for another 500 words or more, but I think you get my disgust loud and clear. I. Just. Don't. Get. It. But if you loved it, please, oh please, tell me why. Was it the sex? If so, I have to believe there are better-written smut books out there. Was it the love story? Because I don't understand loving a controlling, insecure masochist.

Talk to me.

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(Almost) A Year in Review

It's sad but true. I am almost a year behind in posting! I'd like to chalk it up to being too busy reading, but you know how it goes: Other chores take priority, I've had freelance out the wazoo; or was it simply that I couldn't come up with the perfect thing to say about what I just read? Whatever the reason, I never stopped reading. Well, wait. There was the time in March when I nearly boycotted reading because I was so smitten with Harry Potter. I felt I would be disloyal to all of Wizardom if I jumped into a new book without properly grieving the end of those seven books. Yeah, I was that obsessed. I even joined Pottermore the first day it became available to the public (my screen name is ShadowRain12825 for anyone who wants to friend me!) and haven't stopped thinking about how truly wonderful those books were since March 14, 2012 when Harry sent his own son off to Hogwarts for the first time. I know, I know, I'm way late for that train. But I'm so glad I waited! I don't know how the people who read each book as it was released could handle the wait! I was lucky to read all seven books consecutively over the course of only four months.

OK, fine, enough about Harry (one last word: I love Ron). I've decided that instead of completely stressing myself out about the fact that I need to write TEN overdue posts, I need to just clean the slate. I'll recap the books I've read since last July and move on with my life. The next full post will be about that sicko Christian Gray :)

1. Cutting for Stone  |  Abraham Verghese  |  January 10 - July 17, 2011
It took me a whopping seven months to get through this audiobook. So many times I wanted to give up. I found it to be slow and overly long (I desperately wanted to edit out so much of it). The only thing that kept me going was peer pressure – so many friends held this book in such high esteem. And then one day I suddenly turned a corner and ended up truly enjoying it. Glad I stuck to it.
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2.  Still Alice  |  Lisa Genova  |  August 16 - September 3, 2011
Tough subject matter, but poignant and heartbreaking. Genova has a Ph. D in neuroscience, so the book is written accurately but still has the ability to engage the reader at every turn. Alice's quick decent into Alzheimer's isn't exactly "light reading," but well worth the education for the reader.
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3.  The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake  |  Aimee Bender  |  July 18 - August 30, 2011
Anyone recognize this acronym: WTF??? That is exactly what I said when this book ended. WTF??? Her brother became the chair?? Seriously didn't get it. Maybe the biggest strike against the book for me was the author narrated the audiobook and it was probably the worst narration I've ever heard. Monotone, lifeless; she could have read anything and made it sound awful. Sorry, it's just better to have talented narrators...otherwise you lose me. Fast.
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4.  Faith  |  Jennifer Haigh  |  September 3-24, 2011
Funny thing happened the other day. I stopped and got Faith out of the library because a pal had been raving about it and said I just had to read it next. After two chapters I realized that I've already read it! Duh! It was definitely good, so I have no idea why it was so forgettable. An intriguing story about an accused Catholic priest in Boston and how his family deals with the scandal.
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5. I Still Dream About You  |  Fannie Flagg  |  September 24 - October 15, 2011
I adore Fannie Flagg. Her writing is music to my ears. Not being a southern girl myself, Flagg has the ability to paint such a vivid picture, that I feel like I've lived in Alabama my whole life. Even as Maggie Fortenberry contemplates suicide by creating a list of 16 reasons why she should and only 2 why she should not, I couldn't help laughing at the charm brought in every page of this book.
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6. A Discovery of Witches  |  Deborah Harness  |  September 1 - October 8, 2011
I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Fantasy or Sci-fi, but I love, love, love witches. Add in a 1500-year old vampire and you've got a real winner. I couldn't get enough of this book, and was actually quite satisfied with the somewhat untidy (not wrapped up in a bow) ending. Then I found out it was the first in a trilogy. Hooray! Shadow of Night comes out next month. I can't wait!
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7. One Day  |  David Nicholls  |  October 20 - December 29, 2011
Hilariously funny in parts with an unforeseen, shocking ending. Dexter and Emma meet on July 15, 1988 and the book follows them on that same day each year after for 20 years. Nicholls' ability with character development had me on an emotional roller coaster. Except I didn't get sick on this one.
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8. This is Where I Leave You  |  Jonathan Tropper  |  January 10 - March 8, 2012
Judd and his dysfunctional family reluctantly sit Shiva for his father. His wife is cheating on him with his boss. Sounds like hard stuff, but this novel is funny and fresh. It was a great one to listen to while sitting in traffic after work. Made the commute not so bad.
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9. Harry Potter  |  J.K. Rowling  |  November 20, 2011 - March 14, 2012
These seven books really deserve their own post, but what could I say that hasn't been said before? I resisted for so long, for no real reason, but was finally convinced to give them a try. I felt like I was living at Hogwarts for four months. I can't say enough good things about this series, and I'm sure no one needs convincing – I'm probably the last person on earth to read them.
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10. The Night Circus  |  Erin Morgenstern  | March 19 - May 28, 2012
To be fair, this book never stood a chance. As the first one to be read after Harry, I couldn't focus on a single word. I would go days without reading it; in turn taking me 2-plus months to get through it. Once my focus started to return, I became quite interested in the characters. But even though I'm not a fan of a big bow at the end, I found myself saying out loud, "Was the whole damn thing really a dream?!"
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And there you have it. Some of my highest ratings in a long time...maybe that can be another excuse for not posting!

