Vox

by Christina Dalcher
Dec 16-23, 2018

I've been reading nonstop lately. What else is there to do in winter?! And Vox was a super quick read that I busted out in a week.

My first inclination is to call it Handmaid's Tale-Lite. Women are repressed in the name of religion, but it's only been a year in this new way of life, and again, only in the US. Vox is like the Cliff's Notes of a dystopian society. It held my attention and stressed me out, but resolutions came quickly and crises were swiftly resolved. Because of this, it was hard for me to really dwell on the "what-ifs" presented here. But really, what if you could only speak 100 words a day? How would you make them count?

Dalcher does a decent job at character building in minimalist form. Just enough to evoke hatred for most characters. Her vocabulary isn't the best – I hate when people use the word "sex" as an anatomical description – but the simplicity flowed easily and didn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

I also think Vox is a timely parallel, in abstract form, to our current state of affairs. Again, the what-ifs.

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A Short History of Drunkenness

by Mark Forsyth
Dec 8-16, 2018

To finish the full title, A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present. A fun, hilarious history on being drunk. Not drinking in general, but getting hammered. Laugh out loud funny at times, yet still enlightening. A good break between serious novels.

I had to take not of a few funny quotes that are definitely worth repeating at party:

Trying to punch a saber-toothed tiger when you're five sheets to the wind is a nightmare.

To pass an entire day and night in drinking disgraces no one.

The number of accounts of people dropping down dead in a gin shop is phenomenal and depressing.

Crack is always served with crumpets.

He blew his money on whores and oysters.

Forsyth has a great sense of humor. Worth the read if you've ever been known to get overserved.


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The Great Believers

by Rebecca Makkai
Nov 15-Dec 7, 2018

I have always been emotionally affected by the AIDS crisis. I was not worried about myself, but all the unfortunate souls who were blind-sided and wrecked by such a hideous disease. So, when in the first chapter the characters are at a funeral for a friend who lost his battle with AIDS, I was immediately in the trenches with them.

I liked how the chapters alternated between the 80s and early 90s to present day. I loved the way the present and past threaded together as the story developed. I have never to my recollection read a chapter twice, but I was so intensely moved when Yale was finally diagnosed, that I had to read it again to feel that raw emotion one more time. While of course I knew it was a matter of time before he too was infected, the author managed to organically and surprisingly weave it into the story. As Yale was thinking of all the things he would never get to do, all of the experiences he would miss out on:

"All the books he hadn't started."

And in present day, his best friend Fiona is in Paris trying to find her daughter. Fiona is a tough character. While you can't help but feel sorry for her, her life and history have made her selfish and untrusting. Rightly so. At 21 she experienced more deaths of friends than most do in a lifetime.

"Why couldn't you ever just go through life without tripping over some idiot's dick?"

I enjoyed the subplot of the art acquisition and how it still managed to tie all the characters together. It was actually a welcome distraction to the anguish I felt for these suffering men. Makkai succeeded in telling a poignant, relevant account of a disease that should never be underestimated.

* * * * *

The Italian Teacher

by Tom Rachman
Oct 25-Nov 14, 2018

Ultimately, The Italian Teacher is a story about a son's desperate need for approval and acceptance from his selfish, egotistical father. It just took a while to get interesting. I ended up enjoying the book, but it took forever to gain momentum. Bear Bavinsky was a unique character that evoked a ton of rage from me because if his selfishness, jealousy and enormous ego. His son, Pinch, wanted nothing more than for this man to really "see" him, and when he never really did, it was heartbreaking.

I think the book could have been cut down by nearly a third. It tended to drag and I wasn't drawn to keep picking it up in between readings. It was good, not great, although the last portion was the best and easiest to read, and came with a satisfying ending.

* * * * *

Katerina

by James Frey
Oct. 13-24, 2018

What an absolute joke of a book. I hurts me to even call this a book, let alone any great literary feat. I admit to my obsession with Frey after the great Oprah debacle, but back then, fact or fiction, his writing style was fresh and unexpected. Now it's laughable, egotistical and ignorant. Repeating words, phrases and sentences doesn't make you a talented writer, it makes you look like an eighth grader lamely attempting to fill his book report to the required number of pages (double-spaced). There is literally a full page of exchanges between Jay and Katerina that continues to repeat, "Hi." Wow, groundbreaking stuff. Much of the other "filler" was Frey simply taking up page space to prove something to the reader (himself?) his advanced knowledge of literature and art. One giant eyeroll after another. Quoting page after page of The Tropic of Cancer doesn't make you an enlightened literary savant, it makes you a plagiarist.