An Unexamined Life

by Gareth Young
Oct 16-Nov 14, 2011

Recently, I learned about a pretty cool concept called Book Rooster. It's essentially an online community of passionate readers who receive free kindle editions of books by indie authors and write reviews. It's a great way for these sometimes struggling authors to get more reviews posted on Amazon.com. All you have to do is sign up and indicate which genres of books you are interesting in, and Book Rooster will start sending you titles. If you aren't interested in a particular book, all you have to do is wait for the next one to come along. Reading and reviewing with no pressure! My kind of site for sure. A more simplified version of the follow review is posted on Amazon, thanks to the free digital copy I received from the Rooster. Check it out.

I must say that upon reading the brief synopsis on An Unexamined Life, my interest was piqued. Definitely not the kind of subject matter I read on a daily basis. So I downloaded my free sample and headed off to Jamaica where I was sure I was going to read at least two, if not three, books. Little did I realize that a cocktail in one hand, seated at the swim-up bar, does not bode well for a kindle. Reading just had to wait until I was home again.

Never before has a book sparked such raw emotion and anger in me. Some might say this is a sign of a truly brilliant author, and while that may be true, I certainly can't say that I'd ever again want to read another of Young's books (this is the author's second novel). Joe Kay is a man who is living the textbook life. On paper, he has everything; a high-paying job, a devoted wife, and most recently, a large inheritance from a dead aunt. When his career takes a nose dive, Joe finds he has more time to spend with his wife. Only now does he realize that years of career-first neglect has driven a large gap between the couple. Joe resorts to online "dating," spending late nights chatting with strange women and having cyber affairs. For whatever reason, Joe becomes braver and begins bringing these affairs to the light of day. He even begins a fantasy-driven affair with his next-door neighbor. At this point, I'm keeping up and fairly intrigued as to where the next pages will take me, but then the protagonist's flaws come screaming to life.

Joe frequents a coffee shop more than ever now that he has Liz, a high school student, to ogle. He quickly becomes infatuated from afar as he eavesdrops on her every word. He finally works up the nerve to speak to her and he is instantly a teenager again. The affair that ensues paints the picture of a weak, selfish, perverted pig. I found myself actually wanting to throw my kindle at a wall I was becoming so frustrated with Joe's weaknesses.

"Moral weakness wasn't indicative of a lack of love for my Eliza, unimaginably cherished, the light of my life. Surely she could see that as a man of means and charm, it was inevitable I would be exposed to irresistible temptation?"

Puke. Some would ask me why I didn't just put the book down for good, but at 263 short pages, I had to at least be assured that Joe's wife would get some kind of redemption. The final moments of Joe's story had me writhing with disgust and frustration. I finished the book wondering if perhaps An Unexamined Life is more suitable to a male reader? As a woman, I refuse to make a single excuse for Joe's adulterous behavior. As an avid reader, I can compliment the author on his prose, but with the hatred I feel for Joe Kay, I have read my first and last Gareth Young book.

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Room

by Emma Donogue
May 17 - 28, 2011

Wow. What a book. Told from the point of view of a 5-year old boy; it took me a few chapters to get used to his language. But once I acclimated, I flew through this one.

Jack knows nothing but the Room he has lived in with his mother since the day he was born. Jack's perspective is that of a vast, yet cozy home he shares exclusively with Ma. To Ma, Room is a prison in which she has been held captive for years. Despite it all, Ma still tries to make life as normal as possible for her son. Unfortunately, Old Nick's nightly visits are a harsh reminder of their true reality.

The overall premise and lives of the protagonists is truly disturbing, but somehow, when narrated by a little boy, it works. The first few chapters were excruciating as I learned more and more of their situation and Jack's definition of "normal." Halfway through, I was routing for their rescue; followed by a disbelief that the story could in any way end well. Donogue does a fantastic job keeping the reader guessing and wholly intrigued. Her prose was poetic and profound ... the kind you continue to think about long after the last page is turned. I found this line to be particularly striking:

"It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us."

So true, right? Upon their escape (no, that's not a spoiler; you know it's going to happen), Jack makes a statement that proves he is truly a wise, old soul.

"Her laughter was a wondrous, liquid thing that splashed across my face, over the toes of my shoes, and into the grass."

While Room was released in September 2010 and I may be a little late with my review, if you haven't read it, make sure it immediately gets on your list.

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The 19th Wife

by David Ebershoff
Feb 9 - Mar 30, 2011

Well, that was more like homework than pleasurable reading. The first quarter of took me longer than reading all 507 pages put together. I mean who writes historical fiction with fictional footnotes?! How can a reader possibly flow through a book with ease when she has to stop to read fake citations, made-up Wikipedia entries and pretend newspaper clippings? I'll give the author credit for his ambition, but I guess I just don't get it.

Another case in point, in the acknowledgments section, Ebershoff writes, "This is a work of fiction. It is not meant to be read as a stand-in for a biography of Ann Eliza Young, Brigham Young, or any of the other historical figures who appear in it." Which leaves me with the question, why bother?! It took me nearly two months to read The 19th Wife. Two months of my (reading) life that I will never get back. And it's not like I learned anything. Yes, I know it's a work of fiction, and fiction is what I prefer to read, but historical fiction tends to have a bit more truth to it than this novel. I don't know, I'm just having trouble understanding the author's point. If I'm going to read about the history of the Firsts, I would hope I could learn a little something.

There were actually two stories being told simultaneously. The first is a fake book, entitled The 19th Wife, written by Ann Eliza Young. Ann Eliza was the supposed 19th wife of Brigham Young and wrote the book in an attempt to rid America of polygamy. (Near the end of the book, a footnote states that she was actually more like his 52nd wife?!) The second is a modern-day tale of a young gay man shunned from the Saints and his attempt to prove his mother's innocence. Jordan's mother, also a 19th wife, is accused of killing her husband. In my opinion, Ebershoff should have simply written a fiction novel revolving around these 20th century characters and called it a day. I wouldn't have been left wondering what the point was of the majority of the book. The modern "half" was much more interesting, but was not given nearly as much attention. Out of the 500 pages, I would guess that only 150 of those pages were dedicated to Jordan and his mother.

I'm on to much more lighthearted material. Can't say I would recommend this one.