The deeper I got into the book, the more familiar it sounded. Is he really attempting to write his autobiography again?! But if he doesn't call it that specifically, he assumes he'll be off the hook? Because of the riveting dialogue (snort), the pages turned quickly. I wanted to give up about a quarter into it for the sheer stench of narcissism, but I admit I had to find out where he was going with this. Only one tiny bit of redemption in the end, but in no way does that justify recommending this book to anyone I care about.

But my review is just one tiny sliver of light into the darkness of this drivel. Ron Charles is a book critic for the Washington Post. I've read his review of Katerina no less than four times. It's pure GOLD. Do yourself a favor and soak up his every word.

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As Bright as Heaven

by Susan Meissner
Sept 18-Oct 10, 2018

Oof. Talk about having a great concept and letting it get out of control. This one went off the rails fast and hard. The first half, during the Spanish flu pandemic, was gut-wrenching and interestingly told. The concept of the family living and working in a funeral home and not being able to keep up with the deaths was a unique perspective. The amount of lives lost was portrayed in a way that often brought tears to my eyes. And then...

“Life is wonderful and beautiful but oh, how hard it can be.” 

Flash forward seven years and I was left wondering what the point of the story was. Why should I care at all about these new characters/mental patients? How does that further develop the story line? And please, please, please don't reveal what I think you are about to reveal ... oops, too late. The final part was so contrived and gratuitous I nearly abandoned the book. Sure, everyone loves a happy ending, but this one couldn't have been anymore "of course" unless a unicorn showed up on the last page. I honestly don't see why there are so many glowing reviews {eye roll}. Three stars going into it, two stars coming out.

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An American Marraige

by Tayari Jones
Aug 20-Sept 17, 2018

It appears that I am waaaaay in the minority on this one, but man, I had to force myself through. While maybe the book started off a little slow; the letter writing was interesting and dynamically evolving, it quickly picked up momentum, only to screech to a halt in the final several chapters. It was like slogging through mud.

I really liked the perspective of an educated, successful black "power" couple who get a really shitty hand dealt to them. But for me, this fact only kind of wafted in the background. It would have been better off with a greater focus on this injustice than the marriage collapse. Because of course it would be extremely difficult for newlyweds to maintain a relationship when the husband is locked up for five years, but their actions once he was released from prison were not at all believable. Rightly so, he would assume they could pick up where they left off. And to her defense, she moved on. But their interactions and expectations of each other were disjointed at best.

"What cruelty revealed that she cared by making me understand the limits of the same?"

Huh?? I must have read that sentence five times. I felt like the inevitable ending was so drawn out as to be gratuitous to the author's vocabulary. And when he started banging his head on the stupid tree that even had a name ... enough. I definitely missed the point all around.

* * * * *

The Stars are Fire

by Anita Shreve
Aug 6-19, 2018

I kind of decided that I shouldn't insist on reading all of the books by the same author just because I loved one in particular. I always end up disappointed. I still remember reading and loving The Pilot's Wife and telling all my friends and family to read it immediately. That was 20 years ago! I do think I read a few other ones; Sea Glass and Testimony sound familiar, but I don't recall the plots. But for some reason, when I heard about Shreve's death and her last novel, I was compelled to pick it up. Glad I did.

As a fan of historical fiction, I seem to be drawn specifically to that of WWII. So when I chose this book, I didn't realize the fires in Maine in the late 40s were actually true, and I didn't pay attention to that "character" when I read the summary. To my surprise, these crazy fires made for an extremely interesting premise, with the tangle of marriage commitments and the expectations of wives during this era mixed in. At only 256 pages, Shreve was able to accomplish a lot with these characters and their circumstances. I tore through it and was pleasantly satisfied. And for once I really enjoyed a serendipitous ending. Sometimes it's just warranted.

* * * * *

Everything Here is Beautiful

by Mira T. Lee
July 8-Aug 5, 2018


If it's possible, this is a story of mental illness told in a beautiful, personal way. Beautiful because of the slow pace with a frantic undertone, and personal because the author succeeds in describing Lucia's illness in a way that actually makes sense. To Lucia, she is rational. To the reader, we see both sides – Lucia's, which explains away the demons – and Miranda's, which rationalizes the treatment of the illness.

“It seems silly, right? To be crying when everything's fine?
Well, why not, I figure, because if pain and tears were correlated, surely we would've all drowned by now.”

I need to stress the push and pull feeling of how the story is told. On one hand it's a gradual reveal, almost to the point of impatience (i.e., move it along). On the other, there's a sense of urgency to strike before more damage can be done. A good character-driven, family story is right up my alley, and for four, very different people, each one had a thoroughly-told narrative.

* * * * *

Fierce Kingdom

by Gin Phillips
July 4-7, 2018

A super quick read, not necessarily because of the intended suspense. I am not really a fan of thrillers or this genre in general, but was intrigued by the short length and light investment while on vacation.

A woman and her 5-year old son are at the zoo near closing time. They know all the ins and outs of the place. As they make their way to the exit they hear gun shots and find a place to hide. OK, sounds good, right? My first issue is that terror is not an enjoyable feeling for me when I'm reading. Especially when it involves children. The second issue, and this is a big one, is how Joan decides to handle the situation. Now I understand that no one could predict how she would react in a terrifying life or death situation, but I gotta believe it wouldn't be anything like this. In the beginning, Joan communicates with her husband via cell phone as she shares news of their hiding and tries to learn more of the situation. But suddenly she thinks the light on the phone will get them caught, so she throws her phone away. WHAT?! I get that it makes for a more dramatic story, but it's just not plausible. It's her only connection to the outside.

Finally, while I'm the first to criticize a plot for wrapping up neatly in a bow, this one just stops at the most uninformative moment. What the hell happened to the baby in the garbage can? What happened to the woman with the bad knee?? I can probably assume that everyone made it out safely, but aren't books like this supposed to not have happy endings? Overall, an extremely flawed delivery on a decent premise.

* * * * *

The Immortalists

by Chloe Benjamin
June 10-July 1, 2018

I'm quite behind on my reviews, so we'll keep this one short but sweet! I loved this book. Such a unique premise.

This was so much more than a story about "how would you live/change your life if you knew the date of your death." At first I feared that The Immortalists was going to lean too far toward hocus-pocus. But it became so much more than that. It was about the choices we make and the risks we take. Each of the four siblings had their own distinctive tale, and each one was interesting in its own way.

I liked the first two stories the best – Simon's and Klara's – because they were the most relatable. Daniel's story was a bit "of course" and I didn't enjoy the in-depth science explanations in Varya's chapters. But I found Varya's ending fairly unexpected and was glad that I didn't correctly predict it.

“She knows that stories have the power to change things: the past and the future, even the present.”

 Overall, extremely thought-provoking and poetic. 4 stars.

* * * * *

Before We Were Yours

by Lisa Wingate
May 17-June 7, 2018

I wanted to love this. I anticipated that I would rate it a seldom-given five stars. But it was only OK. I found many flaws, but I have ideas on how it would have been better.

It's no secret that I hate politics. (I'm also the first to admit that I am not educated enough to express any public opinion on political matters.) So the beginning of the book dragged for me. To the point where I wasn't sure I could continue on. I just didn't get the relevance. Then, when the author took the reader to the past on a riverboat, I failed to see the connection. Once the children were kidnapped, it started to make more sense.  I found it extremely difficult to read about the abuse the children suffered while in the orphanage. I also had doubts whether these tales were actually based on a true story. But because the author continued to refer to a place specifically, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, I deducted that this must be based on facts.

I just don't think that the story benefited in having the connection to the present as far as the political "controversy" and the story of Avery, one of the adopted children's granddaughter. The present-day portions were shallow and sloppily told. It was too much. The novel would have been great on its own if it had just focused on the Foss children and what became of each of them. Avery was a selfish, self-absorbed, unlikeable character. I also failed to see why finding out your grandmother was a "river gypsy" and adopted was such a scandalous fact. So what?

Overall, good potential, poor execution.

* * * * *

The Velvet Hours

by Alyson Richman
April 22-May 16, 2018

The first two words that came to me while I was reading this: gratuitous and indulgent. For as much as I love novels centered around Paris during WWII, this one was all over the place and eye-roll inducing. I didn't find the structure to be successful, nor did I find the characters to be well-developed or even likable. The author spent more time describing the art pieces than imagining the lives of the characters.