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Sarah's Key

by Tatiana de Rosnay

I have a friend who can't read books about the Holocaust because it's just too traumatic. He's Jewish, so I can empathize, but until reading Sarah's Key, I didn't fully understand his hesitation. Now I get it. I'm quite sure I held my breath for the greater part of this book. The torment, torture and anguish was almost more than I could bear, especially considering that reading is supposed to be a relaxing, pleasant hobby. But, that being said, this book was powerful.

Set in Paris in 1942 as well as 2002, Sarah's Key explains the lesser publicized roundup of Parisian Jews and their eventual deportation to Auschwitz. Sarah is only 11 years old when her family is arrested and she attempts to protect her 5 year old brother, Michel, from inevitable death. The true horrors that these prisoners went through is told in extreme detail. Concurrently, in modern day, Julia Jarmond is an American living in Paris to a rat bastard Frenchman (pardon my French :). When the magazine she works for asks her to write a story of the 60th anniversary of the Roundup, she uncovers a link between her husband's family and Sarah's.

If you can classify such intense emotions and stress as enjoyable, then I enjoyed this book. It just sounds weird to say that. But I've already said that I love historical fiction, so I will use that as my hook. I do know there is NO WAY I will tell my friend to read this. But for as engaging as this was, my feelings are that the last 50 or so pages threw in the towel. Extremely sloppy and just a little too convenient an ending. You know when you're reading a book, turn the page, and automatically see the tone change? Like we just entered wrap-up mode? I really hate when this happens, but I think this was one of the most obvious hurry-up-and-get-it-over-with books I have ever encountered. It's a shame too because 80% of it was fascinating. Oh well, I would still recommend it, but maybe don't put it on the top of your list.

(p.s. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not linking the titles of the books in the body copy of these posts anymore. That's because the photo is now the link. Cool, huh?) 

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Let the Great World Spin

by Colum McCann

I'm sitting here trying to think of what to write that would do this book justice. How do I describe this story with the same eloquence in which it was told? And will I tempt you, my blog reader, enough to make you pick up Let the Great World Spin? To initially hear the synopsis might not be convincing enough. Plus, when I say that it took me almost a quarter of the book to become emotionally involved and attached to the story, you may say that your time is too valuable. But I need you to read this book. I promise it is worth every minute of your precious time.

I'm a little late with my review. Great World was released in December of 2009, reviewed by my friend Ed in April and recently voted his 2010 Fiction Book of the Year. Anyway, for those who don't know, the heart of the story revolves around Philippe Petit and his 1974 tightrope walk across the World Trade Towers. A series of people are introduced and, while their lives overlap slightly, in the end they converge into one of the best told stories I have read in a long time. Publisher's Weekly can synopsize better than me:

"Petit appears in the courtroom of Judge Solomon Soderberg, that sets events into motion. Solomon, anxious to get to Petit, quickly dispenses with a petty larceny involving mother/daughter hookers Tillie and Jazzlyn Henderson. Jazzlyn is let go, but is killed on the way home in a traffic accident. Also killed is John Corrigan, a priest who was giving her a ride. The other driver, an artist named Blaine, drives away, and the next day his wife, Lara, feeling guilty, tries to check on the victims, leading her to meet John's brother, with whom she'll form an enduring bond. Meanwhile, Solomon's wife, Claire, meets with a group of mothers who have lost sons in Vietnam. One of them, Gloria, lives in the same building where John lived, which is how Claire, taking Gloria home, witnesses a small salvation."

My favorite characters/plot lines were Lara and her struggle with forgiveness and guilt, and Tilly, who did the very best she could with the cards she was dealt. The parallels McCann made with 9/11 are evident and truly fantastic. I found this video interview he did and it's worth the six minutes it takes to watch. Do so, then go get this book.

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Still Missing

by Chevy Stevens

Oh holy crap. Immediately sucked in.

"You know Doc, you're not the first shrink I've seen since I got back. The one my family doctor recommended right after I came home was a real prize. The guy actually tried to act like he didn't know who I was, but that was a pile of crap – you'd have to be deaf and blind not to. Hell, it seems every time I turn around another asshole with a camera is jumping out of the bushes. But before all this shit went down? Most of the world had never heard of Vancouver Island, let alone Clayton Falls. Now mention the island to someone and I'm willing to bet the first thing out of their mouth will be,  'Isn't that where the lady Realtor was abducted?' "

I loved the writing perspective of the Realtor, Annie, speaking directly to the psychiatrist, whose "voice" is never heard. But knowing that she is speaking to him after her horrific ordeal doesn't make the tale any less stressful, even though you realize she survived her one-year abduction. The nightmare of Annie being taken from an open house, having to live like a wife to a psychotic maniac, and her eventual escape is truly only the beginning. As Annie tries to work out her fears and attempt regaining a "normal" life, she is still hoping to find out more about her abductor and why she was his victim. The result is something I don't think any reader will figure out.

My heart didn't stop pounding the whole time I was reading. Just thinking back on it as I type this, my heart pounds again. If you are looking for a real suspenseful, unique, quick read, go now. Actually, even if you aren't, just get Still Missing. It's that good.

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Testimony

by Anita Shreve

I'm currently disrupting with the time/space continuum. I read Testimony in July, but am writing my review today (December 1, 2010), and not planning to post said review until December 14. Do with this information what you will.

Actually, today was a crazy day. It started off super productive and successful ... seems my job has evolved into a bit of corporate training and it doesn't suck. It's draining for sure, but interacting with people is one of the things I do best. I'm passionate about my work and always eager to share my knowledge. After the training there were some events that took place that actually made me need to leave the office for fear of doing/saying something I might regret. As I drove home I vowed to forget about these aggravating circumstances and not speak again for the rest of the day. Oh, and drink a lot of wine.  So if I can't express myself verbally, my blog readers get treated to a buzzed post. Here goes...

I've been up and down with Anita Shreve. I read The Pilot's Wife years ago and absolutely loved it. Then I read a few other titles and as write this have no idea what they were. I knew they were forgettable, but I didn't realize until now just how much so. But this one was handed to me by Joanna, and we all know that I trust her recommendations and sort of see her as my personal screener. This one passed the test.

Testimony is the story about college students and, more specifically, how one seemingly harmless series of events effects a long string of people. Each chapter is told by a different affected person. I really like this style of writing. Easy to follow, yet complex enough to keep the reader on her toes. I'm reading other reviews to refresh my memory, and find that this book didn't get much praise. For once, I completely disagree. I thought this book was great. The subject matter was totally believable and I definitely sympathized with the characters.

Three star college basketball players and a freshman girl make a sex tape that quickly gets leaked to the entire school. It's eerily reminiscent of that poor Rutger's student who jumped from the GW bridge (even though this book was published two years ago). And I was hooked after the first two sentences:

"It was a small cassette, not much bigger than the palm of his hand, and when Mike thought about the terrible license and risk exhibited on the tape, as well as its resultant destructive power, it was as though the two-by-three plastic package had been radioactive. Which it may as well have been, since it had produced something very like radiation sickness throughout the school, reducing the value of an Avery education, destroying at least two marriages that he knew of, ruining the futures of three students, and, most horrifying of all, resulting in a death."

Quick read. Compelling. Worth it.

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The Last Time I Saw You

by Elizabeth Berg

I have had a post-it note with Elizabeth Berg's name tacked to my computer for over a year. This was the first book I finally got around to reading. Really, whose list isn't a million miles long?! And now that I own a kindle, it seems easier to add more and more to that ever-growing list.

As I had said a couple weeks ago, I am way, way behind on posting. I read this one back in June (2010, duh, I'm not that far behind), and as I went back to read the synopsis, I realized how forgettable this book was. It's not that The Last Time I Saw You was poorly written or had an uninteresting plot, but for once I am completely in the wrong demographic for this author's novels. Luckily I'm not approaching my 40th high school reunion (not even close!), but, in a nutshell, that's the premise. And as I read a few reviews, I agreed with a few spot-on keywords like rose-tinted and vanilla, yet ably written. I couldn't agree more.

I may revisit Berg's books in about 10-15 years, but for now, I'll pass.

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