With alternating chapters told by Solange at the beginning of the war and her grandmother in the late 1800s, the changes in their POV was very distracting. The technique was unsuccessful and didn't succeed in building a better story. My quick takeaways from each character are this: Solange is selfish and oblivious. Marthe is an oblivious courtesan. I'm sure there is truth to the whole "kept woman" concept, but wow, is that hard to read in this day and age. And Solange, as the Nazis are about to occupy Paris, all she can think of is her stupid books and her boyfriend. The biggest eye roll of them all was how her boyfriend got "excused" from the draft. Then their escape to South America was rushed and lacking any sympathy that one would imagine was experienced during that time. From all the other historical fiction books I've read about this era, this one just isn't plausible.

The inspiration for this story came from a real-life event, where an apartment was discovered untouched after 70 years. In my opinion, the author missed the best opportunity to tell a really good story. It was a struggle to finish. Such a disappointment.

* * * * *

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward
April 8-21, 2018

A dysfunctional family whose story is told mainly through the eyes of a 13-year old boy who calls his mother by her first name. Jojo needs to be the father to his young sister and the man of the house, emulating his grandfather, because his mother is a meth addict and his father is in jail. Oh, and he sees dead people.

A quick and interesting perspective on the "unburied" but the child neglect was tough to get through. The deeper underlying statements on racism are not for me to judge. But Ward succeeded in developing sympathetic characters that I wanted to know more about. It's crazy what drugs do to an already selfish, immature woman. Leonie knew she needed to be a better mother to her kids, but she chose her boyfriend and meth over them. Every time. I think this is not too uncommon in real life either.

Overall, a profound and poetic take on parenting, racism and drug abuse in the south. Painful to read, but still so important.

* * * * *

Paris in the Present Tense

by Mark Helprin
March 14-April 5, 2018

What a delightful book! I love all things France, and with that add incredibly intelligent dialogue, and I'm hooked.

Jules is a 74-year old man who has a LOT going on in his life. And now he's got to make sure his family is taken care of and that certain people get what's coming to them before he makes a graceful exit. While some parts tended to drag and get a little overdone, the rest was so good that it made up for the lag. It's been a while since I've read dialogue that can make me laugh out loud.

"He couldn't resist adding, in English, 'I'm having a whale time.'

 Arnaud, whose English was only elementary, thought that whatever the reference to a whale, it was very sophisticated. '...Why are you having fun like a whale?'"

Taken in context, this was very funny. Jules could literally outsmart anyone with his words. And yet, he was poetic and poignant too.

"Quite simply, and make of it what you will: music is the voice of God."

With all that happened throughout the book I worried that it might fall apart at the end. I held my breath and hoped for a satisfying conclusion. I got it. It was as though the gates of heaven opened up, the light shined brightly and the characters faded out.

* * * * *

The Address

by Fiona Davis
Feb 23-Mar 13, 2018

I saw the Dakota just one time. I wish I would have paid more attention to it. At the time we were more interested in heading to the park to see Strawberry Fields. In the first few chapters of The Address, I was enthralled. How cool to take a look back at the opening days of this famous residence. The story is told in alternating chapters from 1885 and its beginning to "present" day 1985 and its hundred-year anniversary. It feels it's almost needless to say, but the 19th century parts were incomparably better than the modern day perspective. Every single character in the present was unlikable. The dialogue was laughable. But the continued story of Theo and Sara was romantic and fun. And then the story derails...

I bought into this one for the historical fiction aspect, but I somehow missed that it was also a mystery. A silly, trite and far-fetched "twist" that lost all credibility in my eyes. As the two timelines begin to merge, the present day characters become even less likable and the mystery from the past is totally unconvincing. Did people really get wrongfully committed to asylums when they "got in the way?" I might have to read up on that (if I cared enough to keep this book top-of-mind).

Three stars, but only for the first half.

* * * * *

All is Not Forgotten

by Wendy Walker
Feb 10-22, 2018

I'm not actually sure how this one got on my radar. It's from 2016 and although I read pretty slow, I try to stay as current as possible. I am not at all a fan of thriller/suspense novels either. But the psychological aspect of this one piqued my interest.

I enjoyed the passive voice of the narrator from the outside looking in. Then I realized what a narcissist he was an I began to like him less. I understand the mentality of doing anything to protect your family, but to do so with a holier-than-thou attitude became a bit much.

I also understand the need to drive the point of the brutality of rape to the forefront, but the graphic way in which it was told was nearly unbearable. Reading about such horrific acts in so much detail is not the least bit enjoyable.

The way the characters all became woven together was satisfying and well developed – until it became a little too convenient. Any woman reading about a brutal rape is naturally going to want to see justice for the rapist, and we just didn't get that here.

Overall though, it was a quick read that did offer a decent amount of suspense. Just not the genre that I would normally choose.

* * * * *

The Life She Was Given

by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Jan 28-Feb 10, 2018

Warning. This is not a book for adults. This is a YA book hiding in plain sight as credible, adult fiction. It's funny that the more I dislike a book, the more I have to say about it. Fundamentally and technically, there is so much wrong.

Let's start with the spelling and grammatical errors. The book alternates chapters between Lilly (in the 1930s) and Julia (in the 50s). At one point, Julia became "Julie" for a sentence or two. I thought I was losing my mind until I realized it was an error! That's pretty hard to overlook. Every new chapter started with a one-sentence synopsis of what happened two chapters earlier, and the pattern was exactly the same. Out of 34 chapters, 20 of them started with "After {the incident}..." It's as though the author isn't giving the reader credit for remembering what happened just a few pages before. Definitely a YA formula. While this is no literary feat, there were sentences that actually made me laugh out loud:

"The headless dressmaker's dummy seemed to be watching, judging her for searching the house."

Haha! I could go on, but I think my point is clear. Fundamentally, Julia living in the 1950s is poorly visualized. She's written more like a young woman in the present day. The overarching themes of the story became increasingly uncomfortable with every page. Lilly is presented as an albino simply because she has porcelain skin. This was misleading, misinformed and a cop out attempting to add suspense to the big reveal in the end. The animal cruelty was excruciating to read and not something that I think adds interest, only a shock value. Add these two themes to the Big Top and yet another hilarious line:

"Because where else would an albino, a lifelong circus performer, and an elephant have any sort of chance at starting over?"

Don't we all wonder the same thing?!!? Wiseman is touted as an "acclaimed, best-selling author" who got her inspiration from the Flowers in the Attic series. Sorry, you are no V.C. Andrews and I found nothing but flaws in this ridiculous novel.

* * * * *

Saints for All Occasions

by J. Courtney Sullivan 
Jan 4-28, 2018

What a lovely story. I adore family dramas, especially ones that span a few generations. Add to that a devout Irish Catholic family, and I'm hooked. I love how the story just kind of quietly unfolded into a completely believable narrative. And while the subject matter isn't exactly groundbreaking or original, I still think the author found a fresh way to tell it.

"Mother Cecilia swore she felt her spirit each time she set foot in the abbey's vegetable garden, or when she went to the grave and placed flowers in springtime. And especially when, in the presence of some lost soul, she attempted to give her solace.
As many paths to God as people on earth."

Beautiful, thought-provoking paragraphs like that are abundant. Sullivan really succeeded in making the reader contemplate her own family dynamic and especially understand the power of prayer and forgiveness. The perfect example of life being too short to hold on to anger.

A great way to start the new year; I'm a little sad to leave these characters.

* * * * *

The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath
Dec. 26, 2017-Jan. 3, 2018

/ˈbel ,jär/
noun
1. a bell-shaped glass cover used for covering delicate objects or used in a laboratory, typically for enclosing samples.
      1.1 An environment in which someone is protected or cut off from the outside world. ‘let him stay in his bell jar of perfectionist concentration’ [with allusion to Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar (1963)]

With a little nudging from a friend, I decided at long last to read The Bell Jar, a book that has been on my list for years. Considering the book was first released 55 years ago, the plot was not a mystery, but I was completely shocked by how convincing Esther's downfall was. She describes her rapid descent in a beautifully sad way:

"trapped under a bell jar, stewing in her own sour air"

And in the brilliant writing, somehow I started to question my own sanity, even for a minute. Obviously, that minute has passed, but such is the power of Plath's words.

At times the book felt rushed, but I also think that was a purposeful tactic to further illustrate Esther's sickness. And in truth, I'm glad the book wasn't any longer because I was left emotionally exhausted. Purposely written without emotion, only commentary, it was initially difficult to empathize with Esther. But after that first shock treatment, my heart continually broke for her and her struggle. Nine years after The Bell Jar was published, Plath took her own life. It's a shame to have lost such a brilliant talent to such a horrible disease.

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